CHUCK VS. THE BAD & ABNORMAL & HORRIBLE LIFE

SUMMARY: Once again, Chuck wakes up into that normal life he craves so much and it includes a loving wife and daughter and a home. But that life is anything but normal. Sequel to "Chuck Vs. The Good & Normal & Wonderful Life."

DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Chuck."

NOTE: This chapter and the others to follow will be longer.I hope that's OK with you. And please review!

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CHAPTER 2 – MEMORIES

Sarah cursed silently. She had been so concerned and worried about Chuck that she hadn't been more aware of where she was. Ellie had walked right into the hospital room and heard that Jill was responsible for Chuck's kidnapping. Sarah looked at Casey as Ellie continued in her tirade about Jill. He looked upset. Upset, Sarah thought, more like pissed. Sarah tried to think of some other way out of this but quickly realized that there wasn't. They had to tell Ellie the truth. At least part of it.

Sarah looked again at Casey. He stared back with an expression like 'No way am I doing this." Sarah rolled her eyes and turned her head to face Ellie, who had finally stopped talking and awaited an answer from them.

"Yes Ellie, Jill is involved," Sarah said.

Ellie said nothing in response. But her eyes blazed. She looked back at Sarah and then looked at Casey, waiting for them to say something more. Once again, Casey said nothing but his eyes silently communicated to Sarah. "Your call!" they seemed to say.

Sarah sighed and then spoke again. "As near as we can determine, after Chuck and I got back to the apartment after our date, Jill was hiding and waiting. She knocked me out and then took Chuck. John was just telling me this when you walked in. We've notified the police about this and hopefully they'll find Chuck."

"So Jill did this?" Ellie asked.

Sarah nodded.

"I always hated that bitch," Ellie spat.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Chuck sat at the picnic table bench outside the cabin watching Victoria play in the small sand pit nearby. He wished he felt better. He wasn't in any pain any more but he sure felt weak. He had felt this way all day. He complained about it to Jill who told him it was normal considering the accident that he had been in.

The accident, he thought. He couldn't remember anything about the accident. Jill assured him that was also normal.

And the strange thing was that he also couldn't remember much about the past few days. Jill had told him that the three of them had come to Benford State Park and rented a cabin for a vacation to relax after that auto accident he had. And it had been a wonderful vacation so far, she said. They had gotten away from the city and the crowds. They had peace and quiet, swimming, relaxing, walking trails, cooking outdoors and indoors, and a lot of other things. At least they had until he and Vicky – Victoria he quickly amended – had fallen down that gulley.

And he couldn't remember that either. Two accidents and I can't remember anything about either one of them?

"Chuck, that's—" Jill started to say.

"I know, I know. That's normal," he finished. Jill had been using the word "normal" a lot ever since his headache lessened and he was able to move around freely.

Jill. Thinking about her took him back to the days when they first met at Stanford, how they had become friends, how they hung out together and how he fell in love with her and she with him. They stayed together and spent every moment they could while they were at Stanford. They graduated in the same year and they went through the same graduation ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, when all of the graduates filed out of the auditorium, Chuck raced to find her. The two of them were supposed to meet and then get together with both of their families for a celebratory dinner. But before that, while they were alone, Chuck wanted to ask Jill something.

A few minutes later, he spotted her by a tree outside of the auditorium, glancing in every direction, looking for him. He rushed over to her and they embraced.

"We did it!" Chuck proclaimed happily. "We made it through college!"

"Next stop, the world," Jill declared.

"No, the next stop is life, hopefully, our life together," he replied as he removed his arms from around her and then he reached down into his pocket for a little black box that he had been saving for some time.

Jill looked puzzled. And when Chuck dropped down to one knee, her jaw dropped and her eyes grew big. He pulled out the box, opened it up to reveal an engagement ring and looked up hopefully at her.

"We've graduated and now we'll go out into the real world. I can't think of anyone who I'd rather have with me to face everything the world has to offer and throw at me than you Jill. I want us to face it all together. I love you and I want to be with you forever. So Jill Roberts, will you marry me?" Chuck said.

Jill started crying. She smiled hugely, nodded her head repeatedly and then said "Yes!" again and again and again.

They each got jobs, her in pharmaceuticals, he in software, and months later married and had been ever since. That was a little over seven years ago. Vicky – Victoria, he corrected himself -- had been born a little over three years ago. And everything was still great and wonderful in their marriage.

At least until this accident, Chuck thought again miserably as he stared at their daughter rolling and pushing her toys about in the sand. He felt hands on the back of his shoulder. He turned and found a smiling Jill.

"You OK?" she asked.

"I guess," he replied.

She sat down on the bench next to him. She looped an arm through his, leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Are you still frustrated and upset because you can't remember the accident or coming to this park for our vacation?"

"Yeah," he said with sigh.

Jill reached over and gripped his hand. "Just give it time Chuck. It will all be fixed soon."

"Fixed?" Chuck asked, puzzled by her use of that word.

"Come back to you, I mean it will come back to you. It will all come back to you and you'll remember it all soon," Jill quickly responded.

I hope so, Chuck thought as he again turned his head toward Victoria playing. He studied the young girl. She had Jill's straight dark hair. Not one of my insane curls, he thought gratefully. She also had Jill's eyes. Her nose looked like his.

Victoria stopped playing, frowned and studied something intently in the sand. She turned her head toward Chuck.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"Yes Victoria?"

"Can you fix this?" she asked and held up one of her toy cars.

Chuck stood up and took one step and then had to stop. He suddenly felt dizzy. He leaned over a little and put his hand on the picnic table to steady himself. Jill was instantly against him and helped him. "Easy, easy," she said.

Chuck took a deep breath. The dizziness passed but he still felt weak. For crying out loud, he cursed silently. I'm just trying to walk three or four steps not move a building. What it's going to take for me to feel normal again? He smiled at Jill. "I'm OK now," he assured her and loosened her grip on him. Jill looked skeptical but said nothing.

He slowly walked over to the small sand pit and crouched down beside Victoria. He took the small toy car from her hand and looked at it closely.

"That's from Batman," she noted.

Suddenly an image appeared in Chuck's mind. He stood in the Nerd Herd station and in front of him was a beautiful blonde woman. Standing nearby was a bearded man. The woman smiled inquiringly at him, as if waiting for some explanation. "That's from Batman," he said. The woman smiled and replied "Cause that makes it better."

Who, what was that? Chuck thought. The woman's face burned into his mind as if she was someone important to him. He couldn't get that face out of his head. Who was she? WHO WAS SHE?

"Daddy?"

Chuck was startled out of his thoughts by his daughter's voice. "What…what Victoria?" he asked.

"My car?"

"Oh…yeah," he replied. He looked at the toy Batmobile. A wheel was missing. He glanced down in the sandpit. "See the wheel anywhere honey? We need to find it first," he said as he crouched down alongside his daughter to look for the missing toy wheel.

It took Chuck a while to find it. He kept seeing that blonde woman's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They spent most of the day outside. Before lunch, they walked on one of the nature trails. Chuck still felt tired and had to stop and rest a lot. Fortunately, there were plenty of rest stops or "Buzzards' Roosts" as they were so named along the trail. Jill didn't seem to mind the frequent rest stops. During one stop, she sat with Chuck and leaned against him while they watched Victoria looking off the trail for wildlife. She thought she saw some deer and started to run after them.

"Victoria! Stay right here! Do NOT run off!" Jill commanded.

"But mommy, there are some—"

"I don't care what you see. That's off of the trail and you HAVE to stay on the trail and stay near us," Jill said firmly.

Victoria pouted. She turned away from both Jill and Chuck and didn't look their way for the next few minutes.

"Sorry," Chuck whispered.

"For what?"

"Well, I'm slowing down things and being a burden to you and Victoria."

"Chuck, this is a walking trail, not a race track. We're walking and taking things slow. There's no need to rush around on this. And she really isn't supposed to go off the trail. She'll get over it really quick as there are other things for her to do – swimming, the playground. And she'll get to do them later. So she'll get over it."

Chuck shook his head and let out a breath. "I just wish I would quit feeling so weak and would feel normal."

Jill looked directly at him. "You were in a car accident and it's going to take a while to recover and get back to normal. It will just take time. And fortunately, we have lots of time. OK?"

"OK," he replied.

She leaned forward and kissed him. When she pulled back, she smiled and then whispered "How about we do something…normal tonight, after Victoria is asleep." She kept smiling at him.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Victoria called.

"Yes?" both Chuck and Jill said.

"Can we go now?"

"You ready?" Jill asked Chuck.

"Yeah! Let's move on!" he said as he stood up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later in the day, after lunch, they went swimming in the lake. They had the area all to themselves and swam and splashed in the water. Well, Jill and Victoria get to swim while I sit around, Chuck lamented to himself. He sat on the shore watching his wife and daughter laughing while they spent time in the water. He had tried to do some swimming but the most he could manage was some wading before his strength gave out. So he stood in the water for a while and then went ashore to sit and watch.

Dammit, I can't even wade alongside my gorgeous wife while she's in a swim suit, he moaned silently.

He marveled at Jill's good looks and at how spectacular she looked. The one piece, green swimsuit clung to her body and showed off her beautiful form.

How lucky can I get, to be married to someone as beautiful as her and to have a daughter with her, Chuck mused.

Eventually, Jill and Victoria came in from the water. Victoria sat down and started playing on the shore. Jill walked back to where Chuck was sitting. She smiled spectacularly at him and bent over to retrieve some toy shovels and buckets. Chuck couldn't help but stare at her body. Jill noticed and smiled even bigger. She took the toy tools down to Victoria. After telling her to stay where she was playing and not go into the water, Jill came back to where Chuck sat. They sat together and faced toward Victoria, keeping an eye on her.

Jill moved against Chuck, pressing as much skin as possible against him.

"I'm—"

"Chuck, if you apologize again for being a damper on things, I'm going to commit some acts of violence on you," Jill warned.

He grinned and said nothing.

Jill reached over with one hand and stroked his arm and then his chest. "Mmmmmmm," she sighed.

He looked at her. "Tonight," she promised. Her eyes said much more.

Chuck then felt a shiver pass through him. But it was not a shiver of delight or anticipation. It was in fear. What's wrong with me? he thought. Why would I be scared of my own wife?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They grilled some hamburgers on the outdoor grill by the cabin for dinner. They were all hungry and the food tasted extra delicious. After dinner, they played some board games. As the evening wore on, Chuck started feeling tired. And around 7:30pm, when Victoria yawned, Jill declared that it was time for the youngster to go to bed. She protested a little but kept yawning. They walked her to one of the bedrooms. As she got ready for bed, she begged for a story.

"Daddy, you want to do the honors?" Jill asked Chuck.

Chuck looked at the stack of books on the small table next to the bed and his eyes instantly went to the "Harry" titles – "Harry the Dirty Dog," "Harry and the Lady Next Door," and "Harry Goes to the Beach."

"I remember these. I read them when I was a kid," he noted as he pulled out "Harry and the Lady Next Door."

He sat on the edge of Victoria's bed and read about how a neighbor's singing voice annoyed Harry the dog. By the time, he finished reading, Victoria was barely awake. Both he and Jill leaned over, kissed her good night. They walked together to door of the bedroom and glanced back. Victoria was asleep. They turned off the light and shut the door.

The second the door was shut, Jill leaned forward, wrapped her arms around Chuck and kissed him hungrily. When she pulled away after several seconds, Chuck turned his head and yawned.

"Well, I usually have a better effect on you than that," Jill said.

"Sorry," Chuck said as he tried and failed to stifle another yawn. "I just feel so tired."

She reached over with one finger and stroked the front of his shirt. Then she kissed his cheek. "Go get ready for bed. Wait for me there. I'll be right in," she said seductively.

Chuck turned and went to the cabin's other bedroom. He went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth. Then he walked out of the bathroom and pulled off his shoes, socks, pants and shirt. He sat on the bed in his undershirt and underwear. He felt exhausted and wondered if he could stay awake much longer. His eyelids drifted shut. Then he heard a voice softly calling his name. He opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep and was now lying on the bed. He lifted up his head and looked toward the door. A beautiful blonde woman stood there, dressed in lingerie and looking adoringly at him. He stared in shock at the woman. It was the blonde that he saw in his mind earlier when he had fixed Victoria's toy car.

She smiled. "Now that's more the reaction I expect," she said.

Chuck stared in shock. The blonde sounded just like Jill. He closed his eyes and shook his head and looked again. It wasn't that blonde. It was Jill. What was I thinking? Chuck thought. How could I have been thinking of another woman with my wife right in front of me? Jill smiled and moved toward the bed. She climbed onto it, got on all fours and crawled predatorily toward Chuck. And as she got near him, she planted her body against his and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed him hungrily while her hands roamed all over his body.

When she finally broke the kiss, Chuck's head fell back onto the pillow. The kiss took his breath away. And it also seemed to sap most of his energy. He tried to keep from falling asleep. Come on Bartowski, stay awake, you can do this, he silently chastised himself.

Jill lips traveled along the side of his head and down his neck. Her hands wandered all over his chest, down his stomach and then grasped the bottom of his undershirt. She pulled it up, exposing his stomach and chest and started kissing him there. Then she stopped when she noticed Chuck was not responding. She looked up at his face. His eyes were closed and his head was slumped over to one side.

"Chuck? Chuck!" She shook him a little. "Chuck, come on, stay awake!"

But it was not to be. An exhausted Chuck had fallen asleep.

"Dammit!" Jill cursed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Why? Why? Why do things like this keep happening with Chuck? Ellie asked herself for about the fifteenth time as she pedaled furiously on the stationary exercise bicycle that Devon kept in the apartment. Chuck's kidnapping had been nagging at her so much this morning that she couldn't sit still. She paced around the apartment, tried to read the newspaper, tried to watch television, tried to eat something. But none of those things helped. Finally, in an effort to wear off some of the tension and anxiety, she got on the exercise bicycle and pedaled. And pedaled and pedaled and pedaled. And while she pedaled, her thoughts raced over Chuck and Sarah and everything that had gone on with them.

Ellie couldn't believe it. She just could not believe it. Finally, finally the relationship between those two seemed to be going somewhere and now this had happened. Jill, that woman, the ex, the one that had broken Chuck's heart, the bitch, had attacked Sarah and kidnapped her baby brother. Never in her life had she imagined Jill capable of such a thing. But then how well did she really know Jill? She hadn't seen nor talked to Chuck's ex since before she broke up with Chuck. Jill had seemed perfectly normal then. But now to find out that she had become some sort of psycho stalker bitch.

How could this have happened? Ellie wondered as her pedaling picked up speed. And just when things had been going so well for a change with Chuck and Sarah, much to Ellie's relief. Ever since Chuck had met Sarah at the BuyMore and gone out on that date, Ellie had watched as her brother and the new woman in his life seemed to dance around and avoid their true feelings. Exactly why, Ellie could never figure out. She had seen how those two looked at each other, seen how their expressions softened when the other's name was mentioned, and how well they went together. As far as Ellie was concerned, those two were meant for each other. And after a while, she could easily tell that they loved each other.

So what was the problem? What was going on with them? Ellie had asked over and over again. She tried talking to Chuck about it but got nowhere. "It's complicated," he always said.

Complicated? Complicated? Ellie raged. What is so complicated about being in love?

But she did have to admit that things did seem to get complicated with those two. Like when Chuck broke up with Sarah to date that deli owner. What was her name? Ellie tried to think. Something with an "L." Laura? Lynn? Lou? Lou! That was it. And then it was over almost as quickly as it had begun and Chuck was back with Sarah. Ellie had thought things were going all right after that. And then, a couple of months later, Chuck left the apartment to go on a date. Ellie had naturally assumed the date was with Sarah. But much to Ellie's shock and horror, he confessed that he was going out with Jill.

Jill? JILL! She couldn't believe it. She couldn't understand it. And she expressed as much to Chuck. And things seemed all right after that. There had just been that one date. Or so Ellie thought. She found out later from Morgan that Chuck had been seeing Jill a lot, had been sneaking around with Jill. Ellie couldn't believe it. How could he be so stupid to get back together with that bitch who broke his heart? How could he do that Sarah? she fumed.

Ellie was ready to level that stupid brother of hers. But then at the Thanksgiving dinner, Chuck walked in with Sarah. Ellie was ecstatic and relieved. Thank God that idiot woke up and saw what was in front of him the whole time. And once again, Ellie thought that things were OK. But the dancing around and avoiding their true feelings started right back up again.

What would it take for them to wake up and see what was in front of them? Ellie continuously ranted. What was going on? Several times Chuck claimed that Sarah didn't feel the same way about him that he did about her. No way! No way! Ellie thought. That girl is crazy about my brother and I can list a hundred or more instances that prove it.

Like the time last month when the pair went out to dinner with her and Devon. After they were seated at their table and given menus, a waitress -- an attractive and statuesque brunette -- came up to their table, greeted them and started to list the evening's specials. But then she paused and happily exclaimed Chuck's name.

"Janet?" Chuck exclaimed.

"One and the same," the waitress replied with her eyes beaming.

Ellie didn't know this girl. She looked at her brother for an explanation and in so doing saw Sarah's reaction. Sarah's expression and demeanor had darkened considerably as she watched the attractive waitress stroll over to Chuck, step into his personal space and start conversing.

Then it got a little amusing to Ellie as she watched Sarah quickly scoot closer to Chuck, loop her arm through his and interrupt the conversation with a "Who's this Chuck?"

It was a girl that Chuck knew from high school. Chuck had not dated her or anything like that. They were just friends. But Janet sure seemed interested in Chuck now, Ellie thought. Throughout the whole meal, she paid extra attention to Chuck and frequently strayed close, really close to him. And if the daggers Sarah shot with her eyes had been real, Ellie thought, Janet would have been a pin cushion.

Sarah is in love with Chuck. And Chuck is in love with Sarah. So what was the problem, Ellie asked herself again while she pedaled on the exercise bicycle.

But then, after the two of them had been kidnapped by that cult, had been missing for weeks and had bonded with that little girl, something happened between them. Definitely something good, Ellie thought. They were different after that. They were seeing each other a lot more. Chuck was spending the night at Sarah's place a lot more. Sarah was spending more nights here at the apartment. They were touching each other more. And they both seemed so happy. Ellie remembered one morning when she woke up and walked out to the kitchen to start some coffee and discovered Chuck and Sarah in a passionate liplock.

Yes, something had happened between those two. Something definitely good. And finally, finally, she thought, their relationship was going the way it should.

And then Ellie started thinking wedding. Chuck is going to ask Sarah to marry him, he's going to ask her, he's going to ask her soon, Ellie thought excitedly. Every time those two came back from a date or whatever they did when they went off together in the evenings, Ellie's eyes immediately zoomed in on Sarah's left hand to look for the engagement ring.

But it was never there. But he's going to ask her soon, soon, she kept thinking. But then she got frustrated. Chuck seemed to be dragging his feet on popping the question. When she expressed those frustrations to Devon, he pointed out that Chuck may not want to get engaged and take attention away from his sister's upcoming wedding. Good point, Ellie thought, and resolved to talk to Chuck about that.

But before she could, Jill had attacked Sarah and kidnapped Chuck. Why do things like this keep happening to Chuck? Why? And why won't Jill leave Chuck alone and stay the hell out of his life, Ellie ranted.

She stopped pedaling and rested her forehead on the handle bars of the bicycle.

One scratch, just one scratch. If that bitch puts just one scratch on my baby brother, she will pay! She will pay! Ellie vowed.

Her stomach growled. Some lunch would be good right now, she thought. She shook her head, stood up and wandered to Chuck's room to check on Sarah and ask her if she wanted anything to eat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarah did not want to stay in bed but she had no choice. Ellie was keeping a close eye on her and making sure that she followed doctor's orders – specifically Dr. Ellie Bartowski's orders. Well, that was the condition Ellie had specified in getting Sarah out of the hospital. Sarah didn't want to stay in the hospital. She hated hospitals. She wanted out and she wanted out immediately so that she could find Chuck. She had appealed to Ellie, thinking that she, as a doctor, could get an early release for Sarah. And Sarah had complied with the conditions Ellie laid out. The major one being that she come home with her and stay in bed and rest. "Do that and after a day, there's a good chance you can go about like normal," Ellie said.

So Sarah agreed. Ellie took her home and here she was in bed in Chuck's room. She could hear Ellie on the exercise bicycle in another room. Evidently, they were both restless and anxious about Chuck. Still, Sarah did have to admit that recuperating in Chuck's room was infinitely better than recuperating in a hospital room. It was comforting to be in his room. She was also able to get one of Chuck's T-shirts out of a drawer and wear that for sleepwear – a T-shirt that had Chuck's scent in it and made Sarah feel good. It also felt so comforting to be resting in the bed in Chuck's room – the very bed where they first made love.

Well, not exactly the first time, Sarah thought. They had actually made love many times before that. But they weren't themselves. A couple of months ago, they had been kidnapped by Fulcrum and then brainwashed into believing that they were a married couple. And during that time, they had…well, they had acted like a married couple in every way, Sarah recalled. Those memories flooded back into her mind. Even though the brainwashing didn't control her any more, she could remember every intimate detail of their time on that island. Especially their lovemaking. And after they had escaped and the brainwashing no longer controlled them and when the whole adventure was all over, Sarah had gone to Chuck's bedroom one evening and they had made love. They had made love as themselves, no brainwashing, nothing controlling them.

We weren't ourselves on that island, Sarah thought. So the first time, here in this bed, was the real time. She glanced at the side of the drawer next to the bed. The picture that Sallie, the girl that had been their daughter on that island, had made for Chuck still hung there. Sarah smiled as she saw the stick figures of the three of them as a family.

We were a family, we were normal, she thought. Ever since she and Chuck had become lovers, normal had been on her mind a lot. Things had been going so well for them relationship-wise. In fact, Sarah had been about to talk to Chuck about their moving in together and getting a place of their own. Ellie and Devon were getting married in a few months. They would need their space. So Chuck would need to move out. The CIA could then find Chuck a new apartment or some house that would be safe. Then the two of them could be together and she could better protect him. All good and logical reasons for the move. All good and logical reasons that Sarah could put forth to Casey and General Beckman. But none of them were the main and most important reason: that she wanted to move in with Chuck and be with him and around him more.

But now that future was in doubt. Jill had kidnapped Chuck and -- no, no, no, Sarah said to herself. She would not go there. She would find Chuck and get him back. Jill was not going to ruin their life together. No, no, NO!

She pulled Chuck's laptop over to her and turned the computer on. She accessed the Castle's mainframe via the wireless connection and then pulled up the file on Jill and perused it hoping to find something, anything, that could give her a clue as to where Jill was right now or where she might take Chuck.

God I hate that bitch, Sarah said to herself for the umpteen time since she had awaken in the hospital yesterday.

Her hatred for the infamous ex had built up long before she had even met the brunette face-to-face. When she had been permanently assigned to Chuck after he got the intersect in his head, she had studied his background and all information that the CIA and NSA provided. And that's where she first learned about Jill. The file didn't say much more than a brief description as an ex girl friend. Then as Sarah got to know both Chuck and Ellie better, she learned more about Jill from both of them.

She had ached for Chuck. What he must have gone through emotionally to be kicked out of Stanford for something he didn't do and then to have the woman he loved break up with him at the same time. The more she heard and the more she got to know Chuck, the more she despised that bitch.

Although she would have hated any woman who had done what Jill did to Chuck, Sarah had placed Jill in a level all to her own. The hatred compounded and intensified even more when Jill came back and Chuck got back together with her. Oh how that hurt.

Hurt? Sarah amended bitterly. It had felt like her heart had been torn into a million tiny pieces. But I tried to do what was best for Chuck, she recalled. I tried to step aside and not do anything to damage his relationship with a normal girl. And I tried to make sure that Jill didn't hurt Chuck again. It was for the best, what was best for Chuck.

And she had to admit that she couldn't blame Chuck. She had given Chuck so many mixed messages about their relationship that if she had been an air traffic controller, every plane on the planet would have crashed and burned. And he had broken up with her, Sarah recalled. And if he hadn't broken up with her, it wasn't like they were in a relationship for real or anything like that. So after severing the fake relationship with her because he wanted normal, along came Jill all wrapped up and ready like a normal girl.

She could still remember the pain she felt when she had to watch Chuck and Jill talking, smiling and kissing. And how it nearly tore her in two thinking of the pair in their love session in his room after they had recovered that flash drive on that one mission.

And of course, Jill was a brunette. Brunettes! It's always brunettes, Sarah sighed.

But then Jill turned out to be a Fulcrum agent and the relationship had to end. And truthfully, Sarah was delighted about that. Once I had Chuck safely away from that bitch's clutches, once I had her completely gone and away from him and once I had him for myself, she thought.

Yet, Jill seemed to always come back, pop up in Chuck's life. Even though he had finally exorcised her from his system, she still came back.

So help me, if she hurts Chuck, I will kill her, I will kill her, Sarah vowed silently.

She was also worried about Jill doing other things to Chuck but she tried very hard to not think about those.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ellie knocked and called. "Sarah?"

"Come on in Ellie."

Ellie walked in and smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you."

"Well, let me take a look," Ellie replied and she started an examination.

XXXXXXXXXXX

About 10 minutes later, Ellie pronounced Sarah as "progressing nicely" and that things "looked good."

"So you'll let me get out of here tomorrow?" Sarah asked hopefully.

Ellie nodded. "It looks good for that." She looked at Sarah closely and, noticing her sad expression, asked if she felt OK.

Sarah looked away from Ellie and tried to put what she felt into words. But it was difficult. She knew that expressing her feelings wasn't her strong suit. But she also knew that Ellie wouldn't drop it or leave until she got an answer.

"I…I just…it's hard to…I…." Sarah mumbled.

"Sarah, what is it? Is it Chuck?"

"I…I…I…." A voice in the back of Sarah's mind chastised her, urged her to just blurt it out. This was Ellie, Chuck's sister, not the CIA or NSA. Sarah looked up at Ellie and finally just said it.

"I want Chuck back and I want him back now. I want him away from that bitch and with me, where he belongs," she said angrily.

Ellie smiled. "I want him back here too. And I definitely want him away from Jill and with you. I've always thought you were a much better match for him than Jill." She shook her head. "I just can't believe this is happening, that Jill kidnapped Chuck. After she broke up with him and treated him that way, I thought that she wasn't good for him. But I never in my life imagined that she was dangerous, actually…a…a psycho."

Sarah nodded. "A while ago, when he got back with Jill for that brief time, I had suspicions about her but I…I had trouble convincing myself that it wasn't jealousy causing those suspicions. But it turned out I was right, I was right all along."

"Sarah, I could never figure out why Chuck got back together with Jill that time. What was going on? Why in the world did he get back with the woman who broke his heart? And how could he do that to you? You two were and are so obviously in love. I don't understand why he got back with her," Ellie said.

"It's comp—"

"You're going to say it's complicated, aren't you? Sarah, I do not understand what is so complicated about two people who are so in love with one another. I've tried to talk to Chuck about this and he says it's complicated. But I still can't believe that Chuck just dumped you and got back with Jill. I just can't believe he would do that to you. He's better than that."

"Ellie, don't blame Chuck. Most, if not all, the blame and fault lie with me. I've had some very bad relationships in the past and because of that, I've had problems and lots of issues. To be frank, I'm terrible at relationships because of all that. Chuck has had a lot to put up with in this because of me," she explained.

She sighed and then continued. "And it was because of those issues that he got back with Jill at that time. It was a bad time for both of us and those issues were causing problems for us. Chuck did break up with me then but not because of Jill. He broke up with me because of my problems. I understood why he did that but I hoped that we could work it out and get back together. But then right after that, Jill appeared. Right place, right time for her. Wrong place, wrong time for me. And…well, the rest, you probably know."

"I guess," Ellie replied. She stayed on the edge of the bed for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. Then she stood up. "Lunch?" she asked.

Sarah nodded. "That would be great. Can I help?"

"No! You are to stay and rest as much as possible. You know that."

"I just thought I'd offer," Sarah replied.

"Let me take care of that." She turned to walk out of the room. Halfway to the door, she stopped and turned back to look at Sarah. "I'll sure be glad when things get back to normal around here," Ellie said and then left the bedroom to go to the kitchen and make lunch.

Something Ellie said got Sarah's attention. What was it? There was something that…something that…what was it? And then it hit her. Normal. Normal, normal, normal.

"Jill wants a normal life," she whispered out loud.

She pulled the computer back into her lap and accessed the Castle's computer network again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ellie wandered back into Chuck's room, holding a tray of food. Sarah was in bed intently studying something on the laptop computer.

"Ready to eat?" Ellie asked.

Sarah looked up. "You wouldn't happen to have a photo of Jill somewhere, would you?" Sarah asked.

Ellie nearly dropped the tray. "Why do you want a photo of Jill?" Ellie inquired.

"Detective Sanderson contacted me and wants her photo," Sarah replied. After telling Ellie about Jill yesterday, Casey had arranged for a CIA agent to pose as a police detective working on the Jill case. Sarah wanted the photo for something else but she couldn't tell Ellie that. Ellie seemed to accept the reason but she didn't answer Sarah's question. In fact, Sarah thought that she saw annoyance and anger on Ellie's face as she seemed to be debating something silently.

"Ellie?" Sarah asked, wondering what Chuck's sister was thinking.

Ellie looked at Sarah for a moment. Then she spoke.

"I don't want you to make this into a bigger deal than it is or jump to any conclusions or anything like that, OK?" Ellie said.

Sarah wasn't sure what Ellie meant. But from the way she acted, Sarah had a feeling that she wouldn't like what was coming.

Seeing Sarah's concern, Ellie spoke some more. "Just don't…don't get upset, don't…it's really not a big…oh, to hell with it," Ellie sputtered. She set down the tray of food on Chuck's desk and then crouched down in front of it, opened the bottom drawer, rummaged through it and then pulled out a flat object. She stood up, walked over to the side of the bed and handed Sarah the object from the drawer of Chuck's desk.

Sarah looked. It was a photo frame, and a nice one at that. The type of photo frame that one would display on a desk or shelf out in the open for all to see. In fact, she thought, it was the type of frame for a photo of someone special. And that made her feel a little distressed when she saw a photo of Chuck and Jill in the frame.

She studied the photo. Both Chuck and Jill were dressed formally, Chuck in a tuxedo and Jill in some elegant green dress. Chuck looked handsome and so happy, Sarah thought. And, she had to admit, Jill looked gorgeous. The photo had some sort of studio background. Did they dress up for a photo shoot or had they been attending some sort of formal function and gotten their photo taken there? She stared at the photo trying to figure out what she should feel. She wasn't sure what to think about this.

"Chuck has kept a photo of Jill? Even after all these years and all she has done?" she said.

"Sarah, as I said, don't make this into a big deal. It's just a photo," Ellie cautioned.

"But Chuck and I…we're… Jill hurt him so much and…he still keeps a photo of her?"

"It's just a photo," Ellie repeated. "It means nothing. She means nothing. I know that. Sarah, I know my brother is totally, completely in love with you. You shouldn't be concerned about it."

Sarah thought for a moment. Ellie was right. But this still bothered her. That bitch broke his heart, betrayed him and even tried to kill me. And he has kept a photo of her all this time? But Ellie was correct. It was just a photo. Still….

"You're right Ellie. I shouldn't let it bother me. But when we get Chuck back, he and I are going to have a talk about this," Sarah vowed.

"Good," Ellie said with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The lab had been quick. They had gotten back to her in less than an hour after Sarah had taken a photo of that picture of Chuck and Jill with the camera in her phone and transmitted it with instructions to take the two people and come up with images of a possible son and daughter for the pair. When Ellie had said she hoped that things could get back to normal, it suddenly hit Sarah that Jill had kidnapped Chuck to set up a normal life. She had wanted Chuck with her on that island, had wanted the normal family life. Like Chuck and Sarah had. So Jill may have taken Chuck to try to get that. And that normal life would include a son or daughter.

The lab had given her several possible images of what a son or daughter of Chuck and Jill would look like. And now she was going through all missing children cases that had occurred in Los Angeles and nearby areas in the last few weeks.

More than likely, Jill would want a young daughter or son, maybe a three-year-old or a little older, Sarah thought. As she expected, there were a lot of missing children case files in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas for the past two weeks. Each case had a photo of the missing child. Sarah had a face recognition program to search for any that resembled Chuck or Jill. Then she would go through those more thoroughly and get the best choices and visit the parents and see if they had seen Jill hanging around recently, like just before their child disappeared. And that, she thought, just might help track down the bitch and get Chuck back.

END CHAPTER 2