"Mom!" Emma rushed upstairs at the panicked sound of her daughter's voice. Entering Sarah's room, she found it in shambles. Nearly all the drawers in her dresser had been pulled out and at least partially emptied, and it looked like half the contents of the closet had been laid out on the full-sized bed that her daughter hadn't yet bothered to make that morning.
"Oh my," Emma tried to hold back the surprised laugh that bubbled up within her, "What on Earth happened here?"
"I have nothing to wear," Sarah complained.
"I think the complete lack of floor or bed space speaks to the contrary, Sweetheart," Emma gave her daughter a soft smile.
"It's not funny, Mom," Sarah pouted, "I don't know what to wear for my date with Chuck."
"So that's what all this is about," Emma nodded knowingly, "What did you wear the first time you met him?"
"I don't know, Mom," Sarah huffed, "It was so long ago, probably jeans or a skirt and a t-shirt since we met at Coronado Beach? But I'm not a teenager anymore, I can't get away with that anymore. I'm a grown woman, with a daughter... what if he doesn't want to be with me because I had another man's child? Have I ruined my chances with one of the last good men...?"
"Sarah, sweetheart, you're spiraling," Emma reached for her daughter's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze, "You need to take a breath before you start hyperventilating. I know you are nervous about seeing him again after so long apart. But I doubt he is planning anything too fancy for a lunch date, casual dress, I'm sure, will be fine." Emma cast her eyes around the room before spotting a good option, she released her grip on her daughter's hands, "Here, this should work," She handed her daughter a pale blue summer dress with pastel flowers on it and a grey sweater, "You can wear your brown flats or even those cute sandals you just got."
Sarah looked at the clothes her mother had laid out on her dresser for her, she had to admit it was a good outfit. The pale blue complimented her eyes well, or at least that's what the lady at the boutique had said when she had tried it on, and the dress was nice enough for a date, but still fairly casual. Her mom was right, it was the perfect outfit for her date.
"Now as to the other nonsense about him not wanting to be with you because you had a baby with some idiot who didn't know a good thing when he had it," Emma took her daughter's face in her hand, lifting it so that their eyes met, "He knew, or at least had an inkling that, you had a daughter when he asked you out; I doubt Molly was any kind of deterrent. From what his sister has told me, and after seeing you two together yesterday, I doubt that it made any difference to him. He's a good man, Sarah. My advice to you, Baby, is to just relax and see where the day takes you."
"Okay," Sarah slowly nodded.
"Now, go, take a shower, get dressed," Emma instructed, "I'll deal with the fallout of Hurricane Sarah."
"Okay," Sarah nodded, pulling some underwear and a bra out of one of the open drawers before collecting the outfit her mother had picked out, "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, Sweetie, now get," Emma nodded, a smile on her face as she watched her daughter make her way down the hall to the bathroom.
"Chuck?" He heard Ellie call from downstairs and quietly cursed the moment he gave her his spare keys. It was meant for emergencies, but not hearing from him in 24 hours often constituted an emergency for his older sister. "Are you up there?"
"Elle, I'm kinda busy at the moment," He called before turning back to the mirror he was using as he shaved so as to not accidentally nick himself. Thankfully, he was rinsing his razor when the bathroom door swung open, revealing his sister with her hand over her eyes causing him to roll his own. "You can uncover your eyes, I'm decent."
Ellie slowly uncovered her eyes one finger at a time to see her brother standing by the sink, a partial foam beard on his face, a towel around his bare shoulders, wearing a pair of nice jeans, and bare feet. "I hope you plan to put on a shirt before you go meet your violinist." She smirked at him.
"Yes, Ellie, I have a shirt picked out, it's in my room," Chuck shook his head exasperatedly and turned back to finish shaving.
"Which one?" She pressed.
"The green button-down," He informed her, running the blade down his cheek before rinsing it in the sink and repeating the process a few more times until his face was finally clean. He turned on the taps, ignoring his sister's evaluating stare, and rinsed his face off before patting it dry with the towel around his shoulders and making sure to wipe away any remaining shaving cream with the towel before tossing it in the hamper by the door.
"You need a haircut," Ellie pointed out, "Your hair is starting to make funny animal shapes again."
"My hair is fine, Ellie," Chuck huffed, he hated having this same conversation every couple months. Yes, his hair was on the longer side, and true, he could use a bit of a trim soon, but it didn't look that bad. He threw on a brown shirt with 'I aim to misbehave' written across the chest before pulling on his button-down shirt.
Ellie rolled her eyes at his choice of t-shirt but smiled when he started buttoning up the top shirt. He rolled up the sleeves to just below his elbows and took a few steps over to his dresser to grab socks before putting them and his typical black chucks on. Once his laces were tied, he stood and smiled at his sister. "So, do I pass inspection?"
"Do you have time for a haircut?" She challenged.
"No, I do not," Chuck shook his head.
"Then you are as good as you can get while still being a bit scruffy looking." She sighed.
"Who are you calling scruffy lookin'?" Chuck gave her a teasing smirk, which caused his sister to roll her eyes at him.
"You're such a dufus," Ellie groaned, "Go pick up your date, weirdo."
"On my way," Chuck grabbed his watch, securing it to his wrist before grabbing his wallet and keys from where they sat on his dresser and heading down the stairs, calling back to his sister to have her lock up on her way out.
The drive to Sarah's house, or rather the house she lived in with her mother, hadn't been very long. As it turned out, their home was only a few miles away from Chuck's condo, and a 10-minute drive, which meant that he was pulling into their driveway in little more than a blink of an eye. Chuck sat, looking up at the two-story white house with the red door and white picket fence for a moment before taking a deep breath, he grabbed an item from the passenger seat, and opening the door to unfold his tall body from his seat. He locked and armed the car before climbing the stairs to the front porch upon which sat a wicker love seat and chair. He wondered for a moment if that was Jenny's, or rather, Sarah's choice or if it was her mother's. He took one last calming breath and raised his hand to knock on the door.
He only had to wait a moment for the door to be opened. Chuck didn't know if he was surprised or disappointed that it was Emma, Molly on her hip answering the door rather than Sarah.
"Good Afternoon, Mrs. Walker," Chuck greeted her politely, "Is Sarah ready?"
Emma smiled softly at the young man standing before her, a bouquet of what looked to be gardenias gently grasped in his hands as if it was taking most of his mental faculties to avoid crushing the delicate blooms. She gave half a thought to giving him a hard time, but between watching him and his niece playing, his mini performance with her daughter, and the time their families spent together the previous afternoon, she knew him to be a nice boy, sensible, respectful, and an all-around good guy. She also couldn't deny how happy his mere presence caused her daughter to be. She shifted Molly to her left side so she could extend her right hand, which he took and shook firmly.
"Chuck, I told you yesterday," She gave him a small smile, "You may call me Emma. Mrs. Walker was my mother."
"Very well, Emma, then," Chuck smiled warmly at her before turning his gaze to the little girl in her arms, "And good day to you, Miss Molly."
To Emma's surprise, Molly, her shy, cautious, quiet granddaughter let out a happy shriek and practically threw herself into Chuck's arms. Thankfully the man had quick reflexes and caught the girl before she took a full tumble out of her grandmother's arms.
"Nice catch," She complimented the young man who was still standing on her porch, only now with an 18-month-old in his arms.
"My brother-in-law's frat buddies have pulled me into more than a few games of football over the years," He shrugged, "I also grew up in little league, and then there's Clara…"
Emma could tell that was all the explanation she was going to get on the matter and invited Chuck in. She told him to make himself comfortable in the living room while she went up to check on Sarah. When she returned, she stopped on the bottom step, out of the line of sight, and watched Chuck and Molly interact. She smiled softly at the adoring look the toddler was sending Chuck's way, and from the look on his face, the adoration was mutual.
"What are you looking at?" She heard her daughter approach.
"Shh," She hushed her daughter and pointed toward the living room. What Sarah saw there just about melted her. The ease at which Molly had accepted Chuck into her life was remarkable as she had always been really shy and standoffish with strange men, not that there was any reason for her to be. However, she took to Chuck almost instantly, she had seen little glimpses of it at the beach the day before, the flirty eyes and smiles the little girl kept sending Chuck's way. Although, if she were honest, Molly probably was initially copying her own behaviors toward the attractive software developer.
It was at that moment, that Chuck happened to look over his shoulder and caught the Walker women watching him. His smile broadened, and he stood, moving Molly to rest on his left hip as if it was the most natural thing in the world to him, while his right hand picked up the small bouquet of gardenias he'd brought with him. She saw his eyes drift down, and then back up her body, taking in her choice of clothing before his eyes returned to hers.
"Wow, you look amazing," He grinned, "I brought these for you." He held out the flowers.
"Thank you," Sarah smiled back, taking the last few steps from the stairs and crossing the room to where he stood, "And thank you, gardenias are my favorite flower."
"Nice, got it in one!" His grin grew larger, if that was even possible. "Are you ready to go?"
"Let me put these in a vase first," Sarah turned an went toward the kitchen where she pulled a vase from under the sink and filled it with water before popping the flowers into the container and turning back to Chuck with a grin, "Let's go!"
Chuck handed Molly back to Emma and offered his arm to Sarah, who kissed her daughter's and mother's cheeks before linking her arm through his while she looped the strap of her purse over her free shoulder. As they stepped onto the driveway, Sarah pulled up short, "Oh my God, is that your car?"
Chuck's silver 2005 Aston Martin DB9 sat with the black soft top retracted and nestled behind the seats, "Um, yeah," He shrugged shyly, "My first project did really well, and Ellie insisted I splurge a bit on myself."
"It's quite the splurge," Sarah spoke softly as Chuck shrugged. A soft smile spread on her face as he opened the door for her and waited for her to settle into the seat before closing the door after her.
Once he had rounded the car and gotten behind the wheel, he returned her small smile, "Well, she may have found out that I'd paid off a chunk of hers and Devon's student loans before making her suggestion."
"Most people would start with their own loans, maybe buy a house…" Sarah raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street.
"Don't have need of a house, at least not yet," Chuck shrugged. "It's just me and I'd already moved into my own place by then. Granted it's in the same complex as my sister, but it's my own separate condo."
"So instead you decided to drive around like James Bond?" Sarah gave him a teasing look.
"Ellie picked it out," He chuckled, "Said that the Matrix and CR-V I was looking at didn't look like vehicles that a successful software developer would drive, and then proceeded to call the Prius a douche-mobile."
Sarah couldn't help but laugh at the statement. "I can't see you driving a Matrix, they are so small, I can't imagine you having to fold yourself into one, same goes for the Prius. I think the CR-V would have been a good choice for you. Simple, unassuming, just like you. But going from that to this is like going from a Cessna to a F-22 in one move."
"Speaking of," Chuck grinned as he merged onto the highway to find it nearly empty. He used the pedal shifts on the steering wheel as he accelerated down the stretch of road, throwing them back in their seats. "It's a kick in the pants, ain't it?" He laughed before reducing his speed and taking the next exit.
"You are crazy, you know that?" Sarah shook her head in amusement as Chuck gave her a cheeky grin and turned onto a surface street. A moment later, he was pulling into the parking lot of a shopping center.
He navigated the car into a parking spot and walked around to open the door for Sarah, who accepted his assistance out of the car, as her legs were still a bit shaky from their near sonic speed down the highway. When she was finally steady on her feet, Chuck closed the door and armed the car, offering his arm to her as he led her through the lot toward some of the smaller store fronts. She gave him a curious look when she saw where he was taking her.
"Lou's Deli?" She inquired.
"They have the best selection of meats and cheeses I've ever tasted," Chuck insisted, "And it tends to be quiet on Sunday afternoons. I used to sit in one of the booths and work when I was first starting out, Lou didn't mind too much so long as I ate something new every time and gave my honest opinion on the sandwich."
"So, is Lou a friend of yours?" Sarah inquired as Chuck opened the door and guided her in, his hand on her lower back. He had only just opened his mouth to respond when a voice rang out through the small establishment.
"Charles Irving Bartowski!" Their eyes snapped up to see a petite brunette woman standing, hands on her hips, an eyebrow raised in challenge, "You have some nerve coming in here after vanishing without a trace."
Sarah looked up at Chuck in curiosity, wondering who this woman was and why she was so upset with Chuck vanishing on her. What perplexed her even further was the smirk on Chuck's face and the amused twinkle in his eye as he feigned humility. "I'm so sorry," Chuck raised his free hand in surrender, "But in my defense, I finally got an office to work in rather than taking up one of your tables."
"And when did I ever say I minded you 'taking up one of my tables?'" The woman's brow arched higher into her hairline, if that was even possible. "I lost my best taste tester when you left, without a word. Do you have any idea how many times your taste buds saved my ass?"
"I'm sorry Lou," Chuck placated, although the look on his face did not look apologetic at all, "How about we make it up to you? You can make myself and my lovely companion here two of your newer creations and we will give you our opinions. Sound fair?"
"Fine," Lou huffed, rolling her eyes, "Go take a seat, I'll bring you out a couple to try."
"You're a saint, Lou Pallone," Chuck teased as he led Sarah over to a booth and waited for her to sit before taking his seat as well.
"So that's Lou?" Sarah asked, still trying to rectify the petite woman with the image of a large guy in a stained apron she'd had in her head the first time Chuck had mentioned Lou.
"That's Lou," Chuck confirmed, "We've known each other for a while now. She was a couple grades behind me in high school, and we ran in different crowds, so we didn't really meet until a few years later. I was working in the Nerd Herd at the Buy More over the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college when her blackberry broke, she brought it into the Nerd Herd to see if we could fix it."
"He really saved my ass," Lou added, setting down plates and two bottles of water in front of them, "I would have lost all my recipes if he hadn't been able to fix it."
"Heard from your Nana lately?" Chuck smirked.
"Yes," She smiled, "Said she's making a blanket for the little one, insisted she's still up to it, arthritis be damned. Although, whether or not it will be ready in time is still yet to be seen. The turkey is just about done."
"I noticed. You look like you're about ready to pop," Chuck grinned at the deli owner who placed her left hand over her protruding stomach, wedding and engagement rings winking in the midday light streaming through the nearby window. "How is George doing?"
"He's good," Lou nodded, "His best friend Lavon is coming up from Bluebell so he's happier than a pig in slop."
Chuck snickered at the turn of phrase, "I see George is rubbing off on you in more ways than one."
"Shut up!" Lou lightly smacked Chuck's shoulder, "Now are you going to keep teasing me, or are you going to introduce me?"
"Of course, Lou, please meet Sarah Walker," Chuck gestured to his date, "Sarah, I'd like you to meet Lou Pallone."
"It's actually Lou Tucker now, and he well knows it." Lou corrected as she held out a hand to Sarah, who firmly shook it. "It's nice to meet you Sarah, it's been a while since Chuck has brought any one here… actually, come to think, the last time was about five years ago in college. What was her name? Jezebel?"
"Jill," Chuck corrected flatly, "And I'd rather not discuss her, if you don't mind."
"If you won't, then I will," Lou stated defiantly, "Long story short, she strung him along for a few years in college and just when he was getting ready to propose, she jumped into bed with his alleged best friend and roommate."
"Wait," Sarah's eyes went wide, "So you're telling me that his best friend slept with his almost fiancée?"
"Yep," Lou nodded, "Frat kicked him out, excommunicated him and everything."
"Oh my God," Sarah's eyes narrowed, "If I ever find Morgan…"
She was caught off guard by Chuck, who had taken a sip of his water, did a spit take and coughed. "No!" He quickly corrected, "Not Morgan, he stayed here when I was at Stanford. She's talking about my best friend from college, Bryce."
"Even his name sounds douchey," Lou rolled her eyes, "If he ever shows his face around here. He's gonna find himself in a world of pain."
"Lou, how about we change the subject," Chuck suggested, "What have you brought us?"
"Alright, I'll humor you," Lou rolled her eyes, letting the prior topic of conversation drop, "I haven't found a name for these just yet, but this one is turkey and muenster, grilled on egg bread." She motioned to the first plate that had a sandwich that had already been divided in two before gesturing to the other plate with a hot sandwich also cut in half, "The other is end cut pastrami with coleslaw and muenster on seedless rye, grilled ruben style. Give 'em a try and let me know what you think."
"Will do," Chuck agreed.
"It was nice to meet you Sarah," Lou smiled at the woman who clearly had eyes only for Chuck.
"It was nice to meet you too," Sarah grinned, "I appreciate the food, and the background information."
"It's no problem, just make sure you guys come back," Lou nodded, "I wasn't kidding when I said he was my best taste testing guinea pig."
"If these are any bit as good as Chuck made them out to be, we'll be back," Sarah promised. Lou gave her a small smile and turned to waddle back behind the counter where she joined the rest of her crew in making sandwiches for their newly arrived customers.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying both of Lou's newest creations before Chuck spoke again, "So, how did Jenny become Sarah?
Sarah sighed, taking a long drink from her water, "It's all a part of the long story I promised you." When Chuck stayed silent, waiting patiently for her to continue, she gave him a small smile and launched into the explanation. "I don't think I ever told you what my father did for a living when we first met."
"You mentioned he traveled a lot, which meant you moved quite often," Chuck supplied.
"What I didn't mention was that every move was basically us escaping," Sarah shook her head sadly, "My father was a con man, so every time a con went south we wound up leaving in the middle of the night with whomever he swindled, the cops, often both, hot on our heels. With every new city came a new name.
"When we met, my father was in the middle of a long con that had started that previous year. A couple months after the competition, my father's past deeds finally caught up with him. Not only were the feds after him, but he had cheated some pretty bad men out of a lot of money." She sighed, "My father was able to convince the feds that I had nothing to do with his current cons. Truth be told, when I first went with him, I did participate, but I didn't really know what I was doing until later. When I figured it out, I refused to join in on his cons. The feds were able to track down my mom and put both of us under witness protection and changed our names to Sarah and Emma Walker in case the bad guys wanted to come after me. I moved back in with my mom who was living in Pasadena at the time, finished high school, and went onto college."
"Where did you go to school?" Chuck inquired, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Columbia," Sarah blushed, "I got a full ride music scholarship."
"Impressive," He grinned, "I knew you were good enough to get out from the middle of the section. Did you like it there?"
"The winters were brutal, but it opened up opportunities for me," Sarah shrugged, "If I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have been invited to solo in the opening concert for the Phil next month."
"The Phil?" Chuck's eyebrows shot up, "Wow, that's a real honor."
"It is," She agreed, "But I still haven't quit my day job assistant directing an orchestra at Burbank High School."
"What a small world," He chuckled, "You work with Mrs. Tucker? She was the associate director of my high school's band!"
"I knew she looked familiar," Sarah shook her head. "Anyway, I also wouldn't have had Molly if I hadn't gone to Columbia. My senior year, I met this guy who swept me off my feet, suave, handsome, but ultimately shallow. When I found out I was pregnant, I told him. The next day, he just vanished."
"'Vanished?'" Chuck quirked an eyebrow at her, "As in he stopped taking your calls?"
"More than that," Sarah sighed, "Not only was he not taking or returning my calls, but I went by his apartment and it was completely empty as if everything had been taken out overnight. All that was left was bare walls and plain wood floors."
"So, you never had the chance to figure out what he wanted to do?" Chuck inquired softly.
"I think his vanishing act more than defines his interest in being in his daughter's life," Sarah shook her head disdainfully, "You would think an investment banker would be a good bet to settle down with."
"I don't want to overstep my bounds here, and please let me know if I am," Chuck reached out and took her hand in his own, "But, if you want, I can try to track him down. For no other reason than to sever his paternal rights so that, if you were to meet the right guy, he could adopt Molly."
"You would do that?" Sarah tilted her head to the side, a soft smile on her lips.
"Of course," Chuck confirmed, "Not a lot of people know this, but I was a fairly elite hacker in my day. I'm sure I could dust off the old bottle of Rombauer and track him down."
"What does wine have to do with…" Sarah cut herself off, "Never mind, that's not important. I meant you would adopt Molly?"
Chuck's eyes widened as he stared at Sarah in shock, "I… wha… uh… you want…" He continued to stammer a moment before clearing his throat, "It's a little soon to be deciding on that right now, wouldn't you think?" He asked nervously, causing Sarah to deflate a little.
"Maybe," She shrugged slightly, "But I think the fact you were never far from my mind over the past 10 years is proof enough of how important you are to me. I'm not asking you to marry me now or anytime in the future."
"But you are asking me to make a similarly life-long commitment to your daughter?" Chuck inquired, intrigued by her proposition. "Sarah, might I make a suggestion?"
"I guess," She shrugged slightly.
"How about I help you track down Molly's father first," Chuck gave her a small smile, "Then we can figure out the other stuff. Just so you know, I see you and Molly as a package deal, you can't get one without the other." He lifted his eyes to meet hers, "So, for me, it wouldn't be an either/or thing, it would be an all-or-nothing kind of deal for me and I won't accept anything less."
Chuck's intensity both excited and unnerved her, she was quiet a moment more before smiling up at him, "Thank you. Do you really think you can track him down?"
"Even when trying to stay off the radar, there is always some kind of digital trail to a person," Chuck explained sagely, "Unless you're Amish, but even they have their rumspringa…"
Sarah couldn't help but laugh at him and roll her eyes. "You're ridiculous."
"No, I'm Chuck, I know we've met before," He smirked and gave her an abbreviated eyebrow dance.
"Well at least we know you have the lame jokes down," She chuckled, "So what all would you need to find him?"
"As much information as you have," Chuck explained, "The more information I have the better trace I can set up. So, full name, if you know it, last known residence, phone number, email address; does he have any family still alive and if so, where do they live and what are their names?"
Sarah nodded as Chuck continued to list items that would allow him to set a firm foundation for his research into the location of Molly's biological father. When he paused and looked at her expectantly, she realized he was waiting for what little information she had.
"His name was Bruce Anderson," She sighed in resignation, "When I knew him, he lived in some high-end apartment in Manhattan, The Dorchester, I think. His email was just his name at . His phone was disconnected a day or so after I found his gutted apartment, but it is still pretty easy to remember (212)555-5212. I think he was an only child, parents were never mentioned, don't know if that meant they were dead or just not in contact… I wish I could give you more, but I really didn't know him very well. I know you, as you are today, better than I ever knew him. I know that sounds awful to say about the man who fathered my child, but it doesn't negate the fact that it is just that."
"Alright," Chuck nodded, taking note of the information she had given him, "I'll see what I can do."
"I appreciate it," Sarah gave him a soft smile, "Even if you can't find anything. I didn't put his name on the birth certificate, but I just don't want any issues if anyone were to come into Molly and my life and want to make it a permanent type deal."
"I get it," Chuck gave her a small smile, "If he severs his rights, that's one less thing for you to worry about."
"Exactly!" Sarah nodded, "Anyway enough of that. What do you like doing when you aren't creating video games?"
"I wish I could say it's something cool like base jumping or rock climbing," Chuck shrugged, "But I leave all that kind of stuff up to my brother-in-law. Honestly, in the rare moments when I'm not creating video games, I'm playing them, usually with Morgan. However, if things go my way that might be changing a little."
"Oh really?" She teased, "How so?"
"Well, I met, or rather, re-met this amazing woman on the beach," He smirked coyly, "Not the same beach where I had met her the first time, but on a beach, nonetheless. She's still as funny, smart, kind, not to mention just as amazingly beautiful as she was the first time I met her. We kinda lost touch over the years, and she has this amazingly adorable little girl now, but I think I'm gonna enjoy spending time with them, getting to know them and her again. That's assuming, she's interested in spending more time with me."
"Well, if you ask me, she'd have to be a complete idiot to not want to spend more time with you," Sarah grinned up at him, "If she were me, she would love to get to know you better too. Get to know you as you are now, and what has changed or is the same as when you were in high school."
"I'd like that," Chuck smiled warmly at her, reaching out and taking her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze.
"I'd like that too," Sarah nodded, reflecting his smile back to him.
"Oh, for the love of…" They heard Lou huff from behind the counter, "Just kiss already!"
"I think we should do as she says," Chuck snickered.
"I think so too," She agreed standing slightly and leaning over the table to meet Chuck, who was doing the same. The moment their lips met, she felt the same sensation she did the first time. Peace with a bit of reverence, love, passion, and for the first time, the overwhelming knowledge that she was home. When they'd finally separated, she cleared her throat, "Well, at least that hasn't changed much."
"No, it hasn't," He agreed, "Do you want to get out of here? Away from the peanut gallery?"
"I would love to," Sarah nodded, taking his offered hand and following him out the door.
