A/N 3/8/13 -
Thanks so much to my betas again, my wife, somedeepmystery, and Steampunk . Chuckster, all of whom were very helpful, patient, and understanding while I fretted over and worked through some big decisions, rethought too many times where I wanted this to go, where the explosions were going to happen, and how big they were going to be. I never thought the outline would get torn up and rewritten so many times this late in the story.
I don't own Chuck, but it's still been a very rewarding experience.
Chuck Versus the Lost Years
Act 11 - A Sister's Story
- I -
She sipped from a mug of coffee, lost in thought. Secrets. So many secrets. Dr. Eleanor Bartowski-Woodcomb now held almost as many as Chuck and Sarah. It ate at her to think that she was keeping some of them from her own brother. She sat at the kitchen table staring at her computer screen, her face drawn into a contemplative expression mixed with fatigue. They had just finished their second briefing with the general. The amount of data that Chuck and Sarah had been able to mine from the evidence that was found in the new Fulcrum's Century City lair was startling... and disturbing. Secrets and hidden plans. Nefarious struggles for wealth and power on a monumental scale.
This world she'd been so suddenly exposed to, it gave her pause. The thought that she had been pulled so completely into the same world of espionage that she'd only a short while ago insisted that Chuck should leave made her shake her head ruefully. She kept staring at the screen of her Roark 7 reviewing the video of Sarah's functional MRI scans. She and Manoosh had insisted that her brother and sister-in-law be taken to the agency research clinic for tests before they were brought to the safe house. She shook her head again and pursed her lips.
The safe house; it was Chuck and Sarah's house. The place where so many dreams of the future had been born, and a place where all of those dreams had almost come crashing down. The first time when Sarah almost murdered her own husband, and then almost immediately again, when Nicholas Quinn shot at Sarah, and Chuck took a bullet for his wife who didn't even know who he was.
It broke Ellie's heart to think that the love she had watched develop over the course of five years had been torn so asunder by one callous and evil man. She watched helplessly as her brother reeled in the aftermath of his love's abduction, and the destruction of those five years of her life, when Nicholas Quinn then tried to use Sarah as a weapon against Chuck.
Ever since Ellie learned what had happened to Sarah, she had taken it upon herself to do everything she could help her sister-in-law. Sarah was more like a true sister to her and one of her closest friends. She wouldn't have ever considered moving to Chicago if she and Devon hadn't shown up for an abruptly scheduled interview at the Westside Medical Center to discover General Diane Beckman and the Director of the CIA sitting at the conference table.
The hope that the general had offered her was the only thing that could have torn her away from her brother and sister. And she couldn't say a thing about it to Chuck, at least not right away. Until the Iv4 team was assembled and started work she'd been held to complete secrecy about her new job. Even after she was finally given the go ahead to tell her brother something, it was very limited; only the very larger facts of just what she was now working on. And after all Chuck had been through as the first human Intersect, she felt he deserved so much more.
The MRI scans she was now reviewing revealed an above normal amount of brain activity for a normal woman, yet they were all within the predicted parameters for an individual with the version four Intersect. In fact, they fit her predicted model perfectly; and Sarah had been far from normal before being Intersected as it was. Ellie heaved a blissful sigh and a small watery smile graced her face knowing what she'd been able to accomplish. She had her sister back in a way she could only have hoped for a few weeks ago; the sight of Sarah and her brother, so obviously, and so deeply in love spoke to her heart in oh so many ways.
But it was all tempered by more secrets. And there was one huge secret that was weighing her down like a pair of concrete blocks tied to her feet. A secret she'd been sworn to by her own mother. The same mother who had abandoned her and Chuck for the life of a deep cover operative. Even knowing the reasons her mother left them didn't make it any easier; and they made the secret she'd promised to keep all the more difficult. At some point regret was going to overcome it, she knew it.
She was shaken from her reverie when the focus of all her efforts walked into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and they shared a happy but reserved smile.
"I'll bet you're excited to get home to Devon and Clara, aren't you?" asked Sarah Bartowski, picking up the coffee carafe.
"Very excited." Ellie's smile grew broader showing her teeth. "We haven't seen much of each other for the last several weeks, but the last few days have been excruciating."
"I understand." And she did. Now she understood all too well. Sarah paused as if in reflection, and then held up the carafe and rolled her eyes towards it, "Warm it up?"
"Sure," said Ellie, holding her mug up while Sarah poured.
"Well, we just spoke to the pickup team on the satphone," Sarah mused, "They're supposed to be here around dark." Sarah filled her cup, took a sip, and then pulled out a chair and sat next to Ellie. She placed her hand over Chuck's older sister's hand as she settled into the seat. Her thought filled gaze came up from their hands and met those of her sister. She was so thankful she could call Ellie that. Sarah took a deep breath with misty eyes. "Ellie, I want you to know how grateful I am for what you and Manoosh and your team have done for me. I don't remember much about what happened after Chuck and I were captured; only that he saved me from falling into a terrible abyss."
Sarah paused, and spent several seconds regathering herself, as if what she was remembering couldn't ever possibly leave her, and then she gulped and found her voice again. "Then there was this feeling...like I'd had everything that I was ripped right out of me, like I'd been turned into an empty shell. I remember someone carrying me... Chuck..." she smiled wistfully, "and then... nothing. Then... something... something lifted this giant and dark weight off of me, and it felt so warm, so secure. I felt whole again. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It was a clean white beach. I was so very happy because Chuck was with me. But at the same time I was sad. I was worried that he'd died too, and that he'd left you."
Ellie swallowed audibly as her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to say something, anything that would convey the emotions she was feeling. But she had been left mute by what Sarah had shared with her; how Sarah wanted to keep Chuck safe for the both of them.
Sarah placed her other hand on Ellie's and squeezed it firmly, "And then I woke up, Ellie. I woke up... and there was Chuck... there was... my husband." A grateful smile of relief filled her face as she saw a tear trail down Ellie's right cheek. "Thank you, sis. Thank you for bringing me back to my family," Sarah said, with a trembling voice.
As they shared that embrace; that long, deep, and heartfelt embrace, Ellie thought about all that had led up to it. The intense worry if whether the download had worked, for both her brother and Sarah. And the difficult time spent just waiting for them to wake up. Sitting, monitoring their brain activity and vitals, and waiting... waiting. Now, here they were, and better than she could have ever imagined. Her mind drifted back to the morning before when her brother had made that request to the general for her, a simple yet heartfelt request so that she could see her own husband and daughter. The chance to finally go home and experience some normalcy again, if only briefly. Chuck, her little brother had always looked out for her, even as she had worked so hard to look out for him.
- II -
The team had all shared a wide range of emotions after that briefing yesterday morning with General Beckman, as they stood in the den of Chuck and Sarah's new home. They looked from one to another as the monitor went blank, but no one said a word for what seemed like an eternity.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry," declared Manoosh, "I think I'll go get some breakfast started," he said, turning toward the door with a thoughtful expression on his face. He stopped in the doorway and caught Chuck's eye. "Care to give me a hand? Those files can wait until after breakfast."
Chuck's pensive gaze shifted from Sarah to the doctor. "Sure, but I'm not going to be much help unless you're cooking pancakes."
"Don't be too sure about that," said Manoosh, with a wry smile.
"Is this another test?"
"Yup, probably too easy," said the doctor as he stepped out of sight toward the kitchen.
"Oh, this I've got to see," said Casey, as he rubbed his hands together, "The Intersect meets Top Chef." He started to make for the door.
"Wa-wait-wait-wait, Casey," said Chuck, with a stunned looked on his face, "are you telling me you watch cooking shows?"
"Man can't live by war documentary's and Hot Pockets alone, numbnuts," Casey responded with a straight face as he walked to the door. "Hnmg, numbnuts. That's probably a very apt description for you right about now. C'mon, let's get this show on the road Bartowski, I'm hungry too."
"Wait! Casey... don't go just yet. We need to... talk?" Sarah said with a flushed face and a tight grin. She exchanged a quick, nonverbal communication with Chuck, and when he looked at his sister and Nikki, who were almost in stitches from Casey's comment, rolled his eyes toward the door with a goofy, embarrassed grin on his face.
Chuck, Nikki, and Ellie made a hasty exit as Casey stepped uncomfortably back into the den. But Ellie's curiosity got the better of her and she stopped in the hallway outside the door.
"Contain yourself, Bartoswki," Casey said with a warning tone, staying well outside Sarah's personal space.
Sarah looked up at him with a little smirk as she bounced on her toes; a smile that radiated much more from her deep, blue eyes. She averted her gaze to the door for a second then looked back at him coyly from the corner of those intense eyes. "John, I apologize if Chuck and I have been… less than discreet. The last thing I wanted to do was make you feel uncomfortable," she lied, biting her lower lip. It was only a white lie, she laughed inwardly to herself.
"Bullshit. You and Chuck are milking this for all it's worth. But I'll admit I'm having almost as much fun razzing you two about it as… never mind, I'm probably not having near as much fun," he admitted with a barely perceptible frown. He studied her for a few seconds while she smiled at him with a hint of sheepishness. Casey then looked at the floor between them and gritted his teeth, before looking her in the eye. "Walker, I couldn't be happier that this has worked out so well for you. I'm glad to see you've recovered something we both know was very special. These last five years with Chuck, they've had a profound impact on both of us. It pained me to no end to think that you might have lost that forever."
Casey stood there grinding his teeth as Sarah stared at him with her mouth hanging slightly open. She had never heard John come even remotely this close to disclosing his feelings about anything before, or with so many words. Dammit! Screw it. You're getting that hug whether you want it, or not! She flung herself at him in the finest Ellie Bartowski style and his eyes went wide with surprise. Casey awkwardly patted Sarah's back as he struggled for breath under her intense grasp, and then he finally gave in and returned her hug with his chin resting on top of her head as she buried her face into his neck. "Bartowski, you know how I feel about this sort of thing..."
"I know," she mumbled into his chest,"Thank you, John...for everything. I couldn't have asked for a better partner than you." She released him, taking a step back still holding his hands, and smiled when she watched him relax just a bit.
"You've been a great partner, Sarah. I guess you remember now that it became more than that."
"Yes. I had no idea how close we'd become. It was quite a shock really." She released his hands, watching him cross his arms uncomfortably across his chest, but sharing a smile with her nonetheless as she steepled her hands in front of her lips.
"I'm glad you remember," he said quietly, "I didn't want to lose all that we'd gained either."
Sarah nodded back somberly as she dropped her hands linking her fingers together in front of her. "Thank you for all you've done for Chuck and me," she said, chewing her lip and fighting the moisture building up in her eyes.
"Don't mention it... please. You and the nerd deserve some happiness," he said with a very faint smile. "Sarah, do me a big favor, will you?"
"What's that?" she asked cocking her head a bit to one side.
"Watch out for Nikki during this whole Intersect thing."
Her eyes bored in on his causing him to fidget and tighten his arms across his chest. An untrained observer wouldn't have caught it. "You really care about her don't you?" she asked, pursing her lips.
He stared back at her for a moment. "Yeah, dammit, I really do."
"How serious is it?"
"Bartowski, if you ever repeat this to anyone…" He said in exasperation as he ran his hand through his hair.
"Who would believe me if I told them?" she asked with a smirk.
"Hnmg." Casey shook his finger at her and paced back and forth like a very dangerous cat before he stopped and looked at her. "I'm in love with Gertrude. I don't think that will ever change. I want to make a life with her. But I love Nikki like...like a kid sister...kind of like you."
One side of Sarah's mouth suddenly turned up with a startled bob of her head as she stared back at him with a tight-lipped grin and swallowed audibly. She blinked rapidly several times trying to hold the tears back again.
"Knock it off, will you? This is hard enough as it is."
Sarah snerked.
"Look, you know how I felt about it when you downloaded the Intersect the first time. The only person who's shown any ability to handle this thing without going bonkers, is Chuck. And sometimes I still wonder about him," he added with a snort.
"Iv4 is different, Casey," she said, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Is it? Are you sure? I understand it was probably your only option given the circumstances you found yourself in, but is it worth the risk to Nikki?"
"Ellie seems to think so. You trust her don't you? And don't forget, Nikki volunteered for this."
"I still think it's dangerous. There are just so many unknowns with it," Casey said as he balled his hands into fists at his sides.
"Chuck and Ellie and I will make sure Nikki goes into this fully informed. And I'll be sure to voice any concerns I may have with her if I encounter any troubles with this Intersect before she does the download, okay?"
"Fine," Casey responded through clenched teeth. He looked at her intensely for a moment then shook his head. "We should probably get back with the others. Don't want them getting any funny ideas."
"It's been too quiet for that," Sarah said with a broad grin.
"Hmg, very funny."
"Casey?" she asked, as he turned for the door and stopped mid-step, looking over his shoulder at her, "I love you, too."
He gave her a surprisingly endearing grunt, and raised an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. Then he shook his head and slapped the door frame with his hand, and walked out.
- III -
"Hey, there you are," exclaimed Chuck as Casey and Sarah walked into the kitchen, "Have a seat I'm making us some omelets and fried potatoes… and a couple of other things."
He moved swiftly in front of the stove as he took a spatula and ran it under a stack of country potatoes in a large frying pan. And then flipped the potatoes over from the back of the pan to the front several times without losing a single piece over the edge. Sarah and Casey froze half way into their seats as they watched him do it, before settling into their chairs with raised eyebrows. Then Chuck grabbed an onion, and very deftly, and swiftly, diced it with a knife. As he picked the cutting board up and side-stepped to the stove like a short order cook he bumped into Manoosh, who was laying out bowls of omelet ingredients on the counter on the opposite side of the stove. "You're getting in the way, Doc," he chided, with a grin.
Manoosh chuckled, "Sorry Chuck, it's a little hard to stay out of your way right now."
Chuck froze with the cutting board poised over the potatoes and turned to ask, "Are you guys okay with onions in your fried spuds?"
Both Sarah and Casey just nodded as they stared at him. Neither of them had ever seen Chuck handle a knife quite like that before, even using the Intersect. They watched him quickly stir the onions in, then grab a couple of cartons of eggs and start to crack them into a bowl three at a time, and then swiftly whisk them as he poured in a little milk. The kitchen became very quiet as they watched Chuck work. All eyes were transfixed on him. Sarah looked up to see Nikki and Ellie standing in the doorway silently watching him cut up some fruit with lightning speed.
Momentarily Chuck looked up from the stove, "Okay I'm ready for omelet orders, what'll it be?" He looked at them curiously, "Guys? Don't be shy now."
"Bacon, cheddar, tomato, and avocado," Casey blurted out with a shake of his head.
They all watched as he spooned some melted butter into the pan and poured in some eggs. He readied another pan. "Next?"
"Tomatoes, green onion, mushrooms, and sliced olives… and just a little cheese," Nikki said rapid-fire before anyone else could say anything. She looked around the room with amusement. "Gotta be quick, gang, but I don't think you'll be waiting too long."
The two omelets were quickly finished, and Chuck plated them with potatoes, setting them on the table along with a bowl of mixed fruit and a pitcher of orange juice. He had the rest of everyone's omelets done and plated in short order and after he turned the stove burners off he picked up his and Sarah's plates. Seeing that Sarah had relinquished her seat at the small table for four he nodded toward the back door with a roll of his eyes and a crooked grin. "C'mon, let's go see if we can rock the glider and eat at the same time."
"Oh, fer cryin' out loud," groaned Casey.
"If you have any trouble with it, it's probably in the Intersect," said Ellie with a snicker. She sat next to the bay window while she ate, and watched her brother and sister-in-law eat in the backyard, playfully sharing their breakfasts with each other.
They smiled at each other as they rocked back and forth in the glider feeding each other chunks of fruit and whole berries. "That was very good, Chuck. Best omelet I've had in a long time. I guess you can't get out of cooking using the 'I'm a terrible cook' excuse anymore, huh?" Sarah said as she worked to stab a grape with her fork in a bowl that was waving back and forth in Chuck's hand. She grabbed his hand with a firm grip, "Hold still, please." She looked up to see him grinning broadly at her.
"I am not going to flash just so I can stab a stupid moving grape," she said, narrowing her eyes with a thin smile.
"Hey," he laughed, "Ellie said it was in there."
"Whatever," she said, picking the grape up with her fingers and popping it in her mouth.
"I think Ellie and Manoosh want us to use it. You know, test it out on some small things, see if we encounter any problems with it while they're here. Something other than what goes on in the bedroom," he added with the eyebrow dance.
"Fine, but for the record, what goes on in the bedroom are not the small things, mister."
"Oh, don't you worry about that. I'm on a mission. It's a very big thing." He wiggled his eyebrows at her again.
"Oh, a mission, huh?" She picked up a raspberry with her fingers and placed it carefully on his tongue, only to have him latch onto her fingers. She shook her head with a grin.
"Couldn't you tell? I'm shootin' for a boy," he said, after he released her fingers.
"Haha, you believe that stuff, do you? That does explain a few things, though." Now she was beaming at him.
"I saw it in the Intersect, so it must be true."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"
Chuck's face lit up in a magnified version of the Bartowski smile and he took the plate from her hand, setting it along with his on the grass. "C'mere, you."
"Ah,ah,ah," she said with a giggle, holding him back with her hand on his chest, "You have to sing to me first."
- IV -
They'd spent the rest of that morning with Nikki going over the files and the recently gathered intelligence from the Fulcrum offices in Century City, while Ellie and Manoosh observed them. Chuck and Sarah were both wearing portable EEG's while they worked. Both of them had flashed a number of times, but the nature of the way the new Iv4 program collated and presented the data made it very hard to see when it was happening. It could be seen by watching the EEG readout, but there were few physical tells like the earlier versions of the Intersect. It also happened very quickly, quite literally giving new meaning to the word 'flash'.
The new Intersect also had an uncanny ability to tell how important a piece of information was to the whole, as new data was discovered and patterns developed. It could also adapt and pull new information from the environment. Sarah flashed on an Internet news article while they were taking a short break that created a whole new flash out of the blue (or was it gray?), and then a third one from the new and combined database information that yielded a completely different result from the first two flashes individually. That one had resulted in an immediate call to the general because the information had proven to be so time sensitive.
As they worked through the files and flashed on the information they would log it on a computer and make a voice recording describing it. One of the things Ellie and her team wanted to know was how long the information within a flash was being retained. Chuck's experiences with the Intersect 2 had shown that information degraded from memory relatively fast if he didn't make a conscious effort to remember it, and skillset flashes that contained muscle memory data degraded even faster.
The Iv4 program seemed to work in concert with the mind in a way that let the user decide with little effort whether the information should be committed to long or short term memory. The team's objective, and the original objective of Chuck and Ellie's father, was for some learning and skillset flashes to be retained permanently at the users choosing, within reason. The theory was that the Intersect moved and held data in archive, and it could be quickly accessed through association and cognitively in much the same way a person would access a normal memory or skill.
With Iv4 it appeared to be working, and Chuck reported being able to remember and access information with remarkable ease. But he balked at telling his sister what some of the specific information was when she asked him, saying, "It's... um... classified."
Ellie countered by responding, "Chuck, I have the same clearances as you do."
To which he answered, "It's a little embarrassing, okay?"
"Yes, I kind of figured some of the things in the learning database would make you squirm a little," Ellie knowingly snickered.
Though Sarah's eyebrows shot up when she heard that revelation, she just sat in quiet amusement during the exchange. She'd decided there was no way she was going to get involved in that conversation.
After a few hours, Ellie looked at the accumulated data and the flash count for them and called a break. She looked a little puzzled at Chuck and Sarah. "I think you both should lie down and take a nap. Aren't you guys tired? I'm tired from just watching you."
"No, surprisingly, not that much, El," Chuck replied with a lopsided smile. "Nothing a Red Bull wouldn't fix." His smile grew bigger when his sister shot the predicted scowl at him with her eyes narrowed.
"How about headaches? Either of you?" Manoosh asked as he tapped away on his notebook PC.
"Nope, none at all," said Chuck shaking his head.
"I've got a very small headache," said Sarah a little guardedly with a one shoulder shrug when she looked at her husband and saw him frown. She reached over and squeezed his hand, "Don't worry, Chuck, I feel fine. I think it's mostly eye strain from all these files we've been reading. I haven't been feeling any discomfort from the flashes. Well, that triple flash did ring my bell a little bit, but it passed quickly."
"Hmmm, I may have to adjust the attenuation signal on your governor," Manoosh said, scratching his hair covered chin. "I'll set up one of the spares so we can try it later this afternoon."
Ellie unhooked the EEG leads and removed the headbands from their heads. "I didn't see anything alarming on the readouts, but I think I'll have a look at the log from Sarah's triple flash just to be safe. Why don't you two get some rest and we'll finish this up after lunch. We're going to play with skillsets some more this afternoon. Nikki and John can review the logs while you nap."
"Do we have to sleep?" Sarah asked coyly, trying to hide a smile.
"Just try to relax a little bit, no flashing." Ellie smiled, shaking her head.
After Chuck and Sarah had left the den welded to each other's side, Nikki leaned over to Ellie and whispered, "Level with me, Ellie. Does Iv4 turn people into bunny rabbits?"
Ellie's answer was a laugh through her hand clamped over her mouth.
The rest of the day was spent finishing the files the General had sent and physical training on the lawn in the backyard. After a vigorous calisthenic workout, Chuck and Sarah sparred with Casey and Nikki for about an hour and a half. The idea was for them to use the Intersect fighting skillsets, but it was a little hard to tell when or if Sarah was using them because she already had 2nd and 3rd degree black belts in nine different styles. All four of them were wearing black martial arts dogis, but one thing stood out on close inspection; Nikki and Casey's clothing were covered with grass stains, Chuck and Sarah's had very few of them. They also looked less fatigued than their colleagues.
The two doctors sat in chairs next to the lawn watching. Ellie was still trying to get used to the idea that Chuck and their good friends could do what they did with their bodies without hurting one another. Nikki was particularly impressive to watch since she was the smallest of the four. And considering she was recovering from a small caliber gunshot wound that had occurred only days before, she seemed to be faring quite well against the two Intersects.
Chuck and Sarah were avoiding her injured leg, and demonstrating a remarkable ability to work as a team, especially when they were touching each other. When they were in physical contact it was almost as if they were a single mind and body with multiple limbs. They overwhelmed Nikki and Casey easily every time the NSA agents tried to do a coordinated attack, and it didn't even look like the Intersect couple were going nearly as fast as they could have.
The Intersect couple. It was a concept that Ellie was still trying to wrap her brilliant mind around. Her goal had always been to save Sarah, but the result had become this; what essentially now amounted to a super-spy couple. It was the unintended consequence of getting her sister back and whole again.
- V -
Breaking out of her reflection of the previous day, Ellie glanced at the clock display on her monitor. The NSA team that would take her and Manoosh to her home in Echo Park would be here in less than an hour. She closed her computer, and after stowing it in its case, she left the cozy kitchen. As she was walking through the living room, she spied Chuck and Sarah lounging on the couch watching a movie in each other's embrace. Tangled. They were tangled all right. She snerked, and the two lovebirds looked up, smiling at her embarrassed recognition.
"What?" asked Chuck, with a slightly guilty tone.
"Oh, nothing," Ellie giggled, "It's that we only just watched that last night, and yet here you are again-"
"I know, I know," her brother interrupted, with that goofy one-sided grin that looked so much like Flynn's, "We like it, okay?"
"Except for that part where she turns into a brunette," Sarah said flatly.
"Ha! Well, I certainly know why you like it," retorted Ellie, to her brother, as her gaze shifted to Sarah with a knowing grin.
"I...I...um, uh...huh," stuttered Chuck as his mouth opened and closed. "Guilty as charged, but, I do like her better as a blonde," he finally blurted out when Sarah playfully jabbed him in the side.
"You know, I have been thinking of growing my hair back out long again."
Chuck slowly turned and stared at his smirking wife with his eyebrows up near his hairline.
"Not that far," Sarah added, with a laugh.
"I always did like your hair long."
"You didn't have to take care of it. God, after that one time when we played plumbers I thought I would never get it clean. What a gooey mess."
"Yeah, that role playing wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Never again," replied Chuck with a chuckle.
They both broke their banter to look up at Ellie, who was wearing a shocked look on her face.
"It was a mission, sis, plumbers, as in cover," Sarah said, as her cheeks turned pink, and Chuck nodded vigorously.
"Thank you for the clarification," Ellie deadpanned. She closed her eyes and shook her head like she was trying to exorcise an image from her mind, "I'm going to go finish packing."
"Casey was there," Chuck entreated, his voice chasing after his sister as she hurried up the stairs.
"NOT helping," his sister sang from the top of the landing.
Chuck turned to his wife and shrugged with a soft laugh as he watched her mouth turn into an impish grin. "You know, if you grow your hair out like that," he said, pointing at the TV, "I'll brush it for you every day."
"In your dreams, Mr. B. Hmm, role playing. Nice choice of words," she said with a smirk, kissing him affectionately on the cheek.
"Bartowskis," Casey growled with a raised voice from the entrance to the hallway, "Put your home movies on pause and get in here, we're going to have company soon!"
"I think Casey's ears were burning."
- VI -
They all stood in the driveway outside the backyard gate in the evening twilight. Ellie gave Sarah a big hug, one of her patented bone crushers, and an affectionate kiss on the cheek. When she went to let her go, Sarah didn't, and she smiled in her sister's embrace and whispered softly into her ear, "You take care of my little brother, Sarah, he needs you. He worships the ground you walk on."
"I know." The two words flowed from her like a gentle breeze. "I've always known, sis."
"You're going to make me cry again," Ellie warned, pulling back slightly, looking into her best friend's eyes and squeezing her arms.
Sarah squeezed her back and cast Ellie that subtle tight-lipped smile that was all so hers, the one that Ellie had missed so much; a smile that came at her at the speed of light from Sarah's eyes. "I know," Sarah replied, and she laughed in a way that could only be felt and not heard, "Go give Devon and Clara a hug for me."
With a sharp, choked laugh filled with emotion, Ellie cocked her head to the side and raised her hand quickly to catch a tear. "I will... and a kiss, too. And I'll make sure they both know it came just from you."
"Thanks, I'll have a hug and a kiss for both of them in person, soon I hope. I see people are getting impatient," Sarah said, looking at General Beckman's handpicked entourage of very large and scary looking NSA agents, "You and Manoosh need to get going." She heard a grunt of agreement behind her that could only have been John Casey.
Ellie gave her brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then smiled affectionately into Chuck's shoulder when she watched Sarah swiftly grab Manoosh and give the startled doctor a hug and a peck on the cheek as he turned bug-eyed. She watched Manoosh flush as Sarah whispered something into his ear and then releasing him from her arms, swatted him on the bottom with a grin.
When they stepped back from the embrace Chuck looked at his sister curiously. "Now what?" he asked through narrowed eyes as he studied the mirth in those of his sister's.
"Oh, it's nothing. Ask your wife."
As the caravan of three armored Suburbans drove back down the highway toward Echo Park, Ellie stared out through the thick Lexan glass of the side window, surrounded by bodyguards. She once again found herself reflecting on the last few days. Her thoughts were caught up in the miraculous transformation that had taken place in her sister-in-law. Seeing the stark change from the Sarah Walker of five years ago to the Sarah who she knew so well as her brother's wife had left her a little awestruck. Ellie had been studying the human brain for years but had never witnessed firsthand anything like this. It brought into sharp relief the changes that five years had made in the life of one person she loved so much.
It made her wonder about the change she'd experienced herself during the last five years and what life would have been like if all those changes and emotional growth had all been suddenly stripped away. The thought gave her pause as she wondered how she and Devon would have dealt with such a thing. She'd seen and studied many clinical examples of brain injuries similar to this, and in the bulk of the cases where they involved couples the relationship had come through the trauma intact or even enhanced.
It looked to her like Chuck and Sarah's love had also survived, and maybe even grown before this miracle she had been a part of ever happened. She wondered in passing if the brain had anything to do with it at all. Ellie smiled at her reflection in the glass, realizing it might be a good topic for pillow talk with her own cardiologist husband whose life was dedicated to the study and mending of the heart.
"So what did Sarah say to you?" she asked, turning to the doctor lost in thought sitting next to her.
"Hmm?" Manoosh looked up at her with a start, shyly avoiding her inquiring gaze.
"C'mon, don't play coy with me, Doctor. What did my sister-in-law say to you when she swatted you on the bottom."
"Oh, that," he answered with a nervous laugh, "She was just joking around."
"MmmHmm. And?"
"Huh, I, um," he choked, looking a little fearfully at Ellie, "Sarah said... she said she was going to make it her number one mission in life - outside of getting pregnant - to have me married off within a year. She sounded frightfully serious."
"Ha! You'd better take her seriously," Ellie said with a satisfied smirk. "You're in trouble, buddy. When Sarah puts her mind to something it gets done." She shook her head and giggled. "I may have to help her out with that one. I think I might already have one or two candidates for her to screen."
"I had a funny feeling you'd say that. It's becoming very apparent how much you and Sarah like to conspire. Anyone I already know?"
"Maybe," answered Ellie, cryptically. Dr. Ann Kelly was one woman who immediately came to mind. Ellie was still amazed by the way Manoosh had helped her after what had happened in Castle.
- VII -
It felt good to be back. Ellie missed this apartment; this comfortable place where so many memories and emotional attachments had been made. She tried to push the fact from her mind that this comfortable place was now surrounded by the same NSA tactical team that had spirited her and Manoosh back into her home like the wind. Operational security had demanded that Devon not know that Ellie and Dr. Depak were going to be here, so Devon had been quite surprised when they sailed through the front door and Ellie attempted to contain a squeal of delight.
She ran at him full tilt with her arms outstretched and enveloped him with a deep and passionate kiss when they collided. That kiss spoke of much more than simple separation anxiety, as they did a slow dance in a circle. She luxuriated in the warmth of his embrace and his masculine scent when their lips finally parted, and she buried her face in his chest. She knew Devon had a lot of questions, he didn't even know what had happened to Chuck and Sarah. All he had known was that she was safe. But for the moment all Ellie wanted to do was rejoice in the simple pleasure of their reunion. Their reunion. Someone was missing. She looked up at Devon with a radiant smile, "Where's Clara?"
Manoosh was no dummy. He stayed out of the way and relaxed on the couch watching the television, leafing casually through one of Devon's fitness magazines while Ellie and her husband spoke with hushed and emotional voices in the kitchen. Devon was preparing dinner as she held their daughter in her arms. Ellie constantly touched him every time he came within reach of her, and he smiled and gave her and his daughter a kiss every time she came within range of his eager lips.
Watching Sarah and her brother the last three days had strongly reinforced how much all of this meant to Ellie. What she had witnessed in them was contagious, and she wanted to pass it on to her husband too. As Devon passed near her she reached up to cup his cheek with her hand, and when they gazed at each other longingly, she felt a small soft hand on her own cheek. Devon's smiled grew huge as he placed his hand over the top of his daughter's, "We missed you a lot, babe," he said as he helped Clara stroke her mother's cheek, "Can you tell?"
"I sure can," she answered softly with a sigh, "I missed you too."
"Hopefully you missed me enough to withstand my cooking. I've been preparing most of my meals in the blender while you were gone," Devon said with a chuckle, "Let's sit down and eat, okay?"
- VIII -
Ellie came down the stairs after bathing Clara and putting her into her crib. She had missed those simple labors of love and the time spent bonding with her daughter more than she could have ever imagined. Pausing near the top of the steps, she watched her husband and her good friend and colleague. They were conversing at the dinner table with the remnants of a bottle of wine between them. The work they would be doing later at Castle had been invading her thoughts since before they had left Chuck and Sarah's house, but the scene before her felt happy and relaxed.
It pushed the trauma that had happened to them only a few days ago in Castle, and the work that lay ahead for them, into the recesses of her mind. She watched Devon shake from that deep, hearty laugh she loved so much when Manoosh told him about Casey's reaction to Chuck and Sarah's singing. Manoosh had carried on for most of the evening filling Devon in on Chuck and Sarah's condition while she had doted lovingly over Clara. Now she was going to show her colleague to the guest room and have some quality time with the man she loved.
"What the heck was that?!" Devon said with a start as a heavy thump and a chattering sound and shouted commotion outside abruptly shattered the quiet in the room. Ellie froze halfway down the stairs, staring wide-eyed at the two doctors who had quickly risen from their chairs and were alternating between looking towards each other and the windows.
There was a sound of repeated impacts on the exterior wall and the tinkling of glass, and a sharp hammering sound as holes started to appear in the interior walls. Devon and Manoosh rushed for the stairs as the front door began splintering from what could only have been bullet holes.
"Devon!" Ellie's mind almost completely locked up when she saw him grab his side as he stumbled toward her with shock filling his face.
The front door flew open with a bang and John Roger's, along with two other armed men in black tactical clothing backed swiftly into the room, shoving the couch against the door as they slammed it shut. Agent Rogers shouted quick commands to his teammates and ran quickly to the three doctors shoving all of them with alarming strength up the staircase. They reached Clara's room and the big NSA agent pushed his charges to the back wall as he moved to cover the doorway.
"Devon's been shot!" The level of distress in Ellie's voice was bone chilling.
"This is so not awesome," her husband gasped, through gritted teeth.
John Roger's spun around to see Devon clutching his lower left side, the blood oozing from between his fingers while Ellie attempted to tend to his wound. He reached into his gear and pulled a trauma pad and clot pack from it tossing it wordlessly to Manoosh who was staring wide-eyed at him.
The sound of broken glass could be heard downstairs, and an ear-shattering blast and intense flash of light filled the air, followed by more chattering from suppressed weapons fire. Then the sound of tromping boots, and all hell broke loose when several looming black-clad figures burst into the room with blinding tactical lights on their weapons.
- IX -
Broken glass crunched under her medium-heeled black pumps as she strode purposefully into the courtyard. The acrid smell of a burning Chevrolet Suburban and explosives hung in the air. It looked like a war zone. Her handpicked security team and several enemy agents lay dead and wounded, scattered around the apartment complex. A cacophony of activity surrounded her. Medics and Corpsmen tended to the wounded, and she adjusted her stride several times to avoid stepping in puddles of blood while an investigative team worked, tagging cartridge casings, grenade spoons, and other evidence on the ground.
Her gaze fixed on the front of the apartment with the drapes hanging out of the shattered windows, the bullet pock-marked walls, and the front door that was riddled with holes and hanging on one hinge. Stepping into the front room she watched two men in black with grim faces pull the zippers shut on two body bags laying on the floor. She turned her head up toward the second floor when she heard a small child crying and strode purposefully up the stairs.
Walking into the room, she watched several men and women working over a large man clothed in tactical garb lying in a pool of blood. Three other men lay dead on the floor with broad shiny stains in the carpet under them. Her eyes met one of the Medics and issued an unspoken command.
"I don't how he's still alive, but he is," said the young woman, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.
"You make sure he stays that way. It looks like he may be our only witness to what happened here."
"Yes, ma'am," the Medic nodded soberly back.
She looked up to see a distraught young man in tactical gear trying to calm the infant girl screaming in her crib. He had a pleading look in his eyes, like he was hoping she would know what to do.
Pushing the large agent aside, she stared frozen for a moment at the small frightened face gazing at her with recognition in her eyes.
"Oh, Clara," she said, the sorrow creeping into her voice. She reached into the crib and picked the child up, holding her tightly to her bosom. "There, there, sweetie, it's going to be all right. Auntie Becky is here now, don't cry. We're going to find your mommy, don't you worry," she said tenderly as she clutched and rocked the child tightly in her arms, and rubbed her back in an effort to comfort her.
General Diane Beckman looked up at the slightly relieved NSA man, "What do you have?" she asked pointedly, but quietly, to avoid distressing the child in her arms any further.
"It looks like Agent Rogers took everyone here to buy time, ma'am. He was shot multiple times, once in the face, but he might make it." The agent pointed to a red stain in the carpet next to the crib. "Someone else was also wounded," he added grimly.
"Get that blood typed and find out whose DNA it is, now."
"Yes, ma'am, we're already on it."
Diane nodded, and her eyes lingered on the crying child in her arms. A look of complete anguish filled her face. "Dammit. Why didn't I relocate them?" she asked herself, as she looked up at the ceiling and blinked. She looked around as the only sound suddenly filling the room was Clara's whimpering cries. Everyone but the Corpsmen working quickly to stabilize and move the stricken Agent Rogers was silent and had their eyes fixed on her.
The general glared at one of the young agents and pointed at a diaper bag on the floor which he immediately picked up and then fell in behind her. "Get a move on people," she snapped, "Do NOT let that man die." She watched as her agents went quickly back to their appointed tasks and then looked up at a big man with silver oak leaves on his collar who had stepped into the doorway.
"Find them," she said, meeting his gaze with hard eyes. The man nodded back silently as she left the room carrying Clara with the agent carrying Clara's diaper bag following closely on her heels.