Author: dealan
Rating: K
Characters/Pairings: Ellie/Chuck, Morgan/Chuck, Chuck/Jill, Chuck/Bryce, Chuck/Sarah
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't sue.
Spoilers: Up through 1x13
Summary: There's a flower for every occasion that defined Chuck's life.
Author's note: Belated V-day challenge fic. Prompt: pink daisies. Flower meanings taken from http//www . weddingsgalore. com / flowers. html
There are moments in our lives that define us. Whether it's an experience we have or a person we meet, from that point on, life is divided into two parts: before and after, and we are forever changed.
It's just Chuck's luck that there's a flower to commemorate each of those moments in his life.
--
Hydrangea - Thank you for understanding; frigidity;heartlessness
Since as far back as Chuck can remember, his house has been filled with noise. As a family, they fluctuate between raucous laughter and angry shouts, because they're Bartowski's. They're emotional, they're bigger than life, and they have a tendency to freak out (in good ways and bad).
When Ellie and Chuck arrive from school, it's the silence that alerts him that something is wrong.
Chuck cautiously opens the door and they find their father standing in the living room with a vacant stare.
"She's gone, he says numbly. "Her clothes, her books…everything is gone."
Chuck grabs his father's elbow to support him and Ellie grasps his hand. Together they lead him into the dining room to sit down. There they find the only remainder of their mother sitting on the dining room table next to a vase of purple hydrangeas. The note says only two words:
"I'm sorry."
The tension in the air is thick with uncertainty, until a sudden, startling moment when their father picks up the vase and smashes it in anger, shattering the silence and the glass. Purple petals fall as the stems smack against the wall. Ellie chokes back a sob but she holds it together the best she can. She's more afraid for Chuck, whose eyes well with tears.
Their father collapses to his knees and head in his hands, he weeps. When he looks up to see Ellie's fear and Chuck's trepidation written across their faces, immediately he regrets it. He vows to himself that this will be the first, last, and only time they will ever fear him like this. It's a promise he knows he will always keep (and he does). He crosses the room and pulls his children into his arms.
"I'm sorry, guys," he croaks. "I just..."
"We know, Dad. It's going to be okay," Ellie says, patting his back carefully.
Chuck squeezes his father tightly. "We're going to be okay," he echoes.
As Ellie leads her dazed father to his bedroom him in, Chuck surveys the damage in slight bewilderment. He bends down and gingerly picks up a shard of glass, slicing his finger in the process. A hiss escapes his lips, and he watches a rivulet of blood slowly make its way down his finger. The enormity of everything begins to sink in and finally his tears fall.
He doesn't even register Ellie's presence until he feels the cool damp cloth pressing on his hand. She cleans the wound effectively, places a band-aid on his finger and wraps him up in her arms until he feels whole again.
With a sheepish look, he wipes eyes and gives her a watery smile. "Let's clean this up, shall we?" he says.
Together they begin to sweep up the broken shards and petals soaked in water, tears, and drops of blood.
--
It's quiet in the weeks following her departure. Their father has become withdrawn and neither Ellie nor Chuck ever really know what to say to snap him out of it. It stays like that for a long time.
But they are Bartowski's, and eventually the chaos and the noise return. The sounds of chuckles and arguments trickle back into the halls, and Chuck's world is righted once again. It's not the same, but it's close to it. A year later, to the day, they are able to replace the sad memories with laughter and smiles and new traditions. Ellie cooks dinner, and Chuck brings the flowers.
He makes sure, though, never to bring home hydrangeas.
