(no subject)

[samecgh]

Part Four

Bryce was kept on the sidelines for the missions the team went on. He got stories from Chuck and briefs from Sarah. Kept up to date, he know about Casey's misfortune about his car and the 'Sugar Bear' comment. Chuck had glossed over his mistakes; he learned from Sarah about Jeff and Lester, the poker game and Casey almost choking him.

He was in the middle of a new movie when Chuck walked in panicked. “What's wrong?” he questioned, seeing the worry not related to work, Jeffster or Casey.

“Well, Awesome's ring is missing, the NSA and CIA completely robbed the BuyMore and Fulcrum may know about me,” he reported.

“What?”

“They completely packed up the store and found a lot of Fulcrum bugs. They even have security tape with the agent on them planting them,” he said, sitting down on the bed, “Beckman and Graham are talking about sending me into protection, a bunker.”

Oh god. Orion would never forgive him if his son ended up in a CIA bunker. Then he remembered he was pregnant with Chuck's child. If the CIA put Chuck in a bunker; Bryce would have to go as well. He wouldn't be able to contact Orion. “You know Sarah and Casey will not allow that to happen,” he tried reassuring.

“They may not have a choice.”

Bryce decided to try and focus him on something else. “Devon's ring?”

“It was in my locker at work. They didn't know anything about it,” he rattled, then stopped as an idea took over his head. “Morgan.” He got up and walked back out. Bryce carefully took the burner out of a hidden pocket and grappled over the idea of possibly calling Orion to get his son out.

For more information and possible outcomes, Bryce went to the Wienerlious to talk with Sarah. He arrived in time to see a delivery girl walk in. Careful not to be seen or heard, he opened the door and grabbed the bell to silence it before entering.

Seeing a ridiculous stuffed fish and Sarah about to be forced into the freezer, he grabbed the closest sharp object, a small pairing knife, and threw it. It didn't hit with full force, but it was distracting enough to allow Sarah to disarm her. He helped secure her before leaning against a wall, the cooked meat smell making him nauseous. She made a sympathetic face but shot to attention as the door opened again.

Chuck came back behind the counter and stopped at the three of them. “Hey, you caught her,” he observed, “Does that mean I don't have to live in a bunker?”

Sarah didn't know what to say, so Bryce told him, “As long as she hasn't told anyone, the threat she poses should be neutralized.” The woman glared up at Bryce, but didn't say anything. “I'm guessing she hasn't.”

“Good, because Elliot would not be pleased if I disappeared.”

The door rang again and Conway, the detective, walked in. He immediately pulled out his gun and aimed it at the group. “Police,” he announced.

Sarah brought up her gun. “CIA, drop your weapon,” she ordered. He didn't falter. “He's not going in. We caught the threat.”

“I have no orders to the contrary.”

Oh great, he was CIA. He must have been sent to take Chuck in. “We haven't called it in yet. She was just caught.”

“Allow us to talk with General Beckman and Director Graham,” Bryce suggested, “We have a secure location, just don't take Chuck yet.”

Conway shook his head, “My orders are clear. I am to extract Bartowski and someone else. He would know who it is.” Chuck tried but failed to not look over at Bryce. He moved forward and grabbed Chuck's arm to drag him forward. “Let's go and get this other person. We have under an hour.”

Chuck threw Conway into the nearest wall, one hand keeping his gun down and his arm against his neck. Losing some control, his fangs dropped and his eyes shone just a little. “I'm not going anywhere,” he growled.

“Chuck!” Sarah shouted, hoping to get him back to his senses. She stepped around the Fulcrum agent to try and pull him back. She couldn't even get his attention. Bryce just watched her efforts.

With no one paying attention to the Fulcrum agent, she began finding a way to undo the handcuffs on her wrists. The Intersect being a vampire was a challenge, but there was always a simple way around it. If the vampire had a soft spot, take advantage of it. And Chuck hadn't looked at the pretty female agent, he had looked at the male agent that walked in just about when she was going to get the receiver back.

The forgotten gun in her hand now, she quietly got up and grabbed his wrist, twisting the arm back and placing the gun against his temple. “Do nothing,” she hissed, backing him more toward the back door. It only took a few seconds for Chuck to register that Bryce was in danger. His attention switched quickly and he moved a few feet until the gun was pressed to Bryce's head to elicit a groan. “Do what I say and he won't get hurt.”

“Chuck, don't listen to her,” Bryce panted, nausea creeping up, “She or another Fulcrum agent will kill me as soon as they can.”

“Shut up!” she yelled. One more whiff of the meat smell and Bryce allowed himself to puke instead of holding it back. Disgusted, she let go and jumped back to get away from him. Chuck flew over the mess and by him to pin the woman down. Sarah decided to cuff her again and threw her in the freezer, not locking the door but making sure she couldn't get out.

Conway, recovered from Chuck's attack, moved toward him. “Now you see why you need to be extracted,” he stressed, “We need to leave, now.”

“Just wait,” Sarah snapped, getting her phone out and dialing Director Graham.

“Walker,” he greeted.

“Sir, we have the receiver and the Fulcrum agent in custody. She wasn't able to tell anyone about Bartowski. We are sure the threat to the Intersect has been contained.”

“You want the order rescinded?”

“Yes sir.”

Graham stepped away from the phone and there was a heated conversation with someone on the other side. They waited five minutes until he came back on. “Put Conway on.”

Sarah handed the phone to the man. He listened to the Director, but no one could hear what was going on. Chuck barely caught part of it. “Yes sir, I understand sir,” he droned, ending the call before handing the phone back. “Major Casey will be helping me escort the Fulcrum agent. You got lucky this time. Next time, you may not be able to get out of this.” Casey at that moment decided to enter the shop. The two of the plucked out the woman and walked her out.

Sarah turned back to the other two. Bryce was looking paler and Chuck had taken to grabbing a mop and bucket out of the back. “Just get him out of here, Chuck,” she sighed, “Before he throws up again.” He almost argued, but Bryce ended up gulping loudly to keep another wave down, so he ushered him out before Sarah ordered him. He ended up back in the restaurant for the ring he almost forgot about before hurrying out again.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

Sarah was just heading to the apartment when she noticed someone loitering outside of the front door. She didn't really pay attention until the person called out her name. “Bryce! What are you doing here?” she questioned. The wall he was standing by was perfectly positioned so no camera could catch him.

“Do you want Chuck out?”

“What?”

“Do you want Chuck out? Out of the CIA, the spy life?” he asked.

Confused, she inquired, “What are you talking about, Bryce?”

He sighed and raked his hand through his hair. “I know someone that can get the Intersect out of Chuck's head.”

“Bryce....”

“Tell me you want to help get Chuck out, even if it meant disobeying Beckman and Graham,” he told her, “Chuck is a good person. He doesn't deserve to get sucked in, especially if he's going to be raising a child.” He wasn't part of the reason; he wasn't going to be able to stay.

She thought, but mentioned, “I can't go places, neither can Casey. We're both tied to Chuck, Bryce; we're his handlers.”

“Damn it,” he muttered.

She mused, “There is Carina.” He glared. “She is trustworthy. She's been hearing about the Fulcrum rumors as well. And she says Chuck is not made out for this type of work.”

“I have to talk with the person and see if they agree.” It isn't much, but it's better than trying to explain to the man why he can't do it himself.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

It was February tenth and Chuck was being bugged about what he was going to do for Valentine's Day. Morgan, over the ring incident, was telling him the best places to take Sarah. Ellie and Devon had been talking to him about their own plans and subtly telling him to take Bryce out.

He was checking times for an early showing of Epic Movie when he heard a gentle throat clearing. “Oh, hey, Elliot,” he smiled ruefully, “It's been a few weeks, hasn't it?

“Yes, it has, Charles,” he cited, “Your break should be coming up soon, shouldn't it?”

“Yeah, about fifteen minutes.”

“I'll wait, then.” The break came and Elliot led him to a small sitting area. They took a small table far from the cluster to not be heard. “Eleanor called me yesterday,” he informed.

“Ah,” Chuck winced.

“She asked for recommendations on human-vampire restaurants,” he relayed, “Are you planning on taking him out?”

“Not on a date, but we're going to be out of the apartment for Ellie and Devon,” Chuck babbled.

Elliot smirked, but didn't say anything about that. “Unfortunately, most restaurants that also cater vampires, you need to have a reservation in advance. There is a diner that is open all day and night. Human can be ordered; it's fresh from the voluntary person. So is animal, not as fresh.”

“Great, I was looking up movie times, we can go there after. That should be enough time for Devon and Ellie.” He tried to think about what they would have planned and immediately blanked his mind out. “I should add something else.” Elliot chuckled as Chuck kept muttering to himself while walking back to the BuyMore.

Valentine's Day started early. Devon made anatomically correct heart-shaped wheat pancakes for Ellie and himself. They exchanged small gifts before heading out. The BuyMore had a few display tables of flash drives and special design items for computers surrounded by hearts. There was a steady flow of people coming in with viruses from cooking sites they visited.

Sarah came in around her lunch time, waiting for him to get a small break in the people. “Hey,” he greeted, leaving the desk.

“Hey,” she answered back. “So Bryce mentioned your plans.”

“Oh?” he inquired.

“Movie theaters are out, too many security issues. Not to mention packed with people for the day.”

“Oh,” he mourned.

“The diner's fine. You need to pick something else if you want to stay out of the apartment. And Casey and I will be around.”

“Okay.” Sarah walked back out and he went back to the desk. What can I do?

The diner only had a few college aged kids and two truckers when they walked in. Casey and Sarah took a booth close to them. Chuck ordered sheep while Bryce had chicken a la king. “Should I say sorry for destroying your first plan?” Bryce asked, seeing the thoughtful face on Chuck.

“No, I should of thought of that. I'm not used to thinking about that stuff,” he assured.

“You shouldn't have to,” he mumbled.

Chuck rubbed his knuckles against Bryce's hand. “You couldn't help it, Bryce.” He didn't say anything else as they finished their meals and headed out. He only started the car and pulled out after Casey and Sarah were in their car.

Bryce didn't know where they were going until they hit a gate, which Chuck got out and unlocked before continuing. It took a while, but they got to a small and private park that had the clearest view of the sky.

“Chuck?”

Chuck just smiled, “Come on. This place is the clearest for seeing the constellations. If the moon was fuller, then it would be easier to see.” He pulled out a blanket and laid it out. He sat first and waited for Bryce to join him. After a few minutes, Bryce let himself lean on Chuck, settling on his shoulder. Chuck looked surprised at the action, but a small part of him was happy and he wrapped his arm around him to pull him closer.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

The day of the ultrasound was hectic. Devon had already headed in and Ellie was triple checking all the paperwork before she went with Bryce and Chuck to the room she had reserved for the appointment. Ellie had Bryce drinking water and tea since he woke up and Chuck had to keep him from going to the bathroom.

The car trip was thankfully short and Ellie had to talk to someone before they were able to get a room and the ultrasound machine. Bryce was directed to the table while Ellie got the machine going. “Okay,” she declared, “Shirt up.” She grabbed the gel from a drawer and pulled out the wand to lay beside him. Bryce scrunched his shirt up and watched the gel come out of the bottle and hit his chest.

“Gah.” Chuck laid a hand down to keep him from moving too much as the wand spread the gel more. They all looked to the screen to watch. She slid over a slight bump and found the baby. Bryce's eyes widen at the sight and Chuck grinned when he saw.

“Okay, I see nothing wrong at the moment, but we're going to run a few tests,” she explained. She gathered tubes to hold blood and had Bryce sit up so she could draw. Chuck adverted his eyes while she filled up three and then put gauze on the wound. “The results should get back within a couple of weeks. Any questions?”

Chuck shook his head and started cleaning up. Bryce was oddly calm, but he was worried about how he wasn't talking. Ellie told him that unless there were problems, they shouldn't need another appointment for a few months. She walked them back before going to the emergency room for work. Chuck dropped Bryce off and went to work the late shift he had picked up.

He arrived home an hour after the BuyMore closed. Ellie and Devon had already gone to bed and he sneaked in as carefully as he could. He saw the note that was left on the table and he grabbed it and what was under it before going to his room.

Bryce was lying under the covers, awake but not doing anything. Chuck carefully put everything down before joining him. “Bryce?” he whispered, rubbing on his shoulder to hopefully get him to turn around. He didn't, but he did grab the hand and curled around it. “Come on, Bryce, talk to me.” The slight touch allowed him access to Bryce's feelings. There was a touch of sorrow that he didn't understand, along with fear. What could he possibly be afraid of? He moved closer and wrapped both arms around the other man, one hand settling where Ellie had the wand earlier. The fear didn't completely go away, but it did dim down.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

The middle of March signified the end of morning sickness, which felt great to Bryce as he stopped drinking and eating ginger all the time. There was also a slight increase in food intake, and it translated into the beginning of the bump, which he noticed one day changing. He mutely mourned the lost of definition of his muscles before covering it.

Chuck noticed it when he wrapped his arms around him one night. He grinned and lightly rubbed the area, hugging a bit tighter. He didn't actually see the bump until he caught Bryce changing shirts. The muscle definition he had a couple of months earlier was gone and it was just starting to protrude. Another shirt quickly fell over the bump, but it wasn't erased from his mind. Between that and the ultrasound picture Ellie printed from their appointment, Chuck was happy. Which is probably why they ended up running into a major problem.

Casey had Chuck going over records in order to have the Intersect make connections. They couldn't just rely on them running across terrorists and drug runners. Chuck was going through another pile when Casey gave him more. “Hey, I was almost done,” he complained.

“You weren't even started, Bartowski,” he grunted, leaving the next pile and going back to his paperwork. Chuck finished off the pile he was on, not flashing on anything, and picked up the top of the next one, Gabriel Myt. George Masting. Arms dealer. Attempted capture in 2005, escaped. He kept reading to find he had been sighted in Austin before disappearing again. He wrote the Masting's name to the file to connect them and continued with the other piles.

Heading home, he was about to pull down a street he needed when his phone pinged with a text. Get Red Vines. Chuck turned around and headed to the party store he usually ran to for snack food. The tiny place had one other car in the three car lot. He pulled in and moved into the store quickly. The snack aisle was upfront and he easily picked up a bag. The person at the counter was watching someone else as he put the bag down and got his wallet out. After paying, he turned around and saw the other person.

It was Masting.

He fumbled with the bag while hurrying out of the store. He made sure the car was still parked when he drove away. He even went around three different neighborhoods before actually making it to the apartments. He crossed over to Case's and knocked on his door, checking to see if he was followed. Casey opened the door and saw it was him before lowering his gun. “What is it, Bartowski?” he demanded.

“I... I saw George Masting, Gabriel Myt. He was at the party store. It was one of the files you had me looking at today,” he babbled.

“Name the store and I'll have Walker get the surveillance tapes.” Chuck told him the name and Casey pulled out his phone. “Walker, possible threat,” he started, closing the door. He stood there for a minute before going home.

“Hey, Chuck,” Devon called from the sofa. Ellie waved as he walked by.

“Hey,” he waved back, vines flapping.

“Chuck,” Ellie moaned, getting up.

“What?” he asked somewhat innocently, “You told us to not ignore his cravings.”

“Those aren't cravings, Chuck; that's a sweet tooth,” Devon stated.

“He doesn't need processed sugar,” she told him, holding out her hand.

“Uh....” he stalled, wondering if he could throw the bag and run to catch them. He stared at the exit and calculated what he would need to do. Bryce popped his head out from behind the wall, drawn to the conversation. He put his hand out and Chuck threw the bag to him. Bag caught, he ran back up before either of the doctors could stop him. “Chuck!” “Come on, Ellie. He's not going to eat them all at once. Serving size, that can't be too bad,” he argued, slowly moving around her to follow him up. Bryce had one in his mouth and another in his hand when Chuck walked in. “You're not going to eat that all at once, are you?”

“Serving size,” he parroted.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

One of the eateries that Bryce had a card for was only a few blocks away. With the day nice enough to enjoy a walk, he decided to go, after everyone had left for work. The restaurant was just starting to fill up and he was allowed to sit by himself in the back. He had an appetizer and was waiting for a main entree.

With the area busy, he had to strain to hear anything or take a few seconds to find someone. Which is why Sarah was able to take the other seat at his table. The waitress came over and took Sarah's order before hurrying off again. “What brought you here?” he questioned, playing with the silverware.

“Gabriel Myt,” she said.

He stared at her. “Where?”

“Here. Chuck flashed on his file earlier in the day, connecting him to George Masting. Then he saw him at the party store.”

They stopped talking when their entrees came. Bryce picked at his food. “Where is he now?”

“Unknown. We don't know the license plate, car model and make, direction,” she noted.

“Do we know why he's here?”

“No. Chuck may have saw a briefcase, but he was more worried about getting away.”

Bryce mulled for a minute, almost done with his meal. “Is he here because of us?”

“Sarah shook her head. “Don't know; be careful.”

“Oh, that's why you're here,” he muttered.

“I'm here to update you,” she retorted. She left to pay her bill and he waited a few minutes before leaving a tip and following. The news slightly worried him. Myt, Masting, had escaped last time when they were the ones chasing him. He might recognize either of them, and there was no telling if he was actually after Chuck. That close to their, Chuck's home.

He forced himself off the train of thought as he came closer to the apartments. He entered the courtyard to see a man waiting. Bryce froze as he realized it was Masting in front of the Bartowski apartment.

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