Fate
12
No beta. Don't own Chuck. Sorry for the delay. Not finished yet, I'm not happy with the second part. If you're lucky we'll finish this before my birthday (Nov 1st).
Warning: Non-prescription drug use ahead.
Enjoy.
____
Orion sat as his desk fidgeting; Beckman had refused his call earlier promising to call him back. That was hours ago and Orion was tired of waiting. He needed to know what her actions were. Orion needed a plan and without Beckman's piece he was dead in the water. Orion had had enough, and reached for the phone, but was interrupted before he could dial.
His phone rang. It wasn't Beckman. Orion hesitated, he could only think of a couple of people who knew or could know this number. Orion let it ring out. He didn't have a voicemail. Figuring they would call again, Orion keyed up a trace program. He would at least know where the call was coming from before he answered it, even if he didn't know who.
The phone rang again. Hitting the execute button immediately Orion sat back momentarily to let the program do its work. It was slowly narrowing down to the west coast. Then suddenly it started bouncing around the globe, first in China, then Morocco, then Italy, then back down to Singapore, not stopping anywhere for more than ten seconds. Now Orion was spooked. He had written this program himself. It was designed to ferret out tracer bugs and connection hopping. Someone had better tech than he did. More than being spooked Orion was impressed and growing more intrigued as the seconds ticked by, his program being stomped on by the callers signal, not being able to penetrate any of the callers ports. Deciding he couldn't risk not knowing who this was Orion finally answered the phone.
"Who is this?" Orion demanded.
"It's Chuck, dad, and stop trying to trace this call. You can't be done, and you're degrading my signal." Chuck said.
Orion wasn't sure but he thought there was an edge to Charles' voice that he'd never heard before, even in his recent Intersect reports. Orion dutifully terminated the tracer protocol and switched to speaker phone so he could sit back in his chair.
"Take me off speaker phone too; you never know who's listening in." Chuck said, the edge creeping out again.
"How's it going son?" Orion asked, hoping to keep the call lighthearted. Surprised at the level of information Chuck was getting thought the phone line.
"It would be better if you stopped trying to 'protect me'." Chuck said, in a calm but heavily measured tone. There was a tidal wave of emotions waiting to explode out but Chuck was holding them at bay, for the moment.
Orion figured it out. Beckman had pulled a very wise move for herself. She had told Charles about the arrangement. Well done Beckman, Well done. "Charles, this is for your own good. I've been where you are, and I know what will inevitably happen in the future."
"No, dad, you never did think ahead very far. Why do you think I always beat you at chess?" Chuck interjected, not sure if he could hold back if his father kept talking.
"I have this under control. I do. I have the heads of the major intelligence operators eating out of my hand. Lucky for them I have no desire to mess about with the status quo. I would like to know what exactly your deal with Beckman entailed, however. I only know her side of the story as she dutifully entered in the Intersect update." Chuck said, only stopping his monologue when he wanted an answer.
Orion blanched at that last bit. How had he missed that? Beckman put their deal into the Intersect? How long had Charles known about it?
"I facilitate and manage the asset program for the NSA. I know where and control the movements of all the NSA's level one assets. If Beckman was to go against the null-order, all of the Level one assets would disappear." Orion responded, only very briefly touching on what he actually did.
"Dad…." Chuck prodded. "There's more. Spill it."
Orion sighed, "I manage the Intersect program. Updates, upgrades, etc…"
"What?!" Chuck exclaimed. "You mean you could have been in contact with me all this time and you weren't?"
"Now wait, son. It's not that simple." Orion began.
"Yes it is. You have the ability to use it as I do. You know full well both you and I can read through the source code. Messages can easily be passed that way. I do it all the time."
"Son, I'm not good at this." Orion said, dejectedly. Not sure what else to say, Orion let the silence elongate until Chuck was ready to continue.
"Dad, you went away to stay away from the government, but here you are fully engaged with them." Chuck said. The emotions were starting to break through.
"For your protection. All I've ever done was try to protect you and Ellie." Orion offered.
"My Protection?!" Chuck nearly screamed. "I've been living in a state of constant mourning and loss because I'd been torn from the woman I love and forced to be this dark shadow of myself, a demon in human guise. Now I find out it was you who did this to me!? Dad. Stop. Helping. Me!" Each word punctuated with a level of venom Chuck couldn't recall ever feeling or expressing before this moment. Chuck's conscience wouldn't let him get away with his outburst however, and he immediately regretted his outburst, even if it was exactly as he was feeling.
On the other side of the phone Orion sat forward in his chair, his head in his hands. He had failed, as father and as a protector. All those years of work and sacrifice had, in the end, hurt his family more than they helped.
"I'm sorry, dad. I didn't mean that." Chuck said, much quieter than a moment ago.
"No Chuck, it's me who should be apologising. I've never stopped interfering in your life. Never letting you make your own choices. If I had simply communicated with you…"
Chuck could tell his father was close to loosing it. "Dad, it's Ok. It's fixed. Come to Los Angeles. Come home. There's no need to run anymore."
"Chuck, I…" Orion started before Chuck cut him off.
"That's an order dad, or do I have to make it official?" Chuck said, only half joking. Orion didn't know what level of power Chuck had but he knew Chuck wasn't one for falsehoods. He didn't know why he was even worrying over all of this. He was going home. He just wasn't sure if he could stay. He was never good with being in one place for very long after Catherine left.
"Ok, Chuck. I'll be there within the week. It will be good to see you in person for once." Orion said, alluding to the tracking Orion had been conducting since he had disappeared again.
"You haven't been able to track me for two years, dad, you know that. I'm sure that wasn't easy, but it was for your own good. For now, you can't know or see where I've been. It would simply make your life that much more precarious."
"I don't suppose you can tell me just how you manage to do that can you?" Orion asked, doubtfully.
"No, I can't. Listen, I've got to get going dad. I'll see you when you get here." Chuck said, ending the phone call.
Chuck sat back in his chair, exhausted. Chuck's emotions had really run the gamut today, in and out in every direction. Chuck needed a sensory break and decided to head for the safe room for a nap. No signal, no sound, just quiet. Sarah's flight didn't arrive for nearly another eight hours, so he figured he could sneak in a four hour power nap.
Chuck threw on some shorts and a tee before moving towards the apartments safe room. The NSA wasn't leaving their prized errand boy without a safe spot to hide in. In reality Chuck would never actually go there in an emergency. The safe room was just a place of peace. In an actual attack it would become a tomb.
Chuck shouldn't have been surprised that the safe room was already occupied. When Chuck opened the door he found a sound asleep Lisa. Chuck couldn't bring himself to wake her, the look on her face was so peaceful. Something he wouldn't likely see for a while, what with Sarah coming back and all. Chuck shut the door again and trudged into the living room, and flopped on the couch. After arranging the pillows, Chuck lay down and quickly passed out. Setting his intersect alarm for the proper wake up time, Chuck let himself really rest.
Nearly an hour later, Chuck was disturbed enough to wake up and found Lisa curled up nearly into a ball in the empty space left on the couch behind his knees. When Chuck stirred Lisa immediately offered, "I swear I'm not trying anything. I just need some last bits of Chuck contact before I lose you for good. Please Chuck don't send me away, I couldn't stand it. You've ruined me Chuck, I'm only for you now." Lisa's tears starting flowing again and Chuck simply broke with her. It saddened him deeply to be the cause of her pain, even more so that he couldn't do anything to make it better, at least he couldn't think of anything yet. Chuck simply laid still and let Lisa get what she'd ask for.
Chuck tasked the Intersect with finding a solution to the Lisa dilemma. 95% of the available processing power would be dedicated to the task until something suitable came up. Screw flashes, this was much more important.
"Lisa, I would never send you away. Ever. Just know that you are free to go if you ever want to, or if you need a break."
"I'm your partner Chuck, despite whatever Sarah is or becomes. I'm not going to leave you, ever. Not to mention that you're if nothing else like a brother to me. I don't abandon family. You'll have to kill me to get rid of me." Lisa stated solemnly, Lisa had instantly changed demeanour as she brought up the issue. Gone for the moment was the sad weeping Lisa, and in her place was a resolute and determined Lisa that spoke volumes more than she said aloud.
Chuck was only a little shocked by her response. It fit Lisa's overall character, but a part of him hadn't figured she was just as strong willed as she was.
"You are family Lisa, and nothing will change that. Well, sort of." Chuck said, finishing with a grimace on his face, as uncomfortable as could be expected with this topic. He knew this was going to be very emotionally painful for her, especially for what it entailed.
Lisa blanched. Sort of?! "I…I don't understand, Chuck, what do you mean?" Lisa asked tentatively. Lisa wasn't sure if she really wanted to hear the answer at this point.
"We have to take care of our 'married' thing." Chuck said, not able to say the actual words aloud (We need to get a divorce). Hoping Lisa would pick it up on her own. He didn't know if she could handle all this in her state. Chuck was having difficulties himself.
At first Lisa looked at him with a puzzled look on her face and then it changed to one of pure dejection. "We have to get a divorce, and Ellie will have to buy it." Lisa said so much out loud and Chuck nodded.
Lisa fingered and twirled the rings on her hand as she stared at them and then the floor. The rings that had filled her with a mixed sense of supreme happiness and frustration since they had both started wearing them a year ago. It was a mixture of blind bad/good luck that had led to the need for the modification of their cover. Ellie had misinterpreted a phone call from Chuck during a mission abroad and there had been no feasible way to explain they're actions away without coming home 'engaged.' Lisa had been a ball of joy for weeks, even rivaling Ellie. Chuck had, in Lisa's mind, obstinately remained conflicted the whole time.
Lisa cringed at the thought of it all. She would have to play the part, and so would Chuck, she realized. It would hurt, deeply every time they were forced to act it out. She knew that Sarah would have a major problem with her if it stayed in place, especially after that stunt Lisa pulled this morning.
"I'm going to do all the work on this one. Ellie has to know that this is my fault. She'll forgive me, eventually. It's going to be hard enough keeping her from killing Sarah anyway. Remember, it's all going to be for show, all of it." Chuck said trying to be reassuring.
"Chuck, that means you have to be mean to me." Lisa whined, unable to hold the emotional walls up anymore.
"Lisa, you're a CIA agent, you're going to have to draw on some of that Farm issued detachment crap for this to work. It won't be easy for me either. But this has to work, for all of us. If you can think of a better way for this to work, I'm all ears. I've got the Intersect working over time on this one. It hasn't brought up anything worth while yet." Chuck said in rebuke.
"Sorry Chuck, I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me or anyone, it's just kind of all piling on at once. I'll be the damn CIA agent for now, but Chuck, you're going to make it up to me right?" Lisa questioned, her spirits picking up a bit at the thought. If nothing else, hearing that it was going to be hard for him too was what had eventually calmed her.
Chuck arched his eyebrows, "Fair enough." Chuck said, simply.
Chuck laid his head back down to the pillows to resume his nap. Lisa did the same using Chuck as her pillow.
As it happened, Ellie was walking though the court yard across from Chuck and Lisa's apartment on the way to work. Ellie caught a glimpse of her favorite couple sleeping on the couch. It's about time you were happy, Chuck.
Ellie had had some trepidation at first with Lisa, she seemed almost like a 'That Woman 2.0' replacement. Later, Ellie had finally learned more about Lisa and had warmly welcomed her into the Bartowski family. Ellie figured the trepidation spawned more from Chuck than Lisa. The relationship didn't seem on the same level as when he was with 'That woman 2.0'. The sparkle and smiles just weren't there. She came to the conclusion that her brother sadly had lost some of himself with the last two ice queen's that had summarily ripped Chuck's trusting heart to pieces, and thus was no longer capable of the same level of feelings as before. Ellie had long since determined that Lisa was certainly more open than Sarah that was for sure, heck sometimes she was too open. Ellie didn't want to know everything about Chuck...
Letting her eyes rest on the comfortable and happy couple for a few more seconds Ellie broke away and headed off to work.
______
Sarah was a ball of nervous energy, she had begun to get questioning looks for her fellow passengers. Sarah was in constant motion. Packing and repacking her purse, carry on bag, etc... She'd pulled them both apart and reassembled them twice now. Sarah was so unbearably impatient at the moment. She'd made no less than three trips to the bathroom to check and recheck her makeup. She'd changed her entire outfit twice now. She had become more than desperate when she realized that nearly everything that she was wearing and packed was red. Sarah remembered the night clearly when Chuck had told her red wasn't his color. Now she only wore red when she was on mission. Sadly it was all she had brought back from Brazil before she had made it to Casey's funeral. Sarah had burst into tears when she couldn't come up with one outfit that didn't have red in it. Everything needed to be more than perfect when she met him at the gate. This was a disaster of epic proportions.
Finally Sarah had shored up the flood gates, reapplied the makeup, and had with much consternation decided on the red top and the black skirt she had worn earlier. Short of begging clothes off of her fellow passengers she didn't see a way around it.
Now Sarah was in a funk. Not only was she going mess up their reunion, she had spent the last hour sobbing in the lavatory instead of being happy. Chuck would see it for sure. He always seen through her before, this time wouldn't be any different. What would Chuck think if he sees I've been crying all the way here, talk about mixed signals.
"Hi." Said a voice from next to her. A shorter blonde haired girl with a decidedly southern accent had come up next to her. "Who is he?" The girl said. The blonde was quite pretty, her smile marked with small dimples. She had an easy grace about her, like she could be your friend within the span of a minute. The blue eyes were similar to her own but without the hardness. They were still full of the hope that came with youth.
"What?" Sarah asked, feigning ignorance.
"Sorry, I'm being nosey. Name's Erica. I couldn't help but notice your, uh, problem. I'm the exact same way when I'm on my way home to my Mike. Can't pick the right outfit, fidgety, nervous, etc..."
"I'm Sarah. ...I'm fidgety?" Sarah asked, realising three of her four limbs were in motion as she asked the question. Sarah stilled her mutinous legs and arms and looked sheepishly at her new acquaintance. "I guess I am. I haven't seen my Chuck in a year, and almost five years before that. I guess the anticipation is proving too much for me, and there's still seven hours left before we land. I don't know how much longer I'll last before I go nuts."
"If you're not adverse to it, I have a solution." Erica offered.
"Shoot" Sarah replied. At this point, it couldn't really get worse.
Erica held up a pill. Sarah's eyes instantly narrowed. Erica caught the change and put it back into her purse. Sarah realized the agent in her was just questioning the girls motives and softened her gaze. "What is it?"
"It's an anti-anxiety pill. It mellows me. If you want to sleep it will put you into a deep sleep, but it won't make you drowsy. It's good stuff. I took one like an hour ago."
"It's worth a shot I guess. Sorry, bout the mistrust, I'm kinda damaged that way." Sarah said, apologetically.
"I totally understand. We all have our issues." Erica responded reassuringly.
Sarah took the pill out of Erica's hand and dry swallowed it. A talent she acquired courtesy of the CIA. Sarah scooted over in her seat and motioned for her new acquaintance to sit in the open chair. Sarah had realized with chagrin that she had left her new acquaintance crouched next to her in the isle the whole time.
Erica sat in the open seat, and smiled, "Thanks. The guy next to me is snoring louder than should be legal."
Sarah snorted out a laugh. Her nose was still a bit stuffed from her fit in the bathroom. She sniffed a little and began, "So what makes this Mike so special?"
"He's my husband." Erica said, simply.
"That's it? 'He's my husband' is all?" Sarah asked incredulously.
"Do you need another reason? I mean he's cute as a bug and he was there for me when everyone else wasn't. What else do you really need?" Erica offered, apparently Sarah needed more than your average amount of evidence.
"I've never understood that simple easy love. Probably why none of my relationships work." Sarah offered a little sad at her realisation.
"I don't know, you've got it bad for sure. You seem like you've at least got the concept." Erica added, hoping to get the blonde next to her in better place.
"Maybe you're right, maybe I finally do understand it." Sarah stated quietly, a smile creeping up her face and into her eyes.
So who is this man that's got you all tied in knots? Erica asked.
This part was easy, Sarah had spent countless hours outlining and reorganising the reason she loved Chuck, not least of all his lanky frame and bordering on annoying curls.
A look of recognition past over Erica's face as she took Sarah's hand and smiled. "Your Chuck wouldn't be a Bartowski would it?"
Sarah was suddenly on her guard.
Erica saw the reaction and knew she was right. "Don't worry, Mike works for him. In a round in about way that is. He works in the company, and I know Chuck works for the government, they all do."
Sarah relaxed again, "You gotta stop doing that to me."
"Sorry." Erica said. "You're in government work as well I take it?"
"Yeah, but not for much longer." Sarah offered, not sure why she was giving that information out. I'm losing my edge.
"Escaping the clutches of the beast. Well done." Erica responded knowingly.
Sarah's iSat rang.
"Excuse me, gotta take this." Sarah said apologising. Erica nodded, understanding.
"Walker Secure." Sarah said.
Erica roller her eyes. Spy's and their damn protocols.
"Yes sir. I understand. I will. Understood." Sarah said, punctuating whatever was being said on the other end of the phone with interjections of acquiescence.
"Well, I'm no longer in government work. I've been laid off, for lack of a better term." Sarah said, that smile that had been creeping up now fully deployed across her whole face.
"You were let go over the phone? That's a new one for the CIA." Erica said, strangely intrigued.
"That was the director. He said he no longer needed my services and to debrief in L.A." Sarah said, the full impact of the phone call slowly dawning on her. She was no longer Special Agent Sarah Walker. She was simply Sarah Walker. Hopefully, the Walker part would be changed soon, too.
"That is great news, Sarah. We'll, I think that this is a special moment that you should have for yourself. Glad to have met you. I just might see you around sometime." Erica said as she stood up.
"Thanks Erica. I'm thinking we will see each other again. Say hi to Mike for me." Sarah said.
Erica nodded and gave a small wave as she headed back towards her seat.
Sarah sat back and sighed. She was asleep in seconds.
______
Chuck was standing at the gate. Everyone else from the plane was out as far as he could tell but no Sarah. Where is she? There is no way I missed her. Chuck walked up to the gate attendant, "Are all the passengers off the plane?"
"Oh, I don't know, hold on a second. I'll radio it in." The attendant said. He spoke into the mike and it squawked back at him.
"There is a female passenger asleep in the cabin, they are about to wake her." He informed Chuck.
"Don't let them wake her. I'll do it." Chuck said quickly, pulling out the badge. Flashing it at the attendant Chuck vaulted the barrier and shot down the boarding wing towards the plane.
As Chuck reached the fuselage he poked his head in and signalled to the stewardess moving toward Sarah to veer off. She smiled knowingly and moved off to watch the show.
Chuck made his way up to the row with where Sarah was fast asleep and he sat down softly. He almost decided not to wake her. She was every bit of the goddess that he remembered and she looked more peaceful in that moment than he'd ever seen her before. Unable to restrain himself anymore Chuck leaned over and planted a soft brushing kiss on her lips. In the background Chuck heard a contented sigh and Chuck grinned. At least the stewardesses were getting a good show. Sarah stirred below him and Chuck preformed an identical kiss. This time Sarah responded, she gasped out a breathy 'Chuck' as she leaned in for more. Chuck, more than willing to oblige pressed his lips into hers and deepened the kiss.
Sarah was fully awake now, and slightly lost. "Chuck, how did you get in the plane?"
"and that matters because...?" Chuck countered.
"Good point." Sarah said, smiling the same smile she had worn earlier with the news from the director.
"Lets get out of here, huh?" Chuck said, matching her smile with his own and adding a little eyebrow dance.
Sarah nearly attacked him right there in the airplane. She settled for another amazing, but not nearly long enough, kiss, before being dragged out of the airplane by a bound and determined Chuck.
"Where are you taking me young man?" Sarah asked demurely.
"Somewhere private and close by." Chuck said determinedly. Sarah's smile grew larger if that was even physically possible.
"I have a surprise, Chuck." Sarah said suddenly. She almost bumped into him. He had stopped dead in his tracks.
"If this isn't good news can it wait? It hasn't exactly been a smooth day until now." Chuck said a little bit of desperate in his voice.
Sarah was instantly at his side her arms wrapping around his waist, "It's good news Chuck, probably the best I've heard."
Chuck wasn't sure what it could be at this point.
"The director called me on the plane. I'm a civilian Chuck. I'm out. The only thing left is you, debriefing me."
"Debriefing... that could fun." Chuck said. "...and that IS good news."
Sarah tightened her grip on Chuck and they headed towards the door again.
As Chuck and Sarah moved through the terminal, they were like one. Inseparable parts of a whole. More that a few people they passed smirked at the overt nature of their connection, no doubt wishing they had found something that strong in their own lives. Sarah clung to Chuck as if her existence in this earthly realm relied entirely on the amount of body parts that were in contact to his. To Chuck it seemed, the crowds parted for them like some kind of magical cloud. No one wanted to interrupt this couple's trip through the airport. For all Chuck's perception he remained inexplicably blind to himself. If you had seen Chuck as he escorted Sarah through the halls of the terminal, the animalistic possessiveness emanating from not only his eyes but his whole being warded off nearly everyone in his path. Those not challenged by Chuck's demeanour simply recognised the danger of getting in the way of someone so completely focused.
Chuck kept his eyes either on Sarah or the floor in front of them, not willing, even in the interests of Nation Security, to look at the faces of anyone in the terminal. Airports had been notoriously annoying for that in the past. It seemed like every time he used the commuter terminal of an airport Chuck flashed on someone. Lucky for him nowadays his only part in it was the Duty to Report. No missions were required of him every time the Intersect graced him with a headache. That and he generally flew on Leers. Being the Regional Training Director had to have some kind of benefit right?
Chuck had been become increasingly tenuous of the meeting with Sarah. He hadn't been able to gage here reaction to his 'Journal of Death' yet but was encouraged by the state abandon she was currently exhibiting at his side. As much as Chuck had tried to preserve 'himself' in all this, he wasn't sure how much of it was left, the part that Sarah had undoubtedly fallen for back in the day. How much of him was left to love? Would Sarah's infatuation with him now dissolve just as quickly as she finally came to her senses and realized what he had become?
Conversely Sarah, as she actively sought for more ways to entwine her body with his without sending them both headlong into the crowds, dwelled on one thing. Because at this moment words seemed like an interruption and at the same time she wanted and needed Chuck to know, her mind echoed only one thing. I Love you, I love you, I love you, all the way to the waiting car at the curb of the taxi terminal.
___
Lisa sat on the couch her eyes riveted to the door, specifically the door handle, the TV she had turned on for distraction long since ignored. Her hands were clamped safely in her lap, so they wouldn't fly around on their own and unbidden, destroy everything around her. A week ago Lisa would have never guessed her current situation. Despite her knowledge of Chuck seemingly limitless knowledge and influence, before now there had always been one thing out of his reach. Sarah. Lisa assumed, incorrectly, as well as hoped that was how it would always be. She still didn't know exactly how Chuck had managed to best yet another CIA director and circumvent whatever immortal instruction that had before now kept the two apart. Lisa knew that if Chuck deemed it necessary he could be cunningly devious and impossible to stop once he'd started something, which was something she had wondered about before. What had kept Chuck from challenging the restriction in the first place? What had changed for Chuck to suddenly pursue it and dear god, how was he able to change it so quickly? A restriction that had been so absolute and long standing was literally obliterated in the space of a couple of days, like had never been. All at the whim of one man. Lisa shuddered at the seeming unbidden power that Chuck held. Very few people Lisa realised, would understand how strangely safe that made everyone. Not once in her entire time with Chuck had she ever seen him do anything even remotely subversive, unless it came to Sarah.
__
Ellie sat in the kitchen having finally decided the house was clean enough. The table she sat at was thoroughly scrubbed and arranged. With a mug of tea in her hand, steaming away, Ellie surveyed her accomplishment. It had been nearly a week since she'd been able to focus on the house. Steven had been especially demanding of her attention recently and she was, to her own chagrin, becoming weary of it. Thankfully a clean house was exactly what she needed for a cure and Ellie was, as she remarked to herself, rehabilitated.
It was at that precise moment that Ellie turned white as a ghost, dropping the mug onto the table as her senses abandoned her. What she thought she'd seen through the curtains could not have been.
The Woman who must not be named II.
Ellie thought she saw T.W.H.M.N.B.N II just walk past her window and straight towards Chuck and Lisa's apartment. Ellie was on her feet and out the door so fast that she didn't notice Chuck jogging up behind her. Chuck himself was preoccupied enough that he didn't notice Ellie at first either. He did however notice when he heard the distinct sound that only flesh impacting with flesh made. When he took in the sight it was quite hard not to laugh, before he gained his senses.
An enraged and decidedly red eyed Ellie was standing over the all but unconscious form of Sarah. Chuck hadn't counted on Ellie's rage physically manifesting itself so quickly, or that she would have seen her before he had a chance to intervene.
Before chuck had the time to get close enough to stop it Ellie reach down and hooked her hands into Sarah's top and screamed out, "Don't you EVER come near Chuck again! I will kill you're sorry ass if you do!"
Chuck, so completely shocked at his sisters words and the vehemence so evident in each of them stopped in his path. Lisa was out of the apartment and down the stairs when she heard the screaming, and the recognition of Ellie's voice doing the screaming. Lisa was quickly next to Ellie pulling her from the hapless Sarah, attempting to be a voice of reason in her soon to be ex-sister-in-law's ear. As it was, her presence had a calming effect on Ellie and it was then that she came out of her rage filled haze. As she did so she looked up and finally noticed her brother, who seemed to be coming out of his own daze.
"Chuck. What. Is. That. Woman. Doing. Here." Ellie said, in more of a statement of disbelief than a question. Ellie was staring daggers between both Sarah and Chuck now. Ellie couldn't believe Chuck was even talking to Sarah, let alone bringing her to his and Lisa's home. The same woman who after professing love and adoration and commitment for her brother, promising never to leave, simply up and did just that suddenly, without so much as a goodbye. Now, years later she just returns into his arms as if what she'd done wasn't despicable and just so, so wrong. Sadly it was just like Chuck to simply go back to her, without so much as an explanation.
"Ellie, let's let Chuck and Sarah go for now. I'm sure they have they're own issues to work out. Including that last one you just gave her." Lisa said, diffusing the situation. Lisa noticed Chuck was still floundering and Sarah wasn't about to exacerbate the problem by speaking to Ellie at the moment.
Chuck shot a thankful look to Lisa as she practically dragged Ellie away from the scene. Lisa smiled back as she reached Ellie's door, Ellie in tow. Finally realizing his Sarah was injured and on the ground Chuck made a beeline to Sarah's side and helped her to her feet. "So much for a happy reunion." Chuck quipped. Sarah gave him a fleeting smile, before it melted into a frown. In all her wandering thoughts she hadn't allowed herself to consider Ellie into the equation.
"Let's get you inside and look at that bump on the back of your head. Did she sucker punch you?" Chuck asked, snapping into concerned Chuck mode. The Intersect was already analyzing her injury and determining the proper treatments.
Chuck moved Sarah to and up the stairs and into the apartment. Once he made sure she was on the couch and comfortable he made his way to the kitchen to make an ice pack. After making a mess and huge amount of noise in the kitchen Chuck emerged with an ice pack, a towel and some pain killers. After some protest from Sarah, Chuck was able to convince her to lay down with the ice pack and take the medicine.
Chuck was sitting on the ground in front of Sarah, his head resting back against her side, both of them with their eyes closed when Lisa returned to the apartment. Lisa took one look at the couple and decided not to disturb them. Chuck had noticed her enter and Lisa caught Chuck mouthing a 'thank you' to her silently, without opening his eyes. Lisa moved back into the apartment to her room to lay down, ironically with a smile on her face. Chuck always did that to her. Sadly, however, it was all real now. Sarah was finally here. Lisa's Chuck induced smile quickly faded. Here starts a new chapter.
End part 1