Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: Sarah confronted Cole after finding him sitting at her desk. Of course, the Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Center didn't take too kindly that her ex-fiancé entered her office and sat behind her desk without permission. Needless to say, Cole made the situation worse for him when he basically believes the real reason why she's so angry at him. How he considered it the elephant in the room. Cole said Sarah was still in love with him, which would have been caused the Orthopedic surgeon to suffer physical harm. The possibility of him of even more pain inflicted on him when Sarah found out the real purpose of her relationship with Cole, especially when it involved high profile public events. What stopped Sarah from inflicting pain was him placing his right index finger on her lips. Needless to say, Cole walked a fine line at his own risk when it came to revealing the truth about their relationship. Fortunately for him, being able to genuinely recall the adventurous moments with Sarah caused the blonde to reflect back as well. Cole then tried to convince Sarah that there's no adventure working at the hospital or being with Chuck. Needless to say, Cole tries to kiss Sarah but is thwarted by a letter opener to his family jewels. Casey makes his presence known and Cole leaves. Sarah meets with Chief Beckman after being escorted to her office by Casey. Sarah finds out that Casey covered for her when Chuck suffered his anxiety attack. Plus, Beckman knows that Chuck is seeing Dr. Dreyfus but doesn't outright say it. Moving foward, Chuck returns to see Dr. Dreyfus. The seasoned therapist asked him an important question that's associated with the disk that has the file he hacked from Bryce's phone. The question... why he hasn't opened it. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Chuck say was welcome into the Bartowski and considered part of the family in a non-blooded related way? What 3 movies did Chuck and Dr. Dreyfus discuss and compare with as it relates to his unfortunate situation? Where exactly does the therapy session suddenly take a sudden turn after Chuck reveals something pertaining to his relationship with Morgan? When does Chuck have his sudden epiphany about Bryce that leads him to believe that actually was looking out for him? Why does Ellie say that Sarah is similar to Mary Bartowski? How does everybody react when they see someone they never expected to standing there after Molly opened the front door of Casa Woodcomb? 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.
Tragic Brothers
XXX
"Family isn't always blood-related. Even though Bryce wasn't blood related, I considered him a brother," Chuck shared solemnly. "He was actually welcomed into the Bartowski family before Jill," he pointed out, shaking his head.
"Why is that, Chuck?" inquired Dr. Dreyfus. After he noted what his patient shared, he pressed further and explored the nature of why Bryce was welcomed into the Bartowski fold before Jill was. "What was the reason for the seemingly instant strong bond that developed between you and Bryce?"
Chuck sat there in silence for a moment on the couch and gathered his thoughts concerning what Dr. Dreyfus asked. After what seemed like forever, Chuck finally responded.
"Tech based video games," answered the nerd. "I told you about how Bryce and I met."
Dr. Dreyfus nodded. He peered down, took a moment, and looked over his notes. "Zork."
"That's right, Doc." Chuck added. "Bryce and I programmed our own version of it using a TRS80."
"I still need help programming my VCR," remarked Dr. Dreyfus, with amusement. He and his patient shared a laugh then the experienced therapist continued on. "So, Bryce then led and introduced you to meet Jill," stated the experienced therapist.
While he sat on the couch, Chuck wondered if the conversation he had with Bryce in the quad would have turned out completely different if he hadn't brought up Jill. He would have completely avoided the emotional disaster that broke him to the point where he hid within himself. The youngest Bartowski sibling harkened back to how his bearded best friend, Morgan, compared him being emotionally separated to how he got metaphorically frozen in carbonite. The way Han Solo ended up at the end of Empire Strikes Back.
All at the hands of Vader, who Jill represented before and still represented now, he thought to himself. In a sense, Sarah represented his savior and unfroze him in sort of the same way Leia did when she tried to rescue Han from Jabba's palace. My Leia. She exhibited the same mixed traits of the daughter of Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. Kind, caring, and brave, but at the same time very headstrong. Passionate, emotional, and protective, to say the least. Words that describe Sarah Walker, he thought to himself.
In any case, Chuck eventually set aside his mental comparison of Sarah to the Queen of Naboo and Jill to the Jedi who was compared to one of the most iconic Star Wars characters of all time. Afterwards, he focused on something else, which was clearly noticed by Dr. Dreyfus.
"What's on your mind, Chuck?"
After he was snapped out of his focused headspace, Chuck answered the therapist who sat across from him. "A 'what if' scenario going on in my head."
"Like what?"
"What if I had never met Jill," he honestly answered back. "Bryce never mentioned her and we just sat there talking about just Zork or video games in the quad. It's like the movie Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow mixed with the horror thriller that is Final Destination."
After Chuck mentioned those two movies, Dr. Dreyfus arched his right brow. When it came to his new patient, he couldn't help but be thoroughly impressed by his deep well of movie knowledge. In his mind, it possibly stemmed from how he lacked the influence and the stability of parents who were absent from his life. It was briefly brought up during their session yesterday and as much as he wanted to discuss it more in depth with him, he reconsidered it. He believed he'll get to have ample opportunity with him in due time after they've been able to establish a much stronger rapport between the two of them, he thought to himself. His thoughts on the absence of Chuck's parents in life were mentally set aside and refocused on the matter at hand. Although he wasn't familiar with those two movies, he jotted them down on his notepad then peered back up at his patient.
"Care to elaborate, Chuck?"
"Elaborate, ummm, sure, Doc." Chuck took a few moments and gathered his thoughts about the two movies he just mentioned. A few seconds later, he spoke up. "Well, in the movie Sliding Doors two scenarios play out for Paltrow's character and in both of them, events unfold that turn disastrous. As for Final Destination, the main character has a premonition that the plane will explode, killing everybody. Chaos ensued and the main character along with a number people on the plan as well. After being removed from the plane, it exploded with the passengers who remained after takeoff." He briefly paused to take a breath before he continued on. "That disaster caused a chain reaction of deaths and…"
The nerdy business owner stopped mid-sentence after he noticed Dr. Dreyfus who just silently sat there and stared at him. In his mind, that's considered normal for someone in his position because that's what therapists are paid to do. Unfortunately, the way the good doctor stared at him left him a bit unsettled. For Chuck, he knew he got carried away and tended to babble on, especially when it involved movies.
"Sorry, Doc. I guess I elaborated too much," he regrettably stated.
Fortunately, Dr. Dreyfus cracked a smile that set Chuck at a comfortable sense of ease. "No need to apologize," he retorted, shaking his head. "In my profession, there's no such thing as elaborating too much," he added, shrugging his shoulders.
"Awesome." Chuck responded. A sense of relief expressed in the tone of his voice.
After Dr. Dreyfus took a moment to readjust himself in his chair, he reached up with his left hand and took off his spectacles and looked at Chuck. He was briefly silent before he continued on. "Here's how I look at it when you mentioned those two movies and the 'what if' scenario you shared." The clinical psychologist who earned a PhD cleared his throat before he spoke up. "The two scenarios that played out and the chain reaction of surviving death only to result in death," He stopped for a second and placed his spectacles back on. "Either path would have led you straight to Sarah."
It took a moment for what Dr. Dreyfus shared with him to sink in. He then snapped out of it and slid forward to the edge of the couch. "So, what you're telling me, Doc," Chuck paused and gathered his thoughts. "The break up with Jill was meant to happen in either scenario?"
"Not saying that," he answered, shaking his head."
"What are you saying then?" A perplexed and confused look is expressed on Chuck's face. "What about a scenario where Jill didn't cheat on me with Bryce?" questioned Chuck. "She and I got married."
Dr. Dreyfus never hesitated and instantly gave a response back to his patient. "The underlying problems such as the idea of having kids would still be there. They'd surface eventually. You did say you wanted to be a parent but she didn't."
"You're telling me, I was always meant to be with Sarah?"
For him, the thought of how he was destined to meet and be with Sarah blew his mind. In his mind, that mind blowing concept fell into the realm of fairy tale love stories, where dreams do come true. In other words, star-crossed lovers who lived worlds apart and they somehow, through extraordinary events that unfolded in both their lives, ended up meeting. They fell in love and lived happily ever after. Essentially, there are countless movies with the same plot and are churned out for the hopeless romantics that have expressed their heartfelt wonder if their true love is actually there.
Of course, it's a considered a cliché movie trope that's been done to death and the viewing audience wholeheartedly agreed it's gotten considerably monotonous. All played out and boring even, he thought to himself. However, there was a point in his life where he truly believed that he would never fall in love again and have his life immensely changed in such a way that he'd be saved from his self-imposed frozen carbonite stasis. True, it took a couple years but the woman who finally saved him literally walked into his life and truly made a memorable impression on him even though it started out on the wrong foot, so to speak.
Chuck broke out of his mental head space when Dr. Dreyfus tilted his head. He then saw him briefly throw up his left hand with an added wave as well. "All I'm saying is it's a possibility," he postulated.
A mixed expression of surprised disbelief grew on Chuck's face. "Huh, that's heavy, Doc."
The seasoned clinical psychologist slid comfortably back in his chair. As he did, Dr. Dreyfus gave his response. "Heavy indeed."
XXX
"Let's circle back to how you referred to Bryce as your brother," Dr. Dreyfus suggested. "How you said family isn't always blood-related and how he," The therapist firmly noted." Was welcomed into the Bartowski family before Jill."
"He felt like part of the family. Although," Chuck paused briefly. He cracked an amused smile before he continued on. "Morgan wasn't too keen on meeting a complete stranger that I was now friends with."
"I take it that Morgan felt threatened or jealous."
"Threatened?" Chuck shook his head. "Jealous? Maybe." He sat there for a moment before he resumed how he described his bearded best friend. "He can be a tad bit territorial because we've been best friends since childhood," he added.
"You and Bryce became friends at Stanford."
"Freshman year," Chuck recalled.
Dr. Dreyfus nodded, then pressed forward and shared his insights on the matter. "Territoriality is a sociobiological trait that human beings and animals share. Yet, humans do it in a more sophisticated way. Of course, we don't urinate on things like trees to mark our territory but we do show it in ways to ward off intruders."
The nerdy business owner expressed an amused chuckle. "Morgan hasn't urinated on any trees." Chuck paused for a moment and quickly thought back on the territorial tendencies he exuded during their friendship. "He has declared and announced loudly that I'm his best friend. He's like a hyperactive Chihuahua."
"Ok, Chuck, let's…"
"Actually," interjected Chuck. "Come to think of it…"
"Chuck…"
"He's really more like a Schnauzer. That or a Pug."
"Chuck!"
Chuck quickly snapped out of it before he completely spiraled into what particular breed of dog he compared Morgan to. "Sorry, I…I rambled," he stammered out. "I was rambling."
The nerd nervously watched Dreyfus as he peered down to his notepad and jotted down what he shared with his therapist. Afterwards, he cleared his throat, lifted his head and continued on.
"We all possess a territorial instinct. It's a manifestation of the instinct to defend, protect, and provide for what is inherently theirs," he thoroughly expounded on. "I'm certain there wasn't an actual need in defending or protecting," The good doctor pointed to Chuck. "You. Although we don't socialize personally, I've assessed that a well-established friendship could easily happen between the two of us."
"Awesome. I'd agree with your assessment, Doc." Chuck grinned afterwards. A few seconds later, he continued on. "According to Morgan, our friendship is considered totally different than the one I shared with Bryce."
"Interesting," the clinical psychologist responded. He took a moment and jotted that piece of information down on his notepad. While he did, he moved forward with a relevant question. "How so?"
Chuck wasn't able to stop himself from what he was about to share with Dr. Dreyfus. "We're hetero life partners."
The moment he uttered those words, Chuck's eyes widened and Dr. Dreyfus' office seemingly fell dead silent. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of a ticking clock that hung in his office. In any case, he intently watched as Dr. Dreyfus slowly lifted his head and his eyes directly locked on to Chuck's eyes. It's unclear what was going through his therapists' thoughts at that particular moment, but he knew one thing and that was the expression on his face seemed to be a mixture of confused disbelief. From the nerd's perspective sitting on the couch, it looked as if the well-respected doctor was quite possibly rendered speechless for the first time in his life.
Speaking of Dr. Dreyfus, there were so many questions that ran through his mind after hearing what Chuck said. Granted, he's heard close to everything that one man could sit through with people who practically confessed their innermost thoughts and fears to him. I did it all while being stone faced. I was and continue to be a rock, but at the same I do show some considerable empathy when it involved showing that I truly cared about their overall mental health and well-being. Also, I should make a note and have Lori schedule an appointment for Chuck and Morgan.
Fortunately for Chuck, the good doctor does something that totally relieved the uncomfortably embarrassing situation that the tall, lanky nerd placed himself in. After jotting that mental note down on a possible future appointment with the hetero life partners, Dr. Dreyfus peered up and spoke up.
"I think it best we move on."
"Thank God," faintly breathed out Chuck. A sense of relief took over him afterward.
"Ok," Dr. Dreyfus said. He took a moment as he recovered and refocused his thoughts after they got off track again. Actually more like suddenly derailed, he thought to himself. "When you found out Jill cheated on you with Bryce behind your back, what did you initially feel at first?"
The question Dr. Dreyfus that was served up to Chuck was instantly served back. "I felt betrayed. It felt like being dealt the kiss of death."
"Like the Godfather."
"Yeah," Chuck nodded. "Like the Godfather. Classic movie, by the way, starring Brando, Pacino, and so many other stellar actors." he added, briefly expressing a toothy smile. "Are you a fan of the trilogy?" he questioned.
Dr. Dreyfus grinned. "I am and saw all 3 movies in a theater. The first movie came out in 1972."
"I wasn't even born then." Chuck's eyes widened after he practically blurted out what he said. "Sorry, Doc. I didn't mean to call you…"
"Old," chimed in Dr. Dreyfus, with amusement. "It's fine," he added, waving off the comment. "Did you go to the mattresses?" asked the well-respected therapist.
"I didn't intend to go about it with an 'it's not personal, it's business mentality' at first," Chuck thought back. "But when I get focused..."
"You went for the horse head in the bed."
"In a sense." Chuck shrugged his shoulders. "When I confronted Bryce," he paused, then briefly recalled that particularly painful moment in time. "It felt like the scene in the movie Godfather II. A heartbroken Michael grabbed Fredo by the face, pulled him in for the kiss of death," he highlighted. "And told his brother he knew it was him."
"Tragic brothers," stated Dr. Dreyfus.
"What?" wondered Chuck.
"The tragic relationship between siblings. Shakespearean in a way," the clinical psychologist conveyed. "How everybody truly underestimated Michael's ability to run the family, especially Fredo."
"Fredo's downfall began in the 1st movie when the dissention was set up. He was given a warning by Michael at Mo Green's Las Vegas and Casino," Chuck said.
Dr. Dreyfus nodded in agreement. "In the 2nd movie, Michael tested Fredo and he failed. Fredo told Michael he never met Johnny Ola or Hyman Roth. He lied. Michael knew Fredo turned traitor and betrayed not only him, but the family as well," Dr. Dreyfus shared.
Chuck instantly jumped in. "Michael knew because he had overheard a drunk Fredo who let slip that he had met with Ola in Havana earlier in the year. Loose lips sink ships," the nerd added, with exuberance. Both eyebrows raised afterwards. "Or in this case, himself."
XXX
"I rather enjoyed that Godfather discussion, Chuck," Dr. Dreyfus said. He expressed an appreciative grin towards his patient.
Chuck smiled. "I did too."
After he took a moment and situated himself in his chair, the appreciative grin faded. His expression turned rather serious. "Let's focus on the downloaded file you hacked and haven't opened yet. I asked you earlier what has been holding you back. You've had time to process and ponder that question. Do you have an answer?"
Silence blanketed Dr. Dreyfus' office except for the ticking sound of the clock while Chuck sat there on the couch. The experienced therapist waited patiently for his patient to give his reasoning behind why he never opened up and looked at Bryce's declaration. A declaration that proved he told the truth all along and sacrificed their friendship because of it. After what seemed like a long silence that never ended, Chuck spoke up.
"The file has represented the smoking gun." He breathed out a faint chuckle of amusement. "Godfather reference intended," he added.
He briefly peered down and broke eye contact with Dr. Dreyfus. Speaking of Dr. Dreyfus, he clearly saw how his patient struggled mentally and emotionally. However, he also noticed how he had silently pushed and encouraged himself to have reached a point where he finally broke free of what had weighed on him. A weight that essentially became one of the probable causes of his anxiety attack that he unfortunately experienced. Fortunately for the seasoned doctor, his unwavering patience resulted in a positive outcome.
"The moment I pulled the trigger on Bryce, so to speak," revealed Chuck, with a somber tone in his voice. "There was no turning back. As there was no turning back for the hitman, Al Neri, who pulled the trigger and ended the life of Fredo Corleone. A brother who ended up literally sleeping with the fishes."
"You think by not opening the file you, in a sense, pulled the trigger on the wrong person. The wrong Fredo?" questioned Dr. Dreyfus.
There's a few moments of silence before Chuck responded to that question. "At the time, I went through an emotional spiral and was incapable of thinking straight. It was certainly a traumatic experience that had me shutting down emotionally for so many years." He paused, shook his head, and set those thoughts aside. "In my mind, I had Bryce dead to rights because he tainted the cherished, wonderfully happy memories that I shared with Jill, which all began on a Ferris wheel years ago."
The clinical psychologist with years of experience took a deep breath, He then sat there for a brief moment and mentally assessed what was conveyed by his patient. Afterwards, he jotted down some notes on his notepad and, when he was finished, Dr. Dreyfus lifted his head. He resumed speaking and made eye contact with his patient.
"Now that you've had time to process," Dr. Dreyfus leaned forward intently and focused. "Would you have handled the situation with Bryce differently? Handled it in a far more logical way, rather than the emotional explosion that completely leveled all 3 individuals involved, which most definitely left faint, but lingering tremors. It's those aforementioned tremors that you thought faded years ago, but have somehow resonated with you in such a way it needed a release."
"My anxiety attack." Chuck breathed out. A look of disbelief was expressed on the nerd's face afterwards.
"If Bryce was right about Jill, would you be able to forgive him? Set aside the forget aspect of it for a moment." Dr. Dreyfus lifted up his right hand with pen in hand and briefly waved it from side to side in front of him. "Is there even a possibility of forgiveness?"
For Chuck, the word forgiveness brought up by Dr. Dreyfus was something he never really thought about until now. "That's a sobering question, Doc." Chuck took a deep breath and sat there on the couch while he quietly contemplated out loud the pros and cons. After what seemed like a long debate with himself from his therapist's perspective, he answered Dr. Dreyfus' question. "Honestly, I don't know. I just…"
The uncertainty and confusion expressed on Chuck's face was clearly seen by Dr. Dreyfus. He saw that Chuck struggled to make sense of it and, if he continued to struggle, it could very well set off another anxiety attack, he thought to himself. So, what he needed to do was to get Chuck mentally distracted to avoid being triggered by any anxiety issues that quite possibly have been built up during their session. He focused on a topic of discussion that would most definitely be considered not only a distraction, but had helped his patients in the past figure out a solution to their dilemma.
"Chuck." The therapist with years of clinical psychology training caught his patient's attention. "What one thing was Fredo never given throughout the Godfather trilogy?"
Chuck instantly cracked a smile. "That's easy," he answered. "Respect. Even though he wasn't given it in the movies, he definitely earned it from the audience, especially in the scene where he talked with Michael."
"Which scene?"
"Godfather II. The scene in the broken chair where he tells Michael he's smart. The way his voice cracked when he said that. It's considered one of the best movie scenes of all time."
In that instance, Dr. Dreyfus faintly cracked a smile of his own and proceeded to ask questions that related to his former roommate. "Did you respect Bryce and did you think he was smart?"
"I had tremendous respect for Bryce. Brains and athletic ability. A track star destined for greatness. He also got the great girls and boy was he smart unlike Fredo. The character was more naïve and stupid than anything else." He smiled, shaking his head.
In Chuck's mind, Bryce believed he smartly played it close to the vest in what he tried to do for him. When it came to what his former Stanford roommate could have initially thought, he surmised that the file itself would have been opened immediately. His explanation and all the evidence that proved he had been telling the truth about Jill. It would have led the future Olympic track star to have avoided death by his hand. Unfortunately, it didn't. It's at that point, something suddenly dawned on him. A few seconds later he slid forward then stopped right at the edge of the couch. He reached up and briefly placed his hands over his mouth then rubbed it up and down, witnessed by Dr. Dreyfus.
Speaking of Dr. Dreyfus, he clearly noticed a possible breakthrough. "Chuck?"
The youngest Bartowski sibling snapped out of his sudden epiphany and directed his attention to Dr. Dreyfus.
"Bryce knew he ended up the bad guy no matter what. He voluntarily sacrificed our friendship and took the bullet head on instead of to the back of it." he shared, with disbelief. He briefly formed an imaginary gun with his right hand. "Thinking back, he never took my side or Jill's. He also never expected to get redeemed after he betrayed me. His brother." he retorted back. The youngest Bartowski sibling shook his head and tried to make sense of what Bryce successfully attempted, but at the same time failed to do. A few seconds later, Chuck expressed a bit of laughter.
"What? What's so funny?"
"It's..." Chuck stopped and instead of focusing on why he laughed, he focused on the particular thought that popped into his head. "I started out and looked at Bryce as Fredo, but he ended up turning out to be Michael."
"In what way?"
"He achieved everything that he could possibly ever want. He became a famous Olympic athlete. Fame, notoriety, sponsors, girls, etc. He in some ways is like a powerful gangster when he reached the top. Yet, he lost everything that truly mattered and what he considered most important to him. Bryce, in a sense, died alone. Michael did in Godfather 3. It's considered a fate worse than death." Chuck paused for a moment then continued on. "Sure, he's surrounded by his agent, manager and everyone else who caters to his every need."
Dr. Dreyfus lets what Chuck shared settle with him for a bit. Afterwards, he spoke up. "Kenneth G. Eade once said, 'We are all alone in the world; even in a crowd.'" He nodded then leaned comfortably back in his chair. A satisfyingly enlightened smile expressed on his face. He watched as his patients pushed himself back from the edge of the couch with a new found sense of enlightened relief. From Dr. Dreyfus' perspective, he finally achieved some much needed clarity for the first time, which Chuck absolutely appreciated. "I think you've got your answer on what to do, Chuck."
XXX
Chuck and Sarah sat around the dinner table of casa Woodcomb. They weren't the only ones there as Molly, Emma, Morgan, Alex and Kathleen joined them as well. It's considered a celebration as the Bartowski siblings celebrated Mother's Day, which seemed odd for the Walker women because the special occasion already passed back in May. Fortunately, it would be explained to the 3 women how it marked a somber rather than a happy celebration as it's the anniversary of when their mom left them, which greatly affected their dad. The siblings also shared with Emma, Molly, and Sarah how it was also the day the 2 young Bartowski children learned to take care of themselves.
The dinner itself was enjoyable for all the individuals, especially the Walkers as they heard stories about Mary and Stephen Bartowski. Laughs were expressed and tears were shed as the memories the Bartowski siblings shared were genuinely heartfelt, but also heartbreakingly painful as well. Once the tail end of the dinner was reached, all the individuals would congregate to different areas of Casa Woodcomb, except for Chuck and Sarah. They continued to sit at the table and talked more. Both sat by the left hand corner area of the table. Chuck faced the living room where he saw Morgan watching a kids show with Clara while Alex observed.
Molly, on the other hand, was totally preoccupied with her phone and texting her friends. As for Sarah, she faced the kitchen where Emma, Kathleen, Devon and Ellie were heavily engrossed in conversation that involved their kids. In any case, the nerdy couple exchanged content smiles watching their loved ones interacting when the oldest Walker sibling spoke up.
"I would have loved to have met your mom," Sarah softly said, as she faced her nerdy boyfriend. "I think she and I would have gotten along great," she added, expressing an equally soft smile. The beautiful blonde reached over and placed her right hand on Chuck's left forearm.
"I think so too," Chuck responded. He softly expressed his toothy smile towards his blonde girlfriend.
"What are you two talking about?" The person who asked that question sat down and took a seat on the other side of the table. That person was Ellie Barotwski.
In response, Chuck turned his head to the left and then leaned back in his chair. "Mom, meeting Sarah. How she would have reacted."
"She'd love her."
"See," stated Sarah, pointing at Chuck. "I'm loveable."
After Chuck heard that, he expressed a toothy smile towards Sarah. He then leaned forward and responded to what she said. "Yes you are." The couple leaned toward each other and exchanged a soft, but meaningful kiss. Unfortunately, it was abruptly interrupted by what sounded like utter disgust.
"Ewww. I just ate."
"Leave your sister and Chuck alone, Mol," Emma called out.
The matriarch of the Walker women walked past the dinner table with Kathleen right behind her. They joined their daughters, Clara, and Morgan in the living room.
"Get over it, brat," Sarah hollered back. She briefly cracked a smile after glancing over her left shoulder towards her younger sister. Her attention returned when heard the sound of Ellie's voice.
The wife of Devon Woodcomb touched on something that involved their absent mother and her younger brother's blonde girlfriend.
"Sarah and Mom are both similar, in a way."
"How?" wondered Sarah. She turned her head and faced Chuck's older sister once again. Her right brow arched up with curiosity.
"Headstrong," answered Ellie. "But incredibly understanding."
It's at that point, Devon walked up and brought something else to the conversation. "I met Cole Barker today. I was coming out of surgery as he was scrubbing up for one," he shared, standing behind his wife. "His surgery stats are awesome." Devon flashed a smile afterwards. Unfortunately, his comment was received with a sharp elbow to his left side. Devon immediately corrected his initial admiration for the British orthopedic surgeon that focused on sports medicine. "Him. Not so awesome."
Ellie rolled her eyes afterwards then continued on. "Bryce's right knee surgery," Ellie said. "Chief Beckman informed me it was a success and he has been recuperating in his room."
"I still can't believe Bryce, Jill and now Sarah's ex fiancé are all here," Alex expressed, with disbelief.
"Do any of you all think they'll cause problems?" wondered Kathleen, with concern.
Alex answered her mother. "Bryce, I don't see a problem. Jill and Cole on the other hand…"
"It's like an episode of The Jerry Springer Show," chimed in Morgan. His upper torso twisted around while still seated on the living room couch. The occupants seated at the dinner table turned their attention to Chuck's bearded best friend. "Only without the crazy staged fighting."
There were a few moments of silence as everybody seated at the table stared at Morgan. The silence was broken when Ellie spoke up, "Speaking of crazy, where are Carina and Zondra? Thought they'd be here."
"I'm surprised they're missing out on the amount of delicious food Ellie cooked up." Kathleen said, complimenting the cook.
"With all the food they scarfed down for free at C3. They'd definitely be here, Mom." pointed out Alex, expressing a soft chuckle. "They're busy with a special project," she answered, briefly raising her eyebrows.
Molly squinted her eyes and nodded suspiciously. "Special project," she responded, with finger air quotes. "Right. It's about this Jill chick cheating on her fiancé." The room fell silent as everybody stared at Molly. "What? I'm a teenager and it's not my fault that I'm good at finding stuff out."
The 13-year old's response caused a bit of a chaotic aftermath with what she learned. As the attention focused on Molly, her older sister turned to face Chuck.
"Can we talk?"
"We are," Chuck corrected himself. "We have been talking. What's up?"
"In private," she retorted back, with seriousness in the tone of her voice. "Please," Sarah requested.
Chuck nodded. "Let's go out to the terrace." He got up and took Sarah's hand. They both started walking towards the terrace doors.
As they did, a knock was heard at the door. Emma called out to her youngest daughter who got up from the living chair to escape being interrogated before the knock on the door was heard.
"Molly, go get the door."
Molly responded only a 13-year-old would. She rolled her eyes and repeated her mother in a mocking way. "Molly, go answer the door."
"Molly Anastasia Walker!" Emma sternly called out.
"What!? I'm getting it," she fired back. A mixture of whining and groaning in the tone of her voice. A brief moment later, she reached the front door and opened it. A woman stood on the other side.
"Hello," she waved, with a mixture of hesitation and reluctance. Her attention on Molly was then directed behind the young girl. "Chuck!"
Chuck and Sarah stopped a foot away from the terrace doors after they heard his name called out. As the nerdy couple turned their attention to the open doorway of the front door, everybody else was rendered speechless. As for Chuck, it took a second before it suddenly registered who was standing there that caused them to experience absolute disbelief.
"Jill," Chuck breathed out.
XXX
NOTE: I had to do some research to see if Christopher Lloyd was cast in any of the Godfather movies. I was disappointed that he wasn't, and it could have been awesome if he was in it. Write how a certain Godfather character was his and he couldn't figure out why the way he did when discussing certain television/movie characters with Sarah during their sessions together. Anyways, did you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it? Share your thoughts and leave a review because they're considered the great motivators for any author to keep going! As always thanks to NEVR for doing the beta. You rock dude!
