A/N: Thanks to those that left reviews of the planetary excursion chapter. I know some won't have enjoyed such pure science fiction, hence the drop off of reviews, but I'm glad some of you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Writesalott is well enough to beta again, so has done that for this chapter. She rightly pointed out that I spent a lot of the first draft recapping the story so far, which was a bit tedious, so this is a slimmed down, and hopefully better, version. Thanks, my friend.

So, now a trip to see Eleanor Woodcomb and her husband…

Chuck vs The Triangle

Chapter 9: Ellie

The introduction of the aliens to Ellie and Devon needed the full story of what happened to the Bartowski parents, so Stephen and Mary shared that with them. It took a while. Fortunately, the Woodcomb couple kept quiet through all of that, saving questions until after.

"How do you communicate?" Devon finally asked. He looked at Zxtarl. "Do you talk to us in English and, if so, how did you learn it?"

'We communicate with thoughts.'

That made Devon and Ellie jump.

'We also learned English from the first humans we encountered.'

Xspotl added,

'We have been learning new words ever since.'

"When was that?" Chuck asked.

'Eighty of your years ago.'

"I didn't know that," Stephen said.

"Tell us about how you ended up on their planet, Dad," Ellie urged.

Sarah had heard the elder Bartowski's story before, so her attention drifted. She thought about this family.

Stephen was a gifted engineer and a quite brilliant inventor. However, he didn't think about how his inventions would be received, hence getting into the mess he did. His wife, Mary, didn't help that. In fact, his desire to please her created the Intersect mess. She seemed interested in wildlife, history and historical artifacts, almost to the point of obsession.

Chuck's older sibling was a neuroscientist. Sarah was sure you needed to be brilliant to do well in that field. Her fiancé was a heart surgeon. That took fine motor skills, but also a lot of training and probably a great mind too.

And then there was Chuck himself, her amazing boyfriend. Inquisitive, like his mom. Sarah still remembered Mary's interest in her son's new girlfriend drawing her away from him when he needed reassurance on first seeing the aliens.

Chuck had an endless fascination for new things but had always had her well-being top most in his thoughts. It was one of the things that had surprised her most about him. Her dad had cared for her in his own way, but his latest con was always the higher priority.

She gazed his way. Mary had said she wasn't going to push, but was absolutely right about the two of them. They were both madly in love with each other. There was no way Sarah would want to part with Chuck, and she knew he felt the same.

As Sarah looked around at the family, she felt completely out of place amongst all this intelligence, but somehow they all made her feel welcome.

Then, Devon asked something that caught her attention. He asked about downing planes and ships.

'We have never done that.'

"What about flight 19, the aircraft squadron that disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle?" Devon asked.

"Devon!" Ellie snapped. "You can't bring that up!" Chuck and Sarah were equally horrified.

'We weren't even on Earth at that time.'

"The environmental condition caused the problems," Stephen said.

'We have saved some humans from shipwrecks when here.'

'We have only sunk this one craft… at the owners' request.'

"We did ask them to do that," Stephen admitted. "It seemed the best option to avoid anything getting into the hands of the CIA and NSA."

"But Chuck found you anyway," Ellie said.

Stephen looked proudly at his son. "You were a lot more determined and resourceful than I expected, son."

"Everyone underestimates him," growled his sister.

"I did, initially," Sarah said. "But he soon corrected that." She looked at her boyfriend and blew him a kiss.

"Enough praise," Chuck muttered. "Let's talk about something else."

"I want to know all about this romance," Ellie said.

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other. Sarah looked at his sister. "He swept me off my feet," she said, with a huge smile.

"Wasn't that the tidal swell?" Chuck joked.

She mock glared at him. "You're the one who didn't have much in the way of sea legs back then, Mister."

Ellie said, "I'm surprised he managed to stay standing when he saw you, Sarah. He's not usually confident around beautiful women."

"Thanks for the compliment, Ellie, but he was so focused on finding the boat, that he didn't really focus on me."

"I beg to differ," Chuck said. "It was indeed hard to concentrate, but I was determined. I certainly wasn't just going to stare at the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. I was brought up better than that."

"He was," Mary and Ellie said simultaneously, and then grinned at each other. Everyone chuckled.

"I don't think he realizes how charming he is," Sarah commented.

"I'm not saying anything," Ellie replied, while continuing to grin. "Seriously, though, tell us how you met and fell in love."

Sarah was happy to talk more about this, but would let Chuck tell it, as this was his family. So, she listened to him tell them. They sat and listened without saying anything for most of it, but he got a reaction when he mentioned the unwelcome visitor at the hotel in Freeport.

"Bryce F'ing Larkin?" Ellie growled. "Did you kick the shit out of him?"

Chuck grinned. "I had other things on my mind, El."

"Never liked the guy," Mary admitted. "Even before what he did."

Sarah watched the interplay and teased, "So, he's not popular, then?"

"He pretty much destroyed Chuck's confidence around women," Mary said quietly. "That's why we all love you so much, Sarah."

Sarah blushed, but Chuck reacted to the comment. "Are you implying I'm a charity case, Mom? That Sarah took pity on me, or something."

Sarah frowned. "I have never thought that. I'm in awe of you, Chuck."

He looked lovingly at her. "Said the most awesome woman in the world."

"Ok, ok. We know you love each other. What was Larkin there for?" Ellie demanded.

"He said he wanted to be friends again," Chuck said.

Ellie snorted. "I hope you told him where to get off."

Chuck nodded, and Sarah said, "So did I."

Ellie's eyes narrowed. "He hit on you?"

Chuck answered, grinning. "Her put-down was perfect."

Ellie walked over and embraced Sarah. Sarah chuckled, but hugged Ellie back. She really liked her.

Sarah finally got to say, "I wouldn't have been interested anyway, but a certain nerd was filling my thoughts by then, so he had no chance." She grinned at Chuck.

"We found out later that he was CIA," Chuck said.

"How'd you find that out?" Devon asked.

"I'll tell you in a bit." Chuck replied, then continued their story. When he finished, Stephen commented, "I'm so glad you put the Disruptor to good use."

"Well, he saved me with it," Sarah said, but grinned. "He knocked me out, along with all the rest, so he had to carry me out. I would have happily left with him, but he decided he'd capture me, too." She had the tip of her tongue between her teeth now.

Although they laughed along with her, Ellie then said, "Sounds a bit creepy, if you ask me. Definitely not something to allow into anyone else's hands."

"No," Mary agreed. "I never thought Stephen should have created that one." Then, she looked at Sarah. "But now, I'm so glad that he did."

"I will keep it locked away where no one can find it," Chuck said.

"Good," all the others replied together.

"So, tell us about their planet," Devon prompted.

"Who are you asking?" Chuck said.

"All of you," Devon replied.

Chuck looked at his dad who'd said very little so far.

Stephen nodded. "Virtually the same gravity as on Earth. A white sun, but the light from it is refracted through the atmosphere making the sky green. However, that's not the really unusual thing about the planet." He took a breath, then said, "The planet is a living organism in itself. That sounds unbelievable, but it's true.

"All life there is herbivorous. There are no carnivores or omnivores. The planet, basically, feeds them all. So, there's no food chain and no competition to survive."

"Isn't that what stimulated evolution?" Ellie asked.

"Maybe here, but not there," Mary answered.

"Weird," Ellie commented.

'It's one of the things that fascinates us about this planet, and you humans.'

"So, no dangerous animals, no strife or warfare. A totally peaceful planet," Mary said.

"We felt so safe when we went there, even though it was a weird place," Sarah commented. She looked at Chuck. "We want to go back there sometime, don't we?" He nodded.

"So, you accept visitors?" Devon asked.

Ellie glared at her husband. "We can't."

Chuck's ears perked up and Mary looked sharply at her daughter.

Ellie sighed. "I was going to wait until all the talking was over, but, yes, I'm pregnant."

The excitement all round was palpable. Sarah was pleased for her, but had no real family experience. It felt almost as alien to her as the two creatures with them.

Everyone was hugging Ellie and asking about dates. Sarah just watched, bemused. However, it did make her think about her future. Chuck was obviously keen on children. Could they have a child together? Would she be good enough as a mother?

The thought of being a mom terrified her, if she was honest with herself. She had no experience of a healthy upbringing and was worried she'd end up being a parent like her father had been for her. However, it wasn't just that, before she'd fallen in love with Chuck, she'd planned on never having kids at all and now here she was thinking about how she'd be bad at it! Then, she wondered what would happen if Chuck wanted kids and she couldn't bring herself to give him any. Would he leave her? It all made her feel quite anxious.

She knew she had to talk to him about this and get a shared understanding, but she needed to get her own thoughts straight first.

They spent two days with the Woodcombs. At least the humans did. The two aliens had returned to their home and would be back to take the four of them to their next stop, Los Angeles, at the end of this period.

Currently, Ellie and Devon had two spare rooms, but that would change soon as they converted one into the room for their child. As it was, Chuck and Sarah shared one, and Stephen and Mary the other.

As they lay in bed, Sarah said, "I like all of your family, Chuck."

He smiled. "Mom doesn't say much, but her comment that they all love you was significant. And she's right. Ellie said to me, when I was helping her serve up dinner, that she thinks you are perfect for me. I couldn't agree more."

She moved closer and kissed him.

It had been a long day and they both drifted off to sleep the moment their heads hit the pillow.

When Sarah woke up, she was on her own in the bed. She rose and popped into the bathroom for a quick shower, before wandering downstairs to find her boyfriend.

Ellie looked up when she entered the kitchen. "Hi, Sarah. D'you want a coffee?"

"Please," Sarah replied.

Ellie poured one for her. "Water only for me. Not taking any chances."

"Is caffeine bad for pregnancy?" Sarah asked.

"Excessive caffeine is bad in pregnancy, but a small amount is fine. However, when I start drinking it, I can't stop, so it's easier to just avoid it," Ellie replied.

Sarah wasn't going to think about that yet.. "Where's Chuck?" she asked. "I haven't seen him today."

"Mom dragged him into their bedroom a minute or two ago," Ellie said.

Oh," Sarah replied. "I hope she's not telling him why he shouldn't be with me."

Ellie just looked at her for several moments. "You're perfect for each other, Sarah. You give him confidence. Don't think for a minute that any of us can't see that. Is your self-doubt because of your father?"

Sarah nodded. "Partly. He was a con man. I was his accomplice. I'm not as good a person as Chuck."

Ellie took hold of her hands. "You've moved on. You helped Chuck when most wouldn't have."

Sarah snorted. "I did that for money, Ellie. Besides, I think I started falling for him almost as soon as I saw him. Both selfish reasons."

Ellie shook her head. "You were trying to keep your business afloat, so money was understandable. Falling for Chuck is one of the things his mom and I love about you."

Sarah could see that Ellie believed that. "Thank you, Ellie. It means a lot to me."

Ellie smirked. "Of course, Mom might be telling him to hold onto you and not scare you off."

Sarah laughed.

Chuck came out of the room his parents had been in. He looked flushed, but not unhappy.

Sarah waved to him. "Hi, Chuck."

He focused on her and said the same back, then turned to their bedroom.

Sarah frowned. "I hope he's alright."

Mary walked out. "He'll be fine," she said, as she walked into the kitchen to get a coffee..

Sarah decided to ask him what that was all about later.

The rest of the day was spent with further discussions. First, Ellie and Devon recounted their time in Chicago to her parents.

Then, Stephen and Mary talked about their attempts to elude the CIA and NSA, followed by nearly getting caught where the boat went down.

Stephen said, "I was using the Intersect to work out what to do next, when Xspotl and Zxtarl appeared in front of us."

"You can imagine what a shock that was," Mary said.

"They immediately started to communicate with us." Stephen smiled. "Another unusual experience. They said the Intersect was too dangerous to remain on Earth."

"I wholeheartedly agreed," Mary added.

"Xspotl told us they had to take it away. We could stay or go with them," Stephen said. "I knew the agencies would only recapture us, even without the Intersect. I looked at your mom and could see she thought the same. I could also tell she was interested in seeing the alien world, to experience something no one else ever had. I smiled at her and said we'd go, but could they sink the boat first, so the agencies couldn't find it again.

"They took us into their ship and dropped the boat. Then, we went with them. "

"And out of our lives," Ellie grumbled.

"We thought you were safer that way," Mary said.

Ellie glared at her mother. "You decided that without consulting us. Leaving us to think you'd died!" She had obviously been bottling this up since they arrived.

"We had to make a snap decision, Ellie," Mary said. "I'm sorry, but it was the right decision."

"It probably was," Ellie conceded. "But we were heartbroken and missed you like mad." She looked at her brother. "He wouldn't let it go, though."

"What can I say," Chuck smiled. "I'm stubborn."

Chuck and Sarah had one last ride, with his parents and the two aliens, to take them to Los Angeles.

It was just as tearful farewell between Chuck and his parents as it had been between them and their daughter in Chicago.

Stephen handed Chuck a communicator, just as he had his daughter. "Zxtarl says you can contact us with this when you want to talk." He tried to act as if he wasn't affected by the parting, but Sarah could see he was. She had also become fond of these two, so had to hold back tears herself.

Mary hugged her and whispered. "When he proposes, I want to know."

Sarah tensed as she said that. "We haven't thought about that," she whispered back.

Mary chuckled. "I can tell, you know."

She held Sarah's arms. "I'm determined to make it to the wedding."

"But the CIA…" Sarah started.

"We can't come as his parents, obviously, but Xnaxa technology will easily be able to change how we appear."

Sarah hugged her again. "We'll both miss you."

"I know, but we will see you both occasionally."

Sarah was impressed with the condo Chuck had in LA. Of course, they only stayed in it for one night before going to the real estate office to put it up for sale. He had no plans to come back here at all, but would live in Bermuda with Sarah from now on.

That night of intimacy, with no one else in close proximity, meant they got next to no sleep, but neither were complaining about that when they woke the next morning.

They started the day as they'd finished the night and finished off with a long, shared shower.

They took the real estate agent, Angela Wright, to the condo and she walked around the place, taking notes. When she left, they started packing Chuck's things up. They had nowhere for it to go, so all would go into storage, at least for the immediate future.

However, he had very little stuff. He told Sarah that the Star Wars figurines and the comics would go to his friend, Morgan.

Apart from clothes, and there weren't many of those, his possessions were, music, movies or games related. All of it would go into storage apart from a few CDs and DVDs he would take.

That evening they were due to meet Chuck's friend Morgan. Sarah wasn't sure what to expect.

A/N: We hadn't seen Ellie until this chapter and now Sarah is off to see Morgan. Hope he doesn't put her off her boyfriend!

As always, I'd love to receive reviews for this chapter, if you can spare the time.

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Glossary:

Like in my Exo story, I'm recording alien words and names here for reference:

Ktaxtu - living planet, home of the Xnaxa species

Plakt - intelligent sea creatures on planet Ktaxtu

Sxtrtztar - some effect detected by the alien sensor arrays when the Intersect cube is used.

Xnaxa – name of the alien species that the Bartowski family encounter

Xspotl - one of the first pair of aliens encountered by Chuck and Sarah. A member of the Xnaxa species

Zxtarl - one of the first pair of aliens encountered by Chuck and Sarah. A member of the Xnaxa species