Chapter 47
A/N: No, do not adjust your fanfic settings. They’re back. At least for a chapter.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck
Sarah stood there, worry on her brow. She had thought the other day that the amount of vodka in the bottle was lower than when she left it, so she took a picture of the amount of liquid in the bottle. She snapped a photo of the current amount in the bottle, and put the two pictures side by side. It was definitely lower.
Maybe Chuck had drank some. She snorted. The only way he would was if it was in some fruity drink, and Casey had made so much fun of him for those, he had stopped drinking them.
She decided to ask him, hoping beyond hope he had been drinking it, because the other possibility….she didn’t want to think about that.
“Hey, pretty lady,” Chuck said as she entered the living room. Molly rolled her eyes, and smiled, all while never looking up from her book.
“Hey, yourself, good looking,” Sarah replied. She looked over at her daughter, wondering if she should ask Molly to leave the room.
“What’s wrong?” Chuck asked, seeing the look on his wife’s face, and wanting to do anything he could to either fix it, or make sure it was not his fault.
“It’s…well,” Sarah began.
“Need me to leave the room?” Molly asked, never lifting her head, but smiling. She wasn’t being a rebellious teen, but she did enjoy tormenting her parents where she could.
“No,” Chuck told her, and then looked at Sarah. “Wait…do you need her to?”
“No,” Sarah said shaking her head. “I was just wondering, have you had any of the vodka?”
“Mom, you know it burns his throat, and he only likes his Electric Lemonade made with flavored vodka,” Molly answered, again, never looking up from her book. “Besides, he hasn’t drank any since Uncle Casey made fun of him.”
“That’s not why,” Chuck said, defending himself. “I’m getting older, and there’s unnecessary calories there that my body just doesn’t burn off like it used to.”
“Yeah,” Molly replied, flipping a page of the book, that she clearly wasn’t reading, she was just using as a prop to mask that she wanted to listen in and lovingly torment her father.
“Molly,” Sarah said. Molly looked up and locked eyes with her mom. “Quit passive-aggressively bullying your father.”
“He said Jerry’s shirt was a choice earlier,” Molly told her.
“And that’s his opinion,” Sarah said.
“Fine,” Molly said, going back to her book. She ignored Chuck sticking his tongue out at her.
“So, you didn’t drink any of the vodka?” Sarah asked Chuck, ignoring the two children…she mentally shook her head. Husband and daughter, she corrected herself.
“No,” Chuck answered. “What, you measuring it now?” he asked with a grin, that began to fall off of his face as he realized why she would be doing that.
“Yeah,” Sarah said, not looking at her husband. She had seen something on Molly’s face, and Molly was now deeply engrossed in her book. “Molly, do you know anything about why there is less vodka in the bottle?”
“I didn’t drink it,” Molly answered.
“That is not what I asked,” Sarah pointed out. Molly remained quiet. “Molly Bartowski.”
“I didn’t drink or use any of the vodka,” Molly said, lifting her head, and looking her mother right in the eye.
Sarah walked over to her, crossed her arms, and stared at her daughter.
“Oh, God,” they heard Chuck say.
There were a lot of things Chuck would do for his family…friends…or even a random stranger. But as he got older, he realized that the biggest losing battle in the world was between a teenage daughter and her mother. He would always side with Sarah, but in doing so, he just lost less. There were no winners when they faced off…just less damage and destruction by siding with Sarah.
“Snitches get stitches,” he heard Molly say. Sarah didn’t move a muscle, but he felt like she crossed her arms harder.
Chuck knew there was only one thing to do in a situation like this. Pick on the weakest link. “JASON!” he bellowed.
“What?” came the voice of his son, wondering what kind of foolishness was now taking part in the house. He came out of his room, and down the stairs. He paused at the bottom, seeing his mother and sister in a stare down. “Oh, no. Now what?”
“Do you know anything about their being less vodka in the bottle?” Chuck asked him.
“Not really,” Jason began. He paused his answer, because his mother had slowly turned toward him. Chuck watched his son wilt in front of his eyes as her eyes locked with Jason’s. To be fair, he had seen many people wilt under Sarah’s stare over the years. “I think you’re talking to the wrong two kids,” Jason offered. Molly hrmphed. “I’m not as strong as you, okay?”
“No one is kid,” Chuck muttered. “No one is.” Sarah gave him a look. “Listen, I know you say she’s not biologically yours, but are we sure somewhere, someone didn’t steal your DNA and engineer her?”
“Clara,” Sarah said in a normal voice, her eyes never leaving Chuck. “Come down here.”
“Mom, for crying out loud, you two don’t need to make another phone call at his age,” Molly said.“Molly, Jason’s shirt was hideous,” Sarah told her, finally looking over at her.“I KNOW!” Molly said. “But I’m his girlfriend, I have to have his back.”“Baby, sometimes you just have to tell them,” Sarah told her. Molly sighed and nodded.
“My age,” Chuck grumbled.
“Chuck, she’s right,” Sarah said, exasperated. It took everything in Molly not to giggle.
“I mean, I know she is, but you don’t have to agree,” Chuck pointed out.
“What’s going on?” Clara asked as she walked into the room.
“I didn’t sell you out,” Molly told her.
“Fine, I did cause Mom scares me,” Jason said, no shame at all in acknowledging his actions.
“I mean, she scares Dad,” Clara said, shrugging.“What did I do to you?” Chuck asked, his eyes wide as Clara walked past Chuck and sat down beside Molly.
“You insulted Jerry’s shirt,” Clara told him. “I got side with my sister, girl code.”
“She’s right,” Sarah told him. “Sorry.”
“I told you to tell them,” Molly said in a low sing-song voice.
“I hear you,” Sarah said in the same voice. Molly rolled her eyes. “Teenagers, gotta love them.”
“Do we?” Chuck asked. Molly stuck her tongue out at him.
“Okay, enough,” Sarah said, blowing out a breath. “Clara, what do you know about there being less vodka in the bottle?”
“Mom, do you trust me?” Molly asked. Chuck and Sarah exchanged a look. “What if you give us thirty minutes, and then we explain everything.”
“I’d like to have dinner,” Chuck told the two girls.
“Perfect,” Molly said with a smile on her face.
}o{
“You mean to tell me-” Sarah began.
“Oh! This is so good!” Chuck exclaimed. They all turned to look at him. He was nearly moaning, getting another fork full of food. It was thirty minutes later, and the family was gathered in the kitchen, Chuck and Sarah sitting at the bar, having been served by Molly. “What?” he asked.
“You really should try it, Mom,” Molly told her. Sarah blew out a breath, and took in a fork full of the food.“So, to make sure I understand,” Chuck said, wiping his lips with a napkin. “You used the vodka to make Penne Alla Vodka?”
“Yes,” Clara said proudly.
“Kid, you’re as good of a cook as your mom was,” Chuck told her. Clara started to tear up. “How did you learn this?”
“Tiktok,” Molly said, her arm around her younger sister, protective of her as always. “She just wanted to try cooking it.”
“I just…I always heard how good of a cook mom…Ellie-” Clara began.
“No, baby,” Sarah said gently. “She’s your mom, and it’s fine.” Clara nodded. “And this is fantastic.”
“She was scared she wouldn’t be as good of a cook as her mom and it worried her,” Molly explained.
“Let me tell you something,” Chuck told Clara. “You could have served burnt toast and Ellie still would have loved you.”
“Ellie truly believed you can’t go too far for love,” Sarah said softly. Her and Chuck shared a look. “We only met once but…” Sarah trailed off.
“Nah,” Chuck said, making her smile. “You met her more than that,” he said softly.
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “I did.”
(Confused, make sure and read Sarah vs The Life Unexpected The Letters)
“So, Clara is off the hook?” Molly asked, taking this second of softness of the family moment to try and get her kid sister out of trouble.
“Nope,” Chuck replied. He took a bite, chewed, swallowed, and continued. “I think twice a week-”
“Chuck,” Sarah said.
“Once a week-”
“Nope,” Sarah said.
“Once a month,” Chuck said, paused and looked over at Sarah. She motioned him to continue. He turned back to Clara. “Once a month you have to make this for us until you learn your lesson.”
“So, for the rest of my life,” Clara muttered.
“And what is the lesson?” Sarah asked.
“Don’t let Jason know what I’m doing,” Clara offered.
“Well, that too,” Chuck said.
“I’m not sorry,” Jason said, shrugging.“We know,” Sarah said, shaking her head.“That I should have told you what I wanted to do,” Clara said.“And there’s one more thing I’d like you to do,” Sarah added. Chuck turned to Sarah. “I would like you to teach me how to make this.”“Really?” Clara asked, excitement on her face.
“I just saw her,” Chuck said softly, tears in his eyes. Clara stared at Chuck. “Right there, in you. I just saw her.” Tears began to fall down Clara’s face.
“Come ‘ere, baby girl,” Sarah said, her arms open. Clara crashed into Sarah, the two holding on to each other.
“Can’t go too far for sisters, can you?” Molly asked Chuck softly.
“No, you can’t,” Chuck said, rubbing his daughter’s back. Molly held out her fist. Chuck bumped it and the two pulled their hands back, exploding it. Molly hugged him and left. Chuck looked over at Jason. “Manly head nod?” Jason nodded, Chuck returned the nod and he left. Chuck stood, walked around the table, and hugged the two, Clara caught in the middle. “CLARA SANDWICH!” he yelled, making the two women laugh.
A/N: Sometimes you just gotta visit old friends, you know?