A/N: Posted 8/31/11

Thanks for your reviews and PMs everyone. A special thanks to Laurie, supesfan18 and quistie64 for all the help they've given me.

Chapter 10

Burbank

Courtyard

Sarah was sitting on the fountain wall, her head resting in her palms, rocking. Her eyes were tear- filled and her voice cracked as she spoke, "Stay away from me, Chuck! I mean it. It's no use."

At least she isn't holding a knife on me. Yet. Chuck slowly sat down next her and for a change, said nothing. He wanted too. Oh, did he want to. Sarah was hurting and he couldn't help her.

"Damn it! I have nowhere to go. I ran out of there and realized that I can't even go in there," she pointed to the Bartowski apartment. She didn't have a key. "It's not my home. I don't even have a home." Another crying jag over took her.

Chuck reached over to her and just as his hand was about to alight on her back, Sarah let out a hitch, "Don't you dare!" He quickly pulled his hand back.

"Oh, God, she's right, Chuck," she said with exasperation. Quietly, she added, "I am broken." She sucked in a breath, "I'm worthless and fat and ugly! Why would you ever want to be with someone like me? Why would you want to mar… Aaauugh!"

Chuck gulped, afraid to move.

xxx

Ellie stood just inside of the doorway to Casey's apartment and cringed at what she'd heard. This was her fault. They needed Dr. Bartowski and she brought Ellie. Over bearing, demanding Ellie. I am the world's worst sister.

Casey moved to the door and closed it, gently pulling Ellie away, "This is not for your ears, Ellie."

She scowled at him.

"Ellie, if 'mommy' fixes everything, they will never learn to fix these things themselves. Besides, what they've gone through already was a lot harder to deal with than an over-bearing sister and discussions of marriage." He tried to soften his words with a smile.

She cringed, John's words had rung true, but her scowl was gone, "I'm worried about whether they know that."

xxx

Sarah looked at Chuck, "You're not going to say anything? Are you?" She was drowning in her emotions and desperately wanted Chuck's help.

Did she want him to say anything or not to say anything? Chuck was terrified of where this 'conversation' was going; that he and Sarah were over. For real. Not some stupid cover relationship breakup. And he was furious with Ellie. She really should have known better. Things were so much simpler back with mother.

He stared straight ahead and said, "My clothes itch."

Sarah let out a cry/laugh and wiped her nose on a crumbled napkin she didn't remember having. She couldn't have heard right, "What?"

"My clothes itch. Everywhere. And I can't stand it. I've got a sister that doesn't know when to quit. A best friend that doesn't understand the concept of knocking. I work in a stupid Buy More making pocket change. How the hell am I ever going to support a family? I'm an insecure, neurotic… schnook, that thinks he could be a spy and get the most beautiful girl in the world." He still hadn't looked at her.

He took a breath, "And my clothes itch."

She tightened her hand around his. She wasn't sure when she took it. "You said that already."

"I did?" He finally looked at her.

A small smile crossed her face, "Yeah. And so do mine." She thought a moment and bit her lip, "Umm... Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

Is she kidding? Chuck stared at her with disbelief. Then a stupid thought flashed through his mind, Do these pants make me look fat? "I don't even see other women."

She rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I see them, but I'm not even tempted."

She looked down and shook her head.

"Come on, Sarah, work with me here," he smirked. He knew he had her.

She looked up at him and laughed as she tried to wipe her tears without smearing her makeup. But it was too late for that. She brought her hand up to his cheek and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Sarah?'

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She smiled, "So you've told me."

"And, I'll keep saying it. I love you, Sarah."

"I love you, too, Chuck."

"I know our relationship has been upside down or is it backwards? But we'll get there. I'm sorry about my sister's sneak attack on you. I guess I'm immune to it, so I just kind of dismiss it as Ellie being Ellie."

"I understand, I do. It was just too much."

"Any chance of going back in there?"

She closed her eyes and spoke slowly, "I don't know. I'm … I'm quite ashamed."

"There isn't a single person in there that hasn't done something a whole lot dumber."

She glared at him, "Are you calling me dumb, Mr. Bartowski?"

"Of course, not, Mrs. Bart…" Chuck turned beet red and clamped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he had almost called her.

Sarah laughed, "Gotcha!"

His eyes went wide, "You planned that! You're evil!"

"Uh huh." She wore a broad smile as she nodded. "Okay, we'll go back in there, but you are NOT leaving my side. Ellie is the scariest person I have ever met." She stood up, his hand still in hers.

"Even scarier than Mr. Colt?" He teased.

"Mr. Colt would be afraid of her." She pulled on his arm, "Come on, I need to make this right with your family."

He let himself be pulled up, "If you insist."

Sarah pulled him in giving him a lingering kiss. When she let him break she saw a familiar grin.

Chuck leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "You do know that one, or more, of them is watching us."

Sarah laughed, "They're not very good spies."

xxx

Inside the apartment, Casey pulled his fingers out from the blinds and let the slats close. "Crisis averted," he announced. He looked around the room at each family member, "Nothing happened. And no pressure, right?" All this fuss over damn lady feelings. I need a damn vacation.

There were nods all the around the apartment. Ellie headed back into the kitchen with her co-conspirator in tow. Devon shared a few calming words with Ellie before heading back out to the Living Room. Casey and Morgan had assumed their positions in the Living Room.

xxx

"Just to be sure…" Chuck asked her, "You don't mind?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Not really. Sort of a package deal." He waggled his brows at her.

"Chuck, day after tomorrow, we're going to the beach. Just you and me. I miss that hot sand between my toes."

Chuck smiled. Our beach.

She let out a sigh of relief, she could read him again, "No, not there. A special place I know." She played familiarly with his collar, "And it's clothing optional."

His smile grew. Funny how he would have freaked out at the suggestion four months ago.

They walked towards the door to Casey's apartment. As Chuck was about to reach for the door knob he felt Sarah hesitate.

He found her eyes, "Second thoughts?"

She flinched.

"We could run away together." He pointed to his head, "I know how to hot-wire cars." A huge grin was spread across his mouth.

A small smile crept to her lips, "They'd hunt us down."

He snorted, "Yeah, Beckman would mobilize an army."

She smirked, "She'd be easy to evade. I was referring to your family."

Chuck cocked an eyebrow. With a snicker, he reached for the door knob.

The men were now sitting on the coach arguing over the remote, insisting that the others did know how to power click properly. Casey looked up at Chuck and nodded his head towards Ellie. Chuck nodded back.

Ellie's back was to them as they approached.

Sarah called out her name, "Ellie…"

Ellie spun around, tears still coming down her cheeks. "Sarah. Chuck. I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I was absolutely horrible and I don't blame you one bit. 'Get a haircut, get a shave.' He's a grown man, for God's sake. And he has a great woman. Oh, God! I'm Chuckbabbling now."

Sarah quickly had her arms around Ellie, crying herself.

"Hey! I'm right here! Is that even a proper word?" Not getting a response or even expecting one, Chuck looked around the kitchen and then headed towards the fridge. "Okay, so where are you hiding the pie?"

Casa Bartowski

the next day

Sarah had made sure that they had what she would need the night before. She even managed to find her 'cover' outfit in one of the unopened boxes and hid it under the bed before Chuck could find it. Now, she had to get out of bed without waking him. She had moved away from him several times, but he managed to pull her back each time. God, I'm so weak, she thought. Okay, this time I have to do it. She worked her way out from Chuck's embrace and substituted herself with her pillow, hoping the traces of her smell would be strong enough to fool him.

She tiptoed around the bed and picked up her robe from where it was lying on a chair. Silently she retrieved a bag she had stashed under the bed and made her way to the bedroom door and slowly opened it. Both Ellie and Devon were on shift so the apartment would be theirs. She went into the bathroom and got dressed, put her hair into ponytails and put her robe on. Taking a final look in the mirror, she fixed a few hairs and headed out to the kitchen.

Sarah set up the coffee machine and got to work on breakfast; toast and scrambled eggs with pieces of pepper, onions and ham. She thought she'd heard something from the bedroom and made a quick dash to the hallway and listened. Nothing. Good. She went back into the kitchen and pulled out a tray from the cabinet, took out the dishes she would need and checked the eggs.

She looked down at her bare feet and let out a soft laugh; barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. Two could play the hand servant game, she figured. The toast popped up and she was ready. The plate with the eggs went on the tray. Coffee with a little milk and sugar followed. She lifted the tray and felt that something was missing. The robe! She shucked it off and left it on a dining room chair. She got the tray and headed to the bedroom.

With a single hand balancing the tray, she slowly opened the bedroom door. He was still asleep. She made her way around to the other side of the bed and put the try down on 'her' night stand. She slowly knelt on the bed and tried to replace her stand-in with the real thing. She stopped once when he shifted, waited and slid in beside him. Her hand reached up to play with his mussed hair as she whispered his name.

"Chuck."

"Mmmmm?"

"Feel like some breakfast?"

"Can I have you first?" He waggled his eye brows.

She bit her lip, almost losing her resolve, "After. I brought a tray in here."

He opened an eye and smiled, "Breakfast in bed, huh?" When he saw what she was wearing, both eyes opened wide and his mouth fell open. "Oh. Wow. The Weinerlicious outfit? I thought you said you were going to burn that thing."

She giggled. Priceless. "I was going to. But I knew you liked it." She blushed furiously. She moved to sit up and told him to do the same. She grabbed a pillow and stuffed it behind his back. She reached over to the tray and brought it over to her lap and handed him the coffee mug.

He took the mug but didn't drink. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Chuck. Eat. Drink. Before it gets cold. You're going to need your strength."

He drank the coffee, his eyes not moving from her.

"Now you're staring."

"Ummm... Yeah. Amazing is what it is."

"What, the outfit?"

"Yeah, you have no idea the thoughts I had. Especially, that one time, when Scooter found us in the supply closet." It was his turn to blush.

Sarah loved when she did that to him. She slapped his hand away when he reached for the fork. "Nope. I'll do that." Sarah took the fork and picked up some of the egg. With a hand under the fork, she reached over, but not quite enough, making him reach for it.

"Wow wow wow. You are really spoiling me."

"Well, you spoiled me yesterday."

He took the egg in his mouth. "Oh, man, that is good."

She beamed, "Good, you like it." She reloaded the fork again and brought to Chuck's mouth.

"And, if I remember correctly, you returned the favor," he got out between mouthfuls. "Twice?"

Sarah tore off a piece of toast and shoveled a little of the egg onto it. She carefully lifted it up off the plate and followed it towards Chuck with her other hand cupped beneath it. He'd closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. She placed it on his tongue and watched as he licked her fingers clean. Goose bumps ran up her arm and down to her toes. I'm spoiling him?

She took several bites for herself, grabbed the coffee back and finished it. "Stay put." She placed the tray back on the counter and turned back to Chuck with a huge smile. "Let me take that pillow back so you can lie down."

He didn't have to be told twice.

She pulled Chuck's sheets back and brought a leg over him and dove into his neck.

"Sometimes, Sarah, I think that I'm dreaming all of this."

Sarah pulled her head up sporting a huge toothy smile, "Me too, sweetie. Keep your eyes closed and pretend you're asleep." I'm gonna to make some dreams come true. Maybe some of his too.

…

They were dressed and had squared off in the dining area. He really didn't understand why she was so angry. He just wanted to help and thought he would learn everything he could about babies and being pregnant. And Amazon had so many of them! 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Your Baby' and 'Babies for Dummies'. Both had to have been written for him. There was even, 'The Art of Unit Testing Your Baby' and 'Baby 1.0'. Okay, those were for him, too. But she should have liked 'What to Expect When You're Expecting.'

Maybe he went over board when he ordered them back in Australia after meeting with the Williams family and Mrs. Sargent. He should have talked to that library woman. Mrs. Hatch, was it?

Sarah grimaced, "Chuck. Enough! If you buy one more book, I swear, I will hurt you."

"Sarah, I just want us to be the best parents that little Trent or Sarah could ever have." He almost whispered that second name, hoping she didn't hear him.

They'd already agreed on Trent for a boy. If it were a girl, as Chuck prayed for, well...

"But you don't name a daughter after her mother!"

Charlotte… Sarah… Eleanor… Sarah… growl Mary… Sarah… Leia… uh… Sarah…

She cocked an eye at him and let the name slide, Charlotte, damn it, "Chuck, you listen to me. No More of them!" She shoved the stack of books across the table and back towards Chuck. The stack of books literally tittered. "I stopped skimming through them after the sixth one."

"But Sarah…"

There was that whine.

And it cut into her ears and twisted around her brain. "Chuck. I mean it. You buy one more book, and this will be the only child we can have. Got it?" Her look was menacing.

Chuck gulped. "Okay okay!" he offered. Dejectedly, he added, "I have to get to work." He grabbed his coat from the chair back and headed towards the door.

Sarah watched his back as he was leaving and yelled after him, dumbfounded, "Hey! What's the big idea?"

He spun around with a "Huh?" coming out of his mouth before he was even facing her. And then he was distracted. God, she is so beautiful. And she is going to have our baby! His mind wandered to that future.

"Didn't you forget something, mister?"

It sounded like a record getting scratched in his head as he banged back to earth from his reverie. "Sorry. I'll send them back today." He walked back towards the table to collect the books.

She intercepted him and wrapped her arms around him. "No, not the books. Me." She closed her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm just as excited as you are, but all these books were making me nervous. Leave them be. We'll look through them later." She laid her head on his chest, "Can you call in to the Buy More and come with me?"

He understood. To the doctor's office. Chuck pulled her in tighter. Yes.

The books weren't an issue at all, she was nervous. He was nervous.

They'd been off the island a few days and civilization was bearing down on them and they didn't know how they were going to survive. It was the noise. And the people. And the smells. And the clothes. Clothes were probably the worst. Scratchy and confining. None of it was that bad at first, but it felt like a growing, nameless mass that threatened to swallow them whole. Their nerves were shot and they couldn't take any more.

They couldn't even read each other's body shifts properly. Back with Mother, he felt as if he could actually read her mind and she, his.

Chuck was supposed to check back into the Buy More and let Big Mike know that he was ready to start work. He knew it was too soon. Way too soon.

Sarah had an appointment in the afternoon with an OB/GYN friend of Ellie's. They had become so used to doing everything together as a team, just to survive, that the thought of being apart terrified them.

Sarah and Chuck separated wordlessly and walked back to their bedroom, shucking their awful clothes as they went. They lifted the bed up by its side and leaned it against the far wall. The bed wasn't uncomfortable, they loved it when they first got home, but now, they wanted the island. He locked the Morgan door and closed the curtains as she grabbed the blanket and laid it on the floor.

As long as they kept their eyes closed, they were safe. They made love, talked, laughed and made love again.

They would have started that last part over again when Chuck's cell rang. It was Casey. Sarah picked up the phone and answered it, putting it on speaker, "Hi John! Problem?" They were lying side by side on their stomachs.

They could hear him sigh, "Ellie asked me to take you to your appointment."

Chuck looked at Sarah. Wow. Casey?

"We were going to leave in a little bit. Promise," Sarah lied.

He didn't buy it. "Sarah. Let me do this."

"I'll be fine. Just a little nervous."

"Yeah. We all noticed that last night at Ellie's dinner." He knew he shouldn't have gone there as soon as the words left his lips.

Sarah closed her eyes and put her head on Chuck's shoulder. "Damn it, John! Leave us alone," tears of frustration were forming in her eyes.

Chuck put his hand on her back and felt her muscles tense up. They relaxed by degree as he made a slow, rubbing motion. "John, give us twenty."

At the OB/GYN

Afternoon

"Chuck! Sit down." Casey watched over the top of his newspaper as Chuck paced in the waiting room of the doctor's office. His compassion had its limits and he was rapidly reaching his. "You're making Sarah crazy."

"Yes, you're right, John. I am. Aren't I? I'm just a bundle of nerves. Oh boy, a baby. Can you believe it?" His pacing continued and he appeared to be headed into a massive bout of Chuck babble.

Casey looked over at Sarah, seemingly lost in her own world. His partners were both a mess. They needed a mission and soon. For Casey, that always solved whatever ailed you. He folded the newspaper and put it down on the small table in front of him. He stood up and moved towards Chuck and gently, for Casey, put his hands on Chuck's shoulders and steered him to the empty seat on Sarah's left. "Sit. Now."

Chuck obediently sat, his left leg bouncing.

"Sarah, Chuck, look at me."

Sarah glanced up and looked away. Chuck was oblivious.

A little more loudly he repeated himself, "Look at me."

Casey smiled; he had their attention. "Good. Chuck, how many people are there in the world?"

"Huh? What? Oh. Something like five billion?" Chuck nervously responded. His hand reached out to Sarah and she gripped it tightly, as if her life depended on it.

"And how many of those people started out as babies?"

Chuck's leg had slowed down. "Heh. Trick question. All of them."

"Right, moron."

Sarah bristled at that word. Her hand relaxed in Chuck's.

Casey smirked as he remembered the conversation he had with Ellie and Devon last night after dinner. Ellie's right. A little mis-direction.

Ellie was going to take Sarah, but Devon nixed that idea. "You want Sarah to be calm. You're too excited about all this. Let Casey, 'Mr. stone face' here, no offense, John, take them. None taken. They'll be too stunned to be nervous."

Ellie groused, but finally conceded to her fiancé's wisdom, "John, think of them as wounded. Actually, they are wounded. Inside. Just keep them distracted."

'Wounded partners' he understood.

He looked at his partners and continued, "So, you think, maybe the parents of those five billion people went through the same thing you two are going through and survived?"

A look of shock came to Chuck's face, "Er… um… ah…" He went silent and his breathing became more even.

Casey took his seat and looked at the parents to be, "You have a lot of friends and family behind you. Both of you. Things are going to work out."

Both Chuck and Sarah stared at Casey like he'd grown a second head.

Finally, Sarah let out a long breath and laughed, "Chuck. We've been had." But she was thankful for the distraction.

Chuck agreed, "Yeah, I always suspected that the big guy was really just a big softy!"

Casey grunted, picked up his newspaper and continued reading. He heard Chuck and Sarah laughing and he let out a growl. They stopped laughing and started whispering to each other. He couldn't make out most of the words, but they sounded suspiciously like chocolate and peanut butter. And for some reason, inexplicable to him, it sounded good. He snapped the paper and hid behind it as a huge grin grew on his face.

A/N: I know this was a rather short chapter. This and the next chapter were part of chapter that had gotten too long. I'm blaming that on my angst loving betas. So, I am breaking it up here and will post the next chapter this weekend rather than next week.