A/N: This chapter is somewhat longer, but only because I didn't want to break the continuity of its main subject. I hope you'll like it as much as the others.
Chuck walked into the house to find his wife and his daughter huddled together in the living room, reading Sarah's book of magic, a pot of hot chocolate and a plate of delicious homemade barmbrack (left over from Halloween) on the coffee table.
"Hello ladies," he said.
"Hi Dad," Sam smiled.
"Welcome home, Chuck," Sarah said. "How was the meeting?"
"Boring as hell, but at least we got the contract."
"Well, I never doubted we would."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Where is Jason?"
"He's taken Rex for his evening walk. Thus, Sam and I were free to study."
"This book is amazing," Samantha piped up. "It has everything, and I mean everything."
"Uh-huh. Did you do your homework?"
"I took care of it yesterday. I have the whole weekend free to study and practice magic."
"Within reason, of course," he reminded them.
"Of course," Sam replied nonchalantly.
He smiled and snagged a slice of barmbrack. "Be sure to thank your Mom for me, Sarah," he mumbled between bites. "She's an amazing cook."
"Go change," Sarah said, prodding him along with a light kick on his backside, without bothering to get up.
He was about to reply when Lucy, who until then had been curled up on the recliner, jumped into his arms and snatched the last piece of his barmbrack from his hand. "Hey!" Lucy just looked at him and purred in satisfaction as she swallowed and licked her lips. "You are a naughty kitty, aren't you, Lucy?"
"Meow," the cat replied.
Chuck laughed and put her down on the couch, where she immediately snuggled close to Sarah, her pet human. Chuck soon rejoined the ladies in the living room after changing into comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt. Jason and Rex arrived a few minutes later.
"How was your walk, boys?" Sarah asked them.
"Woof!" Rex replied as Jason let him off his leash.
"He means it was fantastic. He played with a lot of other dogs and I think he may have a crush on another retriever," Jason explained. "She's cute and she played with Rex until they were both panting. I was afraid I was going to have to carry him back here. Did I miss anything?"
"Nope, things are just as you left them, bro," Sam replied. "But I learned a few cool spells."
"Good for you I guess, sis. So, what's for dinner?"
Sarah and Samantha exchanged guilty looks.
"They got so caught up in studying the black arts that they forgot to make dinner," Jason mocked them. Chuck nodded exaggeratedly.
"We won't even dignify that with a comment," Sarah said. "Right, Sam?"
"Absolutely right, Mom. However, I'm hungry, too."
"Then we'll cook. You make the salad. I'll take care of everything else." The ladies shared a conspiratorial look.
A blink of an eye later, the table was set with a delicious looking and smelling dinner.
"Voila!"
"They cheated," Chuck remarked.
"They definitely cheated," Jason agreed. And then he added: "While you're at it, refill the bowls for Rex and Lucy."
"Done," Sam replied, snapping her fingers. The animals' bowls instantly filled with yummy kibble. Naturally, they didn't stay full for long. After dinner it was time for Chuck and Sarah to continue telling their story.
-o-
After becoming a couple, Chuck and Sarah had established certain routines. They would spend their nights either in his or her apartment. Of course, they saw each other at work, a lot. Sarah was also introduced to certain Bartowski family habits, such as the rather frequent gatherings for dinner. Devon also got her a membership in the local gym which he, Ellie and Chuck frequented. She joked that she needed it, considering how good she, Mary and Ellie cooked. In reality, she had excellent metabolism, plus she had ways upon ways to burn off excess calories, some of them X-rated.
They were in her apartment, having gone there straight after work. While Sarah was changing out of her business suit into something more comfortable, Chuck went to get them each a beer from her fridge. He opened a drawer looking for a bottle opener and instead he found something resembling an old astrolabe. Curious, he picked it up and turned it over in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship. It was simply a work of art.
"Chuck, what's taking you so long?" Sarah asked.
"I'm looking for the bottle opener."
"Second drawer on the right," she informed him.
"Aha! Found it." He opened the bottles and carried them and the astrolabe to her room. They sat in the chairs by the window and clinked bottles. "I also found this," he said.
"I put it in the kitchen? My bad," Sarah commented. "Do you know what it is?"
"It looks like an astrolabe, but I'm guessing it doesn't exactly work as one."
"Basically, it's a fully functional astrolabe," she informed him. "But it's also a whole lot of other things and only a witch knows how to use it as such."
"Cool," he remarked.
"You've got your gadgets and I have mine," Sarah deadpanned.
Tell me one of the things you can do with it."
"For one, it's going to show me when I'll have accumulated the reserve necessary to bring my family back."
"How close are you, right now?"
She took it from him, ran a hand over it and waited until the workings stopped moving. The result was pretty surprising, considering she hadn't checked it for a few days. "If all goes well, tomorrow I'll have not only enough juice to go ahead with my plan, but also an extra reserve for unforeseen contingencies," she declared.
"Juice?"
"What? I read, you know." She reached for her slang book and showed it to him. "See? I'm adapting."
"You most definitely are. Do you have any more cool gadgets I should know about?"
"Well, I have my broom, my book and a mirror, which is the witch's equivalent of a tablet computer."
"I suppose it passes for witch geek chic in the 16th century."
She thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I suppose it is. I'm a high-tech witch," she laughed.
"There is so much truth in that statement, especially now, in the 21st century."
"You're the Nerd though." She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm starving, Chuck. What are we going to do for dinner?"
"Well, you could make dinner appear, for one. But I know you have good reasons to want to do something more, um, conventional, so I was thinking about ordering in. How does the Bamboo Dragon sound?"
"Excuse me? What is this Bamboo Dragon?"
"It's one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city and your place is well within their delivery radius."
"I've never had Chinese food before."
"All the more reason to call them." He whipped out his cell phone and ordered. Sarah had no idea exactly what he'd ordered, but she trusted him.
-o-
"Take it easy," he advised her, laughter in his eyes.
"I can't help it," she mumbled around a mouthful of spicy Sichuan salad, while reaching for the fried rice and the spring rolls. "Everything is so delicious."
"Yes, and it will still be here. You don't have to choke on it. So, I suppose my idea to get Chinese tonight paid off in spades."
"You'll get your reward later," she said, giving him a look full of promises before taking a hearty swig of her Tsingtao beer. "And I appreciate you showing me how to use the chopsticks, although I definitely prefer using a fork."
"Me too," he confessed. "The proper introduction to Chinese, however, requires the use of chopsticks."
"I'll be leaving tomorrow," she said suddenly. "But I'll be back."
"I know. Before you leave, we'll throw you a party."
"Huh? What party?"
"It's just going to be me, my parents, Ellie and Awesome. We're going to wish you success and a good trip."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
-o-
"From what you told us, at that time Uncle Morgan had no idea you were a witch, right Mom?" Sam asked. "Hence his absence from the party."
"No, he didn't know, but he found out a little while later. It was completely by accident."
"How?" Jason asked.
"Don't you want to wait until I get to it?"
"Please Mom," the twins begged in unison. And, as usual, she caved. After all, recounting the incident would provide some comic relief before she got down to telling more serious parts of her and Chuck's story.
"OK. Well, I had already moved in with your father. Remember, we were still living across the street back then. Morgan had just moved out of his old apartment and was staying with us until he could find a new place. One night, I got thirsty, so I went to the kitchen to down a couple of glasses of juice. Only, when I'm sleepy I'm a little clumsy, and I knocked down a pitcher of water. Mopping it up was too much at the moment for me, so I took a shortcut."
"But you didn't reckon on Uncle Morgan," Jason deduced.
"He was also going to get something to drink and he saw me calmly helping myself to some juice while the mop was doing its thing without anyone holding it."
"I wish I were there to see his face," Sam chuckled.
"I tried to be as nonchalant about it as possible, even offering him some orange juice, but he was just rooted there."
"We'll ask him for his version of this story, but I can already imagine him running off in a panic to Dad for answers."
"You're right, of course," Chuck told Sam. "Morgan woke me up and I had to calm him down before explaining everything to him."
-o-
"Now I would like to propose a toast," Mary said, getting up and raising her glass. "To the Walker family and to meeting them soon."
"To Sarah and her family," Chuck said.
"Thank you everyone," a visibly moved Sarah said. "I can't wait to introduce you all to my family."
"So, what are you going to do now?" Devon asked.
"I'll go to my place and get everything ready."
"You can stay here, you know," Chuck reminded her.
"I know, but if I do this in my apartment, I'll be beamed to my own room." She knew Chuck would like her using a Star Trek-inspired colloquialism. "Remember when I told you how I went to sleep in my cart and woke up in my car?"
"Of course," Chuck said. "I didn't think of that."
"Smart," Stephen commented. "You'll be able to avoid any unnecessary or unwanted encounters."
"It is a good plan," Mary nodded. "But I brought you something, just in case." She handed Sarah a box.
"Thank you Mary. What is it?"
"Open it."
Sarah obliged. Inside the box she found a brunette wig and a contact lens case. "Interesting."
"The contacts are green colored and should go well with your eyes in hiding their natural color. As for the wig, I don't have to explain it."
"How did you think of this, Mom?" Ellie asked.
"There are a few things you and Chuck don't know about me. The time has come to tell you. Before your father and I started Orion Computers and Software, I was working for the government."
"Yeah, we know. That's how you two met."
"But you don't know I worked for the CIA."
"You were a spy, Mom?" Chuck was incredulous. "This is so cool!"
"Awesome," Devon added.
"I'll tell you more later, but for now let's just say that I knew what to get Sarah thanks to my experience."
Sarah hugged Mary. "Again, thank you."
"Don't mention it, dear. Besides, I'm dying to trade recipes with your Mom. Yes, Chuck, I'm a homemaker former spy. Joke away."
"Who says I'm about to crack jokes about it? I think it's just fine."
"It was certainly convenient when we worked together," Stephen remarked. "In addition to her security and liaison duties, Mary would also handle the housekeeping while I worked on various gadgets the CIA needed."
"You never made it easy for me, Stephen. I swear I'd never met a sloppier guy before."
"Hey! I was only sloppy when I had a project to work on. At other times I even cooked for you."
"True," she admitted. "Enough with the reminiscing. Chuck, will you drive Sarah home?"
"Just let me get my keys."
"On second thought, I'd like a few minutes to give Sarah some useful advice."
The drive to the Maison 23 was uneventful and quiet. Chuck escorted Sarah all the way to her door and kissed her goodnight. He was about to leave when she grabbed him, pulled him inside the apartment and took him to her bed. "I want one more before my trip," she explained. He was only too happy to oblige. Two hours later, they were both dressed again and he was ready to go home.
"Take care," he told her when he was about to leave.
"I'll be back," she assured him as they walked to the elevators.
"I know you will. I love you."
"I love you too. Goodnight Chuck." *kiss* She watched him leave and then went back inside her apartment, locking the door behind her. Everything she needed was ready and waiting on her nightstand. She sat on the bed, picked up the book and read the required spell. And then she curled up under the covers, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
-o-
A noise coming from downstairs woke her up. Opening her eyes, she found herself in her old room. The spell had worked perfectly. Lying on the bed next to her was a bag containing extra clothing, her book of magic and her disguise. For a moment she had an internal debate about whether to put her disguise on before going to see her parents and sister or do it later, after the greetings. Discretion dictated the former as a course of action, so she got dressed, put on the wig and then the contact lenses, just like Mary Bartowski had shown her.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" Carina asked when Sarah appeared in the kitchen. "Did my parents give you a room?"
Apparently the disguise was so effective that even her own sister didn't recognize her. Sarah smiled. "Carina, it's me."
"Sarah?"
"In the flesh!"
"What are you doing here? Where have you been? How did you get here?" Carina fired off question after question at her little sister.
"I'll explain everything. Just be patient. How are things around here?"
"Well, just as we knew they would, they came looking for you. Dad told them a story about you going to London, and they believed it. After all, they didn't know we'd been forewarned. Things have quieted down since then."
"How are you holding up?"
"It was hard, not knowing where you were and how you were doing, but we never lost hope."
"Carina, who is your friend?" Jack asked, coming into the kitchen with Emma following behind.
"Someone you know very well," Sarah replied.
"Sarah?" Emma and Jack instantly recognized the voice. The next instant both her parents took her in a loving embrace.
"While I'm here my name is Katherine O'Connell," Sarah advised them.
"What happened to your hair… and your eyes? Did you…?" Emma asked her, taking in her appearance.
"No, I'm wearing a wig and contact lenses."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Like I told Carina, I'll explain everything."
"Said explanations can take place over breakfast," Emma declared. Sarah unconsciously licked her lips in anticipation of a hearty Walker breakfast.
-o-
"And so I made a new life for me in the 21st century," Sarah finished the story of the past two months.
"There is something you are not telling us," Emma said, her voice dripping with suspicion.
"You're right, mother. I left the best for last."
"If I were to guess, I'd say she met someone," Carina ventured.
"How did you know?"
"You have that look on your face, plus you just confirmed my suspicions. Who is he and how did you meet him?"
"His name is Charles Bartowski, but he prefers to be called Chuck. He is my bosses' son and in fact I got the job thanks to him. I want you all to know that I love him very much and he loves me as well. I like his family, they like me and they have all been very supportive of me, professionally and personally. They know about me, too. Once Chuck and I became a couple, I told them the truth in order to avoid potential misunderstandings. They believed me after a small demonstration of my abilities."
"You did well, but how did they take it? I'm curious," Jack said.
"Once they got over the initial surprise, they asked me a whole lot of questions. I answered them as best as I could. By the way, the disguise I'm wearing was given to me by Chuck's mother."
"She sounds like an amazing woman," Emma said.
"She is. I am positive that you'll like her a lot when you meet her."
"What do you mean when I meet her?"
"Everyone, I came here to take you to the 21st century with me."
"I can always sell the inn," Jack said, liking the idea. "In fact, someone recently approached me with a most attractive offer."
"Anyone I know?"
"No, he's new in town. His name is Roan Montgomery."
Sarah began laughing.
"What's the matter?"
"Someone who must be descended from him is a big customer of the company I work for," she replied. "Did he try to charm Mom?"
"That explains it. And yes he did. I wasn't amused, needless to say. Emma, should we accept his offer?"
"I don't know… I mean, we don't actually know anything about the 21st century. How are we going to live in it?"
"I spent two months preparing to take care of the matter," Sarah assured them. "You won't have any problems adjusting and you'll even find it to be fun. I know I did."
"Then it's settled. We are going to sell the inn to Montgomery and we'll come with you to a new life."
"I agree," Carina said. "If Sarah's new life is half as good as it sounds, it should be amazing."
"For the moment, young Katherine, I'll prepare a room for you. You can't be seen staying in Sarah's room." Emma had purposely called her by the cover name she'd adopted. Soon, Sarah's stuff was in an empty room right next to her own. If anyone asked, she'd just been sent to find work with the Walkers by a mutual acquaintance in the city. To make it more convincing, Sarah/Katherine also put on an apron and got started on helping with the day's work.
Later, the first customers of the day arrived. It was a group of locals, who were returning from cutting wood in the forest. Jack made small talk with them while Carina and 'Katherine' served them drinks. Not one of them recognized the latter as Sarah, which was highly encouraging.
Sarah was raking the fallen leaves from the yard when someone else happened to pass by. She saw him and her eyes narrowed momentarily. It was none other than Shaw.
"Good morning there," he greeted her, not so covertly eyeing her.
"Father," she said respectfully, hiding her resentment and also changing her voice.
"I've never seen you around here, lass. I suppose you're new in town."
"I am," she confirmed. "I came in this morning from the city. Jack Walker was kind enough to provide me with employment."
"Strange… I thought he was considering selling this place. I know he got offers."
"He and his wife decided to accept one, but I'll still be working for them in the new business they are considering on starting."
Shaw was contemplating making a pass on the brunette beauty, when he saw Jack Walker approaching. He bade his goodbyes and left.
"What did he want?" Jack asked his daughter.
"The creep was checking me out," Sarah replied and immediately clarified the meaning of her words. "The scoundrel was appreciating my looks."
"He didn't recognize you though."
"No, the disguise is very effective. People who've known us for years also failed to recognize me."
"I ran into Sir John on the way back here after making a deal with Montgomery."
"And?" Sarah prodded.
"I didn't tell him about your return, but he's still looking into exposing that bastard Shaw. What he's found so far is very encouraging. It seems you're not the only beautiful girl he's tried to court, plus it seems he has another business on the side, and we just have to find out what it is. At the moment Sir John is compiling evidence to present to the Bishop."
"You said you made a deal with Montgomery."
"Yes and he paid me a lot of money for the property."
Suddenly, Sarah had an idea. "I know how we can use the money where we'll be going. Follow me."
They went inside and Sarah explained her idea to her parents and sister. They all found it workable. The rest of the day was spent packing for the move. Then it was business as usual as they prepared the place for the transfer of ownership. The following day they said their goodbyes to their friends from the town. They could all discern a flicker of recognition in Sir John's and Lady Gertrude's eyes and their sly knowing smiles when 'Katherine O'Connell' was introduced to them. Afterwards, they drove to the woods, at the very spot from where Sarah had traveled through time and space for the first time. As it was getting dark, she cast the required spells.
"Tomorrow, we'll wake up in a new life," she finally said.
"You never told us what people wear in said new life," the ever fashion-conscious Carina remarked.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough." She yawned. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," her parents replied and retired to the wagon, while their daughters took the smaller cart.
-o-
Sarah had prepared for this day very meticulously. Nothing had been left to chance. As the rays of the morning sun fell on her face, she woke up. One look was all it took to confirm success. She was in her room at the Maison 23, on the couch. Her sister was sleeping on a pallet nearby, which meant that Jack and Emma were in her bed. Yawning, she got up and went to make coffee and whip up something for breakfast. On second thought, Carina could and indeed should help. Sarah lightly kicked her sister's butt.
"Wakey-wakey, sis."
"What time is it?" Carina asked sleepily.
"It's eight in the morning. Get up."
"I'm up." She swiftly got on her feet and gathered up the mat, sleeping bag and pillow from the floor, neatly folding them and leaving them on the couch before going to the bathroom and changing into jeans and a shirt. "And you were right. I like this century's clothes," she commented, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "And you've got a nice place, too."
"Can you please wake up Mom and Dad? I have to get ready for work."
"Ugh, I thought your bosses would have at least given you the day off."
"Come to think of it, we never discussed it." Then her eyes went wide and made a grab for her phone. "Come on, pick up," she muttered after dialing a number and putting it on speaker.
"Hello," a man's voice answered.
"Hey Chuck, I'm back," she said cheerfully. "Before you ask, everything went OK. Do you need me to come to the office today?"
"I believe we can manage for one more day without you," he said facetiously. "You make sure your folks are comfortable here. I'll let Watkins know you are taking a personal day."
"It sounds corny, but I missed you."
"I missed you too, Sarah. Hey, I can take an extended lunch break and come see you."
"We'll be waiting," Carina replied for Sarah.
"You must be Sarah's sister, right?"
"Correct. See you soon, Chuck."
"I can't wait," he said and ended the call.
Carina picked up a framed photo of her sister with Chuck. "I already like your Chuck and I think Mom and Dad will, too."
"I'm lucky to have met him," Sarah smiled.
Not long later, Chuck arrived bearing gifts: a perfectly aged whiskey for Jack, a cookbook for Emma, a perfume for Carina and carefully selected top of the line Orion gadgets for all three.
Sarah opened the door and immediately jumped on him and kissed him. "I'm back, like I promised."
"How was your, um, trip?"
"Better than I expected," she replied. "No one recognized me, except maybe from a couple of old family friends, but they kept quiet. If I were to describe it, I'd say it was rather anticlimactic, as a whole." She then noticed the packages he was carrying. "What are those?"
"Just a few welcome-to-LA-and-the-21st-century gifts for your folks," he said.
Behind them, Jack Walker cleared his throat. Emma and Carina were standing next to him. Sarah did not let go of Chuck though. "Dad, Mom, Sis, I'd like to formally introduce my boyfriend, Chuck Bartowski. Chuck, meet my parents, Jack and Emma Walker and my sister Carina."
Chuck shook hands with Jack and exchanged hugs with the ladies. "It's nice meeting you, son. Sarah has told us a lot about you."
"Thank you, sir. Sarah has also talked about you. I hope you'll support our relationship." He nodded towards his girlfriend, who was glued to his side, not letting go of him.
"Sarah worked her magic and thanks to it we are aware of how modern relationships work, among a lot of other things," Emma butted in.
"That's a relief," Chuck winked at Sarah. "Mom and Ellie hope that you are all free tonight, as they want to invite you to dinner. They are eager to meet you all."
"We are honored to accept the invitation," Jack stated. "But first, we'll have to start looking for a place to stay. Sarah's apartment is nice, but it's kind of small."
"Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. For the moment, I brought you these." He handed out the gift wrapped packages.
"You didn't have to," Emma said, kissing him on the cheek when she saw her gifts.
"I wanted to."
"Come on," Sarah said. "I'm taking you all out to lunch. Plus, we have a lot of planning to do."