A/N: I got a request from one half of Smatterchoo. How about after Chuck finds Bryce in Sarah's apartment at the beginning of the Break Up, the Intersect starts reeking havoc on Chuck, causing him severe pain and making him despondent. The premise being his emotional well being is key to his being able to handle the load. Sarah would have to make a choice, come clean or lose — well ... you know the rest
Ya'll KNOW what's coming, right? RIGHT? Oh EDC, you wanna come out and play?
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.
He dropped the flowers into the waste basket by the front door. He didn't need Ellie thinking….he winced. His head was really hurting. It was like needles was running through his brain….He slumped a little, and fell against the door. A second later, it opened.
"Chuck?" Ellie asked, concerned.
"Got a headache, didn't get…" he trailed off.
"Did you hit your head?" she asked, going into doctor mode, looking into his eyes. Chuck shook his head. "Let's get you inside and some medicine in you."
"I'm okay, it's just a headache," he said.
"Uh huh," Ellie replied, helping him inside.
}o{
"You seen the moron today?" Casey asked as Sarah came downstairs for the morning briefing.
"No, I've not seen him since…" she trailed off. "He stopped by last night, and Bryce was at my apartment."
"Huh, did he storm off?" Casey asked, smirking. "I saw him leave with the Roan special on, figured you had him under control."
"You mean you haven't seen him since he left my apartment last night?" Sarah asked, rising out of her seat. Casey sprang up and ran over to the computer, running through footage. He looked up at Sarah, concern on his face. "What?"
"Ellie is helping him to her car," Casey said. "Walker…" Sarah was already sprinting up the stairs.
}o{
Sarah had text Ellie while running to her car, asking is she knew where Chuck was. Ellie replied he had been admitted to the hospital, and Sarah made her way there in minutes. She walked into his room as a nurse walked toward her.
"Miss, you can't be in here," the nurse began.
"No," Ellie said. "That's his girlfriend, she can stay." Ellie turned to Sarah. "I don't know what's wrong, I've run tests, but his brain is ….misfiring for a lack of a better word."
"Sarah?" came a weak call from Chuck.
She went to him, as Ellie ushered others out of the room. "I'm here, Chuck," she said, taking his hand.
"Beckman mad at me?" he asked.
"She'll get over it, if she is, what's wrong?"
"Don't know, started getting headaches after I left your place," he replied. "Did Bryce stay with you last night?"
"Chuck, that's not important right now, what's important-" she stopped talking because he screamed. A soul rendering scream of someone dying. "ELLIE!" Sarah yelled. "Chuck," she pleaded, holding his hand. "CHUCK!"
}o{
"And we have no idea what is happening to Mr. Bartowski?" Beckman asked.
"No, General," Casey replied.
"We're going to have to extract him," Beckman said with a sigh. Casey and Bryce shared a look. "What?"
"Uh, General, that's about the worst idea in the world," Bryce blurted out.
"You forget yourself, Agent Larkin!" Beckman snapped.
"He's not wrong, General," Casey said with a shrug. Beckman turned toward Casey. "Ellie Bartowski is one of the top neurosurgeons in the country, and this is her brother. She's the one woman I fear more than you."
"All of that," Bryce added. "Plus…" he trailed off.
"Plus what?" Beckman asked.
Bryce glanced at Casey, who shrugged as if to say You're funeral. "There's Agent Walker."
"What about her?" Beckman asked.
"Come on, General, really?" Casey asked. Beckman looked from one to the other, and sighed. Casey turned to Bryce. "Where have you been?"
"Why?" Bryce asked.
"This didn't start until he saw you at Walker's, could you have picked up something biological that is making the Intersect malfunction?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Bryce replied. He turned back to Beckman. "General is there anyway to find out what disease outbreaks, if any, have happened in the places I've been."
"I'll look into it," Beckman said. She paused. "Gentlemen…can we speak in….hypotheticals?"
"Of course, General," Casey replied. Bryce nodded.
"The Intersect could be affected by it's host, correct?" Beckman asked.
"I mean, yeah," Bryce replied with a shrug. "The best I can tell the more emotionally balanced a person is the better it works, which is one reason I'm shocked it actually works in Chuck." Casey turned to him, a low growl emanating from him. "Whoa, big guy, you misunderstand. All I'm saying is Chuck's emotions are all over the place."
"And what do you think would happen Agent Larkin if Mr. Bartowski found the woman he has…." She looked at Casey, who had already figured out where she was going. He looked to be having a migraine. "Feelings for." She heard Casey's grunt. "Was with the man who has made his life a living hell at every turn?"
Bryce was silent for a second. "You're saying that man is me?"
"Christ," Casey said, looking up toward the heavens.
}o{
"Ellie, is he gonna be okay?" Sarah asked, holding back the tears. "Tell me he's gonna be okay."
"I don't know, Sarah," Ellie said, he hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah looked up at Ellie from the chair Sarah sat in, holding Chuck's hand. "Listen, I know you two have had a weird relationship, but…if there is anything you want to tell him, now might be the right time."
"Ellie, what are you saying?" Sarah asked, absolute fear on her face.
"Chuck," Ellie said, raising her voice. "I love you, don't leave me alone." She looked down at Sarah. "I have to go check on some patients, anything changes, tell me." Sarah nodded, and Ellie walked out of the room.
"Chuck?" Sarah said, no response. "Chuck, he didn't stay last night." Tears began to drop. "God, I was so mad. You put on the jacket. You put on the jacket and came over." She let out a sigh. "You know you can't do that. You know you're my asset, and I would do anything in this world to protect you."
She sat there, sobbing quietly. "That's a lie, isn't it. Not the part about doing anything in the world to protect you, because I would. Because of how I feel about you." She blew out a breath. "God, Chuck, this whole thing is so messed up. You don't deserve that thing in your head, and you deserve better than me. I'm selfish, Chuck. I don't want you to get that thing out of your head because I'll have to leave. If I leave, I won't see you, and I don't deserve you, but I want to keep seeing you."
She dropped her head and gave a squeeze to the hand in hers. She felt it squeeze back, and she smiled. Then she froze. "Chuck?"
"Can't we try long distance?" he asked softly.
"CHUCK!?"
"Not so loud, Sarah, my head hurts," he said. The next thing he knew, there was a weight on him, hugging him, holding him, like he was life and she had to have it. "Sarah, have you been crying?"
She choked back a laugh. "Yes, you nerd, I thought you were…"
"My head is feeling a lot better," he said, looking at her through open eyes. "I think I had some weird dreams."
"What about?"
He studied her a moment, and shook his head. "You know, it's not important."
"It is," she said softly. "And if it was about us, then it wasn't a dream."
}o{
Two weeks later
"Bryce, how many more of these tests?" Chuck asked, rolling his neck, listening to the bones pop.
"That's the last one," Bryce replied. He walked out of the room leaving Chuck by himself. The door opened and Sarah walked in, smiling.
"So, I bet you've been wondering about all those tests Beckman and Bryce have been having you take?"
"Yeah," Chuck drawled.
"It is the CIA's and the NSA's belief that your emotions caused havoc with the Intersect," Sarah began.
"Emotions?" Chuck asked.
"You're feelings about me, and how you feel when I bottle up my emotions with you," Sarah replied.
"That's not-" he stopped as she gave him a look. "100% true?" he finished. "Fine, it's true."
"My job is to protect you," Sarah began.
"Right, protect the Intersect," Chuck cut in. He jumped back as she slapped her hand to the table. "What?"
"I said protect you, Nerd!" she said. "God, Chuck, you are so infuriating. Do you know how hard you make things by always thinking so little of yourself? Do you know how many times I want to shake the man I love because he keeps saying those stupid things?"
"I'm sorry, what?" Chuck asked, his eyes getting wide. "I think I had a stroke and am now hearing things."
She laid a folder down in front of him. "This is your compensation packet for being a CIA analyst that reports to me for this operation and any others I am on. This will make you my permanent partner." Her eyes held his. "What's it gonna be, Chuck?"
"I have questions," he began.
"I know," she replied with a smirk. "Let me do some summing. You sign that, I'm not your handler, and I can be in any relation with any analyst I want."
"I have one more question," he said. She nodded for him to go on. "So, I was wondering," he began with a grin. "I'm about to get this cool new job, and I was wondering how you would feel about going on a date with me to celebrate."
"A date?" she asked, her eyebrow arched.
"Yep," Chuck replied. "And, before you answer, do remember messing with my emotions could cause me a tremendous headache and possibly death."
"Way to slow play things," she muttered.
"We've been slow playing this for a year," Chuck replied. He watched her swallow, and he grinned. There was confidence in that grin that she rarely got to see, and God was it sexy. She leaned forward, her hands on the desk.
"Chuck, sign that paper, and the only 'slow playing' going on will be in bed." Chuck quickly began signing all the papers.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, reviews, PMs, fingerguns appreciated. Say it with me, WASH YOUR HANDS!