Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench

Well, in the previous chapter: Sarah and Jack talk in the courtyard. It's a powder keg waiting to explode as things are said causing heated tension between father and older daughter. The discussion would end up having Jack say the wrong thing that it leads Sarah to slap him in the face. The situation takes a turn when the estranged father reveals that he has something that Sarah forgot, which is her piggy bank. He reveals where its being kept and although Sarah is considerably skeptical she agrees with a some hesitancy on her part to talk more with him if her piggy bank is actually where he's keeping it. Thus, a trip to National City Bank is planned for the following day. So, here's the who, what, where, when, why, and how of it. Who does Chuck compare Jack to as it relates to the safety deposit box? What is in the box other than the piggy bank? Where did other item that Sarah picked up come from? When did Sarah and Jack start sharing a mutual appreciation for a particular sport? Why is the item in question considered so important to Jack? How does Sarah go about dealing with Jack when she decides to go see him? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.

I don't own Chuck.

Padre

XXX

It's Saturday morning around 10:45 a.m. as Sarah, along with Emma, Molly, and Chuck, find themselves in National City Bank. They are being escorted personally by the executive branch manger to the curtained off area for privacy with his assistant carrying a somewhat large rectangular shaped safety deposit box right behind him. Apparently, Jack's charming ways combined with him speaking so highly of Sarah to the aforementioned executive branch manager that she ended up receiving VIP treatment type service.

In any case, after giving thanks to the executive branch manager, along with his assistant, those two take their leave. The 4 individual are left standing there for a few moments a few feet away from the safety deposit box set on the table that presumably holds Sarah's old piggy bank and whatever else that could possibly be in there that Jack left. The key to unlock it is in the oldest Walker sibling's right hand after being given it by the bank supervisor who was most definitely helpful by going above and beyond, especially after having a lengthy conversation with him in his office.

There's a seemingly long silence while all 4 of them are standing there to the point where Chuck feels the urge to break it by saying something but restrains himself from doing so. In his head, he so wants to blurt out Brad Pitt's line from the movie, Seven, that pertains to what's inside the box. For the nerdy business owner, he's 100% certain that it's not Gwyneth Paltrow's character's head and even though the movie ended with Kevin Spacey's character, serial killer John Doe, getting shot in the head by Pitt's character, Homicide Detective David Mills, he doesn't think Sarah would do that to Jack.

Or would she, he thinks to himself. He wouldn't put it past the former patriarch of the Walker family as he's gotten to know his reputation as quite a disreputable individual in the political world and as a general human being altogether. In a sense, it's like Jack's own twisted movie version of Seven out of his head involving Sarah. A version in which he's Morgan Freeman's character trying to be the moral compass and dissuade his nerdy girlfriend from metaphorically shooting her father right in the head, Chuck quickly shakes that particular thought of his head knowing how very deep the imaginative rabbit hole he can dive down in.

As much as he just wants to break the tension that Sarah is possibly feeling with that a bit of movie pop culture reference he knows it doesn't feel right. Instead, he simply reaches over with his right hand and intertwines with her left. After exchanging a supportive look towards her, Sarah attention averts from Chuck back to the safety deposit box. She takes a momentary deep breath then hears her mother's voice.

"Do you want me to do it, sweetheart?"

Sarah's attention turns to her right where her mother, Emma, is standing next to her with Molly on the other side of her. A soft, but brief smile is expressed then shakes her head. "I got this, Mom." she answered back, holding up the key in her right hand briefly. "Let's get this over with." Sarah breathed out.

For Sarah, so many thoughts are running through her head at the moment as she steps forward towards the safety deposit box inevitably letting go of Chuck's right hand. One of the things on her mind is the suggestion that Molly gave in the car ride over to the bank and it was to simply take the safety deposit box itself then simply destroy it without every opening it. True, her younger sister's suggestion sounded easy enough knowing full well Jack could very well be manipulating the entire situation since he show up at Westside Medical Center so she didn't disregard it completely.

Of course, when it comes to that aforementioned piggy bank that she gave to her father years ago, it was something that meant something to her in order to help him start a company of his own. In her mind at least, it bonded the father-daughter relationship between the two of them as she felt at the time that the money she earned from the singing competitions would be a way for the both of them to grow even closer. Thinking back, she was certainly naïve in believing that money would somehow be the catalyst for a tremendously exciting journey together filled with adventure.

Unfortunately, her mother didn't agree with that sentiment whatsoever, especially her decision to hand over a piggy bank that contained some…not all the money she got from her singing competition days. She still recalls the one sided lecture her mother gave her about it wasn't wise of her to just give up the money she earned to her father. Money that would be suited to be placed in a savings account for college instead of risking it on a venture that could very well end up being a costly mistake on her part. Her sitting there half listening and every so often giving the quintessential rebellious teenage eye roll.

She also remembers the younger version of herself actually providing ideas on how to help make Jack's company be far more successful than his highly influential predecessor, Daphne Peralta. Granted, her father didn't really write anything down, but recalled he did look as if he was actually taking into consideration her input when it comes to potential ideas for his own startup company. Now that she's older, her hindsight is much clearer and is able to see though all her father's bullshit, especially knowing how desperate he is to get back into her life with his own life hanging by a metaphorical thread. In her mind, she has all the power right now and she's satisfyingly savoring every moment of it.

Her thoughts concerning the power she wields over him are subsequently set aside as she slips the key into the lock of the safety deposit box. Before unlocking it, she briefly looks behind her to see all 3 individuals giving a head of supportive reassurance. Afterwards, she returns her attention back to the key in her hand that is slipped into the lock of the aforementioned metal encasement that holds her supposed piggy bank and whatever else that's been placed in there to try to manipulate, as well as scheme his way back into her life. Moments before turning the key, Sarah closes her eyes then takes a deep breath leading her to turn the key to finally unlock it.

As Sarah's eyes slowly open, she's already lifting the lid to the safety deposit box and once it's fully open she leans forward a bit to look down inside it. A brief smirk is expressed as she stares at an object that confirms that Jack isn't completely full of shit after all. She reaches down inside, picks it up, and slowly turns around cradling the object in her hands that hasn't been in her possession for years. The object in question…her piggy bank. A piggy bank with an envelope taped to it.

She momentarily shakes her piggy bank and feels not only weight of it, but hears the contents rattling inside of it like a little kid would do. When she's done, her focus is now on the envelope. After starting at it for a few moments, Chuck steps forward with both his hands out.

"Do you want me to hold it while you read the letter?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think I want to read the letter."

"Are you sure?" wondered Chuck. "I'd more than happy to read the letter for you. If you want." he suggested, ducking his head a bit.

"That's so sweet of you, Chuck." Emma responded, expressing a soft smile. The matriarch of the Walker women, along with Molly standing beside her, watch the back and forth between Chuck and Sarah of who is going to read the letter in the envelope.

There is a brief silence as Chuck and Sarah momentarily stand there focusing on the envelope when they suddenly hear the voice of an impatient 13 year old girl. "Jeez…" huffed Molly while rolling her eyes. She steps forward then reaches for inevitably snatching the envelope from her older sister's hands. "…I'll read the damn letter." she added, ripping open the envelope in a matters of seconds. The letter in hands with the remnants of the ripped up envelope now laying on the floor.

"Sarah…" began Molly, reading the letter.

While Chuck and Emma are focused on Molly, the oldest Walker sibling is focused on the other contents inside of the safety deposit box that didn't just contain her piggy bank. One of the two remaining contents she pulls out is a stuffed animal. It's a stuffed animal that she not only recognizes, but knows it used to belong to her younger sister. An old, tattered, and faded dog to be exact.

"Rex." she breathed out, expressing a soft smile.

After setting the stuff dog named Rex down on the table next to the open safety deposit box, her attention returns to the remaining object inside. As she reaches down inside to pick it up, Molly continues reading the letter by Jack. Chuck and Emma still focused on what the 13 year old is reading out loud.

"…and I know I this won't make up for all that I've done. The years I've missed out on. I screwed up. You all didn't do anything wrong. I was blinded by my own selfish ambitions. It cost me everything. What mattered most and that is…was…the love of my family. Blah…blah…bah…" she repeated, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She quickly lowers the letter down turning her attention to Chuck and her mother. "It's all a bunch of bullshit." The 13 year old holding the letter in her right hand and waving it her hair.

As much as Emma wanted to scold her young daughter for the language, she let it slide this time since she agreed with her assessment pertaining to the contents of Jack's letter. Speaking of Molly, she ends up dropping the letter on the floor where it belongs since it's considered trash like her deadbeat, asshole of a father who she barely even knows or even wants to know for that matter.

"No, it's not." responded Sarah. It leads Molly to lean over to her right while Chuck and Emma to turn around to face the woman who apparently thinks it's not all bullshit coming from Jack. "I think he means it."

"How do you know, sweetheart?" inquired Emma, expressing immense curiosity on her face.

"Sarah?" questioned Chuck.

"What's up, sis? How do you know for sure?"

"Because of this." Sarah answered back, holding up the remaining object inside of the safety deposit box. A baseball in a protective casing.

"So what." shrugged Molly, not really caring the significance of it. If any. "It's just a dumb, old baseball in a case." she added, shaking her head.

In that instance, Emma speaks up. "No. It isn't."

"It's much more than that, Mols. It's the one thing that Mom and I know dad is actually telling the truth for once." Sarah shared. A combination of shock and surprise in her voice. "You see, this baseball means so much to him that he never let anyone touch it or take it out of the case. It's considered priceless and valuable. Jack's words."

It's at the point Chuck chimes in. "I'm not much of a baseball fan or a sports fan in general. So, why is that baseball so important." he firmly reiterated, pointing at the aforementioned baseball.

"It was signed by Jack's favorite baseball player…" Sarah pauses for a second then reveals the team and player's name. "…Tony Gwynn." she revealed to Chuck and Molly.

XXX

"Chuck, as you already know…" said Emma. "…Sarah grew up in San Diego."

"I do." nodded the nerdy business owner.

Emma continues on. "There are two sports teams that you root for when you live there. If you're a football fan, it's the Chargers. For baseball…"

"Baseball…" interjected Sarah. "…it's the Padres. I grew up being a lifelong fan because of Jack." she continued sharing.

"I've lived in Los Angeles all my life and I'm not much of a sports guy. I'm a nerd." Chuck shared.

"It shows." Molly retorted, in a scoffing manner.

In response, Chuck sticks his tongue out at Molly who sticks her tongue out back at him. The childish antics between the two of them abruptly end when they both hear a clearing throat causing them to turn to the source. It's Sarah.

"Can I continue?" she asked, arching her right brow.

It's at that point, Chuck and Molly face forward sitting in their chairs while Sarah mentally prepares herself as Emma is standing beside her. For two individuals sitting down, it's new information that they're hearing for the very 1st time and for once the 13 year old is not her usual snarky self and interrupting. Her old sister and mother sharing the significance of the baseball signed by San Diego Padre legend/Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn and how it relates to the situation at hand concerning Jack.

"Jack working for Daphne Peralta did have its perks. One of those perks was not only being able to get season tickets, but also getting to sit right next to the home team's dugout." Sarah shared, reflecting back on her childhood. "We got there before the game to watch batting practice and it was that day Tony Gwynn signed a baseball that he caught from a foul ball that was hit."

"You were around 10 at the time, Sarah." Emma recalled, expressing a reflective smile. "It was a time where we enjoyed spending time together. Just the three of us. As a family." she added, momentarily staring at the encased baseball.

"Those were the days for sure." Sarah breathed out. She refocuses her thoughts and continues on. "Tony Gwynn was considered a pure hitter of the game of the baseball. There's never going to be another like him. At least that's what Jack kept telling me all the time." she added, with a bit of a chuckle on her part. "You see…"

As Sarah continues to share her thoughts with Chuck and Molly, a slew of memories come flooding back to her, especially living in San Diego. Memories that were mostly good. It was way before Jack's attitude and behavior completely changed to where his focus was more on his family instead of on business. His thoughts, love, and passion for the Padres and most definitely Tony Gwynn were certainly transferred to their only daughter at the time. The way the two of them would take note of his stats as a player, work ethic, contribution to the team, and not to mention the rivalries he had with certain pitchers like Greg Maddux.

Speaking of Greg Maddux, she recalls sitting beside Jack in the living room watching an ESPN interview with Tony Gwynn who considered Maddux one of the toughest pitchers he has ever faced in his career. She would later find out from her father that Maddux felt the same way in regards to Gwynn being the toughest batter he's ever faced as a hitter. The two titans in their respective positions facing off a total of 58 times during their major league career. Whenever Maddux and Gwynn faced off against each other you, as a fan, would certainly be in for a treat as the mind games begin between the two of them. Essentially, it became a clinical masterpiece to the point where if the psychology of the game of baseball had a face, it would be one half Gwynn and one half Maddux.

Thinking back on it, that mutual enjoyment shared between the two of them would find herself keeping up with Tony Gwynn's career more than her father. She would end up keeping him up to date on his batting average knowing he's won National League batting title 8 times, the silver slugger award 7 times, and won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. It's an award that's given to a player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement, and the individual's contributions to the team voted on noted only by the baseball fans, but the media as well.

Unfortunately, Jack's focus on baseball was gradually fading and focusing more on his career. Yet, his loyalty to Tony Gwynn never wavered and he would end up going to the games without her. That something special that was shared between father and daughter ended up becoming absolutely tainted by the enticing allure of success, she thinks to herself. She shared with Chuck and Molly that the passionate fire she had would gradually flame out leading to the belief that Jack's life would have probably turned out differently if things didn't work out for him regarding his professional career in the political realm.

The countless "what ifs" and "could have beens" of a far happier Burton family tied together for the love of a game and a baseball signed by Tony Gwynn, she thinks to herself. It's that particular thought in which she has a love-hate type relationship with not so much Tony Gwynn or the San Diego Padres, but with baseball itself. How it brought their family together and at the same time it broke them apart even though it was a small part of a much larger catalyst that would become a sore subject that she never really talks about until now.

"When I heard the news Tony Gwynn retired in 2001, it was a bittersweet moment because even though I consider him an awesome guy with such a prolific baseball career, I dislike him for the connection that bonded Jack and I. Does that make any sense at all?" questioned Sarah, shaking her head.

"I think so." responded Chuck. "In a way, it's like comparing the Original Star Wars Trilogy to the prequels. Nothing will ever compare to the original that George Lucas made and the love fans like myself will always have for it. Now, compare that to the prequels and how fans are split on what Lucas did…

"Chuck…" Emma calmly said.

"Jar Jar Binks not being a popular character..."

"Chuck…" repeated Emma once again.

After Emma is unsuccessfully getting Chuck's attention, Molly takes it upon herself to stop her older sister's nerdy boyfriend from blubbering on about Star Wars. So, she leans over to her right and slaps the back of his head with her right hand causing him to abruptly stop. Afterwards, Chuck holds the back of his head as he turns his attention to Molly. Speaking of Molly, her attention turns to her mother and older sister leading the 13 year old to speak up.

"You're welcome."

"Anyways…" Sarah said, exchanging an apologetic look towards Chuck. "…why did Jack put this all of things in the safety deposit box?"

There's a momentary silence in the private curtained off area of where they're presently in when Chuck lean forward in order to pick up the letter that was dropped on the floor by Molly. Afterwards, he stands up and starts reading it in a soft, mumbling way. As he's softly mumbles through the letter leading to every so often clearly utter a number of words like piggy bank and the name Rex, he finally gets to the part of the letter that Molly didn't end up reading. He reads the following words:

"…To show you that I'm serious, I placed my signed Tony Gwynn baseball that I've cherished and consider it the most priceless, as well as valuable thing I own. With that being said, do what you will with it. Sell it, give it away, pawn it off…whatever. This should prove my intentions are absolutely genuine and hopefully we'll be able to talk one on one with each other. - Jack."

The curtained off area is silent once again as all 4 individuals, mainly Sarah, lets sink in the latter part of the latter concerning an considerably important item belonging to Jack. An item that she has the power to do what she pleases with after being allowed to by her estranged father as proof that he'll do what it takes to talk with her. The question is now that she has the proof, will she actually follow through with his request?

XXX

It's a considerably quiet atmosphere within the confines of Chuck's Falcon after leaving National City Bank. He's sitting in the cockpit with Sarah riding shotgun beside him with her old piggy bank on her lap. As for Molly and Emma, they're in the back seat with the stuffed dog named positioned in between youngest daughter and mother. The signed Tony Gwynn baseball in the hands of the matriarch of the Walker women. The silence would abruptly be broken when the teenager speaks up.

"I can't believe you did that. Totally embarrassing."

"You were going to sell it to the bank's Executive Branch Manager, Mol." Chuck retorted back in disbelief, briefly glancing up at the review mirror. The image of disappointment reflecting back to him. "You're like a human version of Rocket from the Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Who? "

"Marvel character from the comics. Guardians of the Galaxy. He's a raccoon." described Chuck. "Morgan and I read it's going to be made into a movie, which is awesome." he further added, with excitement resonating in his voice.

Molly just shakes her head. "Nerds." she said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, he was good for it." Molly replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, I would gotten away with it if it weren't for Mom snatching it out of my hands." she added, turning her attention to Emma shaking her head.

Emma is momentarily silent as mother and youngest daughter stare at each other. Neither one of them breaking the focus on each other. The stare down wouldn't last as the woman who gave birth to her two daughters speaks up.

"You snuck out with it and thankfully Chuck noticed you were gone. I'm just glad you didn't make a scene and announce to everyone in the bank about selling the baseball." Emma revealed, expressing disbelief.

"I would never." proclaimed Molly, sounding insulted. After facing forward and a few seconds of silence she continues on. "I'd sell it on eBay. That's where the big money is." she proudly insisted.

"Of course." breathed out Sarah, rolling her eyes sitting in the front seat. Her mother and little sister having another one of their discussions in the back seat of the car causing her to chuckle. Her attention is then averted to her left.

"So, what are you going to do? What do you want to do? Your call." inquired Chuck, briefly glancing at Sarah. His blonde girlfriend turns her head to face forward as to contemplate the question he asked her.

For Chuck, he knows the expression on Sarah's face all too well as it relates to the weight of the world not just on her shoulders, but in her eyes as well involving an estranged family member. An estranged, problematic family member to be exact . The mental and emotional turmoil she been going through due to Jack's presence has left his girlfriend to become annoying agitated and not to mention considerably off balance to the point where she hasn't really been herself as of late. In a way, his presence is like feeling a disturbance in the dark side of the force and sooner or later they'll have to face off with one another to truly settle things between the two of them.

True, he's felt that same disturbance throughout his young life dealing with his mother leaving then his father after. That truly hit him the hardest because of how close he and his father would become before his father's focus on finding his mother turned into an absolute obsession, he thinks to himself. The times spent with him where he was able to think and speak with absolute clarity were the moments he, as well as Ellie cherished. When it was awesome, it was most definitely awesome. However, there were days where his father found himself struggling and not being able to cope with the absence of the woman he loved with all his heart would cause him to shut down in every sense of the word.

It got so bad that Ellie had to stay home from school and take care of him. His mental health and overall well-being took a considerable toll on not just Ellie, but him as well. The feelings of being helpless and guilt ridden in not being able to provide any kind of help for their father weighed tremendously on him at such a young age. The unfortunate thoughts of him being unable to help his sister knowing the immense pressure and the amount of responsibility on an older teenage sibling shows how she's so incredibly deserving of his admiration, as well as appreciation growing up. She, along with Hartley, his wife, and Vivian were there for him when he went through therapy. Therapy that Hartley paid for.

Speaking of Hartley, if it wasn't for his kind generosity as their quintessential foster father he nor Ellie wouldn't be the individuals they are today. Their support for the both of them was incredibly helpful during the times and moments they absolutely felt lost. The situation they both were in at the time did provide them with some much needed parental direction and advice whenever they truly asked or didn't ask for it. There's no telling what would have happened if Hartley didn't step for his best friend's kids in their time of need, he thinks to himself.

As much as he's already meddled in their family affairs by hiring a private investigator named Longshore to dig into Jack's personal and financial background, he's fully aware that by further putting himself in a position where he could very end up hurting rather than helping Sarah sits in the back of his mind. Yet, he does his best to tread lightly in hopes of not overstepping entirely. Fortunately for him. Emma already thinks of him as part of the family, which for him is an awesomely flattering thought. His thoughts abruptly end when he notices Sarah turning to him in order to respond to his question.

"I want to talk to Jack." she softly replied back.

"As you wish." responded Chuck softly, with a faint British accent. His Princess Bride quote received a soft smile from Sarah since it's deemed one of her favorite movies. She then reaches over with her left hand and intertwines it with his right.

"But…" interjected Sarah.

"But what?" Chuck inquired in a questioning manner. A look of concern expressed on his face.

"You hungry?" she asked, with a crooked smile.

"Yeah. I am actually."

"You two hungry back there?" called out Sarah, looking back over her left shoulder.

The mere mention of food causes Molly to stop in mid-sentence the discussion she's in the middle of with her mother. The 13 year old quickly leans forward popping her head in between Chuck and Sarah leaving Emma completely mesmerized at how quickly her youngest daughter was able to unbuckle her seat belt. At the same time worried that she could very well cause an accident by being a distraction to Chuck while driving, which is thought of any parent in regards vehicle safety.

"I am! Where we going!?" questioned Molly, looking back and forth at Chuck and Sarah. The teenager resembling an excitable family dog not being able to keep still.

The discussion of where to eat is now being discussed between the 4 individuals in the Falcon. True, it's a discussion that is a temporary distraction on the matter at hand in which Sarah will fulfill her estranged father's request in order to finally have a face to face talk. A talk that's been a long time coming knowing the first attempt in trying to talk things out didn't go so well and their 2nd attempt in the courtyard last night led to her slapping Jack in the face. The 3rd time is the charm and hopefully something will get accomplished by the end of it.

XXX

Jack is sitting in his hospital bed on a mid Saturday afternoon and really isn't doing much of anything. The television is on but he's not actually watching as it's considered more background noise than anything else. He's lost in thought pertaining to the events of what happened last night and because of that he's now being monitored very closely to the point where one of Casey's security team has posted at the door to keep him from leaving. Although he paid the price for a litany of patient violations, one of which was stealing hospital property, he felt it was absolutely worth it to escape and get some much needed fresh air even it was for just a few moments.

While sitting there alone in with his thoughts and staring out the window, he harkens back to that moment on the hospital roof as he's looking down towards the semi lit hospital courtyard. In his mind, he fully intended to jump thinking all the personal and professional problems that he's faced ever since finding out the cancer in his kidneys would just stop. Yet, he didn't because it felt like he was quitting and Jack Burton isn't the type of person who quits that easily so he does what he's always done, which is simply implement a strategic retreat. For him, he knows his days are numbered but that doesn't mean he'll allow himself to let death take him away without making it incredibly difficult to say the least.

In his mind, the piggy bank was merely the initial bait to hook Sarah to go to the bank and the two additional items left inside the safety deposit box would potentially show that he's intentions are truly serious. However, it's the signed Tony Gwynn baseball that he feels with make a definite statement knowing how a piece of baseball memorabilia worth almost $600 has always been something he valued and never let anyone touch even his oldest daughter. Truth be told, it was his love for the game, more importantly the San Diego Padres and not to mention the man nicknamed "Mr. Padre", that genuinely connected he and Sarah. A connection that would end up being broken after his pursuit of success and Godhood were ultimately fulfilled.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for him, he thinks to himself. The amount of power he grabbed for didn't satisfy him and sought for more by any means necessary and that came in the form of mental manipulation, which came in abundance in the political world. The powerful feeling of pulling the strings of the weak minded as of they were puppets fueled him as if taking a drug and the euphoric high he experienced afterwards was a feeling he never wanted to ever stop. Now, he's feeling the unrelenting aftermath where he's facing a potentially bittersweet reality that was brought upon by his own doing as lived and acted with reckless abandon. He felt untouchable and nobody was going to stand in his way as he was determined to fly to even greater heights.

It would be his arrogance that would end up being his eventual downfall. He flew too high to the sun causing his mentality of being someone far greater and smarter than Icarus to crash down to earth amongst the mortals he felt vastly superior too. Now, he's a powerless mortal and it's only a matter of time until the sand in his quintessential hourglass of life runs out, he thinks to himself. When it comes to any backup plans to use, favors to call in, or tricks up his sleeve to reveal they've pretty much been all tapped out. When he used the $10 million dollars as a way to get in to the Hospital Gala it was the final nail in his coffin and instead making preparations to ride off quietly into the sunset, so to speak, he decided to make some noise before doing so. A lot of noise to be exact.

His thoughts concerning the situation that ended up landing in the hospital are subsequently interrupted when he suddenly hears a voice causing him to snap out of it.

"Smart move, Jack."

Jack is briefly silent before responding. "Sarah. So, you got it."

"The piggy bank and Rex. Sure did. The signed Tony Gwynn baseball..." Sarah retorted, stepping forward and in front of Jack's hospital. "...that got certainly my and Mom's attention." she added, with a nonchalant nod. It's that point, she decides to say something in order to see his reaction. "Molly, gave it away to the first person she saw. That's what it said in your letter. If that was the actual signed baseball." she further shared, crossing her arms.

In that instance, Sarah carefully scans Jack's facial expression after informing her estranged father of what she supposedly did. She quickly picks up on a faint but keenly noticeable look of pained loss combined with him biting his bottom lip as if restraining himself from cursing. It's a look that she's witnessed before back when she accidentally knocked his prized signed baseball off the mantle that he proudly displayed in the living room back in San Diego. Essentially, it tells her that his reaction is absolutely genuine knowing full well she was taught by the best to read people. She then gives him ample time to respond in order see if he'll go into manipulation mode. It's what he does best, she thinks herself.

Speaking of Jack, after not saying for a few seconds he takes a deep breath and speaks up. "Again, I deserved that and yes..." he said, with a mixed tone of defeat and pain in his voice. "...it's the actual one. Signed by Mr. Padre himself. Not a replica." Jack added, crossing his arm. A sense of faint anger heard in his voice as well.

He's telling the truth. For Sarah, she knows all too well how important that particular baseball meant to him. In her mind, she can tell he's not putting up a front and not to mention he's clearly focusing on the baseball to the point where memories are possibly flooding back. While continuing to stand there at the foot of Jack's hospital bed she keenly notices all the emotions that are being expressed on his face whereby showing how outwardly vulnerable he is, which is a perfect time to strike if he were an easily manipulated target. She does strike but in a completely different and totally opposite way where her intentions aren't for manipulation at all. Her intentions are for him to drop whatever façade, if any, still remaining and talk one on one.

"Relax Jack..." she said, uncrossing her arms. She then leans over to her right sliding a chair over to her. Afterwards, she takes seat and looks directly at him locking eyes with her estranged father. "...I still have the baseball." In that moment, a look of relief is seen on his face letting her know that his reaction was once again genuine. "Just wanted to get a good read on you."

After taking a moment to lay his head back on his pillow, he lifts his head expressing a brief but faint smile. "The student has become the teacher."

Jack's response is ignored as Sarah leans forward expressing absolute seriousness on her face. "Here's the deal. You and I talk, but you have to agree to something before we do. Those are the terms."

"Terms?" laughed Jack, finding the word she used humorous. In response, Sarah gets up from her chair and heads towards the door leading the man in the hospital bad to lean quickly forward. "No! Wait!" Unfortunately, the pain he experiences causing him to cringe, lay back, and take a few deep breaths to ease the pain. This leads to Sarah to walk back and sit back in the chair she slide over then placed in front of Jack's bed. "I agree to your terms. What do I have to do?" he asked, with pained curiosity.

XXX


NOTE: Once again, sorry for the delay as life gets in the way. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as Sarah along with Chuck, Molly and Emma find out what's in the safety deposit box. Does it change anything as relates to Sarah and Jack's relationship? Plus, what does she have in store for Jack when she gives him an ultimatum in regards to discussing things on her terms? Anyways, share your thoughts and I tip my hat to NEVR for doing the beta. You rock!