Chapter 15
A/N: Welcome back to the Mollyverse. You guys…thank you for all the reviews, PMs, DMs, and all around love for this story. I am humbled. I couldn’t let the cliffhanger go over Christmas so, my Christmas present to you, is that resolution. It’s not long, and I’m watching Miracle on 34th St and Home Alone 2 (I love the bricks scene) while writing it. Get ready, it’s Ch 14, We are Family.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, I don’t own Psych, but I have heard it both ways
Chuck parked the car in the driveway of the house and headed inside. It had been fifteen minutes since he had heard from Sarah, and he heard the panic in her voice over the phone. He rushed inside and found everyone in the living room. Sarah popped up and ran over to him, giving him a hug.
“I hope I haven’t ruined things,” she whispered into his ear, clinging to him.
“Never,” he whispered back, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He gave her a smile, pulled away and walked over to the therapist that had been helping him Clara for the past couple of months. “Mrs. Charlotte, I apologize, the past week has been crazy,” he said offering her his hand. She shook it and he sat down on the couch. He turned to Emma who was holding Clara in the seat next to him and held out his hands. Clara reached back.
“Dada!” she yelled, and clapped. He grabbed her and gave her a raspberry on her cheek. She gave a giggling yell, and hugged him.
“She’s talking,” Beverly said. “And she’s calling you dada?”
“You said it wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Chuck replied. “She’s been talking for about a week.” He grinned and turned to Sarah. “Care to help me?” Sarah grinned and nodded. “Go over by Mrs. Charlotte.” Sarah got up and crouched beside Mrs. Charlotte. Clara started wiggling and clapping.
“Mama,” she yelled, and before Chuck could get her on the ground, her legs were working. She walked over to Sarah, and hugged her. Both of them laughed. “Mama retty!”
“She sure is, Clara,” Chuck said.
“Clara is calling Mrs. Walker, mama?” Mrs. Charlotte asked. Chuck nodded.
“Clara is back to how she was before her parents died,” Chuck said. Molly had been sitting there, very quiet. Chuck turned to her. “This one,” he said ruffling Molly’s hair. “Decided that since she was adopted by Sarah, and Clara lost her family, to become Clara’s big sister. Molly started showing Clara pictures of Sarah, and telling her that she was her mother.”
“And all of this has happened in a week?” Mrs. Charlotte asked. Chuck nodded. Mrs. Charlotte looked at everyone. Molly got up and came and sat in Chuck’s lap.
“You aren’t going to try to take my sister away are you?” Molly asked.
“Young lady, I am only a therapist. I’m not court ordered, but it was recommended, just like it was recommended Chuck see one as well,” Mrs. Charlotte replied.
“Sorry, I had an urge to say ‘Great Scott!’ each time I saw him,” Chuck answered. Mrs. Charlotte gave him a level look. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“As I was saying, I am only here to assist, and make recommendations,” she continued. “Clara has had a number of stressors in the past year, including several in the past week it would appear.”
“Excuse me?” Sarah blurted out, turning into protective mama bear. Mrs. Charlotte raised her hand.
“Let me explain,” she said. “New people, new household, new routine, and new family, are all stressors for anyone, especially a baby trying to develop.”
“So, you can’t take my sister away?” Molly said. Mrs. Charlotte was quiet for a second.
“No, and I cannot even recommend to the court she be taken away. Mr. Bartowski is her legal guardian, he has done nothing to lose that right. In fact, I see no reason he won’t be made her adoptive parent if he continued with the process.”
“Mrs. Charlotte, I thank you for your time, but I think we have no more need of your services,” Chuck said. Mrs. Charlotte nodded and stood. Chuck, Sarah, and Molly did the same. Chuck stepped over and slipped his arm around Sarah, and with his free arm, pulled in Molly. “I know it’s not conventional, but this, this is my family. I’m going to marry Sarah, I’m going to finish adopting Clara, and one day, I’m going to adopt Molly.” Molly beamed up at Chuck.
“I wish you the best,” Mrs. Charlotte said, and headed to the door. “Good-bye,” she said, and shut the door. There was a silence for a second, and then there was a knock on the door. Chuck and Sarah shared a look. They walked to the door, and Sarah opened it. Mrs. Charlotte was standing there.
“So, since you told Mrs. Charlotte, the therapist, to go, I sent her to the car. I’m Beverly, and we need to talk, but first,” she launched herself at Chuck and hugged him. Sarah wasn’t sure what to do. “I’m so happy for you,” she said pulling away. She turned to Sarah. “I would hug you, but I feel you might do me physical harm.” She shrugged and grinned at Sarah. “I’m gonna chance it,” and hugged her. She pulled away from both of them. “Listen, clinically, I had to say what I said, but there are times, you have to use the eyeball test. May I?” she asked, holding her arms out to Clara. Clara smiled and reached out. Beverly held her.
“She never reached for you before, has she?” Chuck asked. Beverly shook her head.
“Chuck, this is nuts, but somehow the five of you have come together, to give her the environment she needs, and you need,” she said looking at Chuck.
“Chuck,” Emma said, standing behind them. They all turned to look at her. “Every time Molly and I saw you all we could think is how sad you looked.”
“It wasn’t pretty,” Molly admitted. Chuck ruffled her hair.
“Chuck, you were miserable,” Beverly said.
“Really,” Sarah said looking at him.
“Mom, the first day he saw you, he had this goofy grin,” Molly said, laughing. “The first time Granny showed him your picture I knew he was in love.”
“Look, whatever you’re doing, it’s working, for all of you,” Beverly said. “Just be happy. That’s all I’ve ever hoped for you two. Now, I have to tell you something you may not like. Chuck, you shouldn’t file for adoption,” she said. Chuck looked a little upset. Beverly smiled, and continued. “Until after you marry Sarah. It will be less paperwork.”
“You think we should adopt her?” Sarah asked. Beverly gave her a “well-duh” look.
“Of course you should,” Beverly answered. She looked down at Molly. “Did I understand you right, that Molly is adopted as well?”
“Yep,” Molly answered. “Mommy adopted me, and soon Daddy will to. I just want to know how I adopt Clara?” Beverly smiled at her.
“Sweetie, you can’t legally adopt her, but what you’ve done is more important. You’ve helped her overcome everything that hindered her from being herself. You are her sister in every part that matters. Some people are blood related, but they don’t care about each other. You, you love Clara, and that is more important. You are family. In fact, Chuck doesn’t need to adopt you to be family, but it would make things easier from a legal standpoint.”
“So I’m her sister?” Molly asked.
“Yes, sweetie, you’ve been the best big sister to her,” Beverly said. She turned to Chuck and smiled. “You don’t need my help any more. You’ve got this. Just love these ladies and I’m sure you’ll be fine. Something happens, you call me, but I don’t think you’ll need me.” She hugged Chuck again. “I’m sorry, this is unprofessional, but your case…it killed me.” She turned to Sarah. “I don’t know you like I do the other two, but because of you, they have opened up like I’ve never seen them do in all the time I worked with them. Don’t you ever apologize or worry for your relationship with them.” She smiled at everyone, and handed Emma to Sarah. “Good luck, and I’d love an invite to the wedding.” She turned and left.
“Spring or summer wedding?” Emma asked behind her. Chuck turned to her grinning.
“I’m not the bride,” he said, and gave her a hug. He turned to Sarah. “No pressure.” Sarah grinned.
“Keep it up, I’ll drag you down to the courthouse, but I’m thinking sometime after Molly’s graduation,” she replied.
“And then Daddy can adopt me?” Molly asked.
“You better believe it, Kiddo,” Chuck said, grabbing her in a hug and picking her up.
“What about Clara?” Molly asked.
“After the wedding, we’ll apply,” Sarah said. Chuck turned to her, his megawatt smile on full blast. The moment was interrupted with a knock on the door. “Now who?” she asked, opening the door. There stood Morgan, Alex, Carina, and Casey. Chuck grinned.
“I think I know what’s going on here,” Chuck said.
“Come on, girls, this is a work thing, and I don’t think you’ll care anything about it,” Emma said. Molly hugged Chuck, and kissed him on the cheek, hopped down, had Sarah bend down, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and then forced everyone else to do the same. She left with Emma and Clara.
“That child scares me,” Morgan said.
“Come on,” Chuck said, and took everyone to his office.
“You were right, Chuck,” Alex said, unrolling blueprints on the table. Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“Sorry,” Chuck said, looking sheepishly. “I though it was okay-”
“Chuck, it’s fine, I just didn’t know you were doing all of this,” Sarah said, cutting him off before the spiral got out of control. “What exactly are you doing?”
“Getting that sequencer and us getting in is too dangerous,” Chuck said. “I needed something to keep Bryce off our back, so I gave him something to keep him busy. The guys said they would keep an eye on him, so he’s safe. I asked Alex to pull the blueprints, because I was fairly sure that building had been separated, and at one time it had been a hotel.”
“I don’t get what that matters,” Morgan said. Alex pointed to the original blueprints.
“See this here,” she said, pointing to the blueprints of the older building. “That’s where servants moved, unseen by guests. This building, is now,” she continued pointing to two other sets of blueprints. “These two buildings. This is where the locked door is. Best we can tell, hardly anyone is stationed behind that locked door.”
“This is genius!” Sarah said softly, her eyes lighting up at what she was realizing.
“So this building is the restaurant you two were casing out,” Morgan said to Carina and Casey. Casey grunted.
“We slipped through the kitchen here,” Carina said, pointing to the blueprint. “And made it all the way to here,” she said pointing at another door on the other blueprint. “Where, according to Bryce, the computer is. We encountered no one.”
“How did Bryce miss this?” Morgan asked.
“Because he takes the way he thinks is the easiest to him without regarding consequences for anyone else,” Sarah said, hugging herself, her mind a million miles away to a place over five years ago.
“Bryce doesn’t think about others when making a plan,” Chuck added, Sarah looking up at him. “He doesn’t think about how it will affect partners, friends, or anyone. In his own weird way, he’s trying to be unselfish by taking the risk, but by not sharing he’s being the most selfish.” Sarah nodded at him, understanding exactly what he meant, having been a part of Bryce’s world herself.
“Bryce doesn’t let you all the way in, because I don’t know if even he knows what’s inside of him and how to deal with it,” she added.
“So we get this file for him Thursday night, and then we have a birthday party for a certain one year old Friday?” Morgan asked.
“We have to,” Casey muttered. “That kid of your scares me, Walker.” Chuck smiled.
“Casey, you’ve face revolutions, how does a kid scare you?”
“She put you two together, do I need to say anything more?” Sarah and Chuck shared a look and shrugged. “So, if there’s nothing else, we’ll see you in the morning?”
“Morgan, come to the Burton building tomorrow,” Sarah said.
“Uh, what about my computer?” he asked.
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Sarah admitted. “How about you and Chuck get all the stuff you feel you need to move, and the guys will take care of the rest.” Chuck started to protest, but Sarah raised a hand cutting him off. “Please, let them. They are so excited to have so much to do the past few days. Oh, and Chuck and I are going shopping for a vehicle.” Carina laughed.
“Minivan, Sarah?”
“Bigger SUV,” she answered. Carina’s eyebrows raised. “We just need something bigger.”
The four left, leaving Chuck and Sarah by themselves. Sarah stood at looking at the door they all just left through.
“Chuck,” Sarah said softly.
“Yeah,” he answered slipping his arms around her.
“I would have protected you,” she said.
“I know, but it was also about protecting you, and doing it the easier way.”
“Chuck, I really want to get married, and I never thought I’d say those words.”
“We can do the courthouse,” he said slowly kissing her neck. She spun him quickly and pulled him down for a long kiss. He forgot his name for a second.
“We might have to go there tomorrow for the vehicle anyway,” she said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Hi – Yo!”
A/N: Merry Christmas if you celebrate. I hope you enjoyed it! See you soon!
DC