A/N: So the last chapter…a bit of heartache, a bit of smiles, but this is a small town. Do you think Chuck may have forgotten about something?
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck
Chuck walked into the diner the next morning to get them some breakfast. He was whistling Feeling Good, a smile on his face. Last night had been… magical. He even felt like doing exploding hands, and making a make-believe explosion as he said it. He was in love, he was getting married. It was insane. In all the time with Jill, he had never felt like he did when he was with Sarah. Her love for him made him stronger, made him see himself the way she saw him. It made him believe in himself in a way he never had.
"Well, don't you look proud as a peacock?" Lou said with a smirk, as he entered the diner. "Here you go, on the house."
"Wha?" Chuck asked, confusion on his face. "I only wanted to get coffees, and a croissant for Sarah," he said, looking at the two full breakfast platters that were boxed up for him.
"Here's her croissant," Lou said with a grin, holding up the bag. "I figured you two young kids could use the food to fuel your busy, busy day."
"Do we have a lot of animal births or appointments I don't know about?" Chuck asked.
Lou smirked. "You really don't have a clue, do you?" she asked. She leaned in towards him. He did the same, feeling like she was about to tell him a very important secret. "Chuck, it's Sadie." She leaned back, with a knowing smile on her face.
"It's Sadie," he repeated, confused. "It's Sadie," he said again, and then something clicked for him. His eyes grew wide and he turned to Lou, who was trying not to laugh at him. "IT'S SADIE!" he bellowed, running from the diner, leaving the food behind.
"Want me to take it to him?" Fred asked, drinking his coffee.
"Nope… Watch the place, will you? I have to see this," Lou said, putting the food in a bag. She grabbed it, and the drink carrier, and headed out the door.
"Don't mind at all," Fred said, getting up to refill his coffee.
}o{
"It's Sadie," Chuck said, bursting through the front door. Three women turned to look at him, as he skidded to a stop.
"Chuck," Sarah said with a grin, that screamed, WHAT THE HELL? "Your sister is here to see us."
"Yeah," Chuck said, catching his breath. "I just put two and two together."
"God, you are so clueless," Alex chuckled, earning a glare from Chuck that she promptly ignored.
"Chuck," Ellie said, turning to him, tears in her eyes. "Chuck," she repeated, walking toward him, pulling him into a hug. "Baby brother," she said softly.
"Moron," he heard behind him, as Ellie let him go, and he turned. Casey grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. "You gotta tell me these things ahead of time. I nearly cried in front of Gertrude," he said softly into his ear.
"Don't let him lie… he did cry," Gertrude said, joining the hug. Sarah was watching, tears in her eyes, as she felt herself being pushed. She turned and saw Ellie smiling, pushing her toward the group hug, and the next thing she knew, she was consumed into it.
"Welcome to the family," Chuck got out. "If you wanna run, you best do so now."
"No," she got out, as everyone let go. "I'm in, for life." Chuck smiled at her.
"CHUCK!" Morgan yelled from the doorway. "GROUP HUG!"
}o{
"So, let me get this straight," Chuck began a little while later. The whole group had moved over to Lou's, the clinic closed for a bit. "I go to the bank to access the lock box, and Mrs. Price calls you?" Chuck asked Ellie.
"Right," Ellie replied, nodding. "She wondered if I knew you were getting into mom and dad's belongings."
"Does she know how old I am?" Chuck asked.
"I do," Sarah replied, making the whole table burst out into laughter. Chuck turned an interesting shade of red.
"So, I called Alex," Ellie continued, winking at Sarah, "who told me of the conversations going on between her and Sarah."
"What conversations?" Chuck asked, looking at Sarah.
"The ones where her ovaries were threatening to explode, when you were with Lily yesterday," Alex replied. Sarah turned a matching shade of red. Chuck looked a little surprised, but didn't push the topic.
"Obviously, you're as observant as always, little brother," Ellie chided. Chuck shrugged. "So, I called back to the bank, and it was then confirmed that you were getting out the ring."
"Ellie texted me," Alex said, picking up the story. "I told mom and dad, and waited 'til this morning to tell Morgan, because… well…" she looked over at him.
"Good plan," Morgan said. "I would have gone right over to Chuck's, and probably would have interrupted any private celebrating."
"You can remove the probably," Sarah muttered, watching Chuck's face turn red, again.
"Dear Lord," Ellie said, shaking her head. "You are going to keep him on his toes."
"And back," Chuck added, making Sarah's eyes go wide, and her face turn red again, as well.
"Nothing wrong with-" Casey began, but Gertrude clamped his lips shut with her fingers, shaking her head. The entire table was bursting out in laughter.
After a few minutes, everyone sobered up. "Wait, how did you know?" Chuck asked Lou.
"Miss Price," Lou replied. "She called me immediately after talking to your sister. I have no idea who else she would call after me."
"Mr. Roberts," Big Mike said, as he walked into the diner, having heard the tail end of the conversation. "While I am happy for you, you should know your decision, or timing of it, does bring some… issues."
Chuck turned to Sarah. "Have you got a husband I don't know about?"
"Two," Sarah replied, not missing a beat. "But I'm fairly certain that the divorces were legal." Chuck's eyes went wide, and then he saw the grin on her face. "No, you doofus."
Everyone was laughing but Big Mike. "Big Mike…what is it?" Chuck asked, getting serious.
"Son, you realize that someone could interpret your inheriting that land, and now marrying her, makes it look like you two were in cahoots in killing Bryce?"
"Who would think that?" Ellie asked. The door slammed open, and Jill stood there. "Oh, Beelzebub… that was a rhetorical question."
"Don't you dare," Jill began, in an almost growl at Ellie.
"Shut your pie hole!" Ellie snapped, shoving her chair back and standing in one motion, making the eyes of those who knew her grow wide. They had never seen her like this.
"For years you played my brother, used him for your own well-being, and you have the gall to walk in here, on his happiest day ever, and say a thing to him? You can go the same way you came in: On your belly, like the snake you are!"
"Arrest her too!" Jill yelled.
"Oh, shut up, Jill!" Mike snapped, looking tired. "You don't have the authority to tell me to do anything!"
"They have no alibi!"
"I'm his alibi!" Sarah said, standing and pushing her chair back. "And might I remind you, it was you who wanted me here!"
"It was Bryce's idea, so for all I know, you were in on it!"
"Why the hell do you care, you loved him about the same way you loved me," Chuck said, still seated, his arms crossed. Everyone's jaw dropped as they turned toward him. "Don't even start, Jill. Just don't. You did to him what I was lucky you didn't do to me. You drained him like a succubus. You drained him of life, of all usefulness, and when he fought back, you, or your boytoy, had him killed."
Jill's eyes went wide. "Chuck," she began.
"I know… big, bad Daniel Shaw. I know, I've heard." Chuck stood, and drew himself up to full height. "You know what, I hope you two are happy together, because you deserve each other. I hope I'm wrong about what happened to Bryce, but I'm afraid you simply upped your game from what you did to me. All you did was break my heart… my spirit. You and Daniel… you broke Bryce's neck."
The diner was silent. Jill spun, shoved the door open, and marched out. Big Mike turned to Chuck.
"Damn, Son. You may have just stepped in it, this time." Morgan glanced down at Chuck's shoes, and started to bend down to inspect them. "Figuratively, Grimes! Figuratively!"
"Oh," he said sitting back up, nodding. "Got it."
}o{
It was nearly 5 PM. Chuck, Sarah, and Alex were gathered around the front desk, when the door opened. "I figure I'm persona non grata around here, but…" Cal Roberts began.
"No, you're not," Sarah said. "I mean, to me you're not. I don't understand your actions the other day…"
"I'm with Sarah," Chuck chimed in. "I do not understand your actions, but you are always welcome here."
"They pay the bills, so what they say pretty much goes," Alex chimed in. Both Sarah and Chuck turned to look at her. "You know what, I feel like this is a private conversation, so why don't I go?"
"Good night, Alex," Chuck said. Sarah snorted, trying to hold back laughter. Alex left, and Chuck motioned for Cal to take a seat. He did, with Sarah and Chuck joining him.
"Bryce is dead, and I'm afraid it's my fault," Cal said softly.
"Did you break his neck?" Sarah asked.
"No," Cal said, shaking his head. "But I did suggest that Shaw might not get what he wanted if Graham's land was in someone else's name. I just didn't think it would be you two." He swallowed and looked away. "I don't know where I went wrong with her." Tears were in Cal's eyes. "I don't know why she thinks treating people the way she does is okay."
"Cal, I've never known you to condone that type of behavior, so why with Jill?" Chuck asked. It wasn't snarky, or Chuck trying to be mean… it was just him, being curious.
"I noticed it when your parents died," Cal said softly. "She realized how much you had to struggle, how much you had to rely on others, and… it did something to her. It began to change her, but she swore it was so she could be what the two of you needed."
Chuck sat there, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault, Chuck. But I do know at some point it quit being about what the two of you needed, and it became about what she needed." He was silent for a second. "She told me you couldn't be the man she needed. You couldn't do whatever it took to get things done."
"Any means necessary," Sarah added. Cal nodded. "No, he wouldn't."
"No, he wouldn't, and neither would Bryce," Cal added, looking directly at Sarah. "He was, to her, a means to an end." Cal looked up at the ceiling, and for a moment Chuck wondered if he was praying for strength. "I think she was involved in his murder. I think she, Shaw, and Quinn all had something to do with it… Graham getting infected, and trying to acquire that land."
"We know," Chuck said softly. Cal turned to him. "Bryce left us a tape, telling us."
"Shaw threatened to kill me if I told you," Cal choked out. "And as God as my witness, I believe him."
"What is going happening on your land?" Chuck asked.
"Quinn had rabid dogs brought in," Cal said, with tears in his eyes. "I only found out afterwards. Quinn was trying to scare off Graham so they could drill, find the oil, and then make it seem like they were drilling on my land."
"And Graham got bit," Chuck finished for him.
Cal nodded. "I only found out after Graham was dead. I didn't know, Chuck. I didn't know."
"And now we all do," Chuck replied. "So, what are we gonna do?"
A/N: Well, what are they gonna do? What are you looking at me for? You think I know? WASH YO HANDS! Stay safe, more soon.
