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: A busy schedule and a trip out-of-town may cut into my writing time. So I'm posting this chapter sooner than usual. I hope that's OK with everyone. Please review!
-
CHAPTER 5 – Rescued?
It seemed familiar.
Chuck looked around. On the floor, on tables, on shelves, in bins – everywhere in the room were all kinds of electronics, computers, accessories and appliances. There were also lots of promotional and advertising signs.
A store. It was some kind of a store but he was the only one in it. He couldn't see anyone else. No customers, no employees, just him. He was alone.
"Chuck!"
Someone called him. The voice sounded muffled or far off. Chuck looked all around the store looking for whoever called. No one in sight.
"Chuck!"
There it was again, that same voice. Once again it sounded like it was…it was in another room. That's why it sounded muffled or far away. The voice was coming from another room in the store. Chuck looked toward the back. He could see some doors on the far wall. One of the doors looked as if it were glowing, lit up. He walked toward it.
"Chuck!"
The voice called out again as he reached that one door. This time the voice sounded clearer and louder. He could now tell that the voice was female and that it sounded familiar. At least he thought that it sounded familiar. No name or face came to mind when he heard the voice. But it still sounded familiar.
He opened the door and was bathed in a bright light. He walked through the doowayr and stepped into a hallway. Down a long distance, almost to the end of the hallway, he could see someone standing.
"Chuck!"
The voice was now loud and clear and it came from the direction of where that figure stood. He walked that way. As he got closer to the figure, some sort of feeling of urgency or importance came upon him. He had to do something. He didn't know what but it was important. He quickened his pace.
He could now clearly see the figure standing there. It was a woman and she was facing the other way, her back to Chuck. But he had no trouble recognizing her. It was his wife Jill.
"Jill? What's going on? Where are we?" he asked her.
Jill didn't reply. Not a word, a nod or any sort of acknowledgement to him. She just stood there glaring down the hallway into a room that had its door open. She raised one arm and then Chuck saw that she had a gun. She aimed the gun at the doorway of that room.
"Jill! What are you doing?" Chuck exclaimed. He looked at the room, where Jill aimed her gun. He saw another woman there. A slim blonde with her back turned to them. She had no idea of the danger that she was in.
Jill may have had reasons for what she was about to do. But wife or no wife, Chuck just couldn't stand by and let her kill someone. He called out to warn that woman.
"Hey! Look out! Look out!" he yelled.
But neither the woman nor Jill acted as if they heard. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let his wife do this. He reached forward to stop her.
Too late!
Jill pulled the trigger on the gun.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chuck lunged upward from the bed. In a panic, he quickly looked around, his eyes darting rapidly everywhere in the room. Is that woman OK? Did she…. Wait, it was just a dream…no, a nightmare, it was just a nightmare.
He slid his legs over the side of the bed and leaned his hands on his knees. He felt silly and dumb for overreacting to a nightmare. But it had…had what? he asked himself. You had a nightmare about your wife and some stranger. So what?
Yet something bothered him. He couldn't get that blonde out of his mind. All he saw was her back; he didn't see her face at all. But there was still something familiar about her. What was it?
Hands gripped his shoulders and then stroked down his back. "Are you all right?" Jill asked. She sat up next to him and continued stroking his back, then his arms, head, and hair. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing, just a bad dream," he replied.
She leaned against him as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Her embrace did not comfort him. As soon as she had done that, Chuck felt nervous. What was wrong? Why did he feel that way when she held him and touched him?
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jill asked again.
And what exactly would I say? he thought. How do I tell you that I watched you kill someone? He shook his head. "No, I'll be all right," he said out loud. "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
He moved out of her arms and off of the bed and walked to the bathroom. After shutting the door, he looked at himself in the mirror.
I don't look crazy, he thought. The thought had crossed his mind from the array of images, emotions and feelings that he experienced. Why did I dream about my wife killing someone? Why do I keep seeing that blonde woman? Who is she? Do I know her? Why does it feel wrong when my wife touches me?
No answers came to him. And he had no idea where he could find any answers. He looked at himself again in the mirror and decided again that he didn't look crazy. But that didn't give him much reassurance. He opened the bathroom door, turned out the light and walked back to the bed and got in. Jill immediately snuggled against him, laying her head on his chest and crossing one of her legs over his. Her touch and closeness were still not comforting to him. It felt strange and wrong. He kept wondering why as he lay awake for a long time.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chuck opened his eyes the next morning and immediately noticed Victoria standing beside the bed staring at him.
"Hi daddy," she whispered.
"Hi sweetheart," Chuck whispered back.
"I'm hungry," she said.
"Me too. What say we do something about that." Chuck slowly and carefully moved out of Jill's grasp, trying not to wake her. She mumbled a little but stayed asleep. Chuck grabbed a robe alongside the bed, put it on and then took Victoria's hand to lead her out to the kitchen. Much to his surprise, walking was easy and he did it without any effort at all. He didn't feel weak or tired as he usually did. In fact, he felt fine. Maybe I'm finally back to normal, he thought.
He searched through the kitchen, found bowls, spoons and cereal. He filled the bowls and set them on the table with the spoons. While Victoria climbed into a chair to sit in front of her cereal, Chuck got milk from the refrigerator. After pouring milk in each bowl, he put the bottle back in the refrigerator and then joined Victoria at the table. They ate in silence and had almost finished when Jill walked into the kitchen.
"Hey you two! What's this? Eating without me?" she greeted.
Victoria smiled. "We were hungry!"
"I can see that," Jill replied as she smiled back at Victoria. Then Jill turned to Chuck. "How are you feeling?"
"Great! In fact, never better!" Chuck exclaimed.
Jill looked surprised. "Oh…th that's great. That's good. I'm…I'm glad." She looked at their empty cereal bowls on the table.
"What? Nothing to drink with your breakfast? You both must be thirsty. Let me get you something to drink."
She dashed to the cabinet and pulled out two glasses. She opened the refrigerator and got out a bottle of milk and a bottle of orange juice. She filled one glass with the milk and the other with the juice. After returning the bottles to the refrigerator, she handed the glass of milk to Victoria. Then she went back to the counter and stood there for a few moments, her back to Chuck and Victoria.
"So, you're feeling better?" she asked Chuck without turning around.
"Yeah, I feel great. Maybe we could go somewhere or do something today out of the house," he replied.
"Now let's not get overconfident and overdo it. Let's just wait and see before we make any plans. OK?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turned around, walked up to the table and placed the glass of orange juice in front of Chuck. "Drink up," she said with a smile.
"Thank you," Chuck replied. He picked up the glass and took a sip.
"You're welcome. Now drink it all up. I'm sure you're thirsty." She moved around to stand behind Chuck and placed her hands on his shoulders and rubbed them. He knew that she meant to comfort him but once again, her touch felt strange to him. He repressed a shiver. Why am I feeling like this? he thought. What is going on?
"Chuck, drink your juice."
Jill's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He picked up the glass and gulped some of the juice down.
Her hands moved to his head and hair and stroked. "So is eating all you two have been up to? I'm hurt that I wasn't invited," she pouted.
"H Hey," Chuck sputtered as he gulped down the rest of orange juice. "I just thought that you'd like to sleep in a little. You've been run ragged having to take care of both me and Victoria."
"Well thank you. But I really would have enjoyed eating breakfast with my husband and daughter," Jill replied.
"Noted. But seriously, I've felt bad with you having so much to do since I'm not 100 percent. But now that I feel better, I'll help."
"Don't be too sure darling, don't be too sure," she said softly as her hands continued stroking his hair.
It was then that Chuck noticed that his eyelids started to droop and he suddenly realized that he was getting tired. No, no, no, come on, I was feeling better, no, no, no, he thought in frustration.
But there was no fighting it. No matter how hard he tried, weakness and fatigue overcame him. He gripped the side of the table but he knew he was losing the battle. Jill turned her head toward Victoria. "Honey, go get out of your pajamas and get dressed."
Victoria nodded, climbed out of the chair and went to her room. Jill crouched down putting her head on Chuck's shoulder and pressing her face against as she wrapped her arms around his chest. She kissed his neck, cheek and ear and softly spoke to him.
"I'm sorry that you're starting to feel bad again. But it will be OK, it will be OK. I promise Chuck. I promise that it will be OK."
He could only nod slowly as he felt too weak to speak. Her arms tightened around him and she kissed him on the cheek. Then she kissed him passionately on the mouth. As she did, somewhere in the back of his mind, Chuck thought that he could hear someone screaming at him, warning him that he was not all right, that he was in danger.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chuck opened his eyes and found Jill standing above him. He looked around. He was on the couch in the living room. When did I fall asleep here? he wondered. He turned back to Jill, who stood there with Victoria alongside her.
"We were going to go out for a little while. Will you be OK here?" Jill asked.
"You're going out? Where?" Chuck asked.
"We thought we'd go out for some ice cream. We'll be right back," Jill said. She smiled at him. "How about I get you a drink and then you can relax right here while we're gone."
"No, no, that's OK," he replied. "Ice cream? I'd like some. I'm going with you."
"I don't know if that's a good idea. I think you should stay right here."
"No, no, I know I can't drive. But I can certainly sit in a car and eat ice cream." He stood up from the couch.
"Chuck, I'm not sure that—"
"Jill, please! I'd really like to get out of the house. I'm kind of going stir crazy. And ice cream really sounds good. Come on, let's all go." He smiled and tried to put on a puppy dog look.
Jill frowned as he did that. The frown stayed on for several seconds but then she rolled her eyes and smiled. "All right. But you have to do as I say, OK? I don't want you over-exerting yourself and having a relapse." Chuck nodded.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jill drove the car with Chuck in the front passenger seat and Victoria in a car seat in the back. Chuck was mildly surprised that it was in the afternoon. The last thing he could remember was eating breakfast. And then? I must have fallen asleep after that, he thought. Their house was located out of the city, in a rural area. As she drove down a two lane road, Chuck could see that the houses were spread way apart. There was very little traffic on the road. After a while, they made it into a town. It was definitely not a thriving metropolis. Jill drove a few blocks and then pulled into the parking lot of a retail center with about 10 stores. Chuck glanced at the center and saw a grocery store, a book shop, bakery, pizza place, ice cream parlor and other shops.
Jill parked the car and turned off the engine. She turned to Chuck as Victoria struggled to get out of the car seat. "Now you wait here and Victoria and I will go get the ice cream, OK?"
"Jill, this is silly. I can walk that short distance and then sit in there and eat some ice cream," Chuck protested.
"Chuck, just take it easy. No arguments."
She unbuckled her seat belt, got out of the car and then opened the back door and leaned over to help Victoria get out.
"Come on Jill. I sit in the house all day and we drive out here so that I can sit in the—"
"Chuck! Stay in the car!" Jill commanded.
Her words jolted Chuck. Images of a big serious looking man filled his mind. Then he saw that blonde woman again. They yelled at him. They commanded the same thing over and over again.
"Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!"
Chuck shook his head. He looked around. Jill and Victoria were almost to the ice cream store. The command to stay in the car kept repeating in his mind. But it wasn't Jill's voice he heard saying that. It was another woman's voice. And as he heard that voice, the urge to get out, to not stay in the car was overwhelming. Is somebody trying to tell me something? he wondered.
He glanced around at his surroundings trying to find some sign or omen of what to do. Nothing. He didn't see any billboards proclaiming "Go for it Chuck!" No images of that big serious looking man giving him the thumbs-up sign. And no blonde waving at him and telling him to get going.
Chuck sighed. Why can't urges or omens or visions come with instruction manuals, he thought. He looked around again hoping to see something that would tell him what to do.
"Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stay in the car! Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar!Stayinthecar! "
It wouldn't go away. He kept hearing that in his head. The urge to get out of the car was so strong. Did that mean he should get out of this car right now? He looked around in the retail center and nearby area again. It was just a normal looking retail center with some stores. What should he do?
"In or out Bartowski?" he said out loud.
He finally decided that he had nothing to lose. He undid his seat belt and got out of the car. He looked around and then slowly walked across the parking lot toward the sidewalk in front of the stores. He stepped up onto the sidewalk and was in front of the bakery, which was about four doors down from the ice cream store where Jill and Victoria went. He was about to walk that way when he glanced at the pastries and sweets in the bakery window. He saw rolls, loaves of bread, turnovers, and other delights. And then he spotted chocolate covered croissants.
Suddenly he saw an image of himself walking up to a door and knocking. He was holding a bag in one hand. The door opened and there stood that beautiful blonde woman that he kept seeing in his mind and in his dreams. He walked into her room and they sat down on the edge of the bed and he pulled out chocolate covered croissants from the bag.
The scene stopped and he realized that someone had walked up to the bakery window and now stood beside him, also staring at the pastry display. Chuck glanced at the man's reflection in the window.
"Hey there," the man said.
Chuck turned towards him. The man grinned but continued to stare straight ahead at the window. He did not look back at Chuck.
"Hi," Chuck responded. He looked the man over. Do I know this guy? he wondered.
The man kept smiling but still didn't look his way. It was as if the man was waiting for Chuck to say or do something. What exactly that was, Chuck didn't have a clue. I don't know this guy, do I? he thought. He tried to concentrate and bring up a name or memory that went with the man's face. Something about him seemed familiar but Chuck just couldn't figure out why. He shook his head in frustration.
"Something wrong?" the man asked. Then he looked around. Seeing that no one was nearby, he leaned in closer to Chuck. "Got a job going?" he whispered.
"Huh?" Chuck asked, puzzled.
The man seemed unfazed by Chuck's puzzlement. He glanced around again to make sure no one was within earshot and then whispered another question.
"Are my daughter and the other guy on her team around? You know, the one that looks like a cop?"
Chuck got even more puzzled. What daughter? What guy? "What are you talking about?" he asked the man.
The man took a small step back and studied Chuck intently, as if making sure of something or looking for something. After a few seconds, he shook his head and smiled.
"Sorry! I mistook you for someone else. Sorry about that. My eyes just aren't as good as they used to be." Then he quickly turned and walked away.
Chuck stood there for a few seconds, puzzled. He shook his head and then walked toward the ice cream parlor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Jack Burton's instincts told him that something was wrong, something was very wrong as he sat in the car and watched the trio leave the ice cream parlor and go to their parked car. After walking away from Chuck, or "the schnook" as he often thought of him, that feeling started. It didn't stop as he gazed out the side window of his car and saw the schnook eating some ice cream while walking alongside a young girl and a woman.
And that feeling got even stronger as Burton saw the woman. She looked about Chuck's age and was a brunette. A very attractive brunette. She held onto the little girl with one hand and with her other hand clutched Chuck's arm. Rather possessively clutched onto that arm, Jack noticed. He kept watching them. They looked and acted like a family.
That didn't make any sense to him. When he had last visited his daughter, he had met Chuck. Sarah had said Chuck was her boy friend. Jack couldn't believe it. His daughter had hooked up with this schnook? But then he noticed how his daughter looked at the guy and how protective she was of him. He also noticed how Chuck looked at his daughter. That schnook is head over heels in love with my daughter and vice versa, he thought at the time. It was so easy to see.
And even though he referred to Chuck as a schnook – which drew angry looks from his daughter – Jack liked Chuck. He was a nice guy, smart and able to think and act on a second's notice. When Jack had gotten cornered by the sheik in the hotel, it had been Chuck who got the hotel to page him as Lichtenstein and defuse an explosive situation. And when the sheik had captured Jack and demanded the money back, it had been Chuck who had saved the day. Not Sarah, not that lug named Casey who looked like a cop. But Chuck, driving in on the car with a laptop. And not only was the schnook smart and resourceful but he was devoted to Sarah. He will never betray you, Jack told her his daughter. And he knew that for a fact.
So what the hell is he doing with this woman? Jack mused as he watched Chuck, the brunette and young girl get into their car. Why isn't he with Sarah? I told that schnook to take care of my daughter and he promised me that he would.
They could have broken up and now Chuck had hooked up with someone else, Jack reasoned. Not likely. That schnook was crazy about my daughter and would do anything for her.
Maybe he's working a con on that brunette, Jack theorized. Jack had been careful not say Chuck's name while he talked with him by the bakery just in case of that very possibility. You don't do anything to muck up another con. Especially when there was a possibility that you could get in on it and make a buck. Chuck could be working a con right now. Yet, he didn't know me. He really didn't know me, Jack thought. That wasn't an act.
Jack's instincts still told him that something was wrong or going on. Trust the instincts, he thought as he started the car and waited for the trio's car to leave the parking lot so that he could follow.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Now parked down the road from the house that Chuck, the woman and the little girl had gone into and having watched for a while, Jack was positive that something was wrong. This doesn't look like a con and it doesn't feel like one either. Is the schnook in some kind of trouble? he asked himself. And if he is, so what? It's not my problem.
He sat in the car, pondering a few actions he could take. None seemed likely to get him a few bucks and out of the matter unscathed. Every avenue seemed to have risks and no reward. That's why you shouldn't get involved. "Sorry Charlie, if you're in trouble, you're on your own," Burton muttered out loud. He reached toward the car's ignition, gripped the key and was about to turn it, when an idea struck him.
There was one thing he could do. And it wouldn't hurt him at all. Hell, he might even find out what was going on and maybe he could then get in on the deal, if a deal was in the works. And if a deal wasn't in the works…well, he did owe the schnook. He owed him his life. He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts. He found the phone number for his daughter and punched it. He had changed phones three times since he had last seen Sarah. Hopefully, she hadn't changed hers. After the third ring, he heard her voice.
"Hello?" Sarah said. He could hear some puzzlement in her tone as her phone's readout obviously gave her an "unknown number" ID.
"Did you and the schnook break up?" he asked.
Sarah didn't answer or say anything for a moment. Then she gasped. "Dad?" she asked. Jack was about to confirm that it was indeed him when Sarah suddenly erupted and grilled him.
"Dad, have you seen Chuck? Do you know where Chuck is? Answer me right now!"
My God, she sounds absolutely frantic, Jack thought. Something is definitely going on with the schnook.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Do we have confirmation that it's Bartowski and Jill yet?" Casey asked Sarah as she looked through some binoculars at the house.
"I've seen him pass by a window once. It's definitely Chuck," Sarah answered.
"Did he look OK?" Casey asked.
"I think so," Sarah replied. "But it was just a quick look as he walked by, so I couldn't tell for sure."
Casey glanced around. Jill had picked a good hideout. The house was one of a many in a rural area. But there was lots of wide open space, a lot of distance between the houses located in the vicinity, a lot of distance from the main road to the house and not many hiding places for their teams to position themselves for observation before they went in. So each team of two people had commandeered nearby houses. And other teams were positioned down the roads, out of sight, ready to block any getaway car.
So now they were keeping an eye on the house and waiting and hoping that Jill would move away from Chuck, be on one side of the house while Chuck was on the other. They wanted Jill as far away from Chuck as possible before they moved in. Once that maximum distance was established, they would move. It was all just a matter of waiting for the right moment.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Casey kept an eye on Sarah as she looked through the binoculars. Jill, Chuck and the young girl had been sitting in one room for the past hour. They were waiting and hoping that either Chuck or Jill would move out of that room any minute now and give their teams a chance to go in.
"Jill's moving. She just passed by a window. So she is moving."
Casey alerted the other teams with views of other parts of the house. The teams spoke to each other over the coms. Jill kept moving. Then one team confirmed that she was on the other side of the house.
Now! thought Casey. He spoke rapidly into the comm. "Attention all teams. The female subject to be neutralized is on the south side of the house. Repeat, the female subject to be neutralized is on the south side of the house. Go, repeat GO!"
He and Sarah dashed toward the house. They could see the other teams rushing in.
Hold on Chuck! I'm coming! Sarah thought.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The whole operation went perfectly. The teams burst into the house from all directions and within seconds had the place secure. No one was in the room that Sarah and Casey entered. Chuck! Where was Chuck? Sarah thought as she and Casey quickly searched the room before yelling out "Clear!" The "Clear!" call was heard thoughout the place and then followed by a "We have her!" from one team. Sarah lowered her weapon and dashed down the hallway looking for Chuck.
She had taken only three steps when she nearly bumped into the team escorting a handcuffed Jill out of a room. Sarah stopped in her tracks. She and Jill faced each other and stared. Jill's eyes filled with hatred when she realized who was in front of her. Sarah immediately returned the look with equal animosity. The two stayed that way for a few seconds. Finally, one of the agents escorting Jill spoke.
"Ummm…Agent Walker…we need to take her in."
Sarah didn't acknowledge the other agent. Instead, she kept staring directly at Jill and then she spoke to the brunette.
"If you hurt Chuck…."
Jill laughed. "Oh come on Agent Walker. Me hurting Chuck was the least of your worries. Admit it! You were more worried about me doing other things to him, as in the bed—"
WHACK!
No one saw it coming nor could they have prevented it if they had. Sarah had swung her fist and connected dead-on with Jill's jaw.
Jill fell to the floor like a rock dropped from a cliff. The two agents who had been standing by Jill simply stood there, stunned as their mouths gaped open. Even Casey, standing behind Sarah, looked surprised.
Well, that was real professional, Sarah thought. But the truth was that she didn't care about professionalism at all. She didn't care because she had had it. She had had it with Jill, the ex-girl friend, the heartbreaker, the betrayer, the kidnapper, the one who had done all of those things and more to Chuck – her Chuck. And she had had it with Jill or anyone coming between her and Chuck. She and Chuck were going to be together and nobody had better get in the way of that, Sarah vowed.
Sarah ignored Casey and the other agents and stood there with a satisfied expression on her face as she looked down at Jill. Oh, that felt so good, Sarah thought. Jill groaned and shook her head. Before Sarah could do anything more, Casey gripped her arm and pulled. "OK Walker, come on. Bartowski needs you," he said.
Chuck! she thought and moved on down the hallway. She looked into every room but Chuck wasn't there. Finally, at the end of the hallway, in a large room, she found him.
He and the little girl, the one who had been brainwashed into believing she was their daughter, sat on the floor. Toys were scattered around beside them. It looked as if they had been playing together when the raid occurred. The little girl, which Sarah immediately recognized as the kidnapped Cindy, looked frightened as she sat in Chuck's lap. Sarah rushed to Chuck.
"Chuck, are you all right?" she asked as she crouched down beside him on the floor. She slowly reached one hand out and touched his cheek.
His eyes widened and stared intently at her but he didn't speak. He just kept staring at her while the little girl clutched onto him. Sarah felt a little panic rise in her. He didn't recognize her, he didn't know her. She tried to squelch her fears. And his.
"Chuck, it's OK. I know this is confusing to you. I know that I'm a stranger to you. But it will be all right. I promise," she said.
He stared back at her for a moment. He kept looking into her eyes. "Sarah?" he whispered.
She thought for the briefest of moments that there was recognition in his eyes, that somewhere deep down, he knew her. "Yes Chuck, yes. I'm Sarah," she whispered back. She stroked his cheek slowly with her hand.
"Oh my God," he whispered while continuing to stare at her. "You're real."
Sarah wasn't sure what he meant by that. Had he been dreaming about her? Had he had visions of her? In spite of the brainwashing and the drugs, had some memories of her penetrated into his mind? Had his love for her in some way fought past all of that? Those thoughts and speculations warmed Sarah and encouraged her.
"It's going to be all right. I promise you. You're safe and she is safe too," she said with a nod toward the little girl who still clutched onto Chuck. "Neither one of you will be hurt. I promise you." Sarah stood up and addressed the other agents. "Get a car ready now. I want the two of them transported out of here immediately."
"Yes ma'am," one agent said and left to get it done.
Beckman had ordered that Chuck be taken to a secure facility as soon as he was rescued and undergo the treatment to cure him of the brainwashing. Doctors were ready and waiting for Chuck.
"Where are you taking us?" Chuck suddenly demanded. "And what have you done with my wife? Where is my wife?"
Sarah tried to calm him down. She crouched back down to the floor alongside him. "Chuck, I know this is confusing to you and I know you might not understand this. But please listen to me." She took a deep breath, not sure how he would take what she was about to say but mentally braced herself for any reaction.
"Jill is not your wife Chuck." She let the words sink in, gauging him for any reaction. But he said nothing and stared blankly at her. "Chuck, you and this little girl have been…have been drugged into believing all of that. You don't remember any of your real life. But this…this life with Jill isn't real. It's all fake, it's not real, you are not married to Jill…."
He looked incredulously at Sarah, not comprehending, not understanding. He started to say something and then stopped. He turned away from Sarah and looked down at the little girl in his arms. He stared intently at her for a few moments. Sarah bit her bottom lip as she watched him, waiting for him to say something, anything that would tell her what he was thinking, give her some idea of what was going through his head. But he said nothing. He looked confused and lost, she thought.
Then the little girl spoke, breaking the silence.
"Daddy?" she said quietly.
Chuck turned to her. "Yes Vick…Victoria?"
"Is this Sarah?" she asked as she stared at the CIA agent.
Chuck turned his head back to Sarah and studied her intently. "Yeah honey, this is Sarah."
Sarah and the little girl regarded each other for a moment. And then the little girl spoke. "So Sarah is real?" she asked Chuck.
"Yeah, yeah Vick…Victo…Vicky, yeah, Sarah apparently is real," Chuck replied.
Sarah smiled at him. She was about to say something to him when an agent walked into the room.
"Ma'am, an EMS is here and ready to transport these two," he said.
Chuck looked a little leery at that announcement.
"It's OK, it's OK," Sarah assured him. "We're going to take you and Cin…and Vicky to a doctor and get you checked out. It's OK."
"Well, I was in an auto accident a couple of weeks ago and I was injured. So that might be a good idea, "Chuck said.
"No Chuck. You weren't in an accident. You haven't been in any accident. That was a lie. But don't worry about that. All of this will make sense after we get you and Vicky to the doctor. OK?"
He still looked leery as he looked around the room at the other agents. Once again, Sarah felt the frustration at Chuck not knowing her, not knowing who she was. Mentally, she cursed Jill and, for about the thousandth time since she had met Chuck, wished that woman had never been in his life. He finally turned back to Sarah.
"Will…will you be there?" he asked.
"Yes, I'll be with you and Vicky the whole way. I'll be right by you the whole time. I'm not leaving you Chuck," Sarah said.
He nodded, stood up with Vicky in his arms. Sarah gripped one of his arms and started to guide the pair outside to the EMS. But before she could, Casey entered the room. He said nothing but the look on his face told Sarah that something was wrong. Jill! She thought. Did she escape?
Casey motioned for her to follow him. "Wait right here," Sarah said to Chuck. "I'll be right back."
She walked out of the room and followed Casey down the hallway. He stopped halfway down once they were alone and turned toward her. The look on his face, the look that told Sarah something was wrong had not changed.
"What is it? Did Jill escape?" she asked.
"No, no. We got her without any problem. She's already on her way to lockup."
"And?"
Casey took a deep breath and looked away from her.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Sarah demanded.
He took another breath and then finally turned back to her. "When we loaded Jill into the car, she…." Casey stopped talking and shook his head as if he didn't want to say what he had to say next.
"What is it?" Sarah repeated.
Casey hesitated again. Then finally, after a few seconds, he just blurted it all out.
"Jill said that she is pregnant and that Bartowski is the father."
END CHAPTER 5
-
NOTE: Please review and let's all try to stay calm about that last statement by Casey, OK?
