Chapter 12

A/N: There’s a whole lot of things going on in this one. For those of you who keep asking, will there be Charah, there is a Charah scene already written and my prereaders all asked the same thing. Is it hot in here or is it me? We gettin there. Hold tight.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck

She was driving, and Chuck….well…Chuck was staring out the window, a smile on his face. She honestly was waiting for him to roll down the window, and put his head out of it. She knew that made him sound like the human equivalent of a dog that was just happy to be on a car trip, but that’s how it seemed.

She was amazed at how happy she felt just watching him and how conflicted she felt. She was having an internal war and she couldn’t help but replay the conversation in her mind, over and over.

}o{

“Darlin’, you can talk to her,” Jack told her as gently as possible. It was a spring evening, the two outside, the bon fire going, and the two had slowly been dealing with old wounds.

“Dad, I left her,” Sarah said softly. “I left her for some damn cookies-”

“That’s on me,” Jack said forcefully, but gently. “I was the parent.”

“But I hurt her,” Sarah said. “I hurt my mother so badly…I’ve done terrible things in the CIA, but I regret nothing more than the pain I caused her.”

Jack didn’t know what to say. “It’s not on you, Darlin’”

“I can’t go back until….until I fix me,” Sarah told him.

“Darlin’,” Jack began. “You know who she is. You know that she understands, that she forgives you. You know-”

“I know, Dad,” Sarah said, tears softly falling. “I know. But…I gotta do this right.”

“Okay,” Jack said, resigned. He didn’t agree with her, but she was her own woman…however, she was his daughter, and at some point….for now, he’d respect her wishes.

}o{

“Hey, Chuck,” Sarah said, pushing down the part of her that said they did NOT have to have this conversation. He turned to her. “When we get to the farm, me, you and Dad…we need to have a little talk.” She saw his face and cursed herself internally. “Not a bad one.” She took a deep breath. “Ellie told me about Dr. Lane.”

Chuck blew air out his lips making a sound, and look slightly irritated. “She shouldn’t have put that on you,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you know about her and her work, Dr. Lane that is, but I’m an anxious avoidant, and I would like to thank you for reassuring me this talk is not bad to keep my anxiety down.” Sarah smiled. “But I also should tell you that my anxiety says that is exactly what someone would say that has something bad to tell me.”Sarah couldn’t help but grin and shake her head. “So, Dad and I have both been using her videos and workbooks,” Sarah told him. “And, I would like to table this conversation until we get there, so we only have to have it once.”“Ooooo, I see what you did there,” Chuck said, a smile on his face. She couldn’t stop the grin from seeing the happiness on his face. “Using what you’ve learned. Well done.” She gave a slight head bow at the recognition Chuck gave her. “Weird how we have this as a connection as well.”

They drove a few miles, both of them turning over the innocent off-hand comment Chuck had made. He turned to her and there was no smile on her face. There was a look…one that he didn’t know. “You don’t think….” Chuck began. She turned to him. “But…I learned about him from Awesome….” Sarah turned back to look at the road, the look deepening. Chuck turned to look at the road as well. “Sarah?”

“He’s a damn idiot,” Sarah muttered. Chuck couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing.

}o{

“Charlie!” Jack said as Chuck got out of the truck. There was a huge smile on his face. “Darlin’,” he said to his daughter. “Have a good time last night?” Chuck turned red and the smirk on Jack’s face grew.

“Dad,” Sarah said with a warning tone, but a grin on her face. “I told you, you snore. Chuck slept on the couch, and I slept in his bed.”

“She’s really overdramatic, this one,” Jack said to Chuck.

“Yeah, I guess that’s what happens when one gets abandoned in her teens,” Sarah retorted. Chuck felt very uncomfortable, and then didn’t as Jack began to laugh, and Sarah joined him.

“Told ya I made some mistakes, Charlie,” Jack told him. “Ready to be our partner in this?”

“Yes,” Chuck said, nodding.

“Dad, we should go inside and talk,” Sarah told Jack. “Chuck is an anxious avoidant.”

Jack turned to Chuck, a bit of surprise on his face. “Oh?”

“Yes, he’s…he’s been watching Dr. Lane’s videos,” Sarah said.

“And what do you think of Dr. Lane?” Jack asked him.

“I really like her,” Chuck admitted. “She’s kind, she’s thoughtful, she seems to have put a lot of her own time into thinking about these personalities and how they affect every part of your life and the best way to heal. She seems to be a wonderful person.” Chuck saw a smile come to Jack’s face. It wasn’t the normal amused smile, or the teasing one, but a true smile.

“She is,” Jack said softly, confusing Chuck. “Come on in.” Jack turned and went inside. Chuck turned to Sarah who had a soft smile on her face.

“What did I say?” Chuck asked.

“Nothing,” Sarah said. “Everything.” She walked up to him, and took his hand without stopping. He fell into step with her as they entered the house.

}o{

“So,” Jack said, after they were all seated. He looked over at Sarah. “You or me?”

“I got this,” Sarah said. She turned to Chuck who was sitting on the couch beside her. “Dad and I are both dismissive avoidants.”

“Angel,” Jack said in a low voice, the amused smile back on his face.

She rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. “And, Dr. Lane, is also known as Emma Lane.”

“Darlin’.”

“I’m getting there,” Sarah said, never looking at her dad, her eyes locked on Chuck. He saw the amused smile on her face and wondered if she wasn’t doing this on purpose to mess with her dad.

“You avoid better than I do,” Jack groused.

“Emma Lane also is known to me as another name,” Sarah continued. She took a deep breath. “Mom.” Chuck’s mouth dropped. “The people she keeps talking about that she lost…you’re sitting in the room with them. We are her family.”

“Dr Lane…” Chuck began. “Your mom?” He turned to Jack. “Your wife?”

The amused smile grew on her face as Sarah turned to Jack. “Yeah, dad. Your wife?”

Jack leaned forward, as he made a groaning noise. “You know, what is a wife…a marriage?” Sarah looked at Chuck as if to say, “here he goes”. “I mean, even the bible says that marriage is what ever law or custom of that land is.”

“And we know how you feel about laws,” Sarah goaded him.

“Darlin’,” Jack said, chuckling. “Look, you’re not a bastard.” Chuck’s eyes widened. “I’m using the actual definition. One born out of wedlock.”

“Yes, technically you and mom had a wedding,” Sarah agreed. “But is it legal? Did you use your real name?”

“Laws are a funny thing,” Jack said, spreading his hands.

Sarah turned to Chuck and amused smile on her face. “This is what you’re about to be a part of.”

“Are we breaking any laws in what we are doing?” Chuck asked.

“No,” Jack answered. “We are following them carefully, or this will never work.”

“Then I’m good,” Chuck said.

“Welcome,” Jack told him. Sarah smiled at him. “Now, if there’s nothing else…” he saw the look on Sarah’s face. “What else did I do?”

“Oh, you did nothing,” Sarah told him. Jack cocked his head to the side, amusement on his face. “It’s…Bryce.”

“You ex-beau,” Jack said, confused.

“His ex-best friend, the guy that got him kicked out of college, and a member of the CIA like me,” Sarah said. She turned to Chuck. “No secrets, no lies.”“That’s what good partners do,” Jack said.

“Yeah, but you two are more partners than me,” Chuck said. “I literally work for you.”Sarah saw the look on Jack’s face, and she knew she should deal with this now, but she still wasn’t one hundred percent fixed. She still avoided things when it suited her, and so she gave a subtle head shake. She saw the look on her dad’s face. It was one of acceptance…for now.

“Bryce told me about Chuck when he thought he was dying and that I should check in on him,” Sarah told her dad.

“And Bryce sent me videos about Sarah,” Chuck said. “They were…his spy will?” he asked, turning to Sarah. Sarah nodded.

“You two think you were pushed together,” Jack said.

The two begin to speak at the same time. “Pushed is strong,” Chuck began.

“Check on each other,” Sarah explained. They both stopped and looked on each other, missing the amused smile on Jack’s face.

He decided to help them out. “And, Chuck knowing of Dr…Emma?” Jack asked.

“He learned about him through his brother-in-law,” Sarah said. “So, there’s no direct tie.”

“I hear the biggest but in the world coming,” Jack said, a knowing smile on his face.

Sarah shrugged and grinned. “Feels like an op Bryce would do. Overdramatic, and more than necessary. Going through someone close to Aw…Devon.”“He’s gonna be so happy you nearly called him Awesome,” Chuck said softly. She turned to him to give him a smile and it took everything in Jack not to roll his eyes.

“Anyway,” Sarah continued. “It feels…forced.”

“So, do you feel like he did it for some nefarious reason?” Jack asked.

“No,” Chuck answered. “It’s like…” he paused. “It’s like he knew he made a huge mistake and wanted it cleaned up.”

“And he trusted you to do it?” Jack inquired. Chuck nodded. “And what about you, Darlin’? Do you feel he wanted you to fix what he messed up?”

“I mean…yeah,” Sarah admitted.

“Then what’s the problem?” Jack asked. Sarah and Chuck both looked confused. “Look sometimes you meet someone and your mind thinks, you know who they would work well with or be great friends with, this other person I know.”

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other.

“You two do seem to enjoy each other’s company,” Jack said. Chuck swallowed. “All kidding aside, you two make a great team. I saw it firsthand, Mrs. Lewis saw it-”

“Have you been talking to Mrs. Lewis?” Sarah asked, a grin on her face.

“I invited her over for coffee last night since I was alone,” Jack told her.

“Dad,” Sarah said, in a scandalous tone, but grinning from ear to ear.

“She did say I filled out a pair of pants nicely,” Jack said, nearly preening. Sarah and Chuck both laughed. “But seriously,” he said, sobering up. “If he was the jerk you said he was.”

“Jerk is strong,” Chuck muttered.

“More like an idiot,” Sarah said.

“I was thinking dumbass,” Chuck admitted.

“Then maybe he wanted to right some wrongs and felt you two would be good together,” Jack concluded.

“He did help me find you,” Sarah admitted. Jack spread his hands as if to say, “There you go.”

“Look, maybe you two met in a contrived way,” Jack said. “Doesn’t mean your friendship isn’t real.”

“He’s right,” Chuck said. Sarah nodded. “I really need to unpack.”

“Yeah, it’s late, we need to get you set up,” Jack began.

“So we need to get your stuff into the foreman’s place,” Sarah began.

“Whoa, Darlin’,” Jack said. “That place isn’t ready for someone to live in. He can have one of the other bedrooms in here.” Sarah didn’t look convinced. “Darlin’, it’s not fit to live in.”

“It will be okay,” Chuck told her. Sarah nodded. Chuck smiled, he felt right. He thought this was going to be absolutely perfect. He didn’t know how wrong he was about to be.

}o{

She handed him a cup of coffee. He turned to her, his eyes bloodshot, his hair an absolute mess. “You okay?” she asked. He shook his head, unable to form words. Jack walked into the room and looked at the two.

“What’s wrong with you two?” Jack asked.

Chuck turned toward him, his expression unchanging. Jack pulled his chin back. “What is wrong?”

“You said she was overdramatic,” Chuck said softly. “Not only was she not overdramatic, she might have been underdramatic.”

Jack looked over at Sarah who seemed to be agreeing with him.

“I’ve heard the expression rattle the windows, but never thought it was true,” he said in a haunted voice, staring at nothing. He turned back to Jack. “My window panes actually rattled.”

“Charlie,” Jack began.

“You snore like….I don’t want to say freight train, because that is not enough of a description,” Chuck said. “My door was closed, the pillow was pressed into my ears and it STILL sounded like you were right beside me.” Jack didn’t know what to say. “All I could keep thinking was, how was he not shived in prison for this?”

There was a shameful look on Jack’s face. “They used to put me in solitary every night,” he said softly. Sarah turned to him, shock on her face. “They used to use me to scare prisoners.” He stood there, and shook his head. “The warden…the warden told anyone who did anything wrong had to sleep in the cell beside me in solitary.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t right.”Sarah burst out laughing.

“This isn’t funny!” Jack insisted.

“You’re right, you got to sleep last night and we did not!” Sarah reminded him. “So, I am going to laugh at the absurdity of this entire thing.”

“Go fix up the foreman’s house,” Jack said, waving his hand in that direction. “I have to go to the Farmer’s Market with the truck so we can measure and see how many loads I can haul.”

Sarah watched her father, started to say something but thought better of it.

“Let’s go,” Chuck said to Sarah. She looked over at him. “I can’t sleep in here again. No offense, Jack.”

“All offense, but also, I understand,” Jack groused. Chuck headed out the door, and Sarah looked back at Jack. There was a grin on his face.

“What?” Sarah asked.

“Nothing,” Jack said innocently. He watched Sarah leave, and just smiled.

}o{

“Okay, there is only one bed that is usable,” Chuck said twenty minutes later, surveying the house.

“I probably should have done a closer inspection,” Sarah said, mentally kicking herself. “I was too busy with everything else.”

“Hey,” Chuck said gently. “You were looking into places for others to live, the people that we are here to help, not worrying about yourself.”

“You’re right,” Sarah said, huffing.

“What bothered you more, admitting I was right or giving yourself grace?” Chuck asked. She backhanded him on the shoulder, and her eyes went wide thinking she had done something wrong, but was pleased to see him laugh. “So, I’ll take the couch you take the working bed.”

“You mean that couch?” Sarah asked, pointing at the one in the living room.

“Yeah,” Chuck replied. Sarah walked over and picked up one of the pillows on the couch and there was a spring sticking through the cushion. He blinked. “Okay, then, it’s simple, I’ll go disassemble my bed from the main house and we’ll rebuild it here.”

“Okay,” Sarah said. What could go wrong?

}o{

“You have got to be kidding me,” Chuck muttered. He was squatted down looking at the bed frame.

“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked. “Not know how to use a screwdriver without YourTube?”

“It’s YouTube,” Chuck said, shaking his head. “And tell me ol’ wise one, where do we use the screw driver at.”

“What are you talking about?” Sarah asked, squatting down beside him. She stared at the bed. “Oh. My. God.”

He looked at her as if to say, “SEE!”

The bed frame did not have screws. It was completely made of wood and the different joints were held together with what looked to be glue.

“We could take this apart,” Chuck said. Sarah nodded, just staring at it. “But I’m secure enough to say, I have no idea how to get it back together, and I’m not even sure how you’d take it apart without breaking it.”

“Maybe my bed’s not like that,” Sarah said. Chuck just turned and looked at her. “Look, I know the chances are low given how this is going, but you can at least give me a second of hope.”

“It’s like we’re in some stupid fanfic,” Chuck muttered, getting up and heading to her room to look at her bed.

“What does that mean?” Sarah asked.

“Oh for crying out loud, first Bryce is working to get us to meet, then your dad knew about the bed situation-”

“What do you mean my dad knew about the bed situation?” Sarah asked. He gave her a look. “Okay, I was hoping it was just me thinking he was up to….wait, you think he took the truck on purpose so we couldn’t buy a bed frame and get it back here today?”

“Looking that way,” Chuck said, squatting down at the foot of her bed saying a silent prayer. He lifted the covers and then immediately dropped them.

“Exactly the same?”

“Exactly the same,” Chuck said, standing. “And now there’s only one bed for us to sleep on.”

“Chuck, you’re being a bit dramatic,” Sarah said gently.

“Of course I’m being a bit dramatic, I’m a anxious avoider!” Chuck replied. Sarah couldn’t help but laugh, and Chuck joined in with her. “I’m not doing it, Sarah,” he said gently.

“Doing what, Chuck?” she asked, unable to stop the amused smile from her face. “Sleep in the same bed with me? Control yourself from defiling me?”

“Was the defiling comment necessary?” Chuck muttered.

“We’re two grown adults,” she told him.

“We are,” Chuck said, nodding.

“You don’t trust yourself in bed with me?” she asked.

“I don’t trust my hand to move in a way it shouldn’t,” Chuck admitted.

She stared at him, narrowed her eyes, and grinned. “You’re a habitual cuddler, aren’t you?”

“Probably,” Chuck replied, making Sarah laugh. He shrugged. “I mean I have the look.”

“You do,” Sarah said. “Let’s go to the furniture store and see if something can be delivered today or fit in the car.”

“Tell me you don’t think that’s possible,” Chuck said to her.

“Oh, I don’t, but watching you melt down over it is entertaining,” Sarah admitted, shrugging. Chuck laughed. “I trust you. Come on.”

She headed out, as he followed behind. “I swear it’s like one of those ridiculous tropes,” he muttered.

“They only had. One! Bed!” Sarah said dramatically, making him laugh. They got in the car and headed to town.

A/N: Ridiculous fan fic tropes, I tell ya. Who is writing this mess. Oh. More soon. HOPEFULLY!