A/N I know lots of you are anxious about Sarah meeting up with Ellie. So is Sarah.

A Heart Torn

A Charah Tale By Lord Rapier

Edited and guided by ParaDocs

Chapter 26:

Every Ending, Is a New Beginning

Saturday morning the Grimes' home.

Gretchen makes her way out of the guest room into the dining room on her crutches. Morgan and Alex are having a cup of coffee. The twins are playing together quietly absorbed in their toys. Alex smiles and points to a seat, "Relax. Would you like some coffee or breakfast?"

Gretchen nods, "Coffee sounds good, black if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Alex walks into the kitchen.

The twins look up. Gretchen stares at them terrified. "Um, I haven't spent a lot of time with children, what should I do?"

Morgan pats her hand, "Relax they don't bite… much." Gretchen's eyes go wide.

Alex returns with a cup of coffee laughing, "Morgan stop, she's uncomfortable enough already. They don't bite at all. They're extremely sweet little boys. MJ, LJ come meet Auntie Gretchen, she's Auntie Sarah's friend."

They look over and turn back to their toys. Alex winks at Gretchen, "Watch this. She's Uncle Chuck's friend too." The boys jump up and stand one on each side of her. MJ looks her over, "Is Unca Chuck coming?"

Gretchen is at a loss; she looks at Alex, terrified.

Alex nods and mouths "It's okay." "Sweetheart, Uncle Chuck will be here tomorrow, but you may be asleep. I'm sure he'll come to see you soon. They love Chuck, they're just getting to know Sarah. However, Morgan Junior does seem to have a mad crush on her."

LJ points to Gretchen's face, "You gots a boo boo, you need a hug?"

Morgan cautions them, "You asked very nicely Little John, Aunt Gretchen isn't used to hugs. Maybe it would be okay if she doesn't have one right now."

Gretchen smiles and shakily asks, "Would it be okay… if I have a hug?"

Alex gets up and walks over, "Boys, Aunt Gretchen has lots of boo boos, be gentle okay."

The boys softly lay their heads on Gretchen's lap, their hands barely putting any pressure on her legs. She puts a hand on each of their heads and tentatively caresses them. A tear wells up in her eye, "Thank you boys, that makes me feel much better."

MJ looks up, "Auntie Sarah said we have magic hugs, we make you feel better, then you can play with us."

Gretchen nods enthusiastically, "Your Auntie Sarah is right, you do have magic hugs. Thank you for sharing them with me. I hope Mommy and Daddy will let me play with you soon. The boys move off to play with their toys again.

Gretchen looks intently at her hands in her lap, "Sarah didn't lie, your boys are beautiful." Gretchen breathes deeply watching her hands rub against each other. Alex and Morgan sit quietly sipping their coffee. Suddenly Gretchen blurts out, "I'm sorry." Alex and Morgan continue to sit quietly. She takes a deep breath, "I know it's not enough to make up for the things I've done. Sometimes I see the world as a chess game. I forget that the pieces on my board are people, not pawns. Sometimes… okay, most of the time, I get carried away. I always feel like I have to take care of myself, protect myself. Because no one else will." She takes another deep breath, "I was horrible to you, to both of you. Morgan, I took advantage of you, your naivety, your kindness, and your gentle heart. Alex, I tried to ruin what might have been this beautiful family. Solely for the sake of my ego. I'm sorry. I'll try my best to do better. Can you forgive me? Will you be patient with me?"

Alex stands up, "I was about to make some French toast, would you like some, Aunt Gretchen?"

Gretchen looks up at the couple. They're looking at her, all she sees is kindness in their eyes. "How? How can you forgive me so easily?"

Morgan laughs, "I don't know. You don't look like you had it so easy. Besides, I'm not sure I see an alternative."

Gretchen laughs then groans, "Ow! don't make me laugh. You could hate me. Push me, until I run."

Alex nods "We could. Tell me who would benefit? If we did that? You, us, the twins? Okay maybe Dad, you seemed to have done something that really pissed him off." Morgan keeps his eyes on his coffee cup. "I know him, give him some time. He won't tell you you're forgiven, but he'll mellow. I know that if we didn't give you the support and opportunity you need, Chuck would be disappointed. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to upset Sarah by driving you away. I only have one sister. Being mean to you isn't worth losing her.

I'll be honest, I don't want to be mean to you. Watching you get beaten up made me realize; I didn't much like what I was feeling. Your pain didn't make me feel one bit better. I guess I kind of owe you too. If you hadn't played your mind games on Morgan, he may never have told me that he loves me. So, in a small way we owe those two gorgeous boys to you. Cinnamon or plain?"

Gretchen stares at Alex, "Excuse me?"

Alex bends and kisses Morgan, "Your French toast, cinnamon or plain?"

It's obvious that Gretchen is uneasy, "Look, I really don't want to put you to any trouble. I can take care of myself."

Alex sits down, "Good, I'll sit down, you make the French toast. The boys like it plain."

Gretchen stares at Alex, then lowers her eyes to the table, "Plain is good for me too, with a little syrup if you have it." Alex smiles and goes into the kitchen.

Morgan takes a sip of his coffee, "She can fool you. She looks sweet, but she's feisty. She also has a Black Belt in the martial arts. I'm the only one in the family that never studied. Hey here's an idea, I can train with the candidates once you get your program up and running."

Gretchen smiles, "Thank you for being so kind to me. I was an ass. I knew your name all along, it's just another mind game. The worse I treat a mark, the more he tries to prove himself to me. It takes advantage of every little boys' fear of being rejected by his mother. You have nothing to fear. You're a good man, I'm sorry I used you… hurt you."

Morgan shrugs, "It's all good, I'm fairly certain things couldn't have worked out any better for me. I'm pretty lucky. It took me a while, but I finally figured out how to learn from my mistakes. I had a rough start. Chuck stuck with me, protected me, got me where I am today."

Gretchen sips her coffee, "You guys have been together for a while then?"

Morgan beams as memories play in his mind, "Yep, been best friends since we were six years old. I was always getting in trouble in school. Chuck was always there to stick up for me. I was kind of floating in life, didn't care much about things, didn't care much about myself. My father left when I was really young, don't really remember much about him. My mom was busy with her social life, I was pretty much on my own." Morgan laughs, "Yeah, I guess you figured me out right, there was nothing I did that would get my mother's attention. No matter how much trouble I got into. She would make excuses and do whatever it took to get away from the situation.

Then I met Chuck, he's always had this incredible, kind heart. He watched out for me. I was small then too, but that didn't stop me from doing stupid stuff. I got beat up by a lot of girls. I guess being immature has its drawbacks. Chuck would step in, save me from the worst beatings. I spent a lot of time at his house. His mom made the best lemon bars. She was gone a lot, on business.

Then one day she disappeared and never came back. We didn't know then that she was deep undercover. She was stuck trying to finish an important mission. Twenty years later, Chuck, Sarah and I pulled her out. But as a kid, Chuck was emotionally destroyed. It was my turn to look after him. His dad was strange, I mean totally weird. He would lock himself in his office, ignoring Chuck and his sister Ellie. That was when Ellie started taking care of Chuck." Morgan laughs, "That's also when I fell madly in love with her."

Alex walks in with two large plates with French toast and bacon, "You had better be talking about me. Hon would you grab some plates and utensils."

Morgan laughs as he gets up to head into the kitchen, "No sweetheart, I was talking about Ellie." He looks at Gretchen, "I guess she was another of my mother replacement fantasies." He yells from the kitchen. "Yeah, the more she pushed me away, the more I wanted her." He comes back into the dining room and passes out plates. "I gotta say Gretchen you sure do know how to hit the nail on the head."

Alex takes a couple of pieces of French toast and some bacon and cuts them into bite sized pieces. Morgan calls, "MJ, LJ come eat. Mommy made your favorite." The boys run over to the table and Alex and Morgan help them into their highchairs. They slide the trays in place and Alex puts the small pieces of food on them. The boys proceed to pick up the tasty morsels with their fingers and feed themselves. Alex goes into the kitchen and gets two sippy cups filled with orange juice. She puts them in front of the boys and sits down to eat her own breakfast. "Go on, you were saying how you were madly in love with another woman."

Morgan followed her into the kitchen and brings out the container of OJ and some glasses. He laughs, "Come on Sweetheart, you know you're the love of my life. The only one who makes me see rainbows." Alex smiles as she nibbles on a piece of bacon. "Ellie was my childhood fantasy. The mature femme fatale. She was the hottest nine-year-old that six-year-old had ever met. She was also our mom. I think she kind of resented it, but that didn't stop her from looking after Chuck, and me by default. When his dad disappeared years later, Ellie was already the only parent Chuck knew."

Morgan takes a deep breath and blows it out hard. "I hope that helps you understand why family is so important to him. Sarah is family, that makes you important to him as well."

Alex holds his hand, "Rainbows huh? My story is not too far off. My dad was killed in the war before I was born."

Gretchen puts her hand up, "Wait, I thought Casey was your father."

Alex nods, she takes a sip of orange juice, "He is, but the spy world touched me too. His death was faked. He was given a new identity and put onto a Black Ops team. After that he was pulled into the NSA. He was the best sniper they had, saved lots of lives. He's been nominated for the Medal of Honor, by the President himself. From what I'm told, he's still the best sniper ever. He was engaged to my mom. He didn't know that she was pregnant when they disappeared him. She was a great mom. Still is. We had Dad's death benefits, not much, but it helped. She was a single mom, and there were rough times, but she made a home for us. Taught me to be independent, to take care of myself. Helped me get through college. I got my degree in criminal justice, planned on joining the FBI.

The boys love their Grandma Kathleen. She and Dad are good friends now. Every now and then, when he thinks no one is watching, you can see the way he looks at her. He's still in love with her. He knew she couldn't be part of the world he lived in then." Alex sighs. "She's happy, her husband is a good guy. He doesn't know it, but Dad keeps an eye on him, if he ever hurt Mom… well you know Dad."

Alex shakes her head, "She thought he was dead. Some evil jerk, his old commanding officer, found out about her. He used her to blackmail Dad, to make him do some really bad stuff. He nearly got away with it. If it weren't for his partners Chuck and Sarah… who knows what would have happened. That was when he found out about me. He stayed away from me to keep me safe. He would come into the diner where I worked and chat with me, leave me these huge tips. He never told me who he was. I would tell him it was too much; he insisted that it was to help me in school.

Then another evil jerk found out about me. He tried to kidnap me. Dad saved me, that was when he told me the truth, told me to run. I watched them take him away. It was hard to believe at first. He gave me a key, told to go to the Buy More in Burbank. That everything I found there, was for me. That's where I met the love of my life,Lester."

Morgan looks up, French toast flying out of his mouth, "Excuse me?"

Alex laughs, "Joking, Honey, joking. Actually, that was the first time Morgan saved me, it was from Lester and Jeff. He didn't know who I was, but he assured me that if John Casey told me something, it was true. He took me in the back and when we opened my dad's locker. It was full of cash.

A bunch of stuff happened after that, stuff that didn't involve me. My Morgan was involved though, he saved Dad, Chuck, and Sarah. From what I'm told, it wasn't the only time. Chuck told me once he actually died to save them. They had to bring him back. But none of that compares to what a great dad he is. I'm a lucky woman. I got to marry my knight in shining armor. So that's when Team Bartowski came into my life." She looks at her boys, "I wouldn't trade what I have for all the spy adventures ever."

Morgan leans over and kisses his wife. The twins start to get antsy in their highchairs. LJ starts to kick, "Go down, go down."

Alex leans over and in a soft voice, "LJ, how do we ask nice?"

MJ pipes up, "MJ, go down pease."

LJ won't have it he slams his tray, tossing food everywhere, "No! LJ ask nice, go down pease."

Alex speaks quietly to him, "Little John, we've talked about this, you've made a mess. Are you going to clean it up? LJ looks ashamed and nods his head. MJ offers, "I hep LJ."

Alex smiles, "That's my good boys." She turns to Gretchen, smiling, "Seems to have his namesakes temper. I can only hope he has his heart as well."

Morgan looks down at the dog devouring the last bit of food on the floor, "Too late, Emmitt ate up all the mess. But you were good boys so you can go play with your toys."

Morgan and Alex help the twins down. They toddle off to play.

Gretchen shakes her head, "I never would have imagined it. Seems like Chuck's not the only one who's grown up. I'm getting why this whole family thing is so important to you guys. I guess I've never really understood what family is about. Any chance I could bother someone for a little more coffee? I would get it myself but I'm not sure how dry the return trip would be."

Morgan gets up and collects the dirty dishes from the table, "I'll get it Hon, you relax." He walks into the kitchen with the plates. Returning with a fresh cup of coffee for Gretchen and placing it on the table in front of her.

There's a knock at the door. "I'm up. I'll get it." Morgan opens the door and immediately says, "Be nice." There's a grunt from outside the door.

LJ's head comes up when he hears it, "Grandpa's here." The boys get up and run to the door. Casey scoops the twins up and walks into the room, "How're my troops?"

MJ is excited, "Grandpa we had French toast… LJ finishes and orange juice. Aunt Gretchen has boo boos, we gave her magic hugs."

Casey stares at Alex, "Aunt Gretchen, hugs huh?"

Alex stares right back, "Dad, wouldyou like a cup of coffee and something to stuff in your mouth." Casey grunts.

Casey looks at Gretchen, "I hope you're being civil to my kids. I tried to make it over last night, but something came up. Coffee sounds good. Did MJ say something about French toast?"

Alex laughs, "Have a seat Dad, I'll fix some for you."

Casey puts the boys down and turns his attention to Morgan, "I hope you and Aunt Gretchen are avoiding discussing classified information."

Morgan sighs, "Dad, relax. Everything is going smoothly. Gretchen has been a polite guest. We were just catching her up on how the team started out. I mean our childhoods, and why family is so important to us."

Casey nods as Alex puts a mug of coffee in front of him, "Be careful, she has no security clearance. Personal is fine, business is off limits. There is no way the two should intersect. Understood?"

Morgan nods, "I hear you loud and clear, General."

Gretchen is shocked, "General? Wow Casey you have come a long way since Prague."

Casey stares at her and grunts. She puts her hands up in surrender, "I hear you loud and clear General. I'll behave." Gretchen looks Casey right in the eye, "I guess you're the next stop on the apology tour." She takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry… for treating you the way I did. You're a standup guy Johnny, I hope we can start over."

Casey laughs, "Always on the hustle, huh Aunt Gretchen? They may buy your bull," he points his chin towards Alex and Morgan, his voice has a sharp edge to it. "But I know you. Got your eyes open, casing the situation, looking for that out? Fine keep looking, but if you so much as harm a single hair on any of my kids…" He takes in a deep breath, "That includes Chuck and Sarah. They've been through enough. They don't need you to pile on them." Tears well up in Gretchen's eyes.

Morgan stands up, "Casey, can I speak to you in the other room?"

Casey looks at him, sharply, "WHAT?"

Morgan stares at him and calmly declares, "Take it down a notch or leave. I don't want that energy around my boys."

Casey looks at Alex. "He's right Dad, we know you're angry about something. Look at the boys. They're frightened. Do you want them to be scared of their Grandpa?"

Casey looks at the boys, they're staring at him. He takes a deep breath, and quietly says to Gretchen, "We're not done here." He gets down on the floor and crawls to the boys, "Grandpa's gonna getcha, who wants to be tickled?" The boys scream and run around the living room, Casey chasing on all fours.

Gretchen takes a deep breath, as if she had stopped breathing for a few minutes. She turns to Alex and Morgan, "I'm sorry I brought this into your home. I'll stay in the guest room until Sarah comes for me." She gets up on her crutches.

Morgan points to her cup, "You haven't finished your coffee, sit. You're in my home. You're my guest. I'll deal with this. Alex maybe we could arrange an ice pack for our guest."

Alex nods, "On it Hon, you be nice, he's still our Dad."

Morgan walks into the living room, "Hey Grandpa, you look like you could use a cigar."

Casey looks up from the floor, Morgan is standing by the front door. Casey grunts, but he gets up and walks towards him. Morgan steps outside and walks away from the house. Casey follows.

He stops next to Morgan and lights his cigar, "Getting a little big for your britches there, Grimes?"

Morgan Looks up at him, staring directly into his eyes, "You've been mistaking respect for fear for a long time Dad. What are you gonna do, beat me up? I hold all the cards here. Do you want to see your daughter, your grandkids, me? You need to respect our home."

Casey returns Morgan's direct look, "I like your stones. Okay, You're right, it's your home. You do remember what she did? She used you, played you, tried to break you and Alex up. You don't even know how she screwed me over, more than once."

Morgan nods, "I remember all of that. I also remember who you were. Before you spent time on Team Bartowski. You insulted me, pushed me around, and overall treated me like something you would scrape off the bottom of your shoe."

Casey looks away, and grunts. He takes a deep breath then a puff on his cigar, "You're right, I was an ass."

Morgan nods, "And now you're my Dad, I love you, I would die for you. I did die for you."

Casey growls, "Bah, Bartowski made us all soft. Except you. You grew up."

Morgan smiles, "Bartowski made you the grandpa my kids love. The dad Alex loves. The dad I love. Is it at all possible, that Gretchen deserves the same break we all got?" Casey grunts.

Morgan continues, "I know what's pissing you off. Is it such a big deal that she slept with both of us? That has nothing to do with us. It's who she is. It was before I met Alex. Before we were family. I love Alex, no one can take that away."

Casey looks Morgan in the eye again, "I guess, I could have a worse son-in-law." Casey reaches out and gives Morgan a big bear hug and lets him go immediately. "I'll behave, I'll respect your home. I'll be in as soon as I finish my cigar."

Morgan smiles and nods, he heads towards the house. He's about six feet away from Casey when he hears, "I love you too, son." Morgan smiles.

Morgan walks back into the dining room; on the way he stops to talk to his boys and give them each a hug. He gets to the table, "I hope that ice pack helps."

Alex looks at Morgan, "Everyone okay?"

Morgan looks at her confused, "Of course, why wouldn't everyone be, okay?"

The three of them are chatting when Casey comes back in. Alex gets up and goes into the kitchen. He sits down and looks at Gretchen, growling, "Forgive my rudeness. My son in law is right, that was no way to treat a guest."

Alex slides a plate of French toast and bacon in front of him, "I kept it warm for you Dad."

Gretchen sits up, "I get it, John. You have to know, I'm kind of out of options. Seems like the bottom is a good place to start. Maybe with time… I'm hoping I can learn to be a team player. Sarah seems to have, maybe I can learn too. Until I learn, I promise to behave myself."

Casey nods, "We'll talk more at the shop."

Gretchen nods, "Okay."

Morgan is pleased that Casey heard him, "Hey Dad, care for a game of Backgammon? As I recall I beat you badly last time."

Casey grunts, "Get the board and your crying towel."

Morgan goes to get the game. Alex checks Gretchen's ice pack, "Here let me freshen that for you." She takes the bag, "We like to take it easy on the weekends, things got a little hectic with Chuck and Dad gone." Casey looks up and grunts. Alex nods and heads into the kitchen.

"Relax Johnny, I get it. It's none of my business. See, I'm trying."

Alex brings out the ice pack and asks, "Face or ankle?"

Gretchen laughs, "Wow, so many great choices. I'll start with the face, then move to the ankle." She takes the cold pack and holds it to her face. "Thank you, that feels pretty good." Alex nods.

Morgan setting up the board, looks over, "Do you play?"

Gretchen nods, "I've turned over a doubling cube or two in my time. I'm not sure I could concentrate on that right now. Hopefully I can show you how it's done, in the future."

Casey grunts. Gretchen smiles at him, "I'm okay John, I'm sorry I upset you earlier."

He nods and throws the dice.

The morning passes with light conversation and laughter. Gretchen starts to relax and enjoy "boring". She thinks to herself, Okay Walker, I get it, this isn't all that bad. Maybe I could learn to do it. Your Honey certainly put together a great team… and family for himself. She laughs to herself; I remember calling it if a yawn could yawn. But maybe It's not all bad.

Gretchen watches as Alex busies herself with the kids, and some housework. Gretchen marvels at the smile on her face while she does it. She's really happy.

Morgan takes the last of his pieces off the board and points at Casey, "In your face old man, I'm still the champ." Casey grunts.

Alex laughs, "Lunch will be ready soon. Gretchen, do you need some help washing up?"

"No, I can manage, thank you." Gretchen makes her way on her crutches into the bathroom to clean up. On the way she goes into the guest room and gets out her phone. She hits speed dial #1. "Hi Sarah, it's Gretchen."

Finishing her call, she limps into the dining room where she finds Morgan putting away the game. Morgan stands up, "I have to put this away, grab a seat, I'll get you a fresh ice pack."

LJ toddles over to Alex, in an attempt to whisper that fails, "Mommy I made in my pants, don't tell Aunt Gretchen."

Gretchen smiles. Alex scoops him up, "Well, let's take care of that, don't worry she knows you're a big boy. Mommy made grilled cheese for your lunch."

LJ bounces in her arms, "Yummy. For MJ too?"

As they leave the room, "Of course for MJ too. Mommy will always take of you and your brother."

Morgan gets up, "Twins make parenting a team effort, MJ will need changing too." He leaves the room carrying MJ.

The room is quiet for a few moments. Gretchen says louder than she wanted, "You're a lucky man John Casey. Very few in our line of work get to live long enough to have this."

Casey nods, "There was this mission, Walker and I got highjacked. Taken to Russia. I thought for sure, we were done. Bartowski… and Grimes, saved our asses. When I found out about Alex, things changed for me. I had something to lose. You get that, right? Feeling like you have nothing to lose?" Gretchen nods, her eyes go to her lap.

"Gretchen." Her eyes come up to look at Casey, "Are you really gonna try? Do you want to have something to lose?" Gretchen nods. "Okay, we can start over. However, the warning still stands… don't hurt my kids."

Gretchen nods, "Understood." Casey grunts.

The twins come running back in followed closely by Alex and Morgan. They head right for Gretchen. Alex yells out, "Gentle boys, she still has owies." LJ slows down and walks over to Gretchen and lays his head on her lap. MJ follows suit on the other side. Tears start to run down Gretchen's cheek, she lets out a short sob. LJ looks up, "I hurt Aunt Gretchen?"

Gretchen shakes her head, "No Sweetheart, I'm crying because you made me happy."

LJ smiles and puts his head back on her lap. "Mommy cries when we make her happy too."

Gretchen takes a deep breath in and blows it out. "Yeah John, I get why you call him Boss. He sure seems to know what he's doing."

Alex pats Gretchen's shoulder, "I think it's time for a celebratory grilled cheese sandwich. You have your choice of potato chips; plain, barbeque, or salt and vinegar."

Morgan walks out of the kitchen and puts three bags of chips on the table. In a British accent, "Luncheon will be served shortly, would Madam prefer the apple juice or water. Both have been aged to perfection. We also have an excellent herbal iced tea available. The flowers were handpicked by elves in the magic valley. It is sweetened with the tears of virgin unicorns, and we pour it over ice cubes taken from the highest peaks of the Himalayas where sherpas have yet to pee, just ignore the brown specks."

Gretchen laughs so hard the boys' heads bounce, "Ouch, don't make me laugh, you're ruining all the boys hard work. I'll have whatever they're having."

Morgan waves his arms, (still in his accent), "Madam has chosen wisely. Apple juice it is. To be honest, your humble servant had suspicions about those brown specks."

Gretchen laughs again, "Ouch, come on Morgan cut me a break. This is payback, isn't it? You're punishing me with laughter."

Morgan smiles as he pours the apple juice, "I plead the fifth. You'll never prove that in a court of law."

"To be honest the pain's not as bad as the guilt. I was a real as… um… jerk to treat such good people the way I did."

Alex puts a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches on the table, "Nah, not a jerk, just a scared girl, doing the best she could. I hope you don't mind me asking, you're super model beautiful, how did you wind up in the DEA?" She picks up LJ, Morgan gets MJ and they put them in their highchairs. They break up the sandwiches into bite sized pieces and put them on the boys' trays.

Gretchen sighs, "So I guess it's time for the Hallmark movie of the week. It's gonna sound cliché. My mother was a super model, she was beautiful. All the stuff you see in the movies. Melodramatic but true. The drugs, the parties, the starvation eating. We moved around a lot; Mom told me she was born in Minnesota. That's about all I knew about her. I have no idea who my father was. Mom simply waved it off, 'just someone I met at a party'.

She was a stereotype, her addictions were many, money, men, booze, drugs. She did it all, yet none of it made her happy. The only time I remember her smiling for real was when it was just the two of us. We would sit quietly on the couch, my head in her lap. She would stroke my hair as we watched old movies on TV. She loved the comedies. She had a thing for Jerry Lewis. She thought he was handsome as can be, and funny to boot.

She taught me a lot. How to handle men and women. How to flirt, to get what I wanted. Her "boyfriends" didn't care that I was only twelve, when she wasn't around, they would get handsy. I told her about it, she laughed, 'Honey, use it, they want something from you, get what you want from them'. 'Remember', she used to say, 'tease, but don't deliver'. If she saw me even looking at the drugs her friends brought around, she would go off on me. I loved Mom. She was messed up, but she was my Mom.

I came home from school one day. I had just turned thirteen, she was on the couch. Her face was covered in vomit. I tried to wake her up, I shook her really hard. She was so cold."

She wipes a tear from her eye. "I swore to her, that I would get the Ba…" She looks across the table and sees the boys… "jerks who did this to her."

Alex's face shows how upset she is, "Sweetie, you don't have to do this. I didn't realize how much my question would hurt you."

Gretchen shakes her head, "No it's okay. Want to hear something funny? I've never told this story to anyone. Not even to all the shrinks they sent me to in foster care. I wouldn't talk, kept to myself. They figured something was wrong with me. They may have been right.

Yeah, I didn't have any family, at least none that I knew about. I wound up in the foster care system. I used everything Mom taught me. I was ever so nice to the women, but the men, ah the men. I flirted and teased. A simple thing like a door left slightly open while I changed was enough to get me what I wanted. I never ran into a Chuck or Morgan, I learned early on; love was for suckers.

I didn't spend a lot of time in any one home, as soon as a wife caught them looking, it was on to the next home. I did use the time to my advantage, I studied hard. I got good grades. when I graduated from my fourth High School, I had a 4.0 G.P.A. I was accepted into John Jay College for Criminal Justice. I was old enough now "to deliver", it wasn't hard finding men to help me get through school. College boys think with the wrong head if you get what I mean. I lived comfortably studied hard. I didn't let anyone get close to me. I was alone and I trusted my company.

I interned during the summers with the NYPD. Took classes at night so I could graduate early. I got my bachelor's degree in three years, in Criminal Justice. There's something we have in common Alex. Except I wasn't lucky enough to have what you do. I Joined the New York Police Department." Gretchen takes a deep breath. "Honey, I would trade with you in a heartbeat. I was accepted into a master's program with a fellowship to cover my costs. I worked as a street cop and went to school at night. I earned my Master of Science in International Crime and Justice.

My big break came when the NYPD was invited into a task force with the FBI and DEA. Because of my degree the DEA requested me. The operation was a success, I played a big role. They offered me a position. I took it. I was on my way to fulfill my promise to my mother.

I cut a swath through the drug trade. I was regularly reprimanded for coming close to the line. Nothing they could put in writing, I was careful. Not to mention my bust record was the highest in the country. I became a pro at undercover work. My looks would get me in the door, my brains kept me safe.

The Government decided that they needed a special team. I was teamed up with Sarah, Zondra, and Amy. We were the CAT squad, Clandestine Attack Team. Gretchen's voice gets cold, edgy. That's how you wound up sitting here listening to my sob story."

Her eyes are sad as she looks down at her untouched lunch. She pushes herself up. Using her crutches, she stands up wobbly. "I hope no one minds, I'm kinda worn out. We'll finish our conversation later. Right about now, I think I could use a nap. Thank you for lunch and the good company. When I can stand again, I'll fix you all some Swedish pancakes. That's my specialty." She turns and heads for her room.

Alex catches up to her and walks her the rest of the way. "If there's anything you need, just yell. We'll be here if you need anything, anything at all."

Gretchen smiles a sad smile, "Thank you, that's very kind. I'm sorry to put you to all this trouble." Gretchen sits on the bed.

Alex helps her put her leg up, then goes to the door, "Family is never a bother. When you wake up, we'll get some more ice on that nose and ankle. We'll see if we can't bring that swelling down."

Gretchen leans up on her elbows, "Alex, Sarah said that Chuck is going to hurt over what he did, is that true?"

Alex nods, "Sadly it is. That poor guy can't stand harming others. It eats him up from the inside out. It'll be okay. Sarah will be there when it hits him."

Gretchen shakes her head, "I'm really not worth it, all this pain and inconvenience I'm causing."

Alex smiles, "See, that's the other part of it. Chuck's never met a person who isn't worth it. Get some rest. We'll talk more later." She closes the door and Gretchen lies down for her nap.

Returning to the dining room, Alex shakes her head. "That poor kid, she must really be in pain. She was barely awake for a few hours. I'm sure telling us her story drained her too."

Morgan agrees, "Chuck really worked her over. I've never seen him do anything like that. He usually talks his way out of a fight."

Casey is finishing his lunch and leans back sipping his iced tea. "He gave her what she needed. I know him well enough to know, he didn't like doing it. He did it for New Bartowski. As far as he's concerned, she could have gone to lockup. Miller is a hardcase. She's never been a team player. She admitted that which shocked the hell out of me. He needed to get her attention. If she has any shot at making a comeback, we're the team who can help her."

Morgan raises a finger and opens his mouth.

Casey snaps at him, "Shut up Grimes, you had your say. Do you really feel the need to rub it in?"

Morgan smiles, "No need Dad, I'm happy you heard me. I was going to mention I interrupted you playing with the boys earlier and it's almost time for their nap."

Casey grunts and get down on the floor. The twins immediately attack him.

Alex laughs and shakes her head, "The boys love rough housing with Grandpa."

Morgan clears the table, "Dad, don't get them too worked up, they need their naps, or they'll be cranky all day."

Casey looks up from the floor, the twins are crawling all over him, giggling their heads off. "Let me know when you get tired of telling me what to do, so I can start listening again. Hey who tickled Grandpa? That's it the tickle monster is coming out to play." The boys scream with delight as Casey's fingers find their ticklish spots.

"Okay, I just need to do a quick check in with my team. Chuck is antsy about the vetting they're working on. I'll be out in five minutes." Alex heads into the kitchen, Morgan heads into their home office.

After a brief but strenuous playtime, MJ rubs his eyes and lies on the floor. Alex picks him up, "Hon would you get LJ, it's nap time." They take the boys into their room and change their diapers. MJ is asleep in seconds. LJ isn't ready yet, "Mommy, Aunt Gretchen has owies. I give her nap hugs." Alex looks at Morgan, he shrugs and nods. Alex picks him up "Okay Baby, but you have to be careful not to hurt her owies, okay?" LJ nods as he rests his head on his mom's shoulder. Morgan quietly opens the door to the guest room. Alex lays LJ next to Gretchen. His eyes quickly close and he's asleep.

They leave the room and close the door quietly. Morgan takes Alex in his arms and kisses her. She rests her head on his shoulder enjoying his embrace. "You know something Mrs. Grimes, You make excellent kids."

Alex smiles, "Well Mr. Grimes I had superior assistance. How could they be anything less than excellent."

Alex kisses Morgan, "Why don't you keep Dad company while I clean up from lunch."

Gretchen wakes up slowly, Wow, I was really knocked out. I can't remember the last time I slept that hard. Is somebody next to me? She looks down to see a small arm resting across her stomach. She whispers, "What the hell?" Reaching down she gently strokes the small head. Man, the DEA does not prepare you for this. I have no idea what to do.

Gretchen lies there quietly for a time. She turns towards the door when she sees a movement out of the corner of her eye. Alex reaches over and picks up the sleeping child. "I hope you don't mind. LJ insisted that you needed nap hugs."

Gretchen shakes her head and smiles, "No, I don't mind at all. It was nice to be in bed with a man, who wasn't trying to get into my pants."

Alex laughs quietly and walks towards the door, "I'll put him down in his own bed, see you in the living room." She leaves.

The adults are sitting in the living room watching a movie. Gretchen asks, "This is how Chuck learned all those moves? This is a joke, right? I mean that guy doesn't know martial arts. He's barely acting."

Morgan shrugs, "Well, he did beat you."

Casey adds, "Hey, watch what you say about Mr. Miyagi."

LJ walks into the room rubbing his eyes, "Did my hugs make Aunt Gretchen better?"

Gretchen can't help herself. Her smile at hearing him call her that was wider than any smile in her life. She bends down to look him in the eye, "I'm not all better LJ, but your nap hugs made the um… boo boos not so bad."

LJ is excited, he crosses the room and climbs into Alex's lap. She sniffs the air, "Hmmm, I think someone needs to be changed."

LJ is embarrassed, He puts his finger to his lips and spraying, shushes his mother. Alex laughs, "Okay it'll be our secret, let's go check on your brother." They get up and walk out of the room."

Casey stands up, "Guess I should get going."

Morgan stands, "Come on Dad stick around, have dinner with us. I'm gonna order in some Chinese food."

Casey smirks, "Thanks kid, but I have stuff I have to take care of. To be honest I've had enough Sizzling Shrimp to hold me for a while."

Morgan walks him to the door, "You had Sizzling Shrimp, without us?"

Casey grunts. "Mmmm hmmmm, I'll check in with you guys tomorrow. You'd better enjoy this down time. I have a feeling Chuck has something coming up that may have all of us working hard. Gretchen take care, feel better." He smiles, "It was nice to meet you."

Gretchen is speechless.

He walks out the door, Morgan closes it behind him. He walks over and sits near Gretchen, "How ya doin'?"

Gretchen smiles and nods her head, "I'm good, thanks for asking."

Morgan picks up his phone, "Have you ever had Sizzling Shrimp?"

"Can't say I have."

Morgan smiles a big grin, "Well standby for an evening with Morgan, but no fireworks. No one will let me have fireworks."

A/N Okay so you're probably still pissed at me. Where's Ellie, Where's Ellie. I still don't get why that is better than what I've written. However, I accept my fate as the deliverer of your fantasies. If you saw me naked you would resent that line. Soon, we'll get there soon. My readership has fallen off drastically. I guess I have pissed some people off. I wish I had a way to block my fair-weather readers, but I don't. So, for those of you who enjoyed this chapter, I'm glad. For those of you who are jonesing (it means in withdrawal) and need Ellie really, really bad… I do except bribes.

For references to jonesing Google Basketball jones by Cheech and Chong. You can also Google Tyrone Shoelaces.