WITHOUT ME

by mssupertigz

What if Casey followed through on his orders to kill Chuck. What were his reasons and what would it do to his relationship with Sarah. Was killing Chuck the answer or would they give Casey the answers he needed to redeem his actions.

2. Chapter 2

WITHOUT YOU CH 2 – Let me know what you think.

Later that week

Sarah watched as the bottle rolled off her bed and onto the floor. She was never one to really drink heavily, she did enjoy having a glass of wine or the odd beer with Chuck. But those memories and many others that could have been, brought her peace now brought her pain. She reached for her gun, but to use it the way she felt wasn't the answer. She needed to find out why? 'Why would Casey ever think to kill you? He knew you disliked having the Intersect, but you never really complained that you had it, even though I know that it took a toil on you. And why would Casey do what he did when you two had grown in your relationship?'

Sarah continued to have a deep conversation with herself. 'The trust.' Sarah recalled. 'Chuck trusted you, Casey with his life and even more you destroyed your friendship. Chuck you never wasted a friendship. You drove heart first into building your friendships. Your friendship with Morgan had been going on almost 20 years.' Sarah stared out the window, appreciating how they had become fast friends despite not going further in their 'fake relationship,' than they wished they could. She loved the fact that Chuck never judged her, he cared for her. Now she would never know what they could have had.

Hours later and a pot of coffee, Sarah moved the gun to her other hand and grabbed her keys taking one last look at the flights leaving LA. She slipped her jacket on sliding her gun into her inside pocket and leaving. Her judgement was cloudy and not entirely due to the amount of alcohol she drank, but what Casey had done. She had to make things right. She had to avenge Chuck's death.

She drove her car to the airport and parked in the extended parking waiting for him to drive up. She saw the time and it was almost midnight. She watched him as he got out of his car. He looked miserable. 'Good ' she thought he should feel terrible for what he did. He killed his friend. Casey grabbed his bags and shut his trunk. Sarah screwed her silencer onto the end of her gun and stepped out. She stayed close to the already parked cars stealthily maneuvering towards Casey. She waited for the right moment then fired.

She refocused and saw Casey stop in his tracks. He knew she could have done the deed. Next to him she had a good shot. He stepped forward, she fired again as the bullet ricocheted off of the asphalt. He knew from the gun she was using it was her service piece. He kept a count of how many shots she had left. Her service piece could only hold a dozen bullets. And she had fired two and she wasn't reloading. But when the fourth shot hit his canvas army bag making a clean shot through, he knew she wasn't going through with it. When she started to speak her words did more damage. "He trusted you! He put his life in your hands and you took that away. You're a coward, and a murderer!" Casey listened as she vented but he didn't blame her. He couldn't blame her but, he couldn't tell her the truth not quite yet. He needed her to focus on her new mission so that she'd be out of his way. He lied to Beckman wanting to be back with his old team. He knew that if they thought that he was with his old team he could easily disappear, in order to finds the answers to why they wanted Chuck dead. Casey knew that his intentions were good, weren't they?

He looked at her as she lowered her gun. He had seen that look on her face many times in the past when something happened to Chuck. You couldn't help react if Chuck was in danger. Casey remembered a few days ago when Colt tossed Chuck over the edge and he heard her cry out.

"Why?" She asked again. Bringing him back from his thoughts.

"It's bigger than you and I." Casey's voice heartfelt.

"So you shot him in cold blood! What did you do with his body?" Sarah waited for him to answer. It took all the strength of the veteran agent to say nothing, he picked up his bag and headed inside, never looking back.

Sarah wiped her cheek. She slid her gun back inside her jacket and walked back to her car. She sat down and rested her head on the steering wheel and cried. 'Why Chuck?'

She drove to the one place that meant something to her and it felt like home, besides their spot on the beach. She slipped into his bedroom door and walked his place then crawled into his bed. She laid her head on his pillow and breathed in his scent. She woke up hours later taking one last look at what could have been. She sighed deeply, with no more tears, she took a deep breath and grabbed one of his shirts. It was not much but it was his.

Weeks later

Sarah had covered most of the lower United States on a wild goose chase with no success. She wondered if this mission was legit. Begrudgingly deciding on one last lead she headed to Nicaragua. She still didn't have a concrete lead or a person of interest, which suited her but it was a mission and she had to cover all possible leads even if they ended up being nothing.

Chuck tried to open his eyes, but his right eye was harder to focus and open this time around. His head felt worse than when he uploaded the Intersect a year before. His body, well there was not inch of his body that didn't ache. Chuck tried to sit up, working through the pain but gave up and fell back into bed. He looked up to see that same shadowy figure walk into the room as he did before. The man spoke. "Good that your moving but I am running out of thread to stitch you up. So take it easy." Chuck tried to comprehend what he was saying. Chuck did notice that the man was carrying a tray. His good eye focussing on the water. The man saw where Chuck was looking. "You thirsty?"

Chuck nodded. The man put the tray down and passed Chuck the bottle. He spoke again, his voice was soft but it sounded familiar. He passed Chuck some pain meds unscrewing the top off. "Not sure how many you would like to take?"

Chuck poured out his usual amount he would take if he had a headache but this time he added a few more. "I'll leave you to eat. If you need anything, just holler."

Chuck grabbed the tray then looked up at the door. "Thanks…."

"You're welcome Chuck."

Chuck looked back up at the door. "How do you know my name? Courtesy of knowing yours?"

"Just call me Alexander. And how I know your name is not important."

Chuck didn't have the strength to argue. 'If he was going to kill him, he already would have.' Chuck ate then dozed off waking up in a fright as he recalled what had happened. Alexander walked in and sat down as Chuck sat up holding his arm. "I was shot?"

The man could see the horror in Chuck's eyes. And he knew that Chuck was not like any other person he knew. From what he got from Casey, Chuck was very smart but, he lacked the ability to comprehend, what Alexander called the soldier language. Chuck needed things explained a bit differently, then to tell him that he was shot by someone he trusted was going to be difficult. "Yes, but right now we need you to get your strength back. In time all your questions will be answered."

Chuck held his arm close to his body as Alexander checked his wound and adjusted his sling. "Let me know if you need something stronger than what you just took."

Days later

Alexander lit a cigar and stared at the burner phone. Casey was to report in and any delays he started to worry that things were not going as he had planned. He walked the house to check on Chuck, who finally fell asleep after having hours of nightmares. Alexander finally decided to give him a strong dose of a concoction, he brewed together that finally settled Chuck. He figured out that his pain tolerance was never going to cut it in the marines. He walked outside seeing the night sky. The faint jungle noises mixed with the sounds of the ocean were calming and anything else kept him on guard. This was the safest place for now but even safe places could become unsafe.

The burner phone chirped as Alexander picked it up. "Casey."

"How is it going?"

Alexander could hear what sounded like an engine running. "Where are you?"

"Looking for answers, how is Chuck?"

"Finally sleeping. He had a few bad nightmares." Casey's pit in his stomach got even bigger. "He's remembering and he wants to know what happened."

"Not right now. I need him to hate me for a little while longer. It will be what keeps him safe. If he knew the why, he'd find a way to get back to her and I can't have that right now. She is where she needs to be right now and where I know she is safe as well."

"Who is keeping you safe?"

"I don't need anyone to keep me safe. As far as they are concerned I followed though on the kill order and my job is done. I just need to find out why they wanted him dead and why now."

"Any idea, on the why?"

"Nothing concrete but it's a start. Do you need anything?"

Alexander looked around. "Yeah, more first aid supplies. I seemed to be running out of thread to stitch him up. He passed out the other day and I had to stitch his fore head."

"Yeah , I forgot to mention that his pain tolerance is not where it should be."

"I did figure that out, so I took it upon me to help him in that matter. He just needs sleep and it seems that his brain doesn't allow him to sleep."

Casey grunted. "He's full of surprises but he's worth the effort."

"You keep saying that. What makes him so special?"

Casey sighed. "Almost everything. He's a good kid that got the rough end of the stick and I would do almost anything for him."

"And the other agent?"

"I have her keeping busy but, she is very good at her job. So I have to make sure that I am ahead of her. The last time I checked she was busy in the lower 49. I better go. I will send those supplies, you should get them by the end of the week."

"Same place?" Alexander replying.

"Yes."

"Take care Casey."

"You guys as well."

Casey hung up and put the burner down beside him and leaned back in his seat. He knew that Chuck was alive and that was the most important thing, he needed to make sure he stayed that way. He grabbed his laptop and sent an email with a supply list to his contacts in South America.

Chuck raised his head and placed his feet on the floor. He figured that it had been four days since he arrived here, wherever here was. He adjusted the knot of his sling and walked out. He was wearing shorts and a t shirt, which were his own clothes, which baffled him. He walked out seeing the table set for two. Besides the table were two of his bags. He looked up to see Alexander in the make shift kitchen, standing near a propane stove. "Good to see that your upright." Go get cleaned up and we will sit down for a late breakfast or early lunch."

Chuck turned on his heels then walked back towards the bathroom. The only room that was not taken out of the Swiss Family Robinson's play book. Chuck ran the shower and slowly took his sling off and his shirt. He looked at his shoulder then his face and he wasn't sure which looked worse. He stepped into the shower as the water flowed down from what he could tell was a cistern. The water was warm, but with this heat, he didn't need to have anymore heat. He stepped out to see his toothbrush, paste, a razor and everything else he had in his bathroom back home sitting in a small wooden crate. He slipped his arm back into his sling and wrapped a towel around his waist and headed back to his room. He found another pair of shorts and a t shirt. He slipped them on then walked out.

Alexander turned to pour some coffee and Chuck was glad to have one. "Sit, you feel better?"

"Sort of. What did you give me?"

"Just a homemade recipe. But you slept? No more nightmares?"

Chuck shook his head. "Don't think so."

"Good, and the pain?"

"Only when I move it?"

"Well you will need to move it somewhat. We don't want it to freeze up."

Alexander could see that Chuck wasn't up for talking. He walked back and grabbed their plates and sat down. Chuck ate about half but he knew the effort that he had taken into prepping this meal so he forced himself to finish the rest. Chuck excused himself and headed outside.

Walking through the door he didn't expect to see a small yard with a vast canopy of greenery and in the distance what looked like the ocean. He knew he wasn't in LA or even Kansas. He walked past the clay pony wall looking back at the house. It was a quaint adobe style home, very plain with a cream stucco shade on the walls. Alexander came out and lit a cigar. His actions made Chuck wonder if this stranger was more than a stranger, or even someone that someone else knew.

Chuck walked back inside the pony wall and sat down as a goat trailed in. "Yours?"

Alexander laughed. "No, but once in awhile she comes by when she knows that someone new is here."

"And where is here?"

Alexander took a puff and blew the smoke out from the corner of his mouth. Chuck looked at the man. "How do you know Casey?"

The man choked on his exhale of smoke. "Pardon me?"

"From what I can see, which is not much with one eye. But for someone with your level of soldierism, if that is a word. And your actions, which are almost identical to one John Casey, and the one who shot me I deserve some answers."

'Casey was right he was very smart.' "You're right but I am not the one to give you those answers."

"The one coward who shot me, gave me to you, only to bring me here, wherever this is."

"You're in Nicaragua, outside Puerto Cabezas."

"South America? You smuggled me into South America after I was shot!"

"It had to be done."

"How did you explain me to customs?"

Chuck could see his face. "You didn't go through customs, did you?"

Alexander sat back.

"So if you're not going to tell me anything, then where is Casey. I want to talk to Casey and ask him why?"

"Not a good idea. Just focus on getting better and in time, you will have your answers."

"It sounds like your as in the dark as I am."

"It's better that way, safer for everyone else."

"Maybe for you." Chuck got up. "But you weren't shot by someone you trusted."

Chuck walked back inside and wished he had a door to slam. Chuck sat down on his bed and the way Alexander diverted his questions made Chuck work towards finding out who he was.

Present day – three weeks since Chuck was shot

Sarah flew into Honduras tired and hungry. She found her way to an old safe house, that she and Bryce had set up years ago, which she was glad that it was still standing upright. She grabbed some cash that she had set aside in a side wall to buy a car, grabbing a quick shower and some sleep. She woke up a few hours later grabbing some supplies. As she opened the doors they brought with them memories of her first few missions with Bryce. She filled her bags and exited locking up the door as if she wasn't there. She bought a used car. It beat taking public transportation, and she could leave when she wanted to and if she paid cash, she wouldn't be leaving a paper trail. She grabbed something to eat and took out her map. She planned to get on the road early and avoid the heat maybe head south.

She seemed to find a few bread crumbs once she arrived in Honduras and she thanked her sixth sense for deciding on coming down here. She hadn't the need to rely on her other skills but since meeting Chuck she was using them more than ever. It was like he had brought something out of her or maybe it was his memory that was keeping her going on this wild goose chase. But somehow she had a small lead and for now it was enough. She ordered, from the menu then grabbed her Spanish dictionary, that she 'borrowed' and looked up the Spanish equivalent of notes she had made on a napkin from her flight. 'Ok, what do we know?' Sarah laughed. 'You know nothing, you have nothing. If Chuck was here he'd have something to say.'

Chuck walked past his bags again still wondering what to do with all the pieces to this nightmare. He had the proof; he had what. - He was shot. He had the who. - Casey shot him. He had the why. - Chuck did not know. And when and where were not relevant. He grabbed his bag and looked inside finding his laptop, a few comics a picture of his sister and one of him and Sarah. Instantly he thought of her. 'Did she know? Was she part of this? He was relieved that it wasn't her who pulled the trigger. That, would be one thing he would never get over. Does she know? If so, what is she feeling? Where is she? How could she allow it?' He continued to think about her as he ran his fingers through his stuff. Then he heard Alexander's voice. Chuck wiped a tear. "Casey grabbed what he could, not taking too much stuff that would cause further questions." Chuck turned around. "What, he had a conscience and didn't want my sister asking questions."

"She's away for now so that is less thing to worry about."

Chuck looked out the corners of his eyes. "Maybe for you."

Chuck turned causing him some pain. He walked past Alexander. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle. He looked up as Alexander walked in. "It's five o'clock somewhere."

"Not judging." Chuck watched as Alexander pulled on the handle of the fridge and helped himself to a beer and headed outside.

Casey busied himself with the leads that he had and setting up surveillance at the apartment. He knew that one of these days either Chuck's sister would be calling or someone would be coming. Casey had learned a few things from Chuck and using computers. Those skills allowed him to set up a hand full of conversations with Chuck's voice putting them into code, in case his sister called. She had to stay in the dark and them being out of the country lessened the threat to them. He set up a practice voice mail to his sister's phone and pressed play. 'Hey Elle, just checking in, been busy with an install in Northern California but had a few minutes to let you know that things are fine. Will be back home in a few days. Hope all is well with the two of you. Miss you. Bye. Casey played it again, sighing deeply at the realism of the message. It was his voice, his words. Casey just snipped them together. He took a deep breath then ran it through her cell making it look like she had missed his call. He knew that it would only be enough for a few days then he would have to start all over.

Casey got ready and packed watching from his undisclosed location feed from the apartment. It didn't take long for unwanted guests to make themselves at home. Casey had watched the apartment from an undisclosed location. Whoever they were, they were making sure that Chuck was indeed dead. Casey watched the feed as they were kind as they walked through the apartment, moving a few items. But as they searched his place their care went out the window. Casey knew that their instructions were much more specific, they were looking for something. Casey had always been good at 'hiding' certain things, just in case a day like this came. Casey remembered the call he got from Beckman six months ago that made him shiver in the hot sun. Beckman had called while Casey was watching Chuck at Bryce's funeral.

'But don't get to comfortable, Casey. The new Intersect will be up and running in six months."

"And what happens to Chuck, when this is done?"

"Well, you'll do what you do best."

Casey sat back in his chair not realizing at the time, that Beckman had subtly given Casey his assignment. Then a few months ago when Longshore came to take Chuck in, Casey knew that Beckman was running out of cards to play. Either her or someone else was now holding the deck and they weren't going to play nice. He continued to watch then paused as one of them was talking to someone. He increased the volume trying to get an idea of who they were talking to. The voice was muffled. 'Nothing here (muffled sounds) We will take what we can… Did you find a file named Bureau Veritas 1828? No." Casey was no closer to finding out who they were but he did get a name. 'What is Bureau Veritas 1828?' Casey took stills of the intruders and did a scan of their height and a few snap shots of their eyes. He noticed as they left his place, someone took their gloves off and placed their hand on the frame of President Reagan. Casey smiled. 'Foolish mistake.'

Casey slipped inside his place through the upstairs window and slowly descended the stairs pistol aimed and loaded. They were gone but his apartment was in shambles. He walked over to the frame first grabbing the print, scanning it on his hand held, then trudged through the mess towards the fake fireplace. He was good at hiding things and knew that his hiding place wouldn't be found. He grabbed his handheld device looking at whether he had any hits come up. Nothing yet but it didn't discourage him, he knew that whoever was behind this had the power to make people disappear or hide under the radar. He continued to play with the same rules as they were playing. Casey slid to the floor and unto his back reaching up inside and moving a few tiles exposing a box. He slid the box out and onto his chest then slid out getting back onto his feet. He walked over to the coffee table standing it upright then sitting down. He took the lid off taking out a pile of discs and pile of folded papers. The first disc he had in his hand he had written on it Beckman's' calls. The rest were surveillance over the last six months, the other stuff that even Sarah didn't know about. Casey looked at his pile. 'Someone wants something.'

Casey headed out. He slipped into his car and slipped one of the discs into his cd player. "Major Casey."

"General."

"I am calling to discuss what we had talked about a few days ago."

"I got your order."

"Yes, but there is more."

"What else is there. I have my assignment then I am done."

"Yes you are and your free to have any mission or assignment you want. You can go anywhere you want as well."

"I appreciate the offer, but right now we will wait till the time comes."

"Major, I need you to be on board and not second guessing this assignment. We can't have two intersects co-existing."

Casey remembered him swallowing hard. Then he over heard someone else in the room.

A faint voice. "We need to talk."

"Major, I have another meeting, we will be in contact."

"Certainly General."

The line went dead.

Casey ejected the disc. 'Who was that? I don't remember hearing them before?'

End of the week

Alexander came back with the supplies that Casey had shipped. Chuck was walking out of his room. "Sorry I didn't want to wake you. I went to go get some supplies. I will be going out again on Monday, you want to come along?"

Chuck held his arm. "Maybe."

Alexander looked at Chuck. At least he was talking to him. Since Chuck had looked through his bags he got quiet again and kept to himself. Chuck didn't complain about the pain but he knew that Chuck was not going to get over this anytime soon. Alexander wondered if what Casey did was the right move to take. But then what other options did he have.

Sarah drove into the night arriving outside the border of Nicaragua and Honduras. She sat outside the boarder crossing deciding to go further or head north. She looked at the name of a guy she found by chance named Dennis Berry. His paper trail led her here. He had a background in chemistry and life sciences but wondered why a guy like him would be in a place like this. She grabbed her laptop piggy backed on the Wi-Fi near by. She did a search but nothing came up. She grabbed her cell, knowing that it was secure. She searched his name on that and tossed it onto the seat beside her. She's stared at her laptop wishing she could log into her CIA account but right now her laptop wasn't secure. She watched as cars started to move through the border crossing. She looked up as that feeling came over her to move on. Whatever it was it was strong, pulling her to go forward.

Sarah started her car and drove into Nicaragua. She drove down another dusty road not sure what it would bring.

Monday morning

Alexander was happy to see Chuck slide into the passenger side. He saw that Chuck was still holding his arm, even though the initial pain was gone. It was the inner pain that he was still dealing with. Alexander drove down a dirt road as Chuck basked in the cool breeze coming in from the open window. His mind was on her, and this hell that he was living. Chuck stared out towards the horizon eventually sitting up as they arrived in town. Alexander parked his truck and stood in front of the truck looking back at Chuck. Chuck eventually stepped out, stretching slightly. Alexander slipped his hand inside his pocket grabbing some cash. He passed it to Chuck. "Just in case you want to buy something else."

Chuck nodded and smiled as he watched Alexander walk into what looked like a store. Chuck followed smelling something amazing. He walked in seeing a small bistro type eating area. He walked in and grabbed a stool. An older lady walked over. Her English was pretty good, making Chuck's attempt at Spanish not a concern. He ordered for the two of them as Alexander noticed Chuck waving. The two enjoyed their meal and a cold bottle of coke.

Chuck grabbed a few items, mostly those with salt in them, then headed back to the truck. Alexander came shortly after with a load like he had just gone on a shopping trip to Costco. Alexander pulled out with a full truck box full of supplies. It was still early and heading home could wait for a few hours. His freezer and fridge items were packed well enough not to spoil or melt. He drove Chuck around the small town, changing the way he sat in his seat. He almost looked interested in what he was seeing. This was a side of Chuck he had not seen before, but from what Casey had told him, this was a guy that Casey had grown to admire. And Casey was not one to make friends easy or keep them for that matter. They drove a little while longer then turned around and headed back seeing a crowd of people blocking their path. They passed the first group only to meet another group of people and animals blocking the road ahead. Alexander slowed down almost to a stop as traffic quickly became congested.

Sarah was keeping a good speed approaching another small town. She needed gas and something cold to drink. Her water bottle was running low. She rounded the road not watching what was ahead of her. She slammed on the brakes as the road was full of animals and a tipped over truck that she assumed had lost all its cargo. As the animals roamed free, she continued to brake but as she continued to brake she swerved missing some of the goats. She corrected her steering wheel but as she straightened her tires they buckled under the gravel making it hard to re-correct herself. She over steered causing her car to jump over the ruts and head into the ditch. Sarah slammed on the brakes but the tires were locked forcing a downward spiral further down into the ditch.

Alexander pulled over and stepped out to see how long the congestion was. Chuck stepped out stepping onto the back of the truck looking down the road. "It looks like a farm truck tipped over and there are goats roaming the road."

Alexander looked at Chuck. "We might be here for awhile."

Chuck stepped down with a slight grimace on his face but started walking into the mess. Down the road Sarah screamed as the car slammed into a large tree. Sarah looked forward and in seconds the steering wheels air bag blew into her face slamming her head back into the head rest. She blacked out.

Chuck approached the herd of goats walking and eating as herders tried to contain them. Chuck and Alexander overheard above the sound of goats, a woman yelling and pointing. Chuck walked up to the woman seeing her face. She was pointing down the road. Chuck only saw the tipped over truck. "What am I looking at?" He said to the woman. The woman continued to point. "Auto."

"A car?"

"Si."

The woman pushed Chuck towards the direction she wanted him to head towards. Chuck walked past the truck as the woman was pointing downwards. He walked a few more feet, seeing skid marks and a car in the ditch. He walked to the edge then slid down into the ditch reaching the car. The cars front end was totaled and he would be surprised if anyone had survived, either way they wouldn't be in very good shape.

He came in from the back coming up along side the driver's side. He saw that someone was inside and not moving. "Hola. Are you hurt?"

When Chuck got no response he moved closer to the door then stepped back.

"Sarah!"

Alexander heard Chuck's voice and came running to see Chuck slipping off his sling and pulling on the door. Chuck struggled but eventually he pulled hard enough opening the door. Alexander reached the passenger's side. He saw the look on Chuck's face and knew he knew the woman. He walked around the back and helped Chuck pull this woman out. Chuck fell hard onto the ground with Sarah in his arms. He looked at her then up at Alexander. "Agent Walker." Alexander spoke.

Chuck nodded. Alexander reached in and loaded up all her things into her bag then slipping her phone into his pocket. He did a quick wipe down of the inside and driver's door then walked back towards Chuck. He watched as Chuck caressed her face and whispered something in her ear. "We got to go." Alexander hollered.

Chuck stood up with some help from Alexander and carried her up the ditch and to the truck. He placed her down into the trucks box and slid in beside her. Chuck looked up, worried. "We have to get her to the hospital!" Then looked back down at her face. It looked burned. Alexander replied. "Airbag burns. No hospitals. If she is here we can't take any chances."

"But this is Sarah."

"I understand. But its your safety over hers. We can give her the same medical attention back at the house with less questions on who she is. And you blew another stitch again."

Chuck didn't like what he had said, but it made sense. Alexander jumped into the driver's side and eased his way passed the herd of goats and passed the other parked cars.

Chuck carried Sarah inside as Alexander grabbed his medical bag. He bandaged her eyes first to lessen any infection. He cleaned her scrapes then let her rest. She was still out. He left the room as Chuck pulled up a chair and sat beside her. He grabbed her hand and put it in his. "How are you here?"

He knew that she couldn't hear him but he had to say it.

Alexander came back and restitched Chuck's shoulder. He gave Chuck a needle for freezing and this was the first time he didn't flinch. "I'm glad that I got some more thread. I am going to add one more just to be safe." Chuck never answered. His focus was elsewhere. He cleaned Chuck's shoulder up then headed out leaving the two alone.

Alexander put his medical bag away then walked outside to unload the truck. Chuck eventually walked out. "Why is she here?"

"I don't know."

Alexander seemed to go into soldier mode and upped his security. Chuck walked back to Sarah.

Hours later Alexander tapped Chuck on the shoulder. "Go get some sleep. I'll wake you when she wakes up." "I can't leave her."

"Go, you're no good to her, if you can't stand up on your own feet."

Chuck crawled into bed and eventually fell asleep.

Chuck woke up to Alexander's voice. "Hello, you're safe."

Chuck ran in seeing Alexander sitting next to Sarah. "She just woke up."

Chuck wanted to talk to her but Alexander raised his hand in the air. Chuck backed off. Sarah ran her hands over her face. "Yes, I had to bandage your eyes. You were in a car accident and the steering wheels air bags deployed and you got hit with that, and then you blacked out. You don't seem to have any broken bones, but you do have a few scrapes. I'm going to take your bandages off and check your eyes."

Chuck watched as Sarah half sat half laid as Alexander unwrapped the bandage around her eyes. Chuck moved in beside Alexander. He got up and let Chuck continue. Chuck sat down and he could tell that Sarah knew that something was going on. "What's happening?" Her words, her voice, made him stop what he was doing. Chuck took a deep breath then leaned over and continued peeling off the bandage. Sarah reached up as she could feel the difference in technique. She ran her hands over Chucks fore arm and her heart skipped a beat. She listened to his breathing and knew that he wasn't the same person that had started. She ran her hand further up his arm then stopped. She pulled down on the bandage and tried to focus. The image was blurry making it hard to get a good look but when the figure looked back at the man standing and spoke "I got this."

His voice, she knew his voice. She pulled the bandage over her head then looked back at him. "Chuck!" She touched his face then fainted.

Alexander stared at the burner trying to figure out what he'd say to Casey. This, as far as he was concerned wasn't part of the plan. Whether she was supposed to be here or not, it changed things. Alexander picked up the phone and dialed. "Casey here, what's wrong?"

"Walker arrived."

"What? She's not suppose to be there yet."

"Well she wasn't, we went for a drive and there was a mishap that involved goats."

"Goats?"

"It doesn't matter. Her car reared off the road and crashed, she suffered some cuts and bruises and flash burns from the air bag. But she recognized Chucks voice then passed out."

"And her car."

"I took everything and did a wipe down, I ran a check on the car and it was a used car she bought in Honduras. So far no one out of the ordinary has entered the area. I have my men at the border and outside the town keeping an eye on things."

"I am surprised that she is there now. I sent her on an assignment that would take others months to get through."

"Well you did say that she was good at her job."

"There has to be more to this."

"Do you want me to do a phone check or look in her things."

"No, we will wait on that for the time being. I will try to make my way down there as soon as I can. Just continue what your doing to keep them both safe."

"I will."

Casey hung up the phone and smiled slightly. "Walker, you're good." He turned in his chair and looked up at the name that he finally got a hit on. Alexis Winter.

Sarah slept for two days after seeing Chuck, then passed out again. It pained him to see her now and what she had been through. All the pain she must have felt and what she went through. But she was there with him and that was all that mattered. Even though he still didn't know what was happening. Chuck kissed her forehead then left the room closing the door behind him. He walked outside sitting down. In his mind he had just closed his eyes when he heard Sarah screaming. She screamed again hearing the gun going off. Chuck had heard her scream like that before. He ran back into her room as she was not fully awake, probably still having the nightmare. Sarah sat up as Chuck sat down. Startled, she tried to catch her breath as he tried to embrace her. "Chuck!"

"I'm okay."

"Chuck." She kept repeating.

Chuck pulled back and cupped her face caressing her face with his thumb. "I'm okay."

She looked at him, till she really saw him. She placed her hand on his chest. She looked up and kissed him. He didn't pull back. She eventually looked at him. For a veteran stoic agent, she was as scared as a child. She started to freak out. Alexander came running in. Chuck was helpless. Alexander grabbed his bag. Chuck pushed his hand down when he saw the needle. "It's not my first rodeo. This will calm her."

"It better be something good, as she is well trained with tolerating substances."

Alexander inserted the needle into her upper arm as Chuck watched her body relax in his arms. He sat her back then slid in beside her holding her tight as they watched the drug continue to relax her.

The next morning

Chuck looked up then swallowed his coffee as Sarah walked out of her room on her own two feet. Her face still quite red and puffy as if she hadn't slept in along time. She walked closer towards him. Chuck put his coffee cup down on the counter just in time as Sarah slid her arms him. Chuck held her close and kept her close till she broke their embrace. He looked at her. "Would you like a cup?"

Sarah smile was straight but he knew that look. He knew all her looks. He pulled out a chair for her and waited till she sat down then headed to grab her a cup of coffee. That's when she noticed the sling. She didn't know what to say. She continued to stare at him knowing that this was all real but nothing made sense. He leaned in and placed the cup in front of her then sat down beside her. "You hungry? I can make you something."

Sarah shook her head. Chuck sat back and adjusted his sling strap like he'd done with his tie. Sarah took a sip then subtly wiped a tear rolling down her cheek. Chuck leaned in and caught the other one. She leaned into his hand. He got up and crouched down in front of her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She whispered into his shoulder. "How can this be? I saw Casey shoot you, I saw you lying there in your own blood. The blood." Chuck held her closer as she repeated over and over again I saw him shoot you.

Chuck didn't know what to say. He moved back to his chair but pulled it closer as Sarah slid the sling off and lifted his shirt. He wasn't sure if she knew what she was doing but he allowed her to look. She lifted his shirt up and over his head running her finger around the gauze. She tore back the tape slowly then looked at the wound. She ran her finger softly around the wound then leaned in and kissed him just above the wound. Chuck got a lump in his throat. He looked at Sarah as she stared at the wound. "He shot you."

Chuck whispered back. "Yes, but there has to be more."

Sarah put back the bandage and got up. Chuck slipped his shirt back on. Sarah walked out of the room and outside. She sat on the pony wall facing the house. Chuck needed to comfort her for his sake but also for her to have some sense that he was alive and all the pain she felt was over. He walked over to her and forced her to embrace him. She fought him but finally gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck. He snuggled inside her neck. A new first as their previous hugs were always quick and just part of the job.

Alexander watched from the doorway. He could tell that the two of them were more than colleagues. He sensed that the Agent was like Casey, a protector and Chuck was someone important. Someone that needed to be protected. And what Casey did was starting to make some sense. It started to look like a noble act but the reasons were still a mystery. He left the two of them heading out towards his garden. Chuck leaned back catching Sarah's tears. "How are you feeling?"

"That's what I should be asking you?" Sarah trying not to react.

"I'm fine now that you're here. How I don't know."

"Me either."

Chuck moved to a chair and sat down as Sarah sat down beside him. "After I saw what happened to you I woke up in my hotel room, not sure how I got there but nothing made sense. You were gone, I knew what I saw. And when I went back to Castle Beckman didn't deny that fact that Casey had followed through on the kill order."

"Why?"

Sarah shook her head. "I don't know. And Beckman made me suck it up and move on. She had no remorse or condolences for us as a team. It was like she had done her job and it was time to move on. I was given the choice to move on, on my own or be forced into another assignment. Casey tossed some files my way and I begrudgingly grabbed the top one and left Castle. I took the next few days pretty hard, then I hunted down Casey at the airport looking for answers but he never apologized for killing you, expect that he said that it was bigger than him and I."

"What does that mean?"

Sarah looked at him like she did the night that the bomb went off.

Sarah sat watching him as he slept. If he knew that she was doing that he'd say. 'That's a little creepy.' With all the surveillance she had done in the last year watching him, this was finally one she'd could get use to. It was just him and her and he was sleeping. He was still restless but she knew that it was his head and not his shoulder that didn't want him to shut things down. She fought another yawn making it win over her own strength. She hated to leave him so she slid in beside him. She would say that she was doing her job. Again this was something she could get use to.

Alexander walked the house doing his final check when he passed by to see what the 'kids' were doing. He smiled when he saw the two of them arm and arm, verifying that they were more than whatever their roles were. He knew that if Sarah was a handler and Chuck was an asset, she was not one to go against the rules of the CIA. But this was the second time that he had caught them together. Frankly, he didn't care. He shut the lights off then closed the door. He smiled then lit a cigar and headed to bed.

A few days later

Chuck had tossed the sling aside and started to feel like his old self. And having Sarah around made the staying low worth the while. They kept to themselves which allowed Alexander to stay on security and keep an eye on the place. Chuck continued with his daily walks with Sarah. This time he took her to the ocean. He dropped their towels then stared out at the water. "How's the eyes?"

"Not bad."

"Good, miss seeing those baby blues."

His words melted her heart. He leaned down and grabbed a handful of rocks and tossed them into the water. "I guess this scenario of us and the beach is becoming a habit." As Chuck continued to stare out towards the water.

"It's not a bad scenario. Look we're we came from." Sarah quickly looked out towards the water.

Chuck turned to face her. "I hope that you're not going to say trust me on this one."

"No but I hope you still do."

Chuck looked at her just like he did a year ago. "Always. But this time it's different."

He grabbed her hand and set his fingers in hers. As many times as they had held hands this time this felt different.

Chuck let go of his hold and walked into the water up to his shoulders then fell backwards. He stood up and walked back towards Sarah then sat down beside her.

Sarah couldn't help look at his wet look even with the lateness of the day. Chuck's wet look was a wonderful sight. "How's the water?"

"It felt good. A lot warmer than LA."

Chuck looked at the closeness he was to her bare legs as she was not wearing her infamous pair of jeans, it was a little much. Instantly Sarah stood up. "Going for a dip." Chuck watched as she slipped her shorts off exposing her boy shorts. Chuck looked away but followed her walking into the water. She did the same thing he did and fell backwards then floated above the water. Chuck smiled and laughed as she splashed in the water. She was finally laughing and it made him laugh too.

Sarah walked back as Chuck gave her one of the towels. He was sitting on the other one. "Sorry for the dampness of the towel."

"That's okay." As she sat down on her knees facing him. Chuck sat with his knees bent looking at her. He pulled back her wet hair over her ears. He tried to keep his focus on her but looked at her lips. Sarah held his hands above his knees as they stared at each other. He looked at her then kissed her. Really kissed her, no cover, not a planned move, just a Chuck kissing a girl named Sarah.

He lowered his legs pulling her towards him not really breaking the kiss. Chuck laid back on the towel with Sarah lying on top of him. She kissed him back. He rolled her onto her back kissing her lips then kissing her neck. She held him close then turned away slightly. "Chuck wait." Catching her breath, then kissing his lips. She pulled back and looked at him. "I want this." Under her breath. "Boy do I want this, but I don't want our first time to be here like this with all that is going on. I do want this, you and me but I also want it to be because we are in the right frame of mind." She sat up making Chuck sit back on his knees. "I thought that you died. And you're still recovering, and the one who shot you was someone you cared about." Chuck grabbed her face, then kissed her. "You're the only sane thing in my life right now." Sarah looked at him. "And I want to be, but I don't want this to happen just because we're both so emotionally vulnerable right now."

She kissed him. "I'll settle for this." Chuck a little disappointed but this was more than they had done in the last year, he knew that she wasn't going anywhere. He stood up helping her up and pulling her into an embrace. "Without you I'm nothing Chuck."

"I'll take any moment with you, any chance I can get to kiss you." It sounded cheesy but she liked it. He gave her a sheepish look. "It sounded better in my head." Sarah laughed. They headed back. Walking through the courtyard. They heard Alexander talking to someone but this time Chuck took the lead and entered the house. Sarah didn't know where his confidence was coming from but she admired him for it.

He walked in seeing the devil himself, that was a little harsh but he was not his favourite person. Casey turned to face Chuck as Chuck walked up to and threw a hard right hook. Casey lost his balance and fell backwards colliding into the chair. Chuck stormed off. Casey rubbed his jaw as Sarah went after Chuck. Alexander looked at Casey. "That went well."

Casey grunted.

"What do you expect. You shot the poor kid."

"I had no choice. It was either I do it and live with him hating me or have one of them come and not give a damn on how they did it."

Sarah caught up to Chuck as he paced the road in front if the house then rested his hands on his knees bending forward, catching his breath. Sarah walked up to him and rubbed his back. He eventually stood up looking at his hand. "Did you have help?" Chuck looked at her. "No that was all me."

Sarah smiled as proud as she was, she was glad he stood up to Casey. "I'm glad that you did it cause if you didn't I would have. I guess we both have vented a bit. I followed him to the airport and fired four shots at him. The last one went right through his canvass bag. I was so hurt and angry. I guess he's still not one of our favourite people right now." Chuck looked up towards the house. "Honestly I'm not sure if I will ever get over this one."

Casey and Alexander looked out the door towards the two. Alexander started to walk away. "You have to make this right. Whatever he means to you, he means the same to her. And it looks like she's willing to break several rules to do so."