A/N: Hello everyone. I haven't updated in a while, but university coursework led to my computer time being primarily spent on researching for assignments, reading ridiculously long cases, Law Commission Reports, Law journals...and yeah, I think you catch my drift. (And to think that was the first year where things are SUPPOSEDLY easier).

Hope you enjoy the chapter and keep a look out for an update to my other story Charah vs The Teens.

Chapter 18: Charah vs the Terrible Twos (6,805 words)

"Through the blur, I wondered if I was alone or if other parents felt the same way I did - that everything involving our children was painful in some way. The emotions, whether they were joy, sorrow, love or pride, were so deep and sharp that in the end they left you raw, exposed and yes, in pain. The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that - a parent's heart bared, beating forever outside its chest."

― Debra Ginsberg

He loved Sarah. There was no doubt that he was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with his wife. But his love for Suri was different, maybe more intense. There's just something about having a child of your own, a manifestation of the love you and your significant other share that is indescribable.

Chuck Bartowski could not stop the wide grin that easily formed on his face as he heard the welcoming sounds of the kitchen bustling with activity. Humming happily to himself, the young cyber security company owner jogged down the stairs of his home. The house was everything his wife had envisioned her dream home to be. It was white, with a red front door, white picket fence and had a yard at the back with enough room to set up a swing set for the kids. It was, as Chuck had once described it, 'very Leave It to Beaver'. It was cosy, homey and simple. And perfect. More importantly though, they also had their little girl to complete the photo. Suri Lisa Bartowski had turned two last month and she was already exhibiting features of the terrible twos phase that parents seemed to dread. The pregnancy had not been a surprise, as Chuck and Sarah had discussed it and decided that they were ready to start their family. The interesting thing was that when they had had that discussion, Sarah had unknowingly been six weeks pregnant already.

Walking through the hallway, Chuck smiled as he passed the pictures of their family hanging on the walls. He stopped momentarily when he came to his favourite one yet. It had been taken by Morgan when he had visited Sarah in the hospital after delivery. Sarah was lying in bed with the baby safely cradled to her chest. She was smiling down at the baby and love and adoration were clearly reflected in her eyes. Chuck's hand was around Sarah's back and the pinkie finger of his other hand was gripped by the baby. They hadn't been aware that Morgan was taking the picture. But for Chuck, the candid picture was perfect.

He heard Sarah talking to their daughter and continued to the kitchen. He stopped at the entrance arch and was unable to suppress the small chuckle that bubbled in his throat.

"Come on Suri. Eat for Mummy," Sarah coaxed. There was a hint of exasperation in her voice as she sat in one of the dining chairs in front of their daughter's high chair. "Just try one bite, I promise you it's delicious." In front of the toddler was a little purple bowl containing what Chuck assumed to be her breakfast. His position didn't allow for him to see the contents.

"No!" Suri exclaimed, using her spoon to bang against the tray of her high chair.

"Suri, stop that. You need to eat. Your father and I need to go to work," Sarah said to the infant who paid her no attention.

She seemed to prefer working on improving her drumming skills rather than eating and continued to do it until Sarah took away the spoon from her chubby fingers.

Immediately Suri's eyes welled with tears. "No Mummy. Me play," she whined and stretched her fingers to grab hold of the spoon.

"No," Sarah told her daughter firmly.

"Me play, no eat," Suri insisted but her mother just shook her head. Sarah rolled her eyes and huffed. Barely a month into her second year of life and Suri was being like this. She hoped it wouldn't get worse.

Suri looked at her mother's face and then to her spoon in her hands and then began to cry.

"If you think crying is going to get you out of everything you're mistaken,"

Chuck knew that Suri, like most toddlers, preferred to eat on her own terms. She ate when she wanted and how she wanted and no amount of bribery, coaxing or expressions of exasperation on the part of her feeder could usually make her change her mind. He chose to enter the kitchen and walked over to his wife. When Suri saw him enter the room, her cries became less wild. Standing behind Sarah's chair, Chuck massaged her shoulders for a few minutes, gradually feeling the tension dissipate. "Good morning," he murmured and bent down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Sarah hummed softly as she felt Chuck work his magic. "Is it a good morning?" she asked, getting up from the chair and turning to face her husband.

Chuck grinned at her. "Every day with you by my side is a good morning," he replied sincerely.

Sarah offered him a tired smile and reached above her to pull him down for a quick kiss. "Well, when you put it like that, good morning baby.

Suri, dissatisfied with the lack of attention being sent her way, and still upset with her mother for taking away her spoon, began to wriggle in her high seat.

"Daddy!" The two-year-old squealed and began to eat her breakfast, which Chuck could now see was cereal with her hands. "Me eat," she said proudly and beamed at him, showing off her full collection of baby teeth.

"Good morning to you too baby girl," Chuck greeted Suri with a kiss on her forehead.

Sarah rolled her eyes at the sudden change in her daughter's temperament. "Unbelievable," Sarah muttered. "She's definitely your daughter," Sarah mused and shook her head. After nearly ten minutes of ineffective coaxing on her part, all her husband had to do was enter the room and she began eating. It was unbelievable.

"And I'm certain she has your stubbornness, " Chuck quipped.

Sarah elbowed Chuck in the ribs in mock indignation. "Ow, that hurt!" He huffed.

"Daddy have a booboo?" Suri momentarily stopped eating to look at her parents.

"Daddy's just fine sweetie. He's just being a big baby," Sarah smirked while Chuck chuckled.

"No," Suri shook her head and frowned at her mother. "Daddy no baby."

Sarah used her hand to cover her mouth to stifle the laugh she could feel bubbling to the surface. Her daughter could be cute and stubborn at the same time.

"Babe, you go get ready while I sort Suri out," Chuck said and handed Suri her spoon so she could finish eating.

"No spoon," she disdainfully swatted the utensil away.

"You know her eating with her hands is a recipe for disaster, don't you?" Sarah turned to Chuck.

"Guess it's a good thing I only put on my undershirt then," Chuck grinned and took the seat Sarah had recently vacated.

"I'm gonna shower or we'll be late," Sarah bent slightly and kissed him on the cheek.

In front of them, Suri covered her eyes as if she was playing peek-a-boo "Yuck,"

Chuck and Sarah looked at their daughter whose hands still covered her eyes. In the process, she got her cereal smeared across her face from her dirty hands. "Suri, what are you doing?"

The toddler spread her fingers slightly and peeked at her parents. "Yuck," she repeated.

"Yuck?" Chuck repeated, his eyebrows raised. He looked up at Sarah and prodded her gently. "I told you Casey is a bad influence."

"Untul Casey?" Suri questioned.

"But Suri loves him so," Sarah laughed. It was quite a sight to see the former gruff NSA Agent interacting with the toddler.

"I guess it is kinda cute," Chuck agreed.

Sarah left the pair and Chuck began to eat his breakfast.

"Want," Suri interrupted him while he was perusing the paper. She pushed her bowl to the side and pointed at her father's plate.

"You want eggs?" The toddler nodded in the affirmative. "Baby are you sure? Cause yesterday your Mom made you some and you refused to eat."

"Daddy, egg!" She began to wriggle in her seat.

Huffing, Chuck moved the bowl of cereal and replaced it with a pink bowl. He then put a small portion of his scrambled egg into his daughter's plate. Five minutes later, Chuck was finished his breakfast. He turned to Suri once again and realised that she hadn't eaten the egg. "Are you going to eat that?"

"No!" Suri pouted and pushed the bowl toward her father. Sighing, Chuck cleared the table and her high chair tray and washed the dishes.

Walking back to Suri, he smiled warmly down at her and lifted the two-year-old out of the high chair and sat her in the crook of his arm. "Aren't you hungry?" He asked, as they exited the kitchen and headed to her room.

"Hungwy?" Suri looked up into her father's similar hazel eyes.

"Yeah, hungry."

"No," she answered with a shake of her head.

Chuck brought the back of his left hand to Suri's forehead and then her neck. 'Well you don't feel warmer than usual, and that's good."

Suri mimicked his actions and placed her hand on her father's neck. "Daddy warm?"

"Hmm, if I am maybe it's because outside is a bit warm today," he answered.

"Today?" Suri parroted.

"Yup," Chuck grinned at her as they entered her room.

"No!"

"Suri, that wasn't even a question," Chuck laughed at the little girl in his arms. "You know Suri, there are so many words I don't know why no is your favourite," Chuck mused and bounced her slightly which elicited a small giggle from her.

Suri had been bathed, dried and Chuck was now in the process of trying to dress her. So far, it was proving to be an arduous task as Suri would not keep quiet. The bright spark was that he had already managed to put on her pull-up so her going potty on the carpet was negated.

"Suri, come on!" he called to the little girl who was too busy digging into her toy box.

"No."

Groaning, Chuck made his way over to the child and picked her up. She began kicking her legs against his body and struggled to escape his hold but when Chuck sharply called her name she stopped. Chuck managed to put on her pink tights and Minnie Mouse T-shirt before Suri hopped from the bed, running around the room in glee.

"Ahem," Sarah, who was fully dressed for work cleared her throat from the doorway. "Come on baby, time to put on your shoes." She crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Chuck.

Chuck watched in fascination as the toddler happily trotted to her mother. "Mummy shoes," she pointed to the sandals Chuck had picked out for her to wear.

Sarah nodded and pulled Suri onto her lap and then easily slid the sandals onto her little feet.

"Unbelievable," Chuck muttered. It had taken him nearly ten minutes to get Suri settled so she could get dressed and Sarah had done it just like that.

Sarah smirked. "Alright Chuck, your girls are all ready to go. I'll make sure she has everything she might need in her bag and you can meet us downstairs."

/\

"How is Suri?" Casey asked with a grin.

Sarah smiled, knowing that her partner and the two-year-old got along well. What wasn't to love about an uncle who teaches you your first curse word (purely by accident of course!) and wanted to teach you about Ronald Reagan before you'd even learnt your ABCs.

"She's great," Sarah grinned. "Climbing the stairs, jumping on our bed."

"Stepping in puddles whenever we take her for a walk," Chuck added and rubbed the back of his neck while his face conveyed a hint of wonder at being a father, even two years later.

"Some temper tantrums here and there."

"Throwing her toys around sometimes."

"Drawing on the walls with her crayons."

"Putting dead insects in my sock drawer."

"Wants cookies and ice cream for dinner basically every night."

"Thinks she can dress herself."

"Thinks she can strap herself in the booster seat."

"Oh, and 'no' has become her favourite word. She's been driving Sarah crazy," Chuck summed up Suri's general behaviour as of late.

"A child after my own heart," Casey mused after hearing that Suri was basically driving her parents up a wall. It seemed like mere months ago that he had accompanied Sarah as she walked around the hospital ward in an attempt to speed up the labour process. Now his Goddaughter was exploring the world, toddling all over the place, bumping into things and then scaring herself when the object she bumped into fell down. He had to hand it to Chuck and Sarah. They had adjusted to parenthood well and the energy, warmth and love he saw in the toddler's eyes in addition to the love in her parents' eyes whenever speaking about her was proof of that.

"Heart? Don't you mean the lump of coal you have?" Chuck joked. Casey threw his pen at Chuck for that remark.

"Settle down boys. We have work to do," Sarah reprimanded them.

Casey grunted and Chuck stuck his tongue out at him. "Stop that. Suri doesn't need to pick up any more bad mannerisms." She tried to keep a straight face while saying it, but a grin had appeared on her face by the end of the sentence.

~/0\~

"Chuck," Sarah called from the door as she slipped on her red baby doll wedges. "Call me if there are any problems okay?"

Chuck gave his wife a curt nod as Ellie looped her arms in hers. "Sarah, Suri and I will be fine. I'm all for some father- daughter bonding time. You and Ellie go have some fun." He made a scene of shooing them out.

"Mummy!" Suri ran up to her mother and tugged at the hem of her dress. "Leaving?"

Sarah bent down and scooped Suri into her arms before kissing her chubby cheek. "Mummy's gonna go out for a bit with Auntie Ellie," Sarah explained and set the child down on her feet.

"Me go?" Suri looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes. "Me go wif you Mummy," Suri said and began looking for her shoes.

"No baby, you can't go. You'll stay here with me," Chuck explained gently to their daughter.

Suri shook her head defiantly. "No. Me want Mummy."

"You'll have fun with Daddy," Ellie chimed in, knowing how difficult children at this age could be.

"No," she said firmly. "Want Mummy," she insisted and ran to her mother again. This time she wrapped her arms around her mother's legs as tightly as she could.

Sarah sighed. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as she had originally thought. Chuck walked over to the toddler, and gently tried to pry Suri away from Sarah. She resisted wholeheartedly and began to scream and shake her head while desperately clinging to her mother. Finally, he was successful and hoisted the toddler onto his hip.

"Mummy has to go," Sarah explained and kissed a now crying Suri's forehead.

"The sooner we leave, the sooner she'll be over your absence," Ellie spoke up although she knew from past experience with Clara that that was hardly the case. Thankfully Clara, who was now five was past this stage and didn't make this much of a fuss when she left. In fact, when she had bid them bye, Clara had barely spared her a glance as she was too concentrated on turning their living room into a fort with her father.

Chuck embraced his wife and she kissed both him and Suri. Sarah ran her fingers through Suri's silky blonde hair before turning to leave. "I love you both. See you when I get back."

"Bye Chuck and Suri," Ellie waved.

Sarah nodded and cast one last look to her husband and child. "Be good for Daddy, Suri," she said and the two women exited and closed the red front door quietly behind them. For a moment, Sarah leaned against the door when she heard Suri begin to scream at the realisation that her mother was gone. "Let's go before I end up running back inside to comfort her."

/\

Chuck had a dumbfounded look on his face as Suri let out some of the most incredible shrieks he had ever heard. Suri arched her back and tried to wiggle out of his arms, so he put her down, and she waddled to the door. Suri balled her hands into a fist and began pounding on the red door.

"Mummy!" she cried through hitched breaths, tears continuing to stream down her face.

"Suri, Mummy will be back in a while," Chuck tried to soothe her.

That was the last thing Suri wanted to hear and her cries became louder. She laid on the floor and started screeching loud enough to break glass. Her little legs kicked angrily and Chuck tried his best not to laugh at how cute she was rolling around in her Minnie Mouse pyjamas. "Want Mummy!" She wailed brokenly.

Chuck sighed and sat down on the floor. "Baby, I know you want Mummy, but she'll be back soon," Chuck tried to explain to the toddler.

"Back soon?" Suri stopped crying and looked at her father with uncertainty.

He nodded. "Yeah, your mom and Auntie Ellie are going to dinner. I think she'll be back by bedtime."

Suri nodded and curled up to her father's chest, getting the tears and snot that were covering her face onto Chuck's shirt. Smiling because her tantrum seemed to be over, at least for now, Chuck rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Hungwy Daddy," Suri looked up at him.

"Let's get something to eat then," Chuck hopped from the floor and offered Suri his hand. "Want do you want to eat?"

"Cookies!"

Of course she wanted cookies for dinner. "Something besides cookies."

"Lollipop?"

"Nope, those are all snacks."

"Me have no snack," Suri insisted, showing him her empty hands.

"You'll get a snack tomorrow. But it's dinner time now." They made their way into the kitchen and Chuck began looking into the overhead cupboards. "Hmm, we have spaghetti, macaroni, rice...Any of those sound good?" As he had come to expect, Suri shook her head no. She was a very picky eater. "What about potato?" he asked after making sure that they did have some in the fridge.

"Tato?"

"Yeah, potato. Do you want some potato?" Chuck clarified. Suri nodded and smiled enthusiastically at her father. "Do you want chicken nuggets with that?"

"Chicten nuggets!" the toddler sang and clapped her hands. "I want!" Her eyes were puffy and red from her crying spell and her blonde hair was dishevelled, but she was still as adorable as ever.

Chuck got her situated at the table and then prepared her dinner. While the food was on the stove, he pulled up a chair next to his daughter and sang songs with her to pass the time. Once the nuggets were thoroughly baked and the potato boiled, Chuck mashed the potato and fixed his daughter's plate. He put a little ketchup on the side and placed it in front of her. Suri paid no attention to the spoon that had been placed in front of her and began eating with her hands.

"Suri, slow down. The food isn't going to run away from you," Chuck cautioned when he saw her garbling.

"Me eat slow?"

"Yeah, eat slower. And maybe with the spoon too."

The doorbell rang and Chuck told Suri he'd be back in a second. She was content and nodded.

"Yo Chuck!" Morgan greeted his best friend when the door opened.

"Hey Morgan!" Chuck returned the greeting, let Morgan in and closed the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just thought I'd stop by and see how everyone at Casa Bartowski was doing," he replied and followed Chuck into the kitchen.

"Untul Morgan!" Suri squealed and waved at the bearded man.

"Hey Suri," Morgan greeted the happy child. "Whoa, looks like you're having a painting session there, my young Picasso," he told Suri when he realised that she was painting herself and her clothes with the ketchup rather than eating it.

"No Suri," Chuck grabbed her hand before she could smear more of the condiment into her blonde hair. "Eat, not paint."

"Eat 'tato," she repeated, grapping a fistful of the potato with her other hand and stuffing it into her mouth. "I eat!"

"You're gonna need another bath. We can't let your mother come home to find ketchup in your hair." He tensed when he realised that mentioning Sarah might make her fussy again. Suri wasn't fazed. She finished eating and called for her Uncle Morgan to take her out of her chair. When on her feet, she totted over to her father.

"Daddy, bath time." Suri instructed, bouncing on her heels.

"Alright Morgan, you heard the little lady. I'm taking her for a bath," Chuck grinned and picked up his daughter.

"Yeah, I'll hold the fort down here," Morgan replied. "Do you mind if I eat the rest of nuggets?"

"Sure buddy. Help yourself," Chuck smiled.

Chuck gave Suri a piggy-back ride as they made their way upstairs to the bathroom. Chuck set Suri down on her feet and turned on the warm water. Once he was sure that the water in the tub was at a suitable temperature, he turned around to face Suri. He witnessed the adorable sight of Suri attempting to take of her shirt. She had already managed to get the pants off but the shirt was proving more difficult.

"Do you need help Suri?"

"Me do it," Suri said confidently. Chuck watched as she lifted the shirt up but couldn't manage to pull it over her head. Suri was determined and tried to get it off a few more times before turning to her father. "Daddy help," she begged and Chuck obliged.

Bath time was underway and Suri splashed in the bubbles, soaking Chuck's shirt. He had a submarine and was making advances towards her toes. Suri laughed and tried to escape capture. Once she was clean and her hair washed, Chuck declared that it was time to get out of the tub. "No play!" Suri insisted.

"Suri, bath time is over," Chuck said sternly and drained the tub. He then scooped her out of the tub and wrapped her in her fluffy yellow towel. Suri insisted on being able to dry and dress herself so it took them longer than normal for her to get into her pyjamas. They then headed downstairs and found Morgan seating on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.

"What are we watching Morg?"

Suri walked over to the couch and climbed up, coming to sit next to Morgan. "We watch Peppa Pig?"

"What's Peppa Pig?" Morgan questioned.

"This British cartoon that Suri loves," Chuck explained. Suri had so many episodes saved on DVR that they took up the majority of the space.

"Peppa!" Suri insisted, imploring her father to turn on the TV.

"Peppa Pig it is then," Morgan shrugged.

Numerous episodes into the cartoon, Morgan's nose crinkled. "Dude, I think it's time for a diaper change." He looked over at Suri accusingly.

"Daddy, me went potty!"

Chuck sighed. "You know Suri; you're supposed to tell me when you need to go potty. Remember?" Suri nodded and Chuck then turned to Morgan. "You know this is as good a time as any to get some early practice in for when your baby comes," Chuck informed Morgan whose little one was set to arrive in about three months.

Morgan waved him off. "Nah, I think I'm good."

"Wimp," Chuck stuck his tongue out at Morgan and hauled Suri upstairs for a diaper change.

Suri tightly held onto her father's neck as they were coming back downstairs. "Daddy you pretty," she said sweetly as she laid her head in the crook of his neck.

He kissed her forehead, "Thank you sweetie. Although I think 'handsome' is a more apt description."

Suri shook her head. "No! Not hand!" she said to her father, conveying that she said what she had meant.

"Oh Suri," Chuck laughed at the little girl's antics. She was something else and was already showing that she would have a strong personality and he loved her immensely.

Once they reached the living room, Suri wriggled to be put down and ran to the couch. Morgan resumed the cartoon and Chuck watched his daughter smiling brightly at the TV. When Peppa and her brother George broke out in song, Suri climbed from the couch and danced around, throwing her hands wildly in the air as she sang her own version of the song. Morgan chuckled watching Suri behave like it was three in the evening and not close to nine.

"When's her bedtime?" Morgan questioned, turning his eyes to Chuck.

"I don't normally put her to sleep. I'm usually asleep already," Chuck shrugged.

"You're a terrible husband," Morgan commented.

"Morgan, I wasn't being serious," Chuck smiled at his best friend. "But it is past her bed time." He gazed over to Suri who was still dancing.

"How does she have all that energy?" Morgan questioned.

"I wonder the same myself," Chuck shrugged. "Suri, it's time to go to bed. Tell Uncle Morgan bye." He turned off the television and scooped up the child.

"Sleep Daddy?"

"And that's my cue. I'll see you at work tomorrow Chuck. Bye Suri."

"Bye bye Untul Morgan," Suri waved.

/\

Sarah kept glancing at her phone, expecting at least one frantic or confused call or text from Chuck. Surprisingly, all was quiet and Chuck had only sent one message saying that Suri was eating dinner. She found herself wanting updates on how everything was going.

"I'm going to call him," Sarah told Ellie.

Ellie placed a hand over her sister-in-law's. "Don't. I'm sure Suri has calmed down by now." Ellie smiled conspiratorially, "If anything it's Chuck we need to worry about."

Sarah giggled and placed her phone back in her red clutch bag. Ellie observed as Sarah idly played with the straw in her Virgin Pina Colada. "Sarah, come on. It's girl's night out. You know, time to catch up and hold a decent conversation that isn't interrupted by a whining or crying child.

Sarah sighed. It would be a lie to say that she didn't enjoy nights out like this. She loved her baby with every fibre of her being, but Suri definitely knew how to test her patience. Sometimes she did need the break before she went crazy and she was thankful for a night like tonight. She was confident that Suri was in capable hands; after all, Chuck had taken to parenthood and was very involved in caring for their daughter. Sure there was that one time when Suri had recently turned one that she came home after a night out with Carina and Zondra to find crayon markings on the wall and Suri running around without a pamper on. Thinking about it always brought a smile to Sarah's face. She and Chuck were accustomed to having the outcome of missions depend on them, but having someone- their child depend on them was a new experience altogether and she cherished the experience. The idea that she could have missed out on all of this after the events with Quinn was always on her sub conscience.

"You're right. Let's enjoy the rest of time we have."

"Great!" Ellie clapped her hands together. "Now, I'm thinking I'm going to have the Seafood Paella. Just saying the name, I feel like I could be on vacation in Spain."

Sarah balked as she read the ingredients. Shrimp, lobster, mussels and cuttlefish sounded like way too much seafood to have in one go, even if it was served with white rice. She just hoped her stomach wouldn't churn when Ellie's dish arrived. "Uhm, I think I'll stay away from the seafood and have the Calypso Rice with baked pork."

The waiter came over to take their orders and after he left Ellie started up the conversation again. "So, as you know my anniversary is coming up. I'm considering booking a Caribbean cruise. Think that's a good idea?"

"It's a great idea Ellie," Sarah smiled. Last year Clara was sick and they had to cancel their trip to Miami and Sarah thought they definitely deserved a nice sunny vacation. "You two can go, soak up some sun, Devon would get a chance to ride the Caribbean waves...We could even help Mary watch Clara until you guys get back. Unless you're gonna leave her with Honey and Woody?"

"Oh God no!" Ellie cried, making Sarah laugh. "I mean, I know they have good intentions and it's fine when she says with them on weekends but I'm not too sure if Clara could handle two weeks with them. You do know that Honey has bought five volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica within the last year for her? But then again considering she bought her a baby encyclopaedia before she was even born I shouldn't have been so surprised."

"Wow, she makes your mother's children illustrated manual on how to disarm a bomb sound more practical," Sarah joked.

/\

"Daddy, me want Mummy," Suri pouted when Chuck put her in her cot.

"Mummy will be back soon," Chuck assured her, taking a look at his watch.

She looked unconvinced but settled into bed anyway, allowing her father to pull her favourite quilted blanket which had been a gift from Emma over her. "Good night Suri," said Chuck and he bent down to kiss her on her forehead.

"Night Daddy," she smiled up at him. Her eyes were still bright and she showed no signs of falling asleep soon. After stroking her cheek and smiling at the little girl fondly, he turned on the night light and turned off the overhead light before leaving the room.

Half an hour later, Chuck was in his pyjamas and surfing through the channels on the TV in his bedroom while he waited for Sarah to return. She had texted and said that her and Ellie would be going for a short walk after dinner and then for some ice cream. He soon settled on an episode of Criminal Minds but that was an episode he had seen already so it served merely as background noise.

From outside Suri's room, he could hear that her lullaby toy had stopped playing as the twenty-minute period that it played for had elapsed. He pushed the door open, using a stealth and grace that he had honed during his time as a spy to enter the room quietly. When he got to Suri's cot, he found her rolling around, the blanket pushed in a heap at the bottom of her feet.

"Daddy," she stopped rolling momentarily, surprised at being caught.

"You're supposed to be asleep baby"

Suri smiled at him innocently. "Thirsty Daddy,"

Chuck smirked. Suri often liked to use any excuse to get out of her cot. Smiling anyway, he lifted her up and took her downstairs to fill her sippy cup they had ascended the stairs and Chuck was walking down the hallway to her bedroom once more, Suri shook her head in defiance. "Me wanna go wif you Daddy," "pweasseeeeee," She added noticing his unsure look.

"Okay, fine," He relented and changed course and took her to his bedroom. Suri squealed as soon as she was put down. She ran over to her parents' bed, climbed it with some motor skills Chuck was sure she had received from Sarah and began jumping. This was a particular favourite of hers and Chuck found that Suri had an adventurous spirit. Chuck was sure she got that from Sarah. No doubt about it. The toddler was a fearless climber, completely without inhibitions. Whenever they changed the bedsheets, she monkeyed her way onto the bed numerous times, then launch herself without thought into the pile of pillows and blankets. The first time she had done it, Chuck nearly had a heart attack.

While her perilous play frayed their nerves he had also found that limits and supervision helped to instil courage in her. And right now he needed to put a limit on her play.

"Suri, it's time to sleep. Stop jumping on the bed."

As he had expected, she didn't listen but seemed to jump a bit higher, her squeals and laughter lighting up the room and drowning out the sound from the TV. Looking at her, her blond pigtails bouncing up and down as she jumped, her toothy smile and face bright with glee, he found it hard to suppress the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

He scooped her up in his arms, ignored her cries and turned off the TV. Then, he used some pillows to box in Suri on Sarah's side of the bed to prevent her from rolling off. After turning off the light, He pulled the covers over the both of them. The moonlight was filtering through the bedroom curtains and he could make out Suri's form beside him wiggling around. She was restless and kicked her little feet underneath the covers.

"Daddy, me want Mummy," Suri said after about five minutes of silence.

Chuck had thought her silence and lack of bumping into him had meant she had fallen asleep, but evidently he was wrong. "Want Mummy," Suri cried again, dissatisfied that her father had not responded to her.

Chuck sighed. This was going to be a long night.

/\

Once Sarah was in the house, she waited until Ellie had left the drive way to turn off the outside light. After setting the alarm system, she looked around the house to survey the aftermath of Suri's and Chuck's bonding time. Chuck was a bit of a clean freak so she was not at all surprised to find that all the toys were packed up in the toy basket, the dishes were all washed and put away and the house was generally clean. Smiling at how wonderful her husband was, she turned off the lights and headed upstairs. Her first stop was at Suri's room. She did have a small level of panic arise in her body when she saw that the cot was empty and quickly made her way to her bedroom. Upon entering, she found Suri sprawled across the bed, snoring softly with her mouth agape as though she had a long and busy day. Chuck had his arm protectively around her and he too was snoring softly.

These sort of scenes were quite common within the Bartowski household but Sarah never tired of witnessing them. She leaned against the doorway, just taking them in for a moment and utterly content with her life. She then went into the adjoining master bathroom, washed the makeup from her face, brushed her teeth and changed into a nightie. By the time she was done, Suri had switched positions. Her face was resting on Chuck's chest, a line of drool making its way down his shirt and her knees were tucked underneath her so that her bottom was sticking up in the air. Sarah made her way over to them and gently eased Suri from off of Chuck and into her arms. He sensed the absence of her presence almost immediately.

"Hey, it's just me." Sarah whispered and he turned on the bedside lamp.

"Hey babe. When did you get back?"

"Not too long ago. I didn't mean to wake you. I'm gonna take her to her room. Okay?"

"Okay," Chuck agreed half sleepily.

In Suri's room, Sarah wasn't quite ready to put her down so she sat down in the rocking chair and began to sign softly. Suri stirred in her mother's arms. "Mummy?" she yawned and squinted up at Sarah.

"Yeah baby, Mummy's right here." Sarah smiled and kissed her darling on the forehead. Once Suri had drifted back off to sleep, Sarah tucked her in and went to join Chuck.

As she slid under the covers, Chuck snaked his arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him. "Hmm," he moaned happily. "Did you have a good time with Ellie?"

Sarah nodded and turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "It was nice. Was Suri okay?"

"Well she missed her Mummy a lot, but I managed to hold down the fort,"

"Do you ever think about more?" Sarah asked suddenly.

"More?" Chuck yawned.

Sarah shook her head. "Never mind. Go back to sleep. I can see she tired you out," Sarah sighed.

"No, babe if you want to talk about it I'm listening," Chuck insisted.

"It was just a thought. We can talk later."

"Are you sure? Cause -"

Sarah cut him off with a kiss. "Yeah, I'm sure."

~/0\~

Chuck securely held Suri in his right hand while Sarah, who was walking beside him, intertwined her fingers with his free left hand. Together, the family ambled their way down the beach, the waves, gently lapping at their feet.

"Sun! Sun!" Suri proclaimed loudly as she excitedly pointed to the sky.

Sarah smiled at the toddler's exuberance. "Yeah, that's the sun. And what are those white fluffy things?"

"Marshmallow!"

"Actually, they're called clouds sweetie," Chuck corrected her.

"No! Sky marshmallow!"

Sarah snickered as Chuck continued to tell Suri that the correct name was clouds but she was having none of it.

"She's getting so big Sarah," Chuck smiled at Suri who was now playing in the sand. "I can't believe she's transitioning to a toddler bed already."

Sarah nodded in agreement. They had picked out a Princess bed for her last week and Suri had been taking advantage of her new freedom, getting out of bed and playing the "jack-in-the-box" game with them, popping out of bed every time they turned their back. Ellie had said that Clara had done the same thing for almost two months but they hoped Suri's transition would be quicker. "Well her monkey like antics of routinely climbing out of her crib were beginning to worry me."

"It feels like only the other day we were transitioning from the crib being in our room to the nursery," Chuck mused. Sarah smiled fondly. Suri had accepted that transition better than she had. "We did good," he added happily and kissed Sarah's temple.

"Soooo," Sarah drawled, "I've been thinking...I know the terrible twos has been a bit exhausting, but, um, I just thought I'd tell you that um,"

"Sarah, breathe," Chuck took her hands in his and squeezed them reassuringly.

"We'll be going through this in just over two years and a half."

"What?! By then Suri will be well into the fidgety fours," Chuck said, the confusion etched on his face. "Ooohhh," he drawled, realisation finally dawning on him. He wrapped his arms around Sarah and lifted her up, spinning her around in joy.

The terrible twos- snuggles and smiles were often swapped for tantrums and time-outs. Bath time had become a battlefield and breakfast a danger zone. As much as the terrible twos came with their own set of challenges, Sarah found that they were also a time of great imagination and developmental milestones in their daughter's life. Even in the difficult times, with Suri's stubbornness ad defiance, they were completely smitten with a blossoming Suri and her strong spirit. Although her strong will sometimes exhausted them, Sarah realised that Suri was a leader in the making. She knew what she wanted and was at the stage where she was 'Ms. Independent' and could do everything on her own.

After Suri had drawn up the walls in the living room, which they later had to repaint, Emma had bought an easel for her granddaughter which Chuck set up in the corner of her room. Emma liked to joke that she was a Van Gogh in the making and she kept sidewalk chalk at her house for whenever Suri came over. She, Molly and Suri would spend hours on the driveway allowing their raw creativity and artistic flair to be expressed. Emma had missed out on so much of Sarah's childhood that she was determined to be very involved with her granddaughter's life. The same went for Mary and Suri enjoyed spending time with both her grandmothers.

While Suri learnt a lot of words and mannerisms from them, Sarah also learnt from her. She was fascinated by the way that the toddler found joy in the little things. From rocks to flowers to digging in dirt to decorating a homemade card, Suri always found delight in life's smallest treasures. Those moments they had realised weren't just for Suri. She too began to have a greater appreciation of the simple pleasures.

As the sun fell below the horizon, the Bartowski family watched as the waves crashed upon the shore. Suri was sitting in her father's lap in a rare display of stillness and Sarah rested her head on her husband's shoulder. And in that moment, everything was perfect.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to review, even if it's as a guest. Also, if there's any particular scenario you would like to see, prompts are welcome.

In the midst of enjoying the beach and some lovely warm weather, I promise to post some new chapters.

Until next time, take care,

xoxoxox

~Barbadiangirl 18/05/2016