A/N: Howdy...boy, I'm just pleased as punch to be here...whatever the hell that means...here ya go...another chapter...hope you like...and , of course...any and all reviews are not only read...but encouraged...that's right...good or bad...let me know...hell, let every author know...it doesn't take much effort and we really appreciate it...ah...Sunday...a perfect day to ramble...soooo...did you get the email...it's official...I'm Pope of the world...how cool is that?...what?...you what?...well, that's just too bad...I don't care if you did vote for Hasselhoff...I got the job so, pfffftttt!...still accepting applications for bishops, cardinals, and all the rest including the Pope-ettes...that's right, my back up singers...just imagine that old Robert Palmer video...only sexier...that's my Pope-ettes...no, I'm not sexist...guys can apply as well...you just may not be featured as prominently in the videos...sorry...also...make sure you take part in that voting thing going on over in that discussion group thingie...ah, vagueness...something I'm sorta, kinda ok at...I'm goona finish this A/N and go work on some walkabout...and Last(ish) is starting to knock about inside the old melon...maybe a chapter soon(ish)...JT
Hey Jim...get better! ( Hi Nic )
As most of you may know by now...I don't own Chuck or anything in the Chuckverse...even though I should...really, I should...because then...no worries about renewal...nope...one of tv's best shows would be on forever. Also...this story, just like all of my other ramblings is done beta free...isn't that f***ing amazing?...what?...what do you mean, no?...well...PFFFFTTTT!...who cares what you think...are you the Pope of the world?...didn't think so!...neener, neener... JT
Sarah Vs. The Strong Swimmer Chapter 12
"Dad…you promised!"
"Yeah dad…you did promise"
"What?" Chuck said, a little confused. "What did I promise?" he asked, looking into the faces of the two children standing in front of him.
"Chuck…" Sarah's voice called out from behind him. Turning around, he was shocked to see that Sarah had two little girls standing at her side, their hands held tightly in her own. A closer look at their blonde hair and brown eyes convinced him that they were identical twins. "…you know that the tournament is only a week away and you promised to practice with them since 'Uncle' Casey is on one of his business trips."
"Oh…ok…not a problem" he answered, still a little confused. "How tough can it be?"
"Chuck, we've talked about this…'Uncle' Casey didn't just give them their black belts…they earned them." Sarah replied, clearly concerned that he wasn't taking this seriously. Before she could say anything else, the two little girls shook loose from her hands and rushed out onto the mat and wrapped themselves around Chuck's thighs.
"Be careful daddy and remember…' the little girl on right thigh said.
"…the safe word is pineapple." the little girl on his left thigh added.
Chuck looked down into the two sets of brown eyes looking up at him and was touched by the concern he saw there. "I'll be fine" he said with a smile. As if on cue, both of the girls leaned out to look around his legs at the two children standing on the other edge of the mat.
"You better not…"
"…hurt daddy."
Chuck smiled at the way the girls finished each other's sentences. He knelt down and pulled them both into a hug, touched by their show of support. "I'll be fine…now, go stand with mommy while I help with the practice." he gave each girl a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Ok…"
"…daddy." they said before walking back to edge of the mat and taking Sarah' hands.
Chuck stood back up and turn to face his 'opponents'. "Ok…who's first?" he asked with a smile. The kids exchanged glances and the young boy stepped forward and bowed. Chuck watched as his opponent slowly started to circle him. A noise behind him temporarily distracted him and in an instant he was on his back, the victim of a leg sweep take down.
"Daddy!" the two girls at the side of the mat yelled in unison, trying to get out of Sarah's grip so they could rush to him.
"Chuck?" Sarah asked as she struggled to keep her grip on the twins. "Are you ok, sweetie?"
"Fine…" he gasped as he slowly got to his feet. "I'm fine girls, I promise" he said with a smile. Turning back to face the other side of the mat, he found that his 'son' had returned to the edge and his 'daughter' was slowly walking onto the mat. After a quick bow, Chuck watched his new 'opponent' as she began to circle him, just as her brother had. Chuck managed to block a series of punches and was feeling pleased with himself when his 'daughter' feinted to his right and lunged to the left, grabbing his arm and tossing him over her hip. As soon as he landed on his ass, he felt her arms wrapping around his neck.
"Daddy!" he heard the twins yell.
"Chuck!" Sarah called to him. He tried to talk but the hold on his neck was beginning to make breathing difficult. "Chuck!" he heard Sarah call again.
"Pineapple" he tried to gasp out, his vision starting to blacken around the edges.
"Chuck!"…"Chuck! Wake up, Chuck!" Sarah said, a note of concern evident in her voice.
"Pineapple…Pineapple…I'm fine girls, Sarah…pineapple" Chuck mumbled as he struggled to open his eyes.
"Come on Chuck…wake up" Sarah said as she gently stroked his cheek. Seeing his eyelids start to flutter, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he finally opened his eyes.
"Sarah? What happened?" Looking into her eyes, Chuck saw the concern reflected there. Taking stock of his surroundings, he realized that his head was cradled in Sarah's lap and the doctor was standing at her side.
"You big doofus" Sarah said with a smile, "you fainted…again. What is it with you and baby news? The doctor told us that we are going to have twins and , poof, out you went."
"Twins? Sarah…that's…that's…unbelievable." he said as he sat up and pulled Sarah into a hug. The sound of the doctor clearing her throat made them both look up, realizing that there was someone else present. "Uh…sorry doc…um…you were saying?"
"Actually, Chuck…I haven't said anything since you fainted…which seems odd, the fainting I mean, not the me not saying anything. Do you faint often?"
Chuck slowly got to his feet and offered Sarah a hand up. "No…not often…only once before, actually…when Sarah first told me that she was pregnant" he said with a slight smile.
"Well, if it happens again…for any reason…I want you to have Ellie call me so I can schedule you for some tests…ok?"
"Trust me, doctor…if he faints again…he's gonna be seeing you!" Sarah said as she gave him a slight shoulder bump.
"Alright…now, Sarah…I want you to get started on those neo-natal vitamins and I'll have my receptionist set up your next appointment. Any questions? No? Good…in that case, I'll see you both next time."
"Both?" Sarah asked.
Before the doctor could answer, Chuck grabbed Sarah's hand. "Of course 'both', because I'm not going to miss a single appointment!"
"Well, doctor…you'll be seeing both of us" Sarah said as she smiled at the man seated next to her…sure that he was just about perfect. "C'mon Chuck…let's go home…I want to hear about 'pineapple' and 'the girls'…and you have your afternoon 'walk' with Casey…and then, we'll tell Ellie the great news."
By the time they had made their way to the parking garage, Sarah had taken control of the keys to the wagon. Chuck had told her repeatedly that he was feeling fine but she insisted that she was driving and that turned out to be that.
Chuck had watched the smile grow on Sarah's face as she got the wagon onto the freeway and stomped on the gas, throwing him back into the seat and keeping him pinned there until they reached their exit. By the time Sarah pulled into their parking space his heart rate had slowed back down to normal and he quickly climbed out of the passenger seat. After closing the door, he started around the front of the car, intent on opening Sarah's door for her. Before he could reach it, she was already out of the car.
"I respect independent women, I really do…but you have to let your chivalrous boyfriend open your door for you…at least every now and then."
"I'll try to remember that." Sarah answered with a smile while she wrapped her arm around his waist. As they headed towards the courtyard, they both caught sight of Ellie sitting on the fountain's ledge. When they got about ten feet from her perch, Ellie leapt to her feet and rushed to pull them both into a big hug. "I think she knows" Sarah said with a smile
"You think?" Chuck replied with a smirk.
"I'm so happy to see you guys" Ellie said with a huge smile threatening to split her face. "So…how did the appointment go?…everything ok?…any news?…" she rambled as she stepped away from the couple.
Chuck and Sarah exchanged looks, both deciding to tease her a little bit. "What appointment?" Sarah asked while Chuck started to walk away.
"I'll talk to you later El…right now I've got to go for my walk…"
"CHARLES IRVING BARTOWSKI! You will get back here and tell me about the twins! Right this instant!"
Walking back, Chuck wrapped his arms around a smiling Sarah. "Well…it seems that you already know…but, yes…the doctor says that we're going to have twins…" a quick elbow to the ribs caused him to look at his girlfriend who was smiling at him. "…well, actually…Sarah is going to have the twins…I'm just going to be there to make sure she never needs anything." His answer must have been right because he suddenly had a very beautiful woman attached to his lips. He lost all track of time until he heard his sister clear her throat and Sarah stepped back, a slight blush beginning to creep up her neck which brought a smile to his face.
"Alright you two…Devon will be home in a little while and we'll all be having dinner around seven. So, Chuck…you go for your walk and Sarah will come over and help me with dinner."
"But Ellie…I don't know anything about cooking." Sarah offered, looking embarrassed to admit that there was something she couldn't do.
"Well…don't you think it's time you started learning? Go on, Chuck…I promise I won't hurt her."
Seeing the look in Sarah's eyes, Chuck almost laughed out loud. Super Agent Sarah Walker almost looked terrified and all he could do was pull her into a hug and whisper words of encouragement into her ear. "You'll do just fine…I promise. I'll be back soon. Have fun." he finished before giving her a kiss on the forehead. After releasing his hold on her, Chuck walked towards their apartment, already thinking about his upcoming time with Casey. Their short 'walks' had evolved into Chuck actually jogging a couple of miles while Casey berated him for his lack of physical conditioning and as much as he hated to admit it, he was actually beginning to enjoy the small improvement he had begun to notice in himself. As he got closer to the apartment, he noticed that the front door was ajar. His first thought was to turn around and go get Sarah…after all, if someone had been stupid enough to break into their apartment, he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything if the imagined 'perps' were still inside. Suddenly wishing that Casey was at his side, he slowly crept to the door, promising himself to just take a quick listen before hauling ass to Casey's to get help. He was within inches of the door when a noise from behind caused him to jump and squeal…just a little.
"Ha…way to go, super sleuth…now, move it or lose it."
Chuck spun around to find Casey pushing a furniture dolly towards him, several boxes stacked atop one another. "Uh…what's up?" he asked as he tried to regain his composure.
"I've decided to move my beanie baby collection into your spare room…"
Deciding to play along, Chuck struggled to keep a straight face when he asked "really?"
"No, not really…numbnuts" Casey barked and then saw the smile on Chuck's face. "Ha ha…very funny. We'll see if you laugh this much once you start using what's in the boxes."
"Uh…what is in the boxes?"
"Well, your boss had me purchase a home gym…I guess she wants you to expand your exercise routine…probably wants you to get some more meat on your bones."
"Why would Beckman want more meat on…"
"Not my boss, moron…your boss…the 'incubator'…
"Sarah had you get a home gym? Why didn't she tell me?"
"I have no idea…now, go get ready for our run. While you're doing that, I'll finish setting this up. Well…what are you waiting for…get a move on."
Almost a half hour later, Chuck followed John Casey out the front door and to the street. After they had been jogging for about thirty minutes, Casey surprised Chuck by speaking to him.
"So, numbnuts…How long will it be, after the nerdlings hatch, before their wonder twin powers activate?" Chuck skidded to a halt and stared at Casey's back until the large man stopped and turned back around. Even after he had walked back, Chuck continued to stare with an open mouth. "Is something wrong, moron…if not, get a move on. We've still got two miles to go and then some more exercise back at the apartment."
"Casey, how did you know about the twins…and more importantly…did you just say 'wonder twins power activate'?" Chuck asked after finally getting his mouth to close.
"First…I knew because I'm a spy and second…that just slipped out…"
"Casey…are you a comic book nerd?" he asked with a smirk on his face.
"Listen…moron…I may have watched some Saturday morning cartoons when I was young and impressionable…you will never mention it again….got it?"
"And why is that, Casey? Afraid some nerd might think you are a human being?"
"NO…because if you do…my size thirteen foot will park itself in your size ten ass…got it?"
"Clear as crystal Casey" Chuck answered before resuming their jog. Casey just grunted before following after Chuck, knowing that he hadn't heard the last of his slip.
-000-0-0-0-0-
It was getting close to seven and Sarah was beginning to wonder where Chuck had disappeared to. After telling Ellie that she would be right back, she went over to their apartment and found him stretched out on their bed.
"Get up, Chuck" she said into his ear. "It's time for dinner over at Ellie's." A tired sounding groan was his only response so she decided to fight dirty. Rolling him over onto his back, she stuck her hand down the front of his shorts and waited. Seconds later his eyes shot open and he moaned. Releasing her grip, she stepped back towards the bathroom, knowing that he would be following her in moments. She smiled when he sat up and got up off of the bed and began walking towards the bathroom. The sleep gone from his eyes, Chuck's hands grabbed for Sarah and she had to dodge him while still trying to coax him into the bathroom. "C'mon Chuck…take a shower so we can go to dinner"
"Are you gonna wash my back…and stuff" he asked while giving her the eyebrow dance.
"No Chuck…you're going to wash yourself while I get your clothes ready. After we have dinner, we'll come back here and then I'll take care of your 'and stuff' for you…promise."
Chuck grinned as he began taking off his workout clothes while Sarah tried to not watch…and failed miserably. Feeling herself beginning to weaken to the point of no return, she closed the bathroom door and went to find clean clothes for him, promising herself that she get even with him later for teasing her like that.
-000-00-000-0-
Dinner had been great and both Chuck and Devon had smiled a lot and complimented the chefs. After getting everything cleaned up and put away, Chuck and Sarah gave their goodnights and headed back to their apartment. Reaching the front door, Chuck threw it open and then spun around and gathered Sarah into his arms, obviously intending to carry her into the apartment.
"No…Chuck…put me down." Sarah said. Seeing the question in his eyes, she quickly added, "a piggyback is one thing…but if I'm conscious , the only way you'll carry me across the threshold, like this, is if our last names are the same…got it?"
Chuck slowly put Sarah down, his eyes never leaving hers. "Got it…no threshold carrying until we're married…ok" Chuck said, a look of wonder on his face. "So…you wanna.."
"Chuck…don't even joke about something like that" Sarah blurted out before turning on her heel and walking into their apartment, leaving Chuck standing in the doorway, a strange look on his face. By the time Chuck had gotten around the using his legs, Sarah was already down the hallway and heading into her room…a room she hadn't used since they'd moved into the apartment. Before he could catch up the door was closed, leaving Chuck standing in the hallway, wondering what had just happened. He raised his hand to knock at the door and then thought better of it. Turning around, he went back to his 'office', figuring to kill two birds with one stone…he'd review some dailies and let Sarah calm down since he didn't have a clue what he'd done to upset her.
Chuck didn't realize how many hours he'd been sitting at his desk until he happened to glance at the corner of his monitor. 'Crap…it's one o'clock' he said to himself, promise to do just one more review before going to bed. Hitting the keys, the next image appeared and the flash hit. The room seemed to spin while the images flowed through his mind and once they stopped, he moaned and put his hands to the sides of his head. Reaching for a pen, he made some notes on the legal pad in front of him and then reached for the aspirin bottle off to the side. The voice behind him , startled him.
"Do they always hurt you like that?" Sarah asked softly, concern in her voice.
"They don't always hurt…that much." he answered, wanting to spare her any worry but not wanting to lie. The touch of her hands on his shoulders immediately relaxed him. "Sarah…I'm sorry for whatever I said that upset you earlier"
"Shhhh…you didn't say anything wrong, Chuck. I….I don't know why I got upset with you and I don't know why it took me this long to come and tell you that. Please…come to bed. I've discovered that I don't like sleeping without you…not one bit."
Standing up, Chuck pulled her into an embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Wanna know what I've discovered?"
"What?"
"I like sleeping in the nude…I just can't believe it took me twenty-five years to figure that out…or, maybe, it just took the right partner" he finished, adding the eyebrow dance for good measure.
"Come to bed you big doofus…I want to whisper sweet nothings in your ear while you, oh what's the phrase I heard in that movie…oh yeah, 'knock the bottom out of it'…you think you can manage that with a headache?"
"Lead the way…you dirty mouthed vixen."
"No Chuck…I think I want a piggyback…would that be ok?"
"Sarah…I'll carry you into our room anyway you want."
"Chuck...tell me about 'pineapple' and the 'girls'
"Well...our oldest daughter was choking me out and our younger identical twin daughters were worried and..."
"That's enough for right now...you can tell me the rest...tomorrow."
A/N: Please, drop a review. It would mean a lot. JT
