A/N: Hi all! Welcome to my latest work. Here, I will be juxtaposing and/or mirroring missing scenes from canon with future scenes. I originally planned for this to be a long one shot with the memories interwoven into post-finale scenes but found that this way was a bit easier to get things to flow. The chapters therefore stand on their own as ficlets. Some, like this one will be inspired by lyrics.
Chapter 1: Charah Hits the Road (loosely inspired by the chorus of the song 'Highway Don't Care' by Tim McGraw ft Taylor Swift)
She wakes him up at the crack of dawn with kisses along his cheek. He peeps at her, and he smiles at her beauty. Her hair isn't brushed but her eyes are shining and her smile is blinding. He loves being woken up by her. He loves waking up with her. He loves waking up to her. He loves her.
"Babe, get up," she tells him and he reaches over to pull her closer. She buries her face in his neck, and he feels her lips ghost the skin there. He manoeuvres them so that he can kiss her properly.
"Mhmm," she moans into the kiss. "I'm making plans for us," Sarah tells him. But the words are in one ear and out the next as he ignores her, opting instead to pull her in for another kiss, this one more languid than the first.
With reluctance, she pulls herself away from him and scoots to the side. Chuck props himself up to look at her. The sun is filtering through the curtains but it seems dull in comparison to her.
"Get up," Sarah repeats, leaning in once again to kiss his cheek but he moves his head so that her lips press against his. Her hands wrap around his neck and he slips his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. It turns into a make out session with Chuck now sitting uprightly as she presses against his chest, her knees bent and pressing into the mattress. She feels his hands snake under the T-shirt and she leans back, smirking at him. "We can't spend all day in bed Chuck." She rests her forehead against his and runs her fingers through his hair, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips.
"I wouldn't mind doing just that," he says. His hand still under her shirt and she can feel the heat rise in her body.
She contemplates it, running her finger down his chest. "It's tempting." Indeed, it is. With his hair tousled from sleep and her fingers, his warm honey eyes and the coy smile currently tugging at his lips, it's hard not to give in.
"Yeah?" He grins up at her, now more awake than before and he wiggles his eyebrows.
"Buttttt there's something I really want to do today."
"Same here." He smirks and playfully tugs at the waistband of her sleeping shorts.
She tosses her head back in laughter and slaps his hand away. "Chuck, behave."
"Okay, fineee," he pouts but still holds her firmly by her hips.
She smiles again and kisses him lightly, before he releases his hold. "I'll go make coffee," she says and leaves the room.
He makes the bed, tidies up the room and goes to the bathroom before joining her in the kitchen. She's sitting at the table- still in his shirt, and he takes a moment to take in her beauty. With her hair spilling over her shoulder and her lips pressed into a fine line as she studies something on her phone, occasionally reaching for her coffee mug, he thinks she is breath-taking. At one point, he had been terrified that they would never be like this again, simply enjoying domestic bliss and each other on mornings such as this, but he's happy they have worked their way back to each other.
"What are you looking at?" He kisses her temple and sits next to her, pulling his own mug of coffee that she had laid out closer to him.
"We're going on a road trip," she tells him. The smile on her face speaks volumes and he can tell she is very excited.
Two hours later, they hit the road. They've packed a bag with some clothes and another with food and stuffed them in the back seat of his car, along with a couple of blankets. Sarah comments that he has over packed but Chuck insists they must be prepared for every contingency. He has sunscreen, insect repellent, a first aid kit and all sorts of topical creams too. He lets her drive, since this is after all her idea. He inserts the flash drive which holds one of the latest volumes of their road trip mixes into the USB port and drums his fingers along the side of the car door, watching as they leave the concrete buildings of LA behind.
"Where are we going?" He asks, turning to face her.
"Wherever the road takes us," she replies simply.
He cocks a brow at her. He knows how meticulous she usually is and he wonders whether she's serious. "So, there's no destination?" he clarifies.
She stops humming along with Marron 5's Sugar and she glances at him briefly. "We'll stop when the place feels right," she says.
He cocks his head to look at her again, just basking in her presence. She's concentrating on the road again and is singing along with the tunes as they play. Here she is- Sarah Bartowski wearing a plain red shirt paired with acid wash jeans and low cur red Converse, her wavy hair up in a ponytail. And she is going with what feels right. He thinks that in that moment, he fell in love with her a bit more. He feels the warm breeze on his face but the warmth in the atmosphere doesn't even begin to compare to what he feels when he's with her. She casts a glance at him and with the sunlight making her eyes seem bluer than the sky, Chuck feels himself getting lost in them.
They end up in a small town. It's one of those places which seems to have not yet been pulled into the hustle and bustle of globalisation. He muses that in movies it's always these quaint little towns which hold the biggest secrets and Sarah, having been drawn into many movie nights with him, laughs because she has to agree. She quips to him that hopefully they won't run into any serial killers or anything of the sort and he laughs, telling her not to test their luck. She pulls up near to a cafe and parks the car.
"Well shall we Mr. Bartowski?"
He grins at her and hops out from the passenger seat, rushing around to her side to open the door. Once they've locked the doors and activated the alarm, Sarah loops her arm in his and they begin to explore the town. They pass by an ice-cream and dessert shop and Sarah drags Chuck inside. She orders Rocky Road in a waffle cone and Chuck, feeling a bit adventurous decides to go with the Rainbow delight. They sit outside, watching as the people go about their tasks. A couple with a baby in a stroller passes them and Sarah shares a knowing look with her husband. They haven't had an in-depth conversation yet but Sarah thinks that maybe it's time they discuss it. She was ready to be a mother before her memory loss and she is beginning to welcome the idea once again, especially after seeing how Chuck is with Molly and Clara. She has no doubt that Chuck Bartowski was going to be an amazing father. She wants to begin the journey toward what was once their 'someday'.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Chuck reaches out and squeezes her hand. It's a small action but it makes her heart swell with love. Grand gestures are nice, but she's found that the small ones, which could be so easily trivialised always make her feel warm and truly loved.
She looks at him, a wide smile on her face as she takes him in. His lips and tongue are turning blue from the ice-cream but she thinks he is adorable. "I love you."
His smile is blinding. Sometimes words and people are taken for granted but he has vowed to never take her or her love for granted. "I love you too."
They finish their ice-cream and as they continue their walk, they come across a park. It even has a fountain and a lake with a bridge running across it. Chuck tracks back to the car for their food and blankets and they set up a picnic spot under the shade of a large oak tree. Some of the ducks clutter around them and Sarah laughs when they try to steal Chuck's food, one being so bold as to fly up to his face. Eventually, someone else with food comes along and the ducks scurry away, leaving the Bartowskis in peace. They sit and talk, just enjoying each other's presence. With Sarah in his arms, her hair now down and splayed across his chest, Chuck feels content.
She falls asleep in his arms and Chuck is happy that they have gotten back to this level of trust where she feels safe and protected with him. The sun is still shining but the wind is blowing, keeping the air cool and as she sleeps, he takes in the world around him. He doesn't care where they go. As long as she is by his side, he is happy.
She woke up due to the lack of warmth. She called out for Chuck but didn't find him in the apartment. Concerned, she threw on a sweater over her camisole, put on the closest pair of comfortable shoes she could find, which turned out to be her orange low cut Converse, grabbed her purse,phone and gun before slipping out of the apartment.
"Chuck!" Sarah called out behind him.
He stopped fumbling with the keys to the Nerd Herder and turned to look at her. With the lighting provided by the street lights, she saw that his eyes are red and puffy. He opened his mouth to explain, but nothing but a deep heave came out. Her heart broke at the sight. She rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his tall frame, trying to bring him as close to her as possible.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed into her neck and Sarah squeezed him tighter.
"I'm here baby," she tried to soothe him.
"I just, I just needed to get away," he finally managed to form a coherent sentence. He couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw his father on the ground with blood oozing from the gun shot wound. He had tried to put on a brave front at the dinner they had but he couldn't anymore. Like he had told Ellie, their father wasn't perfect. He had missed more than half of their lives. Nonetheless, he had been a great man. And Chuck wanted more time with him. He wanted to have long conversations with him about his inventions and ideas. He wanted to rewatch Tron with him. He wanted to ask his father about his mother. He wanted him and Ellie to build their relationship with their father. He had wanted all those things but they could never come to fruition. When Stephen J Bartowski died in his son's arms so did those hopes.
Sarah understood his desire to escape but she couldn't bear the thought of him being alone. Not when he was so grief-stricken. The highway wouldn't hold him tonight nor would it dry his tears. But she would. She would take care of him and help him through this. She took the keys from his hand and motioned for him to get in the passenger seat. He complied ad she hopped into the driver's seat. She didn't drive at her infamous wild speeds; her focus being split between the relatively deserted road and a broken Chuck. The radio was off and the only sounds which pierced the silence in the car were those of Chuck sobbing. She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it in an attempt to offer some comfort. She drove for another hour before finally coming to a stop at a small park. Sarah spent the first fifteen minutes after they parked surveying the area. Satisfied that it was safe, she turned to Chuck. His head was turned away from her as he rested against the window. He had been quiet since they parked and Sarah would have almost been fooled that he had drifted off to sleep. But she knew his sleeping habits better than that. She knew him better than that. And that was why she knew that with the emotions she had seen bubbling in him, he would not have been able to fall asleep so easily. Sighing softly, she ran her hand down his thigh. He responded by taking it in a firm grasp. They stayed like that for a few minutes before the car began to feel too constricted. After grabbing a couple of blankets from the back seat, Sarah coaxed Chuck out of the car. The air was a bit chilly but they were both wearing sweaters so it wasn't unbearable. They walked for a few minutes in silence before Sarah brought them to a stop by an oak tree. She spread out one of the blankets and sat down, motioning for Chuck to join her. He did and Sarah pulled him close to her chest. Moments later she felt the tears soak her sweater.
"I'm here baby," Sarah said. "Just let it all out."
"Please don't leave me Sarah," Chuck mumbled into the sweater, his voice thick with emotion. He could not lose her too.
"I won't," Sarah promised. "I love you," she rubbed her hands along his back, wishing that was all she needed to say and do to make everything better. If only it was that simple.
His breath hitched and the pain in his chest seemed to increase tenfold. "I couldn't..." He was overcome with grief, "I couldn't save him Sarah," Chuck sobbed, the image of his father dying in his arms played vividly in his mind. "Shaw shot him and I, ..."
"Shaw is going to pay for what he did." Beckman had said that it was taken care of. Sarah hoped that a bullet had gone through his skull or that he burned from the inside out via ammonia injection but knew that he had most likely been placed in one of their black sites. As long as he far away from her family and it stayed that way, then she would be placated.
"This is all my fault. He died because of me."
She turned his face for him to face her and her voice was thick with emotion and conviction when she spoke. "Don't blame yourself for this Chuck. It wasn't your fault."
"But if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have needed to come out of hiding."
"Oh Chuck," Sarah choked out, her heart breaking. This conversation echoed the one they had in the back of the van when Chuck was convinced that this was his fault because he was the one who choose to download the Intersect 2.0 and to be the spy but his father had paid the price. She knew that Chuck felt guilty but she was determined not to let him wallow in that guilt. Her words failed her so she just pulled him closer, whispering that they would get through this.
She stirs in his arms and Chuck smiles down at her. "Had a nice nap?"
"Yeah," she returns the smile and idly plays with his hands. "We've done this before? Just gotten in the car and somehow ended up sitting under a tree?"
"Yeah," Chuck says, his mind going back to the night when all he wanted to do was drive until he felt numb but Sarah had stopped him and made sure he didn't feel alone.
"I'm sorry," she says, noticing the change in Chuck's demeanour.
He kisses her fingers. "No, it's okay. I mean, I can't wish that you would only remember the good times because all those events, the good and the bad, helped to shape us and influenced our relationship. You were a big help in my grieving process...and I will always be thankful for that."
Sarah offers him a small smile. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He mulls over it for a moment before shaking his head. He still misses his father but he knows that he would have been proud of him. He doesn't need delve back into that episode of his life right now. As he lounges with his wife in his arms, relaxing as the lazy afternoon rolls on, he's got all that he needs.
A/N: Thanks for reading. I didn't want to go against the site's policy on lyrics so I interwove part of the chorus into the flash back/memory/dream. Virtual cookies to those who find it lol.
I am open to prompts so if there is a particular canon missing scene you'd like to read, feel free to let me know (via review or PM) and I will try my hand at it.
Until next time (maybe in two weeks),
xoxoxo
~Barbadiangirl 23/07/2017
