A/N OH, OH I guess Sarah answering the phone didn't turn out the way she expected or hoped. Like the team doesn't have enough on their plate. Government contracts, tracking down ghost rogue agents, Carina. Not to mention Sarah finding out what family is. OY!Well, I guess the best thing to do is dive right in. Chuck and Ellie's relationship wasn't this strained when her bad decisions got their father killed. Okay folks deep breaths, here we go.

A Heart Torn

A Charah Tale

By Lord Rapier

Edited and guided by CliffM

Chapter 21:

Sisters

When Casey and Morgan walk back into his office Chuck is still sitting at his desk, head in his hands. Casey is fairly certain he hears a moan coming from Chuck. Chuck looks up wiping his eyes. "Oh… hi guys, thanks for being here for us. Did Sarah get off all right?"

Casey takes a seat and puts his feet up on the desk, "She's okay. Alex will look after her. I don't get it, that reaction wasn't like Walker. Why didn't she tell Ellie where to go?"

Chuck sighs, "She's spent most of her life burying all her feelings. The last two years, she's been engulfed in pain and guilt. Right now, she's more likely to tell herself where to go, than Ellie. She's also feeling awful about getting between me and my sister. I guess she doesn't want to make a bad situation worse."

"Do you think it would help if Alex or I talked to Ellie?" Morgan clearly feeling frustrated at being unable to help, his friend.

Chuck shakes his head, "I really appreciate that, Buddy. I don't want Ellie hating on you if she thinks you're taking sides against her. I can't remember the last time she acted this way. Yeah, I do, it was when Mom disappeared, and then again when Dad vanished. She's heavy into protection mode. Let's give her some time. Maybe Awesome will get through to her. Come on guys, it's not like we didn't expect this. I was hoping to do it in person. Sarah decided to take the bull by the horns and answer the phone. Problem was, she's never seen this Ellie. I guess she thought all the teasing was hype."

Chuck gets a determined look on his face. "That's enough!" Leaning over his desk he presses the speed dial button on his phone. After a couple of rings Devon's voice comes out of the speaker, "Hey Bro, not a good time. I'm heading out for work."

Chuck sighs, "Put her on, Devon." The phone goes silent for a few seconds.

Ellie's voice fills the office as she yells. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, BRINGING HER BACK INTO YOUR LIFE?"

Chuck sits quietly. After about a minute Ellie yells again, "WELL?"

Chuck calmly says, "I don't like it when you yell at me."

Ellie let's out a huff of breath, "Fine, I'm sorry. Talk to me. Tell me what's going on."

Chuck stays calm. "What's going on is my sister who I love more than anything, called the woman that I love names and made her feel like crap. She left here crying. Me I just stayed here and cried.

You don't have to like what she did. You don't have to like her. But you do need to treat her with common decency and respect. Ellie, I love you. I have loved you through a lot of your mistakes, and I loved Sarah through hers. I'm going to give you some time to consider the situation and what consequences could come from your actions. Take your time, please pick your next actions carefully. In the meantime, how's my little Sweetheart?"

Ellie's voice is soft and contrite, "I'm sorry, I lost my cool. I'm not sure how I feel about all this, yet. She hurt you so bad. We all had to watch you in so much pain. How could you…? You're right I need some time. Clara's doing great. She misses her Uncle Chuck. She's making me crazy, asking me every ten minutes when you'll be here. You're still coming right?"

Chuck breathes a sigh of relief. "I'm going to give you that time you want. You can call me and let me know if we're still coming."

Ellie whines, "Charles Irving Bartowski, don't you dare do that to me."

"Ellie, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you hurt Sarah either. I have business in Chicago, so I'll be there Saturday afternoon in any case. I also have five VIP tickets to Medieval Times for the Sunday matinee. If you're still uncomfortable, I'll understand. If that's the case, I'd like to make a quick stop to hug my sister and my niece. But I may not be able to stay long. I can leave the tickets with you."

Ellie sounds desperate, "Chuck, please don't do this."

Chuck wipes his brow, "Okay Big Sis, you've always been there for me. Tell me what to do."

Ellie is quiet, then, "I'll give you a call in the next day or so, I love you, Chuck."

Chuck smiles, "I love you too Sis. That's why everything will be okay. I'll talk to you soon."

Chuck hangs up and looks at his two close friends, "Now we wait."

Alex is waiting on the front porch when Sarah's Towne car pulls up. She runs down and opens the door. Sarah gets out and immediately wraps her arms around Alex. Alex rubs her back. "Morgan filled me in, it'll be okay. Chuck will take care of it, you'll see. Come inside, We can have some coffee and cake while the cleaners do their work. That's some man you have there. This was such a nice gift. They're even doing the laundry."

Sarah nods as they walk through the door, "He's the best, that's why I'm so upset. I can't believe what I've done. I've ruined everything."

Alex shakes her head as she puts Sarah in a chair at the table, "Not everything kiddo, I love you, Morgan loves you, my boys adore you, and I gotta tell you they have good taste. Mrs. Sawyer told me that she loves you already." Alex snickers, "You'll never hear it from him, but even Dad loves you. I could be wrong, but I have a strong suspicion that Chuck may love you too."

Sarah's smile is halfhearted, "I love them too, Alex. I don't know what's happening to me. I can't stop crying. It's not like me."

Alex looks at Sarah, "Oh boy, Sarah have you been using birth control?"

Sarah nods, "Chuck has been, I'm not. We want to have kids, soon. It takes time to wean off the pills, why?"

Alex takes Sarah's hand, "Honey is it possible you got excited one time and forgot to use something?"

Sarah looks at Alex, her face shows her confusion. Suddenly a light goes on, "You don't think…, Oh GOD! Chuck will kill me. I'm creating so much turmoil in his life."

Alex gives her a weird look, "Hold on sister, first of all, you seem to forget who you're married to. They'll have to pull him down off the moon, he'll be so happy. Second of all, why would you think he would kill you? Seems to me he may have had a hand, or something else, in the goings on. Come on, I have a test in the bathroom. No need getting worked up if there's nothing to get worked up over."

Alex steps into the bathroom and grabs a box. She hands it to Sarah, "Here you go, I'll be outside. When you're ready just yell."

A few minutes pass. Sarah opens the door. "I'm done, will you sit with me, I'm terrified. Dreaming about it is one thing, the reality is freaking me out?"

The ladies sit on the side of the tub, "You poor thing. You've had one hell of a morning. The best thing is, no matter what the results, it'll be good news."

Ellie is pacing around the living room when Devon walks in, "Hi Babe, thought we could have lunch together, but I don't have long." Devon takes a step back when he sees the look on his wife's face, "Whoa, whatever I did, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Ellie is not amused, "I finished my conversation with Chuck after you left earlier. He's back with Sarah, it's nonnegotiable. She left him at the altar, walked away, destroyed him. How could he take her back?"

Devon walks into the kitchen, "So, I guess I'm on my own for lunch."

Ellie gives him an evil stare, "Is that all you can think about, your stomach? My brother is making the biggest mistake of his life, and all you can think about is food."

Devon pulls a covered dish from the fridge. He sniffs it and shrugs. Grabbing a fork, he starts to eat, "I thought being a spy was the biggest mistake of his life?"

Ellie walks into the kitchen takes the dish from his hands, sniffs it. With a look of disgust she dumps the contents in the trash and puts the dirty dish in the sink. "Is that your way of saying you never want to have sex again, because I can arrange that?" She goes about making him a sandwich.

Chuck brightens up just a bit, "Hey here's a thought why don't we put aside the Bartowski drama and get some work done, "Any follow up on the Ryker situation?"

Casey shakes his head, "Boss, I'm impressed, you handled that beautifully. You helped her calm down and gave her time to think. She may however think you were giving her an ultimatum. I know you weren't, but she's not thinking crystal clear right now. No change on Ryker, still digging. What happened with the call to Miller?"

Chuck smacks his head, "Holy cow, with all the Ellie stuff, Sarah never got around to filling me in. No rush, I'll hear about it later. Morgan, have you connected with Diane, General Beckman, yet?"

Morgan nods, "Kind of, I left a message. I'm waiting for her to get back to me."

Chuck writes something on a memo pad, handing the piece of paper to Morgan, "Do a deep dive on this one. I want to recommend them for a top position."

Morgan looks at the name and shows it to Casey. Casey smiles and nods his head.

Morgan is a little more skeptical, "Buddy, are you sure about this?"

Chuck smiles, "Morgan, I won't be sure until you tell me I am. Heavy scrutiny, no stones left unturned. Put your people on it, log your hours and expenses. I'll take care of the interview portion."

Chuck looks at his computer, "Where are the lawyers with the government contracts?"

Morgan looks at his notes, "There's progress, but we don't have the full picture yet. Plus Dad told me to do a slow walk on it."

Casey scratches his chin. "We're still waiting on some important paperwork before we can push too hard on that."

Chuck nods, "Understood, any chance we can speed that up?"

Casey laughs hard, "Boss, it's only been a few days, this is the government. It could take years."

Chuck grunts, exasperated, "This wait could cause problems. I'll give Beckman a call myself. On another matter, I'm looking for a bodyguard/driver for Sarah. Casey, It's your department, any suggestions."

Casey smiles, "I have one name in mind."

Chuck smiles, "John, you're echoing my thoughts, look into it. Okay guys, back to work make us richer." Morgan looks back and forth at them and wonders, what the hell are they talking about.

Sarah is worried, "Alex, do you really think Chuck will be happy if I'm pregnant?"

Alex takes her hand, "Sweetie, he'll be overjoyed. You do realize you are married, the whole second wedding is for show."

Sarah lifts her head, "You're right, we are married, and we both want to have children as soon as possible. You're right, good news either way. If it's negative, I won't tell him though, he might be disappointed." Alex nods

Sarah looks at the test, "What does a redline mean?"

Alex picks up the box and reads it, "It means negative, are you okay with that?"

Sarah drops the test stick in the trash and smiles, "I guess, I'm a little disappointed, but okay. Now how do I explain my wild emotions?"

There's a knock on the frame of the open door. "Ma'am can we clean this bathroom now?"

Alex gets up and heads towards the door. "All yours, we'll get out of your way."

Moving into the dining room, "Alex did Chuck tell you what's happening today?"

Alex nods, "Yeah, Mrs. Sawyer and Morgan called and told me about the cleaning crew."

Sarah gives her a big hug. Reaching into her back pocket she pulls out and shows Alex the black credit card. "We have appointments for a spa day and this card is for an unlimited shopping spree. All compliments of my Chuck."

Alex looks shocked, "Sarah, I'm sorry. I'll be divorcing Morgan and fighting you for your husband, why?"

Sarah shrugs, "I'm not positive, but I think he's saying thank you for covering for him last week or for being there for me. Knowing my husband, it could also be just because."

The cleaning people come out, "All done Ma'am, we were told to schedule with you to return every two weeks, what day would be convenient for you?"

Alex falls into a chair shocked. Sarah laughs, "Do you work on Saturdays?"

The cleaner nods, "Yes Ma'am."

Sarah walks them to the door, "Great, see you again two weeks from Saturday. Thanks for the good job."

Alex stares at Sarah, "Okay, there's no way you would give him up. Would you consider a threesome?"

Sarah laughs, "Come on let's go get pampered, this card is burning a hole in my pocket."

Ellie watches as Devon eats his sandwich. He talks in between bites, "What I was trying to say Babe, mother of my child. You swore that he would die if he was a spy, he didn't. The sky didn't fall in, he didn't get hurt, he thrived. Your brother is awesome, you raised him to be awesome. Perhaps you might both benefit if you cut him some slack and trust him a wee bit. He loves Sarah, he's been in love with her from the first moment he set eyes on her. Do you really expect him to turn his back on her?"

Ellie bites into the sandwich she made for herself, "I don't know what to do. Chuck left it up to me. He said he loves me, but he loves her too. ARRRGGGHHH, I'm so angry at him. How could he do something so incredibly stupid? She left him, walked away, crushed him. How am I supposed to forget that, forgive her?"

Devon finishes the last bite of his sandwich, "Thanks Ellie, that sandwich hit the spot. So, how's your mom doing?"

Ellie stares at her husband, her green eyes glowing with anger. If looks could kill he would have a heart attack on the spot. "Devon Woodcomb… ARRRGGGHHH, I hate all men."

Finally with a moment to himself Chuck is able to distract himself with the new virus protection software he's been working on. His theory is to create an AI that watches for rewrites and adjusts to compensate and fights back. He's in the coding zone and hours have passed when the flip phone in his pocket buzzes. He pulls it out, taking a deep breath he flips it open:

This next portion is a one-sided conversation, you will only hear Chuck's side.

"Thanks for getting back to me."

"I miss you. How have you been?"

"So, you know about the Ford. Why am I not surprised."

"No, you don't have to call me Batman."

"No, I'm fine."

"He's dead, so's his partner in crime."

"Seems there's never a guarantee with this guy, but all evidence points to it."

"She's okay, I'm sure she would love to hear from you."

"I know, just saying."

"Because I'm hurting. I needed to hear your voice. I'm back with Sarah."

"You knew that too. Again, not surprised."

"No, she's out, quit the agency."

"You guessed it. She did not like it."

"I told her to take some time and think things through. It's what you would tell me."

"I'm guessing you won't make it to the wedding."

"I know, sorry. I don't mean to make things harder for you."

"Thanks, that's nice to hear."

"Last I heard, she's good, but I'm guessing you know more about that than I do."

"I hope to see her this weekend."

"I'm looking for a ghost, name of Kiernan Ryker. If you were to come across him, I'd appreciate a call."

"Yes, it's important to me."

"I appreciate that. I love you too. I won't bother you unless it's a crisis. Bye"

Chuck sadly tucks the little phone back into its hiding place. He takes a deep breath and looks at his watch. I hope Sarah's doing better. Crap I forgot about dinner.

Chuck presses the intercom button, "Yes Boss?"

Chuck crosses his fingers, "Mrs. S, any chance you can perform a miracle and get us dinner reservations at a romantic restaurant for tonight. Sorry for the late notice. I've been distracted."

"No worries, Boss, let me make some calls. I'll get back to you as soon as I have something."

The chauffeur opens the door, Sarah and Alex climb into the town car. "Ladies there's champagne chilling for you. Would you like me to pop the cork before we start out?"

Sarah pulls the bottle out of the bucket, "No thanks, I can manage. I hope you don't take offense. We'd like some privacy."

The chauffeur gets behind the wheel and the window separating the front from the back starts to rise. "Ms. Walker, Mrs. Grimes, use the button on your armrests if you require my attention." The darkened partition closes.

Sarah opens the Champagne and pours a glass for each of them. Alex takes hers and holds it up, "To your future happiness. Welcome to the family."

Sarah seems uncertain. She sips her wine. "Alex, can I tell you a secret? I've told Chuck but I'm not sure he gets it."

Alex leans in, "You want to know something Sarah. I'm an only child, I've always wanted a sister. Chuck has already adopted me as his sister. Will you be my sister?" Alex raises her glass, "An oath, nothing my sister tells me in confidence will be repeated, for any reason to any person."

Sarah laughs, "You know what, I'm an only child too, and I've alsoalways wanted a sister. I swear an oath to my sister." They clink their glasses, and both say, "To sisters."

Both of them laugh, but it's obvious that something important just happened. After taking a sip of wine, Alex looks at Sarah. "Okay Sis, hit me."

Devon stares at Ellie, she looks down, "Sorry Devon, you know I don't hate you, but why did you have to bring up my mother?"

Devon gets up and grabs his bag, "Ellie, here's what I'd like you to consider. Your mother disappeared for twenty years. Your father was MIA for ten years. You found a way to forgive them. Sarah was gone for two. Is it so hard to accept that Chuck would forgive her? Have you met Chuck? I have to get to work, unless there's an emergency, I hope to be home for dinner. Shouldn't you be heading out to pick up g'runka?"

Ellie laughs, "Devon stop, I hate when you call her that." She kisses him and gives him a big hug, "Thanks, you really helped me, and yes, I will pick up our daughter. I'll call Chuck when we get home. Maybe if she talks to him, she'll stop asking when he's coming."

Ellie gets into her Toyota Sienna and drives to the kindergarten to pick up Clara. No sooner is Clara in her seat and buckled in, "Mommy, is Uncle Chuck here yet?"

Ellie climbs behind the wheel laughing, "No Sweetheart, not yet, but when we get home, we're going to call Uncle Chuck and make sure he's coming."

Clara waves her arms in the air, "YAY! Uncle Chuck is coming and he's bringing me a unicorn, YAY!"

Ellie shakes her head, "My brother the miracle worker."

Chuck's mind is reeling. How am I supposed to work, there's so much going on. Sarah, my beautiful Sarah is so sad. How do I help her feel better? He takes a deep breath and blows it out. I'm sure that Ellie will come around. If not, I guess I'll have to find a way to have the two women I love in my life, without them intersecting. I wish there were code I could write for this crap. An anti-crap program. He laughs to himself.

The intercom buzzes, "Yes Mrs. S., tell me you have good news."

Mrs. Sawyers voice comes through the speaker, "I do sir. You have a reservation at El Compadre for seven tonight. Will that work?"

Chuck gets up and walks out into the front office. He grabs Mrs. Sawyer's hand and pulls her out of her chair and hugs her hard. "Mrs. Sawyer, you could not have picked a more romantic place. You're a… you're a … you are a gift. Having you is like having my own personal genie. Never leave me."

Mrs. Sawyer laughs and slaps Chucks arm, "Stop it Boss. It's just a simple Mexican restaurant. It was the best I could do on such short notice."

Chuck looks at her, "You don't know?"

She looks back at him, "Know what?"

Chuck laughs, "Beautiful, competent, and psychic. Mrs. S. … El Compadre is where Sarah and I had our very first date." Chuck gets a wistful look about him, "Seems like ages ago. You could not have picked a more romantic place.

Make another reservation for Saturday night. For you and your son, on me. Tell Buzzsaw I said hi. I'm so excited. I have to call Sarah and let her know." He pulls his Personal Assistant/Office Manager into his arms and hugs her again. "I love you Mrs. S., you have just pulled me out of a deep hole. Damn you're the best." He releases her and hurries into his office.

Mrs. Sawyer watches as the office door closes, shaking her head, "That's a good man."

Sarah sighs, "It's like I told Chuck, it really scares me when he's so good to me. I hurt him terribly. He was so upset. I guess that's putting it mildly, but he let it go. After a couple of days, it was like I never did what I did. He loves me, he pampers me, he trusts me. He makes me feel so safe. It scares the shit out of me. For the life of me I can't figure out why he forgave me. It terrifies me. I mean what if he wakes up one morning and realizes he screwed up.

Last night I got so freaked out when he gave me that credit card. I said some really hurtful things. I asked him if he wanted to control me, to keep me from leaving again. I was so mean. He was so kind. He said I could have everything. He even gave me his car. He said that he doesn't want to control me. All he wants is to love me. Oh Alex, I'm freaking out. How am I supposed to be the woman he deserves."

Alex looks at Sarah, "I get the scared part, Sarah. Chuck is a nerd of a different color. I'm sure he's nothing like the men you've known before." Sarah shakes her head. "I also see how much you love him. How much he loves you. Sarah, do you know why champagne flutes are designed the way they are, thinner at the top, where the opening is?"

Sarah shrugs, "I never thought about it, I just drink the wine."

Alex leans towards Sarah, "It's so the bubbles can't escape easily, less area at the opening. Keeps all the sparkling goodies in the wine."

Sarah smiles, "Okay?"

Alex twirls her glass looking at the bubbles rising. "To Chuck you're the champagne, rich, flavorful, sumptuous. Someone to be savored, loved, enjoyed. Someone who tickles his nose. However, Sarah, you are the champagne flute as well. All that gas is trapped in the bottom. You've kept a ridiculously small opening at the top." Alex pauses and sits back, giving Sarah time to absorb what she's hearing.

Sarah sighs, "I've been holding it in for a while, I guess. But why now?"

Alex laughs, "I'm sorry I thought you knew, Chuck is the handsome Nerd Wizard, with magic powers. Didn't you wonder why the boys took to you so quickly?"

Sarah nods, "I did, but I figured that they're sweet loving little boys, like their parents."

Alex laughs even harder, "You really have no idea how much that man loves you. Those boys have been hearing about their wonderful, beautiful Aunt Sarah since the day they came home from the hospital. Did you think that because you were gone, you were forgotten? Keep in mind, that was when he was angry with you, in pain.

He never knew that we were hearing him. He forgot about the baby monitor. He didn't talk to us, or Dad. Those boys were his confidants. They never heard a bad thing about you. He told them all the stories. How you met. How you saved his life. How the first time he saw you he knew you were the one. He told them all of it, and never a single bad word. They heard over and over how wonderful you are. However, Dad did mention something about some whining, while Chuck was beating the crap out of him. There may have been a little anger."

Sarah puts her hand to her throat, "I hurt him so bad, how do I forgive myself. I'm terrified, I could do it again. He deserves so much better." Sarah sighs and her eyes tear up.

The minute they walk into the house Clara starts in. "Let's call Uncle Chuck. I want him to tell me about my unicorn, Let's call."

Ellie laughs, "Sweetheart, don't get your hopes too high. Unicorns are hard to come by. Wouldn't you like your snack first? Mommy got you your favorite cookies?"

Clara stomps her foot, "No, Uncle Chuck, I wanna talk to Uncle Chuck."

Ellie gets down on the floor to look Clara in the eye, "I'm sorry young lady, temper tantrums are…" Ellie stops and thinks, exactly what I've been doing. She takes Clara in her arms, "You know what sweetie, you teach Mommy new things all the time. Thank you."

Clara shrugs her shoulders, "I love you Mommy. Can we call Uncle Chuck now, please?"

Ellie laughs hard as she hugs her daughter. "Yes, baby girl, since you asked nicely, we'll call him right now. But you can't ask him about the surprise, because then it wouldn't be a surprise."

Chuck walks back into his office. He sits in his chair and pulls out his cell phone to call Sarah. The intercom buzzes, "Yes, oh wonderous genie."

Mrs. Sawyer laughs, "There's a young lady on line one demanding to speak with you."

Chuck smiles, alright Sarah you read my mind. He presses the speaker button, "Hi Sweetheart, I miss you."

Clara screams, "Uncle Chuck, I miss you too. Mommy says you have a surprise for me, but I'm not allowed to ask you about my unicorn." Chuck hears Ellie laughing in the background.

Chuck is surprised and delighted to hear his niece's voice, "Well your Mommy is very smart. If you ask about surprises, then it's not a surprise. How's my little sweetheart?"

"I'm okay Uncle Chuck, but I miss you. Are you coming soon, I need uncle cuddles." Her voice gets low into a conspiratorial whisper, "I also need a unicorn."

Chuck and Ellie both laugh, "Well Clara, let me talk to Mommy, then I can tell you when I'm coming, okay?"

Clara moves the phone towards Ellie then pulls it back, "I love you Uncle Chuck. Come soon, even without a unicorn."

Chuck smiles wide, then he hears Ellie's voice, "Hi little brother, how're you doing?"

Chuck leans back in his chair, "Well the morning started out a little rough, but the day seems to be improving. How are you doing Sis? Feeling any better. I've been worried about you."

Ellie takes a deep breath, "I'm a lot calmer. Your brother-in-law was a strong advocate for you and made good sense. Not to mention your niece showing me what a temper tantrum looks like. I guess I won't feel settled until I talk with Sarah. Does Saturday still work for you? Dinner will be around seven, but maybe you could come early. I think someone would love to have the extra time with you, and maybe Sarah and I could have that talk."

Ellie could hear Chuck's smile over the phone, "Extra time with my little Clara Doll, hell yeah. Does around three or four work? Don't forget we have plans for Sunday. Sis, I know how hard this is. Trust me, I know. I love her, she loves me too, and I trust her. Thanks, oh, one more thing, should I book a hotel for Saturday night?"

Alex moves closer and puts her arm around Sarah's shoulders, "Look Chuck didn't talk much about you, while you were gone, but he had us. He was surrounded by people who love him. Who did you have?"

Sarah shrugs, "I called you, and Mrs. Sawyer and my friend Carina. I couldn't really talk to my best friend. She hated Chuck. Thank goodness that's changed. I had my work, it kept me busy."

"Sarah, you didn't call all that often. When you did, all you wanted to talk about was how's Chuck, what's Chuck doing, is Chuck okay? Not much to say about Sarah. Oh yes Carina, the spy ho. I'm sure she gave you great relationship advice. Sarah you were hurting so bad. All I heard was I miss Chuck. You could have come home at any point. He was waiting for you. That man does not know how to hold a grudge."

The tears come full on for Sarah, "Is this supposed to make me feel better. I know, I know… I threw away all that time. I know he would have taken me back, he did."

Alex softens her voice, "No Sis, only you can decide to feel better. I'm hoping to help you get your head out of your ass. You're finally with people who love you, no questions asked. Seems all you can do is ask questions. You know before, when I asked you why Chuck gave me this present, you had some good guesses. But I think you were right, it's just because. It's just because it's who he is. Sarah, he loves you just because?"

Sarah sighs, "Alex, you don't get it either, I know that. That's what I'm trying to say. it's just because. His heart tells him he does, so he does. It scares the crap out of me. The man wants nothing from me, nothing, but he gives me everything. I can't bear the thought that I could hurt him again. You didn't see him, it was awful. He was in so much pain. I did that, I did that to the man I love." What am I gonna do?"

Ellie groans, "Chuuuck! You just love to push me."

Chuck leans forward in his chair, "This has nothing to do with you. If I'm going to be allowed to take my family to the show on Sunday, I'll need a place to sleep Saturday night. I'm not about to send Sarah off to a hotel by herself, am I?"

Ellie sighs, "Fine I'll make up the guest room, assuming everything stays calm. You're both welcome. But only if you promise to make breakfast in the morning."

Chuck laughs, "Deal, but I'll leave breakfast up to Sarah, she's a great cook."

Ellie laughs, "Really? Well maybe this time you'll let me taste it, instead of drowning it in the bathtub."

Chuck shakes his head, "Yeah, you never got the whole story on that souffle thing, maybe I'll tell you, but later. I know you hate the spy stuff."

Ellie's voice gets serious, "Chuck, does she still have the same job?"

Chuck gladly answers, "Sis, she works for me, and no one else. I promise."

Ellie let's out a sigh of relief. "Clara, do you want to say goodbye to your uncle?"

Clara gets on the phone, "Are you coming Uncle Chuck. When are you coming?"

Chuck can feel his heart swell, reminding him of how much he loves his niece. "Sweetie, I'm coming on Saturday, but I have to tell you the truth. I don't have one surprise for you."

Clara's voice is sad, "That's okay Uncle Chuck, as long as I get my uncle cuddles."

Chuck yells, "I have three surprises for you, and one of them is super special."

Clara screams, throws the phone down and starts running around the room screaming, "YAY, YAY, Uncle Chuck is coming, YAY."

Ellie is laughing hysterically when she picks up the phone, "What did you do to my daughter? She's gone berserk."

Chuck is laughing, "Me Sis? I didn't do anything. We'll see you Saturday. Sis, thank you. I love you. Send Devon my love and tell him I said thanks. If Clara ever comes back to earth give her a hug from me."

Alex speaks softly, "Sweetie, first you have to accept the fact that you're going to hurt Chuck. Trust me there'll be times he'll hurt you too. It's the nature of relationships. You won't mean to hurt him, any more than you meant to this time. We react, we get upset, but we talk it out and work through it. I know, I know that's all new to you. You're very fortunate that you have such a patient husband to learn from. Plus, you have family now. People to talk to, to get advice and comfort from.

Alex leans back into her seat, "As to what you're going to do. You're going to say thank you. Then you're going to take the time to realize what a lucky woman you are. Sarah, we're both incredibly lucky women. We have men who adore us, would do anything for us. They would literally kill for us, die for us, and our children. Do you really want to question that?"

Sarah shakes her head, "No, all I want, is to believe that I deserve that. Alex, you don't know the things I've done, the people I've hurt." Sarah sounds ashamed, "The lies I told Chuck in the beginning."

Alex nods her head, "You're right, I don't know. Does Chuck?"

Sarah nods, "He knows all of it. We promised each other, no more secrets."

Alex smiles, "He accepts all that, and forgives the lies?" Sarah nods. "Then Sarah, maybe it's time for you to accept it and forgive yourself."

The car comes to a stop, Sarah wipes the tears from her cheeks. A minute later the door opens, "Ladies we've arrived at the spa. I was told you would be about three hours. I'll be right here when you're done." As they climb out of the car, "Enjoy yourselves, if there's anything you should need let me know. I'm at your service."

Chuck is elated after his conversation with Ellie, he pulls out his cell phone and calls Sarah, it goes right to voice mail. He leaves her a message.

Alex and Sarah come out of the spa, refreshed and relaxed. The driver opens the door. Sarah addresses him, "Please forgive my rudeness earlier. I've been a little stressed. What's your name? What should I call you?"

The driver does a slight bow, "Please Ma'am, call me Clifford."

The Ladies climb into the Towne Car. Sarah retrieves her gun from where she hid it.

Then picks up the phone she left in the car and turns it on. "You want to hear something sad Alex, that's the longest I've been away from my phone… and my gun, in years." She touches the screen to bring up her messages. "Oh, look a message from Chuck, I hope it's good news."

She dials the number to retrieve her voice mail and puts it on speaker: "Hi Baby, it's your husband. Jeez, I love saying that. I called to let you know that we have dinner reservations for tonight, at seven. I also wanted to tell you that Ellie has calmed down and has invited us to spend the night Saturday. Her only ask is that she gets some time, to talk with you alone. Oh, and you have to cook breakfast Sunday morning.

Most importantly I want to tell you that I love your toes and I want to kiss them. Maybe even suck on them a little. I love your calves too I really want to kiss them. Also your knees, I love your knees. I can't wait to kiss that spot behind your knees. You always moan when I do that. I love it when you moan for me. Gosh! I really love your thighs. I want to lick them, they're so soft and silky, and I also want to lick your…" Sarah stops the message, her face is red, "Um maybe I should listen to the rest later."

Alex laughs, "Damn Sarah, you are one lucky woman. I mean, Morgan is a great husband and a super father. But when it comes to the romance department… Let's just say, he's more Chewbacca than Han Solo."

Sarah laughs, "I know what that means. I watched all of Chuck's favorite movies, in Italian. He is my Han Solo, he actually called me Princess last night. I dressed up as that slave girl for him one time. We are lucky aren't we, we have two great guys."

Alex smiles, "I saw the picture. I told you Chuck would take care of things. See lots of worry for nothing."

Sarah presses the button on her armrest, Clifford lowers the partition, "Clifford time to go shopping. Take us someplace where we can find a special gift for our husbands."

The driver clears his throat, "Ahem, Ma'am, I think I know just the place, but I don't want you to think I'm taking liberties."

The ladies laugh. Alex waves the black credit card in the air. "Clifford my friend, I get the feeling you're thinking of exactly the right place. 'Lay on MacDuff, and damned be him that first cries; Hold, enough!'" Sarah laughs her head off.

Chuck walks into the outer office. "Mrs. S. can I interrupt you for a moment?"

Mrs. Sawyer looks up from her computer, "Of course Boss, what can I do for you?"

Chuck is sheepish as he asks, "I mean… you were so nice, you arranged for a gift for Clara, do you think it's too late to exchange it for something else?"

Mrs. Sawyer shakes her head, "Not too late at all Boss, don't you think she'll like the stuffed Unicorn?"

Chuck shakes his head in shock, "You ordered a unicorn. Of course you did." He hands her a piece of paper, "Would you mind adding this as well."

Mrs. Sawyer looks at the item, laughs and shakes her head, "I'll take care of it Boss, anything for Miss Clara. Clearly you feel the same way, anything else?"

Chuck nods, "It's been a weird morning, I don't want you to think we forgot you. As soon as Ms. Walker gets back, I'll have her go up and get your souvenirs."

Mrs. Sawyer smiles, "Thank you for thinking of me Sir, but it was entirely unnecessary. Boss may I ask you a personal question?" Chuck nods. "How did you ever let that woman get away from you. It's so clear how much you love each other. How the hell did you screw up like that?"

Chuck laughs, "Wow! when you say personal, you mean personal. Yes, you're right. I love her, I have from the first day I met her, and I did screw up." Chuck gives his Personal Assistant a sad smile, "Ms. Walker took a job that I was adamantly opposed to. She felt it was important to her career. I wasn't prepared to support her decision. She chose career over family. Luckily, we were able to work things out and get back together."

Mrs. Sawyer gives him a sideways look, "It's weird Boss, all my son will say is that he met you, and that you're a good guy. You disappear for a week, you come back with Ms. Walker and it's all hush hush. Boss, are we spies or something?"

Chuck laughs, "No, don't be silly, sometimes we're hired for government work that we can't discuss. Like when I met your son, we did some work together. A little computer emergency is all. But we aren't allowed to discuss it."

Mrs. Sawyer nods and gives Chuck a knowing smile, "I see Sir, and how were your flights to and from Italy. Funny my son is in the Mediterranean right now. Isn't Italy on the Med?"

Chuck sighs and shakes his head, "Beatrice, we are about to take on a huge government contract. You'll be getting investigated by the FBI, and various other intelligence organizations. They'll be tearing your life apart. When they're done, they'll know everything there is to know about you. If you pass that background check, you'll be privy to knowledge that the average person will never hear.

When that happens, trust me, you'll wish it hadn't. Stop asking questions. Stop playing detective. Just know that your son, is doing things to protect you. So am I. It's not about trust. It's about love. We both love you and want you to be safe, okay?"

Mrs. Sawyer turns back to her computer, "Must be pretty serious Boss, you've never used my first name before."

Chuck bends and kisses her cheek. "It's profoundly serious, but It's nothing we can't handle. If you should decide you don't want to be involved in that type of work, I'll understand. I would absolutely hate to lose you, but we'll find a position that you're okay with."

Mrs. Sawyer Laughs, "HA! You aren't getting rid of me that easily. You think I'm going to leave when Ms. Walker finally shows up and has you under control. Not a chance. My guess is you'll need a babysitter soon enough, that means overtime for me. Now get back in your office. I have work to do." Chuck smiles as he walks back into his office.

Sarah is quiet when they climb back into the Towne car surrounded by shopping bags. Alex is exuberant, "Damn that was fun. You know something Sarah shopping with you is a lot more fun than shopping with Morgan and the twins. Less throw up too. But it's not his fault Morgan has done bad things to his stomach." Sarah laughs halfheartedly. Alex looks at her, "Not tired of holding it in yet. Okay let me know when you've had enough."

Sarah turns to face Alex, tears running down her cheeks, "I love him so much. It hurts when I'm not with him. Please don't take offense. I'm loving our time together, but I miss Chuck."

Alex shakes her head and smiles, "No offense taken Sis, I get it. I still feel that way with Morgan, but you kind of get used to it."

Sarah reaches over and takes Alex by the hand. "I don't even understand what I'm feeling. I thought I was in love before, but this is…"

Alex squeezes Sarah's hand, "The real thing, that deep down inside I can't breathe without him thing. Yeah, I get it. Sarah please don't take offense. You've been living a make-believe life. Tell me how many people have you been? How many men have you been with and said I love you too? Well Sweetie someone reached in and yanked you into reality. Look I'm not all that old and wise. Dad is, he told me that he's never seen two people who belong together more. You need each other. You are Yin to Chuck's Yang.

Chuck sees the real you, you have no defense against him. You can fight it and try to keep hiding, but it won't help. He sees you, the real you. That's plenty good enough for him. Now young lady, it's time to let it be plenty good enough for you.

By the way, you're the only one who sees the real Chuck. He's had his torments. He hides that pain from us. You get to see it all, it's a blessing and a curse. You get to fly high with his joy, but you also get to share his pain.

Love is not all heavy all the time. Love is fun, laughter, whimsy. Did you see the clothes I bought to please my husband? You're not fooling me. I saw you laughing. Have some fun, love that man, just because. Be vulnerable. Let him hurt you. You won't die. Can you hurt more than you have in the last two years?"

Sarah keeps her hold on Alex's hand and wipes away her tears with her other hand,

"Thank you, I'm really not used to having a friend, a sister, that I can talk to, about stuff… about how I feel. I hear what you're saying, about Chuck. About all of you loving me. It's all so alien to me. Please forgive me if I'm slow to learn. I want you to know how much I appreciate you being there for me. Not just today, but for all the phone calls."

Sarah gets a big smile on her face, "I get it. This gift from Chuck, for us, was just because. No strings attached. No reason needed. You supported me today, helped me through a really rough day, just because. That's what good people do. What people who love each other do. Tonight, I'm going to have fun with my husband, I'm going to share his joy. I'm a real girl, not a spy." Sarah giggles, "Or maybe I am a spy."

Sarah leans over and whispers in Alex's ear. Alex laughs and leans over to kiss Sarah on the cheek, "By George, I think she's got it. When my husband comes into our bedroom tonight and sees me in my new outfit, he had better say the right thing, or he'll be sleeping on the couch, just because." The ladies laugh and clink their glasses together."

A/N Well there it is, Ellie has been uncorked, and she doesn't even have a stable on the label. Devon stood up for Chuck. Alex helped Sarah calm down, but let's remember Chuck took Sarah back, then changed his mind. Emotions are powerful things. We can't see them, often we can't control them. However, they control us pretty good. Right now, your emotions are telling you, driving you, to write a review of this chapter, leave a vote. Don't fight it, you'll feel better if you go with your gut. Thanx for reading. LR

P.S. If you would like to share your insights on this story with others who are foolish enough to read it. I've created a Facebook group: The Chuck Book Club: Lord Rapier.