Travis' adventure at the Carmichael Ranch (Beta'd Version)

Alright so I skipped a chapter I was writing about Sarah taking care of Chuck and just went straight to them going on vacation. Chuck is better and everything is good between Chuck and Sarah…or is it?

This chapter mostly revolves around Travis and his experiences at the ranch and how he sees things when he and Sarah go on vacation with Chuck.

There first stop is at the Carmichael Ranch, where Chuck's family use to live and still go there for holidays.

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Breakfast

"Cockadoodaldo!"

Travis sat up in a terrible startle. The noise outside stirred him from his dreams but this new place had so many new noises and weird animals.

Travis climbs out of crib Chuck's uncle set up for him in the room across from Chuck and Sarah's.

He grabs his blanket and his stuffed panda bear he got from Grandma when she took him to the National Zoo before he left Washington.

Travis jumps when he sees a furry ball under his crib. The ball starts moving so Travis runs out of the room just to run into Chuck.

"Whoa there, what's the rush?" Chuck says laughing.

Travis points to the furry ball under his crib which magically turns into Chuck's golden retriever, Max. Travis runs over and pets Max.

Chuck shakes his head and laughs. "Alright guys, how about we go find breakfast." Chuck holds out his hand for Travis who gladly takes it.

Chuck takes him to the kitchen and sits him on the counter. "So what would you like for breakfast?"

Travis smiles at Chuck.

"Pancakes? Bacon? Eggs?"

Travis nods.

"Alright then."

Max starts barking.

"But first we need to feed Max." Chuck takes Travis off the counter. He walks over to a cabinet and takes out the dog food.

Max walks over with his bowl in his mouth.

Chuck hands Travis a food scooper. "Here, help me feed him."

Travis scoops up some food to put it in Max's bowl but misses and the food lands on the floor. He watches Max quickly scramble to get every piece into his mouth.

Chuck helps him with the next scoop and they get every piece in the bowl.

"Good job." Chuck says with a big smile as they finish filling up the bowl. "Now we have to wash our hands before we eat so we don't get sick."

They wash their hands. Then Chuck sits Travis at the table. He brings over a bowl, flour, blueberries, strawberries, and other ingredients and utensils.

"Blueberries or strawberries?"

Travis point at both.

"You read my mind." Chuck puts all the pancake ingredients in the bowl then hands Travis a whip. "Ready to mix?"

Travis nods and starts mixing.

Later, Chuck and Travis take a tray of food to Sarah who's still in bed.

"Mommy!" Travis says as he jumps on the bed to wake up his sleeping mommy.

"Travis." Sarah says as she sits up and sees Chuck standing there with a tray. "Chuck?"

"We made you breakfast." Chuck lays the tray in front of Sarah then gives her a kiss as he sits next to her.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Travis says wanting attention too. He kisses his mom on the cheek.

"You two are great." Sarah says.

Travis points to the pancakes and then to himself.

"Travis made the pancakes." Chuck says.

"You did Travis?"

Travis smiles proudly.

"Well it does look like you flipped them too." Sarah looks at the misshaped pancakes.

Sarah cuts a small piece of pancake and gives it to Travis then cuts another for herself.

"Mmmm! Chuck, Travis, they're delicious! I love blueberries and strawberries."

"It was Travis' idea to put both in."

Travis smiles and takes a whole pancake off the tray, sits on the bed, and eats it.

Chuck and Sarah laugh.

As breakfast continues Travis moves to sit in front of the two grownups and the tray to get better access to the food.

He hands Chuck and Sarah each a slice of bacon then grabs two for himself.

"I don't see how that's fair." Chuck says. "How come you get two and we only get one each?"

Travis giggles.

"It is nothing to giggle about young man." Chuck says mocking strictness. "I guess I'll have to teach you how to share, huh?"

"Well I don't see how you can teach him how to share seeing as you haven't been sharing lately."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really? Last night I recall you putting Travis to bed early so you could have me all to yourself."

"That's difference."

"How?"

"You're not food."

"Last night did you not say how yummy I was?"

Chuck blushes. "There is a child present Sarah."

Travis continues to eat his bacon as the grownups talk amongst themselves. He looks at the maple syrup then at the bacon. He decides to dip the strip of bacon in the syrup. As he takes out the bacon the syrup drips all over the tray, the bed sheets, and down his arm. He pays no real attention to it and just eats his food.

"Travis, no." Sarah says quickly grabbing a napkin to clean everything up.

Travis looks at her confused and starts licking the syrup off his arm to help clean up.

"Travis you're making yourself all sticky."

Chuck takes the tray off Sarah. "How about you give sticky Travis a bath while I clean the dishes and the bed. When were done, I can show you around the ranch."

"Sounds great." Sarah walked off trying not to let Travis touch anything and their way to the bathroom, leaving Chuck to clean the bedroom.

"look at the bright side Chuck, now you have a reason to change the sheets before tonight."

Chuck looked up as she walked away with a smirk on her face. Chuck just blushed and rushed off to the kitchen with the dishes…

Bath time

Travis looks at all the bubbles in the tub. The tub was so big it looked like a swimming pool. He splashes the water and bubbles fly everywhere.

Sarah laughs as she watches Travis enjoy the big tub.

Chuck walks into the bathroom with a small panda robe in his hand. "We ready to get out yet?" He asks Travis.

Travis shakes his head.

"3 more minutes then it's time to dry off."

"He's enjoying the big tub too much."

"I can install one of these at your house if you'd like."

"No thanks, I mean, the one I have now is good. I'm not going to live there forever, just until I have enough money to get a nicer place."

"I've actually been thinking that maybe…" Chuck is interrupted by Sarah's cell phone.

"It must be Carina. I promised I'd call her last night. I'll be right back." Sarah says before getting up to answer the phone.

Travis watches Chuck sit on the side of the tub and pull the drain cover. He watches the water swirl around the drain. He stands up with bubbles sticking to his body and covers the drain with his foot.

Travis and Chuck laugh.

"You are one funny kid." Chuck says.

Chuck rinses him off then puts the robe on him. Then carries him to the bedroom when Sarah is talking on her phone with Carina.

"Carina I'm fine, we're fine. Calm down. I didn't call you last next because we were…" Sarah looks at Chuck and smiles. "busy."

Chuck smiles back at her.

Travis jumps on the bed seeing as no one is paying attention to him.

Chuck walks over to Sarah and kisses her neck which causes Sarah to giggle.

"Chuck, stop!" Sarah says slapping him playfully on the back.

Chuck stops and goes back to Travis. He puts a clean diaper on him, and clean clothes then they leave the room to find him shoes.

Travis watches Chuck pull a string from the ceiling and stairs fall down.

"Watch out there Travis." Chuck says moving Travis out of the way of the falling stairs.

Chuck carries Travis up the stairs to the attic. Travis looks at all the toys and boxes everywhere. He runs over to a tricycle.

"Hey, that used to be mine." Chuck follows him over and sits him on it. "Well first it was Ellie's then she gave it to me when I was about your age." Chuck puts Travis' feet on the peddles. "Push down." Chuck tells him before standing behind him and pushing him around the attic.

Travis giggles.

Chuck stops when they get to a box labeled 'Chuck's baby clothes'. "I think we might find what we're looking for here." Chuck opens the box and searches through all the stuff.

Meanwhile, Travis gets off the tricycle and walks around the attic looking at other toys.

"Ah ha!" Chuck says taking out a pair of small toddler boots and holding them up in victory.

Travis runs over to him and holds out a foot.

Chuck laughs. "You're one smart kid." Chuck sits him down and unties the laces. "These use to be mine too. They were my first pair of boots. My dad bought them for me when we first came here."

Sarah, who has just finished talking to Carina, walks up the stairs to the attic to find Chuck and Travis.

"That guy I was yelling at the other night that was my dad." Chuck sighs. "He use to be my hero, you know, the guy I looked up to." Chuck shakes his head. "That was before the money got to his head. That's sort of why my mom divorced him."

"How old were you?" Sarah says starling Chuck.

Chuck turns around to look at her. "I had just turned 17." Chuck goes back to untying the laces. "Even though I was 17, I had no idea what was going on. My parents and Ellie hadn't told me anything. I always saw them arguing but I never made anything of it. I just thought it was normal arguing parents had."

Sarah sits next to Chuck and Travis. "I can't say I relate. My parents never argued not even when my mom found out my dad had cheated on her."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well that's want they told me. It was a year into their marriage. My dad had gone on a business trip to Sweden. He had an affair with a Swedish model. When he came back to the states he told my mom about what he did. They decided to forget about it, work it out, and just leave it in the past. Well, nine month later, my mom goes to get the mail and finds a baby on the door step. The woman my dad had an affair with got pregnant and died during child birth. The man she was with at the time found out it wasn't his and came all the way to the United States from Sweden to drop off a baby. Even then my parents didn't argue about were or not to keep Carina. Three years later they had me. They never even told Carina and I we were half sister until we were in middle school. It didn't make a difference to us though."

"Your parents sound cool."

"They are. I mean, not as cool as yours but…"

Chuck bumps Sarah's shoulders with his.

"When it comes to business my dad becomes very serious. You don't want to mess with him. My mom's real sweet, kind of like your mom but not very religious. Maybe if she was I wouldn't have gotten pregnant without getting married first."

"But then you wouldn't have come to Burbank and we wouldn't have met."

"True."

Travis looks at the grownups talking and his feet still shoeless. He grabs the shoe Chuck has already unlaced and tries to put it on.

Chuck helps Travis put on the shoes. "My dad wasn't always mean though. When we lived here and didn't have a ton of money like he does now, he used to be really cool. He taught me how to ride a bike, ride a horse, swim, you know, all the things you're father is suppose to teach you."

"When did things start to change?"

"When I was about 15. My dad moved us to the city for his job a year earlier. He promised that the city life wouldn't change any of us but it did. He would go on more and more 'business' trips and be less and less at home."

"Why do you say it like that?"

"I always thought, had this feeling, that there was more to those business trips than he was telling me about. He would come home with a lot of money and bruises. When I asked he would give some lame excuses about him 'falling' or him 'tripping' over his luggage at the airport. When I asked him about the money he would just say 'it was a big client'.

The first summer I went to work with him, I was 14; he would let me sit in on meeting so I could see how he did business. I found that all fascinating how my father had so much power. The second summer though, he wouldn't let me into the meetings. He would actually lock me out of his office. One day he told me to just stop coming to work." Chuck sighs. "Then, 4 years later, he tells me to come work with him. Out of the blue, he says 'Son, you're going to work for me.' I, like every choice my father makes, have no say in whether I want to or not."

Travis stands up after Chuck ties his shoe laces.

"But you know what? That's in the past like all of the other bad things in my life. I'm starting off fresh now." Chuck stands up and then helps Sarah up. "We're starting off fresh. Plus, I'd like to hear about your life."

"Maybe some other time, let's not get into that now."

"Okay, then how about that tour now." Chuck was a little disappointed in her response but he knew that over time he would do the little things to make it easier for her.

Travis smiles in joy of finally getting out of the attic and seeing the adults talk.

Chewbacca

Travis is standing in between Chuck and Sarah as they walk over to the barn.

Outside, there are pens where different kinds of small animals are.

Travis stops to look at them.

"This way Travis, we'll see them later." Chuck says.

Travis runs over to Chuck and Sarah. Chuck picks up Travis.

Chuck opens a door and there's another furry ball on the floor. The furry ball stands up but this one isn't Max. It's a lot taller.

"This is Chewbacca, he's a horse." Chuck explains.

"Chewbacca?" Sarah asks with a smile.

"I was 6 and really into Star Wars, give me a break."

Sarah holds up her hands.

Chuck pulls an apple out of his pocket and hands it to Travis. "Wanna feed him?"

Travis takes the apple and extends his hand. Chewbacca carefully takes the apple out of his small hand. Travis looks at Chuck and giggles.

"Yeah, see, he doesn't hurt." Chuck explains.

Travis reaches out his head to pet Chewbacca. Chuck walks closer to Chewbacca so he can touch him.

Chuck looks behind him. "Well are you just gunna stand there or take the other apple out of my pocket and feed Chewbacca?"

"Yeah, me and animals don't do well together." Sarah says.

"Are you scared? Do I need to hold you too?" Chuck says while wrapping his arm around Sarah.

"Mommy!" Travis says petting Chewbacca's head.

"Come on Sarah; show Travis you're not scared of a horse."

Sarah sighs and takes the other apple out of Chuck's pocket.

Travis watches his mom slowly reach her apple filled hand out to the horse.

The horse moved to get the apple out of Sarah's hand but Sarah moves her hand away and drops the apple.

Travis and Chuck laugh.

Sarah storms out of the barn saying, "That wasn't funny."

Tricksters and Traitors

Chuck and Travis go after her. Chuck stands Travis on the ground.

"What is it?" Chuck asks worried about Sarah.

Sarah starts laughing.

"Wha…WHAT! Did you trick me into thinking you were mad?!"

Sarah stops laughing and looks at Chuck with an innocent look.

"Oh, I see how it is!"

Travis watches, confused, as Chuck chases Sarah around. Travis decides to play too and runs after his mommy too.

"Get her Travis! Get her!" Chuck says.

Travis runs after Sarah laughing.

"No Travis, don't listen to him! Get him!" Sarah says.

Travis stops running and looks at Chuck.

Chuck stops running and looks at Travis. "Don't listen to her. Don't do it."

Travis starts running after Chuck. Chuck runs away.

"Traitor! How could you betray me like this? I thought we were friends." Chuck says.

Travis laughs and keeps chasing after Chuck.

Boo Boo Kisses

Travis falls to the ground and starts crying.

Sarah and Chuck run over to him. Sarah picks him up.

"Uh oh." Chuck lifts up Travis' leg to show Sarah his scraped knee.

Travis sees his knee covered in blood and cries even louder.

Chuck takes Travis from Sarah. "It's okay, little guy. Let's get that cleaned up."

They walk in the house then into the bathroom. Chuck sits Travis on the sink as he takes out the First Aid kit from under the sink.

Travis sniffles as he looks at Chuck open the box full of different colored band-aids.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Sarah says, watching Chuck dip a cotton ball into some rubbing alcohol.

"As a kid I use to get scraps a lot. I know what I'm doing plus my sister's a doctor remember?"

"I don't think you do know what you're doing. Move over, let mommy show you how's it's done."

Sarah moved Chuck to the side and took out the anti-bacterial cream.

Travis moves away from Sarah not knowing what the clear cream his mommy was holding.

"It's okay, Travis, this doesn't sting." Sarah explains to Travis.

Travis moves back over to his mommy. He lets her spread some cream on his scrap and indeed it doesn't sting.

"Now, which colorful band-aid would you like?" Sarah asks holding the band-aids in front of Travis.

Travis takes out a green band-aid and hands it to Sarah who puts in over his scrape.

"There." Sarah says with a smile. Sarah leans down and kisses Travis' boo boo. "All better."

Travis giggles.

"You know," Chuck says, "I got hurt too. I think I need a kiss to make me feel better too." Chuck pucks out his lips.

"I don't think so." Sarah laughs while pushing past Chuck with Travis.

"Oh come on, I could be dying!" Chuck jokes.

Sarah rolls her eyes but turns around to give Chuck a small kiss on the lips.

"That's it?"

Sarah looks at Travis.

"Later than."

Fruit Of The Loom

Chuck takes two baskets out of the barn.

"Who wants to pick some fruit?" Chuck says, leaning down to talk to Travis and hand him a basket.

Travis giggles and takes the basket from Chuck.

When they get to the fruit garden Chuck shows Travis and Sarah all the fruit there is.

"First we get peaches and oranges." Chuck lifts Travis up so he can see the peach and orange trees.

Travis pulls an orange from its tree and hands it to Chuck who holds up his basket.

They fill up Travis' basket with oranges and peaches.

"Next, all the way down here," Chuck says, getting down on his knees.

Travis copies Chuck and gets down on his knees too but screams when his scraped knee hits the ground.

Chuck picks him up and sits him on the ground.

"It's Okay Travis, down here we have strawberries and they make everything better!"

Travis looks at the green bunches then at Chuck.

Chuck lifts up the green bunches so Travis can see all the strawberries.

Travis' eyes widen as he sees all the bright red strawberries.

Chuck pulls out a strawberry, cleans it on a napkin he brought, and hands it to Travis.

Travis takes a bite of the strawberry, red juice slipping out of his mouth.

"You wanna pick some more?" Chuck asks him, placing another basket by him.

Travis nods.

Sarah bends down to pick some strawberries.

"Whoa! I see London, I see France, I see Sarah's underpants!" Chuck sings while pointing at Sarah's rear end.

Sarah quickly stands up straight and pulls her shirt down to cover her underwear.

Chuck laughs.

Travis looks up at the two adults. His mommy's face looks really red, almost as red as the strawberries. Chuck's face is also red but from laughing so hard.
Travis shrugs and goes back to eating each strawberry he picks.

"Chuck you are so childish!" Sarah says, trying not to laugh.

Chuck keeps laughing until he gets hit in the back of the head with a basket. "Ow, that hurt."

"Serves you right."

Travis watches Chuck rub his head.

On top of the world

Travis holds on tightly to Chucks head as he sits on Chucks shoulders.

His mom is carrying a picnic basket with the fruit they picked, a salad from vegetables they also picked, and some sandwiches.

Chuck is carrying a cooler with fresh lemonade.

They got to the top of a big hill they were climbing and Sarah lays a blanket on the grass.

Chuck lifts Travis off his shoulders and stands him on the grass.

Travis looks at all the green grass surrounding them. They are so up that Chuck's big ranch looks small.

He could also see others ranches and even the city from where he was standing.

Chuck grabs him and spins him around. Travis giggles.

Chuck stops spinning and just holds him. "Isn't it great? It's like being on top of the world. You can see everything from here."

Sarah stands up and stands beside Chuck. "It's such a beautiful view."

"Yeah." Chuck puts him arm around Sarah. "It's awesome."

They sit down and start eating.

Travis looks over at Chuck and Sarah feeding each other food and bumping shoulders.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Travis says as he gets up to sit on Sarah's lap and get her attention on him.

"Travis!" Sarah lifts Travis up in the air and then sits him back on her lap. "Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah!" Travis answers. He reaches his arms out to Chuck. "Daddy!"

Chuck suddenly turns into a statue hearing Travis call him 'daddy'.

"Daddy!"

Chuck unfreezes realizing he wasn't imagining things. "Hey." He puts up Travis.

Travis snuggles closer up to Chuck and falls asleep shortly after.

Sarah smiles.

"Did you hear what I heard?" Chuck says with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, I guess I won't be the only one calling you daddy anymore."

Sarah lays down next to Chuck and Travis snuggles in close to Chuck.

"You know Sarah, I've been thinking…" Chuck starts to talk again but he can hear Sarah's breath even out as she fell asleep.

Chuck just sat there enjoying the view and feel of his loved ones next to him.