Disclaimer: Same disclaimer as always, folks.
"Oh my God, Chuck!" Ellie exclaimed as she took a step towards her brother and captured him in the tighest hug she could manage. Seeing Chuck and Sarah reminded her of old times, of how much she liked Sarah the moment she met her, and of how close she and Chuck had always been. As children, they endured so many childhood trials, and she had promised their father she would always take care of Chuck. It's what kept them close, the reason the two always had a great brother-sister relationship even in adulthood. Moving to Chicago was the farthest she had ever been from her brother, and now, two years later, here he was again, and with Sarah, the wonderful woman who changed his world the moment she came in to the picture.
Chuck returned his sister's hug and kissed her on the cheek. "Hi, sis. It's so good to see you."
"It's been a while, Charles." As she moved out of the embrace, Ellie approached Sarah, who was standing just behind Chuck with a bottle of wine in hand, and engulfed her in a welcoming hug, too. "Sarah, it's so wonderful to see you! Both of you, please come in!"
Sarah greeted Ellie with a "hello" and a warm smile and handed her the bottle of wine as she and Chuck stepped inside. The interior of the house was a welcome oasis from the icy snow that swirled in the breeze of chilly Chicago winds. The white lights on the walls and ornaments on the Christmas tree reflecting the light provided a warm illumination throughout the living room, the smell of turkey and potatoes emanated from the kitchen where Devon was preparing Christmas dinner, and in the corner of the room, a small fireplace was alit.
Chuck and Sarah took in the sight as Ellie took their coats and placed them up on a hanger, but soon all fixation on the house was broken when a little voice from below called out, "Sarah! Chunk!" Both looked down to see the little two-year old with her hands outstretched. "Chunk! Sarah!" she repeated as she practically bounced up and down.
Chuck got down on one knee and gently picked her up. "What?! Ellie, this can't be Clara?"
"I know, Chuck, she's getting so big."
"She's got Devon's eyes, but she looks a lot like you, sis." After kissing Clara on the forehead, Chuck turned to his wife, who was watching the scene with a look of pure awe on her face, and handed her the neice she didn't remember. "What do you think, Sarah?"
"Yes, I definitely see you in her, Ellie." She gave Ellie a smile and then focused her attention back to the little girl, who was now sucking her thumb. Sarah studied her face, willing it to her memory. She so wanted to remember Clara as a newborn; Chuck had shown her pictures and told her the story of her birth so many times, but alas, any memories she held of her had yet to resurface. Then she thought about Chuck, and how glad he was to see Clara again. The way he got down on one knee and picked her up, with such love in his eyes for this little member of the Woodcomb/Bartowski family. And suddenly, Sarah found herself lost in her thoughts:
Chuck on one knee, and love in his eyes. Chuck on one knee, and love in his eyes...The image of Chuck...white, sterile surroundings...Chuck on one knee...
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tugging. As it turned out, Clara was gripping onto locks of Sarah's hair with one hand, while sucking her thumb with the other. Ellie took notice and motioned for Sarah to pass her the baby.
"Sorry about that Sarah. When gets sleepy, she grabs hair, especially mine. I think it's a comfort thing. And that means we better open gifts before she tires out in time for her afternoon nap." Ellie put her daughter down in front of the tree, where the child immediately began to pull gifts toward herself, admiring the bows, and picking at the ribbon on the gift sent to her from Morgan.
…...
Having not yet made his appearance, Devon finally came out of the kitchen to engage in the gift exchange, and greeted Chuck and Sarah with strong, tight hugs. Chuck winced, convinced that Devon forgot his own strength sometimes. It made him glad that Casey wasn't there, because if he was, Chuck was pretty sure that he would roll his eyes, give a grunt, and mutter under his breath something about "Bartowski" and "weakling."
"Didn't crush you there, did I bro?" Devon must have noticed he winced.
"Nope, I'm fine Devon," he replied one of his silly, forced grins.
"Oh good. I know I don't know my own strength sometimes. Sarah, you okay?"
"Yeah, of course, Devon." Chuck couldn't help but give the same grin to his wife. It amazed him how strong and amazing she was; how she could handle maximum torture, and he couldn't even handle Awesome's grip. Some things would never change.
"Okay," Chuck started with another forced grin, hoping to change the subject, "time for presents?" Ellie and Sarah nodded, Clara shouted "pwesents!" and Devon slapped a strong hand on Chuck's shoulder, forcing the grin off his face again.
"Chuck you're absolutely right. And to think I almost forgot something. I'm glad I can always count on you to remind me, bro."
"Heheheeee, right Devon."
Devon disappeared upstairs and then returned almost immediately, bearing gifts in each hand. "Chuck, Sarah, this is for you." He handed them a binder, wrapped in a gold ribbon and bow. Together, Chuck and Sarah sat down and removed it, freeing the binder from its encasing. Inside, a collection of pictures were carefully placed and labeled, starting from Devon and Ellie's wedding, to Chuck's and Sarah's wedding, to the present day. Everyone looked so happy in the timeline of photos, and Clara had grown up so much. Sarah only wished she could remember. After thanking Ellie and Devon for the gift, Devon turned to his wife: "And this is for you, babe."
Ellie smiled and carefully peeled away at the shiny silver christmas wrap, which revealed a small box once it was removed. Slowly, she opened it, and put her hand to her mouth when the box revealed an elegant diamond bracelet, which beautifully reflected the light in the room. She said nothing, absolutely nothing as she leaned in to give Devon a grateful kiss. And yet she did because the look on her face said everything. Devon then proceeded to clip the bracelet around Ellie's wrist before all four adults finally turned their attention to little Clara, who had already peeled away at one of her gifts.
Sarah wasn't fully paying attention, though, because something about that moment between Ellie and Devon stuck out to her. Something about Ellie's actions seemed, felt, familiar.
Chuck on one knee...herself nodding in agreement...love in Chuck's eyes...nodding in agreement...reaching out to kiss Chuck...no words exchanged...happiness...sterile walls
"Look! Look!" Clara squealed in delight as she held up one of her gifts in the air, shaking Sarah from her thoughts once again. Apparently, Clara had in fact received a princess film, Snow White to be exact, from Morgan. Ellie found a note attached to the movie and read it aloud:
Hi Clara,
Though you may not remember me, I used to help babysit you all the time
before you and your parents moved to Chicago. One of my favorite things to
do was watch Disney princess movies with you, and it's one of the things I miss
most. I miss you more, though, kiddo.
Love,
Uncle Morgan
"Aww, Chuck, this is so sweet. When you and Sarah go back home, be sure to thank Morgan for us. Before Clara opens more gifts, I want to get a picture for your album of you two with Clara and her new movie, so that we can always remember this moment. I'll be sure to make two copies; one for you both, and one for Morgan."
Together, Chuck and Sarah kneeled close to each other on the ground and smiled, with Chuck's arm wrapped around Sarah's shoulders, and their neice in between them. Once Ellie turned on the camera, Devon stood behind Ellie to attract his daughter's attention to the camera with a teddy bear, and Ellie snapped a picture.
…...
We got married so we could be there for each other when things got tough, so we could work through things together, rich or poor...Soon this will all be ours, and when it is, I want to always remember this moment...
