CHUCK VS. THE JILL RIDE
SUMMARY: Sarah and Jill must team up and work together in order to save and protect Chuck – which leads to some interesting conversations and confrontations. This story takes place some time in the second half of season two of "Chuck."
DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Chuck."
NOTE: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!
CHAPTER 3 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
"Holy crap!" Chuck repeated as he lay in bed with Sarah plastered against him on one side and Jill on the other side. Past events suddenly flooded his mind. Now he remembered! He was supposed to meet with Jill in that warehouse and get, what he had been told, was important information regarding Fulcrum. But they had been attacked. There was all of that gas and confusion and Sarah tried to help him and then…then what happened? His mind was a blank after that. But he had gone from a warehouse filled with gas and spies to a motel room bed with Sarah and Jill. How did that happen?
Well, it definitely wasn't a dream. He knew that much. Having dreams of being in a bed with two women definitely did not turn out like this, he thought. He tried to move again and this time, Sarah awoke. She opened her eyes and her head shot up when she saw him.
"Chuck! You're awake!" she said softly. And then she smiled. But as her eyes moved to Chuck's left, her expression darkened.
"Chuck!" Jill's voice exclaimed from that direction.
Chuck turned his head. Jill smiled. Then she frowned as her eyes moved to Chuck's right.
Chuck didn't say anything. He looked at Jill and then slowly turned his head back to the right and looked at Sarah. The two were in a face-off right above him. Neither looked happy. Chuck tried to think of something to say to ease the tension and end the lethal staring match. But before he could come up with anything, Sarah spoke.
"I need to talk to Chuck," she said firmly.
"Go right ahead, what's stopping you?" Jill countered.
"I need to talk to Chuck alone," Sarah replied.
"Ladies, how about we—" Chuck attempted as he started to rise up from the bed.
But a "Quiet Chuck! I'll handle this!" from Sarah and her firm hand shoving him back down onto the bed waylaid any mediation on his part.
"Out Jill! Go take a walk or something while I go over some things with Chuck!" Sarah commanded.
"Who do you think you are Agent Walker? Who put you in charge?" Jill argued.
It all felt like a movie or cartoon to Chuck as he could only watch and turn his head from one direction to the other as Sarah and Jill argued right above him. He wondered if he should be worried or concerned about the position he was in right now and the possibility of the two breaking out into a fight or struggle. It also occurred to him that some men would be envious of the very position that he was currently in. But Chuck certainly didn't feel lucky or fortunate right now.
He tried again to intercede. "Jill," he started.
"Shut up Chuck!" Jill commanded without so much as glance Chuck's way as she continued to look hatefully at Sarah.
"HEY!" Sarah countered. "Don't you talk to him like that!"
"Sarah," Chuck tried.
"Shut up Chuck!" she ordered. Then she turned back to Jill. "OUT! I need to talk to Chuck."
Jill snorted. "I'm not leaving Agent Walker."
"I am Chuck's handler and I need to talk privately with him."
"Well you certainly did HANDLE him well Agent Walker when you think about the mess that we are in right now."
"And how did we end up in this mess Jill? How exactly did we wind up here out in the middle of nowhere on our own? Who caused this? Who got us into this? If it wasn't for you Jill, we wouldn't even be—"
"May I remind you that if it wasn't for me, you might not be alive right now Agent Walker. I saved your life, saved it twice, remember? And may I also remind you that if it wasn't for me then Chuck would not be here, safe and alive. So if you need to talk to Chuck, you can also talk to me."
Sarah didn't think that she could feel any angrier than she already did. But she had quickly learned in the last encounter with Jill to never underestimate the effects that Chuck's ex and seeing Chuck with her had on her. She was so close to decking the brunette. But before she could say or do anything, Chuck spoke.
"What do you mean saved your life? Sarah?" Chuck asked as he twisted to rise and sit up on the bed, He turned toward Sarah and touched her face. "Are you hurt? Are you all right?"
Sarah said nothing. Instead, she leaned into his touch, relishing the feel of his hand and his concern. They both felt…wonderful. Her anger quickly faded as she enjoyed Chuck's attention.
"Sarah? Are you OK?" he repeated. His eyes were filled with alarm and worry.
God, he is wonderful, she thought to herself. He was gassed, drugged, kidnapped and unconscious and he's more concerned about me than himself. She loved his attention and seeing Jill's reaction to it. She reached up and grasped his hand. "I'm fine," she said with a smile.
"Fine?" he repeated with a skeptical look on his face.
Her smile got even wider as she had to repress a giggle. Her standard "Fine" response always did annoy Chuck. She squeezed his hand. "Really, really Chuck. I'm fine. Just a few bruises and maybe some scratches. Stop worrying, OK?"
He let out a breath in relief. "All right…good…that's good news," he said. Then his eyes scanned around the motel room, at Sarah and then at Jill, who he noticed still looked angry. He needed to defuse this.
"Now, can the two of you please tell me why the three of us are in a bed in a motel room," he asked with some trepidation. "Fully clothed in bed that is," he immediately added.
"We're on the run Chuck," Jill answered.
"On the run?" He looked puzzled as he repeated those words. He looked at Jill for a moment and then turned to Sarah. He looked inquiringly at her. Sarah nodded her head in confirmation.
He looked back at Jill and then back at Sarah. "And why are we on the run?" he asked slowly.
Sarah sighed. "What's the last thing you remember Chuck?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sarah told Chuck everything that happened from the time that he blacked out at the warehouse to their current situation. And Jill interjected many times. Chuck said nothing and just let both women talk. His expression changed a lot while they explained things, Sarah noticed. Concern, anger, distress, puzzlement and disbelief all appeared on his face at one time or another as he heard what happened. When they finished, he didn't say anything. He just seemed to be deep in thought as he took it all in.
Then he turned to Jill.
"Is that on the level?" he asked the brunette. "What you told Sarah?"
Jill looked hurt. "Chuck? How could you—"
"Jill!" Chuck interrupted. He held up one finger. "Let's not have that discussion again, OK? I thought we came to an agreement on that."
Jill stayed silent for a moment after he finished.
Discussion? Sarah thought. More evidence to confirm her suspicions about why Chuck had not been nervous at all about meeting with Jill in the warehouse. She needed to talk to him about this but it needed to be just the two of them. And when could they do that with this brunette bitch here? She glanced over at Jill.
Jill sighed and then said "It's on the level. I promise"
Chuck looked satisfied with Jill's answer. Then he turned to Sarah. "Have you been able to find out anything?" he asked.
This time it was Sarah's turn to sigh. "It's on the level Chuck," she said. "What exactly is going on, I'm not sure. But the men that took you were CIA. And that one agent said that they were taking you to protect you. I know him, I worked some cases with him. And I don't think he's Fulcrum, I don't think he would join them."
"So the CIA may be the ones who tried to kidnap me?" Chuck asked.
Sarah hesitated. In spite of all that she had seen and heard, she still had trouble believing it. "It's…possible," she told Chuck hesitatingly.
Chuck looked aghast. "Why would they kidnap me?"
"I don't know. Maybe they decided that they wanted complete control of the…." She stopped, not wanting to say "Intersect" with Jill around. So she looked at Chuck pointedly and then continued. "The project, maybe they wanted complete control of the project and decided to just take matters into their own hand."
"And they tried to kidnap me to do that? Can't they ask first? Don't they have to do some paperwork first? Can't they—"
"Chuck! As I said, I don't know what exactly is going on. But I do know that you are in danger. So we can't trust…well, we need to keep off the grid for right now," Sarah said.
Chuck looked at Jill and then back at Sarah. "And you're sure about that?" he asked.
Sarah nodded. "After Casey and I were assigned to you, we worked out some codes and other things in case…well, in case of a situation like this. And when I called Casey after we rescued you, he gave me one of those code phrases. So Jill is right. This situation is for real and we need to stay off the grid for right now."
Chuck stared off into space for a moment. "We have met the enemy and it is us," he muttered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Each of them took a turn showering. And after that, they sat in the motel room planning. Sarah noted that they would need to get rid of the car they had stolen as soon as possible and get another car before the police got alerts out. Jill pointed out that she needed some clothes so that she wouldn't have to wear her prison overalls any longer. They all needed some clothes if they were going on the run. And they would need things like toothpaste, tooth brushes, and other items. Chuck ended up making a list and after talking and planning for almost 30 minutes, he had a whole page filled up with items-to-get.
"I just thought of something that may be a problem," he said while scanning the list.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"Money, we need money. If we use credit cards, they'll track us and…."
"Don't worry about money. I have us covered," Sarah replied.
Both Chuck and Jill looked at her curiously. "I have an ATM card and a couple of credit cards set up under another name. They won't trace them to me. I always keep those with me in case of an emergency," she explained.
"An emergency like…this?" Chuck asked.
Sarah nodded. "So we can get money from any ATM or use the credit cards anywhere. They're safe. Don't worry."
"OK then. I guess we had better go find a store and get this stuff," Chuck said while waving the list.
Sarah got up. "No problem. There's a Large-Mart just down the street. I spotted it on the way in. Let's go," she said.
Jill got up too but Sarah stopped her. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Sarah asked the brunette.
She looked at Sarah, puzzled. Sarah indicated the prison overalls. "You'll draw attention, especially the wrong kind of attention going out in those," Sarah said. "So you had better wait here."
Jill frowned. "And then you and Chuck will take off without me," she accused.
"Jill!" Chuck exclaimed. He frowned at his ex-girl friend. "No, we would not!"
"Well I know you wouldn't Chuck. I have no doubt in my mind about that. But I wouldn't put it past Agent Walker to try something like that," Jill said.
Sarah didn't say anything. That accusation has some merit, she admitted to herself, because the idea had actually occurred to her.
"Jill, we will be right back, I promise," Chuck said.
"I know you will because I'm going with you. You and I can go to the store and she can wait here," Jill declared.
"I don't think so," Sarah immediately responded. She gestured again at Jill's prison overalls. "You can't go out in those. You have to wait here until we bring you back some clothes."
"I will wait in the car," Jill replied.
"That's certainly a switch," Chuck muttered.
Jill looked at him, puzzled.
"Never mind," he said. "It's just a private joke."
Sarah almost smiled. Then she turned to Jill. "You'll still draw attention in the car. You'll have to wait here."
"No way am I letting you go off alone with Chuck," Jill declared. She glared at Sarah. "You go to the store and get the clothes and supplies and Chuck and I will wait here for you."
Not a chance in hell, Sarah thought. But out loud, she replied: "And then you'll take off with Chuck and leave me behind."
"Sarah! No, we would not!" Chuck said.
"Like her Chuck, I trust you but I don't trust her," Sarah said. Then she turned and looked at Jill. "Well, then I guess we don't get any clothes or supplies. I guess we all just sit here."
Silence reigned for a few moments. Then Chuck declared, "No, we don't all just sit here. I'll go get the clothes and supplies. I'll go alone and you two wait here. It's the easy solution."
Both Sarah and Jill exclaimed his name at the same time and started protesting. He held up his hands for quiet. "Now everybody knows that I will come back, that I won't take off and run. So it's the only thing to do," he said.
He sat down on the bed and started putting on his Converses.
"Chuck, I don't know about that. You'll be out there by yourself and it may not be safe," Sarah warned.
"Have you seen any signs of tails or that anyone knows where we are?" Chuck asked.
Sarah shook her head.
"Then it's safe," he said. He stood up once his shoes were on and held out his hand to Sarah. "Could you give me that ATM card and the code and the car keys, please?"
Sarah gave them to him…reluctantly. He took them and then headed toward the door. Then he stopped and turned to Jill as he pulled the list and a pen out of his pocket. "I almost forgot. Jill, what are your sizes?" She told him and he wrote them down. Then he started to leave again.
"Chuck!" Sarah called out. "You'll need my sizes too," she said annoyed and a little hurt that he didn't think to ask her.
"Not to worry Sarah, I got you covered. Well, I didn't mean that I was going to cover you…I meant…never mind, I know your sizes, don't worry," he said.
"You know my sizes?" Sarah said in surprise.
"Sure! Remember? I bought that dress for you for your reunion," he replied.
"Chuck, that was just a dress. You'll need to know—"
He then rattled off the sizes of every article of clothing that she could wear and possibly wear. Sarah was surprised and flattered. The thought of Chuck knowing little things like that about her filled her with warmth. She looked at him fondly, hoping to catch his eye before he left. But then she saw Jill glaring at her.
"OK then," Chuck declared as he walked out the door, not noticing either woman's look. "I'm off and I'll be back as quick as I can."
And then Sarah and Jill were alone in the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sarah parted the curtains on the motel room's window and gazed outside. That had quickly become a habit the second after Chuck went to the store to get supplies. She was constantly checking for him. She knew it was too soon for him to get back from the store. It had been about 40 minutes. The Large Mart was just down the street but even with that, Sarah figured that it would take Chuck at least an hour to get there, get clothes and other supplies, and return to the motel room.
At least an hour, Sarah thought, maybe longer, probably much longer.
So she knew it was too soon to be looking out the window for Chuck. But she couldn't help it. She was worried. Worried that she had made a big mistake in letting him go off on his own. She should have gone with him. She should be by his side, protecting him, making sure that he was safe.
She glanced at Jill who sat in a chair on the other side of the motel room. Since Chuck had left, neither woman had said a word to the other. Sarah looked out the window again while Jill stood up and went to the television, grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. She channel surfed until settling on some travel documentary.
The TV was the only noise in the room for a while until Jill suddenly spoke up.
"Just say it."
"Excuse me?" Sarah asked.
"Whatever you want to say, just say it," Jill said firmly.
"What are you talking about?"
"Look, we're doing this for one reason and one reason only – Chuck. And while I don't expect us to be friends—"
"You got that right!" Sarah snapped.
Jill let out a sigh of frustration before she continued. "And while I don't expect us to be friends, we can at least be civil with each other while we're doing this. So if you could ease up on the dirty looks you keep giving me, that would be appreciated. And if talking about whatever is on your mind will help stop those dirty looks, then by all means, let it out."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah retorted.
Jill's head turned away from the television screen and she looked at Sarah with contempt in her eyes. The brunette remained quiet as if waiting for Sarah to speak up. Then she rolled her eyes and started talking again.
"Well then let me explain it to you Agent Walker. I'm talking about whatever it is that you're thinking when you give me those dirty looks. Meaning the dirty looks that you have been giving me ever since Chuck went to the store. They are the same dirty looks you've given me ever since you woke up in the car yesterday. And they are also the same dirty looks that you gave me when I got back together with Chuck months ago. And frankly, I'm getting tired of them. So whatever you want to say to me Agent Walker, say it and get it over with."
Sarah said nothing and turned away, choosing to stare out the window instead of having any further conversation with Jill.
"You might as well say it Agent Walker. I'm just going to keep bugging you until I find out why you're giving me those dirty looks," Jill said.
"FINE!" Sarah snapped as she turned back to glare at Jill. "When I was assigned to Chuck, I was given a file on his background. You were in that file. It didn't say much, just listed you as an ex-girl friend. But then as I got to know Chuck and his sister and his friends, I heard more and more about you. And the more I got to know Chuck and the more I found out about you, the more I…."
Sarah trailed off in her rant. The anger had built up in her to a point where she was now almost sputtering in fury. She paused a moment to try to regain control. But control was hard to gain. For some time, she had wanted to have this confrontation with Jill. It had been a long time in the making. And now that she finally had the chance, it felt hard to form the words. Finally, she just blurted it out.
"I do not understand how you could do what you did to Chuck back in college! Chuck is the sweetest, kindest, greatest guy I have ever known. And for you to break up with him and break his heart like you did in college – that was just one of the most cruelest and heartless acts I have ever seen. I will never understand how you could have done that to him – ESPECIALLY TO HIM! AND THEN YOU DID IT TO HIM AGAIN!"
Sarah had shouted those last words at the brunette. She surprised herself at how angry and furious she felt when confronting Jill about this. But she didn't care. For so long, she had heard so much from Ellie about the infamous Jill and how heartbroken Chuck was about her. And she had sometimes seen herself the looks of despair and sadness that formed on Chuck's face at the mere mention of the ex's name. And when Jill came back into his life that time and Sarah got to see the woman first hand and then had to see Jill betray Chuck again…it was just too much, way too much. She wanted to know why this woman had treated Chuck like that. And she wanted to know right now.
But Jill said nothing for a moment and just stared at the TV screen. When she finally spoke, she continued to stare at the TV, choosing not to look at Sarah.
"I didn't have any choice in breaking up with Chuck back in college. Fulcrum made me do it. I didn't want to break up with him. But I had to. They forced me. And while I don't expect you to believe me, joining Fulcrum was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And breaking up with Chuck was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I loved Chuck and hurting him was the last thing I ever wanted to do. If there was any way I could go back and change anything in my life, that would definitely be at the top of my list."
"Do you know how heartbroken he was after you did that? Do you really know what you did to him?"
Jill turned her head to glare at Sarah. "I said that I didn't have any choice Agent Walker! I was forced to do what I did!"
"Were you forced that second time? You didn't have to go out with Chuck on that date. You didn't have to start another relationship with him. Yet you did and you broke his heart again. Chuck didn't deserve that. Especially Chuck. You had choices Jill and you made those choices. And every time you chose to hurt Chuck," Sarah said giving the brunette one of those dirty looks that she complained about earlier. "And you want to know something else? Frankly, after meeting you and getting to know you, I have no idea why it took him so long to get over you."
At first, Jill's only reaction was a furious expression. She stayed quiet for a while. Then she took a deep breath as if to try to calm herself before speaking again. "You're right. Chuck didn't deserve that. And you're right. Chuck is the sweetest, kindest, greatest guy I have ever known. But just why was it such a crime that when I spotted him at the conference that I wanted to see him again? And for the record Agent Walker, he called me. I didn't call him for a date."
Sarah was tempted to point out to Jill that Chuck had been ordered by General Beckman to call for a date and that was the only reason he did. But she was too curious to hear what Jill had to say to interrupt.
The brunette paused, ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "You don't know how happy and delighted I was when he called and asked me out. I thought I might have another chance. But then it turned out that he was using me, trying to find out things out about my boss, and—"
"Chuck never used you!" Sarah protested. "That was real to him. He did want you back and he wanted another chance with you. At least he did until he found out you were a Fulcrum agent and that you were using him. And even after all that, he was going to help you, he was going to help you escape. But then you tried to kill me and—"
"I know Agent Walker, I know. I can still recite his speech after he locked me in the Nerd Herd car even after all this time. Believe me, I have never forgotten it and I never will forget it. I said it before and I'll say it again: breaking up with Chuck was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made and one of my biggest regrets. And that's why I'm hoping to get him back."
"WHAT?" Sarah exclaimed. Over my dead body, she immediately thought and turned to Jill and gave her a deathly glare. "You honestly think that Chuck would consider getting back together with you a third time? After all you did to him? Do you really think Chuck would do that?"
"And why not? Do you honestly think he'd prefer an assassin and seductress instead, Agent Walker?" Jill snarled.
Sarah was just about to shout back at Jill when the sounds of a key turning in the doorknob and the door swinging open interrupted their argument. Both Sarah and Jill whipped their heads toward the door as Chuck walked into the room loaded down with bags.
"OK, I got gifts for everyone," he said in jest as he kicked the door shut with his foot and dropped the bags to the floor.
Neither Sarah nor Jill said a word at his return. Chuck looked at both women with a little concern. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Sarah stared at Jill, who stood there in silence but then crouched down near the bags and started looking through them.
"Sarah?" Chuck asked with a worried look on his face.
"We're fine Chuck, we're fine," Sarah replied.
END CHAPTER 3