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: Please review this chapter! I want to know what you think! Thank you!
CHAPTER 6 – DRIVING TO DISTRACTIONS
At the moment, Sarah had no idea what time it was and how long she had been driving. The darkness of the road and the absence of other cars or anything around told her that it was late at night or early in the morning. And how the road looked the same and how it had looked the same for the past hour or so told her that she had been driving for a long time.
Still trying to fool and elude any possible pursuit, Sarah had added a new wrinkle to their traveling by altering when they drove and when they rested in a motel. So right now, it was time for some night traveling.
She glanced to her right at Chuck in the passenger seat. He was asleep with his head tilted back against the headrest of the seat. She smile slightly. How she wished she could pull over somewhere, turn off the car and then curl up with him and go to sleep. Much to her disappointment, he was still sleeping on the floor during their stopovers at motel rooms. While Sarah was grateful that he at least wasn't sleeping with Jill, she still wished that she could be with him. Lately she had really – really – wanted to have him next to her in bed. She hadn't been sleeping well at all these past few nights and she could recall how well she slept those times that she and Chuck spent the night together for cover. CIA agent Sarah Walker needs her nerd to snuggle with, she thought.
As amusing at that sounded inside her head, it was still the truth. More and more, when she got into the motel room bed each night or day, she kept wishing that Chuck would get up from the floor and get into the bed with her. She was hesitant to admit it because of feeling weak for thinking it, but she wanted and needed Chuck to hold her. And if she were being really truthful with herself, it wasn't just to help her sleep better. She wanted and needed assurance that she and Chuck were still…still what? Still OK? Still together? Still a couple? Still boyfriend and girlfriend? Still struggling with their thing under their undercover thing?
Sarah almost slammed her hand against the steering wheel in frustration. How to exactly define what she and Chuck were and what they meant to each other? That really compounded all of the things that Jill said to her.
She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Jill's sleeping form stretched out across the back seat. And for about the millionth time since this road trip started, she wished that Jill wasn't here. Not in the car, not in the same city, not in the same state, not in the same country, not even on this planet. Not anywhere near Chuck.
The latest argument that she and Jill had was still fresh in her mind. She had been replaying it over and over since it happened. Was Jill right? Was that chance for a relationship with Chuck hers for the taking?
And what about what Jill said about fighting and working for a relationship. That made sense, Sarah thought. If she wanted Chuck, she needed to fight and work for him. She just couldn't sit around and wait for it to magically happen. Especially with Jill and every other brunette on the planet wanting him, she fumed.
Sarah shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Taking relationship advice from Jill was probably not the smartest thing to do. She still marveled at how Chuck's ex knew where to strike and hit with words and accusations. Especially where Chuck was concerned.
And other things that Jill said made sense. Or at least they seemed to. What little she saw of her own parents together told her that a good relationship doesn't just happen. The man and wife or boy friend and girl friend need to work at making a good relationship. But then what do I know about relationships? Sarah thought. Since her dad had gotten carted away by the authorities when she was in high school, she had been on her own. Not just on her own but alone. She had never had a relationship, at least not a real relationship.
And now Jill was back and after Chuck again. Sarah was not going to let that happen. She wanted him for herself. But how to do that? Fight for it! Work for it! echoed in her mind again. Battling enemy agents seemed easier and less scary than dealing with relationship issues. She wondered how Chuck would react if she discussed it with him. And how he'd react if Jill asked to get back together with him. Surely he wouldn't…would he? she thought. Then a smile formed on her face as she could almost hear Chuck answering that question with a "NO! I am not getting back with Jill. And don't call me Shirley!" He had once pulled that "Surely/Shirley" line on her and when she looked puzzled at him, he immediately shook his head and announced, "I'm going to spend the rest of my life updating your movie watching, aren't I? OK, 'Airplane' is next on the movie watching list."
She had smiled and only partially succeeded in suppressing a snicker after he had said that. He then looked at her in mock sternness and declared "I'm serious!"
She knew that. But she hadn't snickered to make fun of him. It was him saying spend the rest of my life. It had thrilled her incredibly at the time. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. It had felt wonderful to hear that. It had….
"SARAH!"
Chuck's cry caused Sarah's attention to refocus on driving. The car was way over on the left side of the road and heading toward…. Sarah cursed, quickly turned the steering wheel right, regained control and slowed down a little. She chastised herself and shook her head.
"What's happening? What's going on?" Jill's sleepy voice inquired from the back seat.
"Nothing Jill! Just trying to avoid an animal in the road," Chuck answered.
The brunette repositioned herself on the seat and went back to sleep.
Chuck looked at Sarah with concern. "Pull over and stop and let me do the driving for a while so that you can get some rest."
"Chuck, I'm fine. I just…."
"No, you are not fine. Stop the car and let me drive. You need to get some rest."
She took a quick glance at him. His face was filled with worry and concern. He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Sarah, come on. Take a break. You've done more than your share of driving today. It's my turn…OK?"
She didn't know why but his request annoyed her. Having to turn the driving over to him made her feel weak or as if she failed. But she could also detect a slight tone of pleading in his voice. He is really worried, she thought, and my mind was drifting a lot. She slowed down the car, pulled over to the side of the road and then stopped.
"Fine!" she huffed. It came out louder than she intended. But it still annoyed for some reason. She jerked the gear into park and without a glance his way, shoved open the door and walked around the car to the passenger side. As she opened the front door and got in, she could see him scooting over to the driver's side and adjusting the seat back. She put on her seat belt, leaned back in the seat, crossed her arms and shut her eyes.
He put the car in gear and got back on the road. "Sarah?" he said softly.
She ignored him, pretending to be asleep.
"Sarah?" Chuck repeated.
She still said nothing.
"Come on Sarah. We both know you're not asleep."
Sarah opened her eyes and turned to him. "And just how would you know that?" she asked.
"I can tell."
She looked at him skeptically. "You can tell?" she snorted.
"Yes, I can tell whether you're asleep or not."
And just how could he tell? she wondered. They had not done that many cover sleepovers. Or had they? He couldn't know my sleep patterns and habits from those…could he?
Then she noticed that he was looking at her intently. She returned his look.
"It's all right to be sleepy…OK?" he said softly.
She kept up her look. "It's my job to—"
"It's all right to be sleepy," he emphasized. "Being tired doesn't make you any less incredible than you already are."
She smiled fondly at him. "You think I'm incredible?"
"I don't think, I know you are incredible."
The smile that had formed on her face got even larger. She knew that he thought highly of her. But it always made her feel special to hear him say it. His compliments and praise always touched her and thrilled her. She reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Well, for the record, you're incredible too," she said.
"Yeah, I know, the Intersect—"
"That has nothing to do with it," she reprimanded him sharply. "You – you – are incredible!"
Chuck looked at her oddly. "You must be really tired," he said.
"Why do you do that? Cut yourself down like that? Underrate yourself?"
He started to say something but then a big yawn erupted from her. He smiled at her. "See? Tired!"
She smiled at him and said nothing. And then weariness did overtake her. She stretched a little and yawned again. She glanced back at Jill. "I wish I could lie down," she muttered.
"I'll keep an eye out for a motel and we'll stop as soon as I find one," he said.
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Sarah felt herself being pulled upright and then arms tucking under her and picking her up. She started to protest but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She was just too tired and sleepy. She leaned her head against a chest. It felt familiar and smelled familiar. Chuck! she thought. He was carrying her somewhere. She wanted to speak up and ask where they were and what was going on but she couldn't generate the energy to talk. She was just too tired. But she wasn't worried, not worried at all. This was Chuck. Chuck would take care of her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
He carried her very gently. She felt him turn around and then he appeared to lean against something. She heard a door squeak open and then things felt different, quieter.
She felt herself being lowered onto something soft. Then his arms were letting her go and unclamping her arms from him. He was leaving her. She tried to protest but the words still wouldn't come. How did I get so tired? Sarah wondered. Then her senses tried to figure out where she was. Cloth…sheets…blankets. Chuck had put her on a bed. He moved her over so that her head rested on a pillow. Then she felt her shoes coming off and then a blanket put over her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice cried out for him to not stop with her shoes, to take off more. And to get into the bed with her. And then she fell asleep.
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Sarah opened her eyes. She quickly checked her surroundings. She was in a bed. Alone. She glanced to her left. Another bed was beside hers and she could see the form of Jill sleeping in it. Sarah's eyes darted rapidly around the room.
Chuck! Where was Chuck? And how did they get into a motel room? The last thing she clearly remembered was falling asleep in the car. Then partial and vague memories and images of him carrying and putting her to bed came to her mind. That had seemed like a dream. But now she could see that actually had happened.
She sat up in bed and glanced down at the floor. Chuck! The sight of him soothed and comforted her. She rolled over onto her side to get a better look at him, to really look at him. He was asleep. He had told her last night that he could tell when she was asleep. She didn't say anything at the time but she could tell when he was asleep too. She studied his face, looking at his closed eyes and his slightly open mouth. She leaned forward more, watched him and enjoyed the feelings that filled her. But it was only a momentary respite. As she lay back onto the bed and the motel ceiling filled her vision, one troubling thought flooded her mind. How did Jill know all of those things about Chuck? She had suspicions. Suspicions that she had avoided thinking. Suspicions that something had been going on with him and Jill before this trip. And something he had said to Jill on that first day after they rescued him came back to her.
"Is that on the level? 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."
"Let's not have that discussion again!" he had said. Had he and Jill somehow been in communication with each other before this whole mess started? Maybe way before? What he said confirmed some suspicions that she had before the meeting with Jill at the warehouse took place. Sarah thought back to when those suspicions started. Things had not exactly been going well for the two of them at the time. And Chuck had been moody. She remembered that day….
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"What?" Sarah said trying to keep her jaw from dropping in surprise.
"I'm sorry, I'm kind of busy, I can't make it," Chuck replied.
The two were standing at the Nerd Herd counter in the BuyMore and Sarah had suggested they go on a date. She had been concerned about him as he had not been the Chuck that she was used to. He seemed down and depressed. And she admitted to herself that he hadn't exactly had a lot to be happy about lately. She knew she had really hurt him when she nixed spending some time with him in the suburbs house. Then Cole Barker had come along. And he had his hopes destroyed of getting the Intersect out of his head when Orion got killed. And if that wasn't enough, Beckman's talk to him after that with her admitting that she WANTED him to keep being the Intersect certainly put a damper on his life. No, there's nothing at all for Chuck to be depressed about, is there? Sarah thought sarcastically.
But that was why she suggested a date. She wanted to try to cheer him up and thought spending some time together would help a little.
"Where are you going? What are you doing?" she asked.
He looked annoyed and rolled his eyes in response.
"Chuck! It is my job to protect you and I need to know where you are at all times."
"Yes, I know. It's YOUR JOB to be with me. Then IF you have to know, Morgan and I are going to play video games. OK?"
Although she couldn't blame him for sounding annoyed, she wasn't used to him acting like this. And she didn't like him feeling bad. She needed to do something. "Chuck, you can play video games with Morgan any time. We need to spend time together. We need to solidify the cover, especially after our getting back together from that breakup," she said.
Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. If he looked annoyed before, he looked angry now. She had to stop herself from wincing. Playing the agent-asset card in order to spend time with him was a bad way to go about this right now. But it was all she had while under Casey's surveillance.
"I'm sorry. I'm busy," he replied sharply. And then he started to walk away.
She grabbed his arm and then read him the riot act about the importance of the cover and national security and doing what was needed for that. And he finally agreed. Rather grudgingly and hesitatingly agreed, she noticed. But she could be plenty persuasive when she wanted to be. And she WANTED to be. Truthfully she wanted and needed to be with him. She didn't like how things had been off with them since all that had happened.
They had seemed off even more after Orion had gotten killed. Sarah wondered if that Intersect creator had said or done something to Chuck to contribute to that. When she visited him in his bedroom after everything that had happened with Orion, Vincent and Beckman and talked with him, she kept feeling that something was wrong or off. That whole conversation that they had just didn't feel quite right. Chuck said that he still trusted her but that too just didn't feel right. Her instincts were on edge when she left him after their talk. So she checked all of the surveillance footage since they had gotten that computer from Orion. There wasn't anything in the Castle tapes. But the tapes of his room from that evening through to the next morning had been suspiciously destroyed. Even her conversation with Chuck was deleted. Casey was at a loss as to the cause and that compounded her suspicions. Orion may be gone but Sarah still thought that something had happened or something Orion said or did added to that gap between her and Chuck. It also didn't help that Ellie had persuaded him to break up with her for a while in the middle of all of this. She was still furious with his sister about that.
Yes, there definitely had been more days than usual in which Chuck was down and depressed. And Sarah wanted to do something about that. She wanted Chuck – her Chuck – back and she wanted to bridge that gap and get them back to where they were. And in order to that, they needed to spend time together. So they were going to spend time together tonight whether he wanted to or not.
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Chuck and Sarah sat together on the edge of the fountain outside of the Bartowski apartment relaxing. They had just finished a delicious dinner with Ellie and Devon and had wandered outside for "some quiet time" as Sarah had put it when she suggested this to Chuck in front of his sister.
Having dinner with Ellie and Devon was not exactly what Sarah had wanted for spending time with him. She preferred to be alone with him. But the dinner with his sister and her fiancé was the best she could manage. He had put up a quite a fight against doing this cover maintenance tonight. With him being so down from all that happened, the cover dating was probably more annoying to him than usual. She knew that he didn't like living a lie and she knew that he wanted something real with her. She wanted something real with him. But she couldn't right now. Especially right now with Beckman really on edge after everything that had happened with Orion. So she played the cover date card so that they could have something – anything – with each other. In truth, she enjoyed the cover dates because she got to be with him. At times he seemed to enjoy them. And other times, he seemed frustrated by them. Like right now.
She could easily tell that he was bothered by it and probably everything else all night. He was a little off, a little not with it, a little not-Chuck tonight. All through dinner, although he seemed pleasant enough and seemed to be enjoying himself, Sarah could see things that tipped her off about that, little nuances that she picked up on from knowing him so well. Like the way he kept gripping his fork tightly while he ate his food, at how he ate quickly as if he was trying to get the evening over with as soon as possible and the frowns that she saw on his face every now and then.
But now that they were alone, she hoped that he would talk to her and open up about everything that had been bothering him. But he kept silent. And he seemed tense. I guess I'll have to help with that tension, Sarah thought happily.
She moved her foot against his foot and ankle and stroked. Chuck looked down at their encountering feet and then at her inquiringly. She smiled, snuggled against his side and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Put your arm around me Chuck," she suggested.
He sighed. "Is it really necessary? No one is watching us?"
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. All the drapes are closed on the windows and Ellie is not peaking out of them. 'The Mentalist' is on right now. That's one of Ellie's favorite shows. So she's watching that, not us," he replied.
Dammit, this feels nice. And his arm around me would make it even nicer. Can't he just play along and have some fun? she thought.
"Chuck! Just put your arm around me. It's for the cover," she said out loud.
Too late, she realized, that was the wrong thing to say. He immediately scooted away from her with an annoyed look on his face. Uh oh, she thought, here it comes now, he's going to complain about cover maintenance again. And he did. But not in the way she expected.
"I need a break from this," he said.
Panic immediately sprang up in her. What did he say? Break up? No! He didn't, did he? she thought frantically.
Before she could reply, he continued. "I need a break from this…this cover maintenance stuff Sarah. I wish this was…well, I want…well it doesn't matter I guess. I just need a break from this pretending. I need to be in the real world for a change."
"What are you talking about? What's going on?"
He stood up and faced her. "I just want to take a break…like five days or a week from this fake dating or cover maintenance or whatever you want to call it and have some time to myself. OK? Can we just not have to do this stuff for a while? That would be OK, wouldn't it?"
No, it would not be OK. She didn't want that. If they did that, when would she see him? She wanted to be with him. And how would they heal this gap and get things back to the way they were?
"Would that be OK?" he repeated as he looked at her for an answer.
Sarah didn't know what to say. So she nodded.
"OK. Thank you. I'll see you in a few days or so." And with that, he turned around and walked back into the apartment. She had almost reminded him to kiss her good night as part of the cover but then stopped as she wondered if he would have.
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Sarah glanced at her watch and looked out the window toward the front of the BuyMore. Her watch confirmed that it had been about two minutes since the last time she checked. And there was still no Chuck walking out of the store and heading toward the Orange Orange for lunch.
She sighed. Third day in a row, lunch time came and no Chuck. She checked her iPhone for what felt like the hundredth time today. No missed calls, no voice mails, no texts. Third day in a row without a visit, a phone call or message from Chuck. Three days, three lonely days, Sarah pondered. She eyed the BuyMore doors, wishing for and willing that tall, brown-haired nerd to walk through them and march over here to the Orange Orange. But no such luck.
Had it been only three days? It had seemed like three weeks. He said he wanted five days off from the cover dating. And evidently that included not seeing and not talking to her. Not talking to her at all. She checked her iPhone again. Not even one text from him!
And since there hadn't been any assignments from Beckman and he hadn't flashed, there hadn't been any reason for him to come to the Orange Orange or to the Castle. Except to see her. Which he usually did. But not since he took this break, Sarah lamented.
She thought briefly about calling Casey and seeing if she could find out anything. She had done that yesterday, trying to hide the fact that she was calling about Chuck. But Casey, well aware of the break due to the surveillance, had seen right through her, smirked a "He's fine Walker! But if you don't believe it, you can ask one of the brunettes that are visiting him!" and hung up.
You had better kidding John Casey! she vowed after pocketing her iPhone. More than likely the NSA agent was pushing her buttons. But still, the possibility of Chuck meeting someone else or seeing someone else during this break concerned her a little. Well, maybe more than a little, she admitted.
She tried to tell herself to suck it up because she had done this before. This wasn't the first time that she had to go on her own. Lou, Jill, so third time? Or fourth time? She had trouble remembering for sure because she tried to forget those times, times that she had to spend without or away from Chuck.
Well, at least this is just a break, not a breakup. But she couldn't believe how much she missed him. It's been just three days, three days! Get a grip! she berated herself. But no Chuck, no Chuck at all. It was…what was it?
Lonely, disappointing, empty, sad, frustrating immediately came to mind. She wondered if she should try popping in on him at the BuyMore or calling him. How would he act if she made a surprise visit?
The door to the Orange Orange opened diverting Sarah from her thoughts. She looked up, hoping for her tall, dark-haired nerd. This visitor was tall and dark haired but not Chuck. Ellie.
"Hi Sarah!" Ellie greeted her brightly but Sarah could tell that something was on the mind of the Bartowski sister.
"Hi Ellie," Sarah returned the greeting civilly. Although Ellie had been the same friendly and warm older Bartowski at dinner the other night and acted like all was normal and the same, Sarah was still not quite ready to forgive and forget. Persuading Chuck to break up with her was still a sore point. But she reminded herself that she needed to be nice to Ellie for Chuck's sake. "What brings you here? Do you need a yogurt fix?" she asked while she formed a smile on her face.
"That would be nice. Scoop some up for me and yourself as well. My treat. I'll take vanilla, you get whatever flavor you want and let's sit here and talk."
Talk? She DOES have something on her mind, Sarah thought as she scooped some portions into separate cups for her and Ellie. She walked over to the table where Ellie sat and joined her.
"What's on your mind?" Sarah asked.
"Hopefully what's on your mind," the older Bartowski responded with a smile.
Sarah said nothing in reply but she couldn't keep a genuine smile from forming on her own face as the image of Chuck came to her mind.
"I can always tell when you're thinking of Chuck," Ellie said. "You get this certain gleam or sparkle in your eyes."
Sarah felt a blush forming as Ellie looked at her waiting for a confirmation. Sarah diverted the conversation. "You wanted to ask me something about Chuck?" she inquired.
Ellie nodded and then got to it. "Did you two have a fight or argument or something?"
Sarah hesitated to answer. She had to be careful here. She didn't know what, if anything, Chuck had told his sister about the break they were currently on. "Why are you asking?" she finally settled on.
"Chuck has been…well, kind of moping or down. I'm not really sure. I tried to talk to him about what was bothering him but he was more tight-lipped than usual. I couldn't get a thing out of him. So I was wondering if you knew anything."
What to say? How to say it? Sarah thought. "I know Chuck has been down lately. But I'm not sure about what the cause is. So I'm in the dark too," she said. But memories of the suburbs home, Cole Barker and Orion filled her head.
Ellie nodded again. She scooped a spoonful of frozen yogurt to her mouth. After she swallowed, she stared down at the cup and seemed to be trying to decide on whether or not to say anything more.
"Is there something else?" Sarah asked.
And for the third time, Ellie nodded. "I don't know if it's related to how he has been acting but…well, it caused me some concern and…well, I was wondering if you knew anything about it."
"Anything about what?"
"The day of our dinner, before it, that afternoon when Chuck got home from the BuyMore, he had just gotten the mail and was looking through it near the kitchen. I walked into the room and came up behind him. I guess he didn't hear me because he didn't turn his head or greet me or anything, he just kept looking through the mail. It looked like just bills and junk mail. But then he came to this one envelope and…well, I only got a quick look at it because when I saw it, it surprised me and I guess I gasped or something, because Chuck realized I was there and he quickly stuffed it in his pocket."
"Ellie, what was so surprising about this letter?"
"As I said, I only got a quick look…but…well, I swear that there was something on there that had a prison address or something like that on it. I asked him about it but I couldn't get anything out of him," Ellie explained. She paused to eat some more yogurt. Then she turned and looked directly at Sarah. "Why would Chuck be getting a letter from a prison? He doesn't know anybody in prison…does he?"
Oh yes he does, Sarah thought with dread and anger. Jill! Jill is in prison. Is that bitch trying to get him in her clutches again?
"Sarah?"
Ellie brought Sarah out of her thoughts about Jill. She turned to Chuck's sister and looked inquiringly at her.
"Do you know anything about this?" Ellie questioned. "For a second there, you looked…you looked really, REALLY, angry."
"Sorry Ellie. I was just concerned and worried about Chuck," Sarah replied. "Did the envelope have Chuck's name and address typed or in handwriting."
"Handwriting."
Well, more indication that the letter could be from Jill, Sarah raged. It definitely wasn't a form letter or a bulk mailout. She looked at Ellie. "I don't know what is going on here Ellie. But I'm going to find out," she said firmly.
Ellie smiled. "Good. And you will let me know what is going on?"
Sarah thought for a moment. If this letter was from Jill, it might be risky for Ellie to find out too much. "If I find out anything, I want to talk to Chuck first. I'm sorry Ellie, but Chuck comes first with me. So I'll need to talk to him before I tell you anything. I'm sorry if—"
"No, no, don't apologize Sarah. You're thinking of Chuck. And that makes you all the better in my eyes," Ellie replied. She stood up and tossed her empty yogurt cup and spoon in the trash. "I need to get back to work. Let me know what happens, OK? If you can't tell me all of the details, at least let me know if things are OK."
"I will Ellie. And thank you for letting me know about this. I have been concerned about Chuck for a while. Now maybe I can get some answers," Sarah said.
The second Ellie left, Sarah got out her iPhone and called Casey.
"What is it Walker?" Casey answered after the second ring.
"Is Chuck in the store right now?"
"Walker, you do know the definition of a break, right?"
"Casey, I do not want to talk to Chuck, I just need to know if he is in the store right now."
"Negative. He went out on a service call," the NSA agent responded after a moment. And then he added, "Why are you asking? What's this all about?"
"I need to go to his apartment and search his room. I'm leaving right now. Keep me posted on his whereabouts and if he comes anywhere near his apartment. I don't want him knowing about this," Sarah explained.
"What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. Ellie just came in here and was concerned about some things. So I want to go search his apartment right now."
"Is the geek in trouble?" Casey asked.
"As I said, I'm not sure. I'll let you know later." And with that, Sarah ended the call, locked up the Orange Orange and went to Chuck's apartment.
She felt a little guilty for invading his privacy like this but convinced herself that it was for his safety and well being. She searched his room thoroughly for that letter that Ellie saw but found nothing. No letter, no envelope from a prison, nothing from Jill. Not a thing or trace of Jill anywhere in his room. Maybe Ellie was mistaken, maybe I overreacted about this, she thought. She was relieved but still a little concerned.
And two days later, Chuck ended the break and seemed in a better mood, much to Sarah's relief. She wanted to ask him about that letter but wasn't sure how without revealing her snooping. She didn't think it would be a good idea to add to everything else that had happened between them lately. And then the meeting with Jill came up.
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Sarah turned her head away from the motel room ceiling and down to the floor where Chuck slept. She had been avoiding the obvious answer to how Jill knew so much. She had been avoiding that answer because she didn't want to think it or believe it. But with everything that had happened, it was the only conclusion. She couldn't avoid it or hide from it any longer; she had to face the facts.
Chuck had been talking to Jill before that meeting in the warehouse took place. That's why he wasn't worried or nervous about meeting with her then. And that's how Jill knew so much. He had been talking and meeting with her before then.
END CHAPTER 6