This is a lot different from my first story, but I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: As always, no copyright infringement is intended. Chuck and its characters do not belong to me.
Sarah moved to give Ellie a hug, but stopped when the latter abruptly turned and walked into the living room. Sarah paused, a bit caught off guard. Ellie was usually the effusive one.
"Morgan and Chuck are out picking up some movies and last-minute snacks," Ellie said coolly. "You can sit down if you want."
"Thanks. How have you been?" Sarah asked, trying to win her over with a bright smile.
"I'm fine. Do you want a drink?"
Sarah shook her head, and watched Ellie walk into the kitchen and give Awesome a kiss on the cheek. He smiled, not looking up from the cookie he was frosting. Anna sat across from him, decorating sugar cookies in the shapes of Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, bells, and candy canes. Sarah's heart dropped as memories of decorating cookies with her sister came rushing over her. She could have this. She could have a life like this with Chuck. And right now she badly wanted to.
But she also wanted to know why Ellie was acting so distant.
"Hey, Ellie?"
"Yeah?" Ellie called back from the kitchen without looking towards her.
"Did I do something wrong?" She said it loudly enough for her voice to reach the kitchen, and couldn't help that Awesome and Anna heard too.
Awesome raised his head a little, looking slightly uncomfortable. Ellie stopped in the middle of grabbing a mug from the cupboard, her hand poised in midair. She sighed, turned, and strode back into the living room.
"It's just," Sarah began, her voice softer, "you've been a little . . . aloof ever since Chuck and I broke up."
Ellie stared as if she shouldn't have had to ask, and Sarah regretted bringing it up.
"It's not really my place to . . ." she trailed off, not quite knowing how to criticize Sarah gently.
"To what? If I've done something, I'd rather you let me know instead of treating me differently because of it." Sarah forced herself to breath steadily; getting angry would only exasperate things.
"Sarah, I don't know you that well, but I do know that Chuck likes you very, very much. You're the best thing to happen to him in a long time." Ellie paused again, searching for the words. "He told me that you guys were just friends now. And I understand that. But I can't help thinking that you're just stringing him along, and setting him up to get his heart broken."
Sarah, angry that Ellie could think that of her, felt her face redden slightly.
"If you're not as serious about your relationship as he is," Ellie continued, "I'd never forgive myself if I let you hurt him."
Sarah sank onto the couch. Hadn't she always hated those girls? Those girls who would flirt with guys only to leave them in the dust?
Maybe Ellie was right. Maybe she was using her friendship with Chuck to hide something else. Maybe they were spending entirely too much time together to be merely platonic friends.
But then again, maybe it was Christmas and it was meant to be spent with family and friends.
"Ellie, I," Sarah stopped, unsure of how to tell the truth without blowing their cover but also without revealing her own deeper feelings, "I have no intention of stringing him along. I really, really like him, but there are . . . things in my past that keep me from . . . from opening up to people. There's nothing I would love more than to have a relationship with him. Now's just not the right time. I swear to you, Ellie, I would never intentionally hurt him. But he really is the best friend I have, and I'd rather not lose that just because there are things I need time to figure out."
Sarah sighed. She wasn't used to having heart-to-hearts. She was much better with the fist-to-face kind of thing.
Ellie felt horrible. This was the most consecutive sentences Sarah had said to her. And she had to go and be mean to her during Christmas. She sat down dejectedly next to her on the couch.
"I'm the only family he's got. I guess I feel that if I don't look out for him, no one will."
Sarah smiled slightly, "I can understand that." Hadn't she felt exactly the same about her own sister?
"Forgive me?" Ellie asked, holding out her arms for a hug.
Sarah nodded, and it wasn't until she embraced Ellie that she realized she missed being a sister.
