A little bit late, but here's my fic for the Christmas Fic Exchange Challenge, run by mikki13!
Fic for: SLWF (on livejournal)
And, obviously, I DO NOT own Chuck.
Here we go. Hope you like it!!
----
Chuck vs. Ellie's Christmas Madness
With a hesitant hand, Sarah tapped on the door. Her pulse was racing, but she wasn't sure if it was in fear or anticipation. She felt like she was on a freaking mission, not just - there was a loud clanging noise from inside the building. Remaining frozen outside the door, Sarah nearly jumped with it was violently swung open.
"SARAH!" exclaimed Ellie Bartowski, looking incredibly frazzled and frantic. "Thank god you're here - come in, come in!" Ushering Sarah inside, Ellie wiped at her forehead, spreading a smear of flour and what looked like chocolate across her hairline. Sarah wanted to say something but thought it best to refrain at the moment. Casa Bartowski was a complete mess - there were decorations littering the living room and dining room table, some still in their bags and some only halfway out of their packaging. The kitchen itself was its own nightmare - flour, sprinkles and dough everywhere, not to mention what looked like a half-burned turkey sitting on the stovetop.
"You uh...look like you need some help," said Sarah slowly, taking off her jacket and setting down her purse.
"Yes! Yes, I definitely do." Ellie toyed with the tie of the apron wrapped around her waist. "I'm sorry I called you over so early before the party, but I sent Chuck and Devon on an errand and I just need some backup, you know?"
"Hey, you've got me!" called Morgan from the couch where he appeared to be playing some sort of video game involving guns. Sarah noticed he wasn't a very good shot. "I can be very helpful. Sort of. Sometimes."
Ellie sighed wearily. "Morgan, why don't you go pick up Anna?"
"Sure, sure, whatever you need." He beamed at Ellie before waltzing out the door. Ellie looked back at Sarah with huge, semi-terrified eyes.
"Okay. So, here's the deal. Our cousin James just got out of rehab and his family kind of disowned him so we told him it'd be fine for him to come here for Christmas." Ellie started to walk back into the kitchen and Sarah followed, twisting her hands together somewhat nervously. "And I just...want everything to be perfect, you know? We're his surrogate family and he's a recovering alcoholic and..." At that moment, her phone buzzed and she leaped upon it. "Hello? Yeah? ...NO, Devon, I said Yukon Gold potatoes, not russet! Russet potatoes are horrible for mashing. You should know that!!" She paused and listened to the other end of the line for a moment. "I'm sure it was all Chuck's fault, honey," she said dryly, sarcastically. "Just make sure you get Yukon Gold."
Sarah realized her eyebrows were raised nearly to her hairline, and carefully lowered them as Ellie hung up. She smiled at Sarah. "See what I'm dealing with?"
"Yeah, that seems...pretty awful." Ellie nodded, attention drifting to the kitchen around her. "So, what do you need help with?"
"Well," Ellie began, biting her lip. "No offense, but you can't really cook. Feel like decorating some cookies?" With a big grin, Ellie held up a tray of un-frosted sugar cookies shaped like everything from a reindeer to a seahorse (Sarah would have to ask Chuck about that one), which Sarah took with a smile.
"Sounds good."
Surreptitiously, she texted Chuck. HELP.
He texted back almost instantly. What kind of help? Like, spy or Ellie-related? As in, should I bring wine or Casey?
She let out a breathy laugh. No alcohol, remember? Just get here fast.
On my way.
--
By the time Chuck and Devon arrived back from their shopping trip from the land of Christmas Eve mass-insanity, Ellie had only gotten worse and Sarah was absolutely covered in frosting. Chuck did a small double-take at Sarah and then just raised his eyebrows slowly. She shrugged and smiled, feeling strangely pleased with herself. Despite the madness surrounding her, she was actually surprisingly happy.
"Hey. You...survived?" He said, plopping down a grocery bag next to her on the counter.
"Well, those frosted cookies may have won this time, but I've eaten like 5 cookies already, so I actually think I'm winning overall," she replied playfully. "Want one?" He nodded, reaching for one, but she smacked his hand away and carefully picked one herself. Holding it up for him, he took a bite. "Sorry, I want to save the pretty ones for the party."
Chuck looked down at the rest of the cookies. "Pretty. Right." She whacked his shoulder, hard, and he laughed.
When the doorbell rang, everyone paused. Ellie sucked in a breath. "That must be James!"
Sarah let Ellie and Chuck rush forward, brushing her frosting covered hands on the apron she had borrowed from Ellie. In walked James, a tall, broad-shouldered man who shared little resemblance to either Bartowski siblings. "Which side of the family is he from?" whispered Sarah to Awesome, who was standing next to her.
"Uh...their dad's, I think?" Sarah looked back at him and could almost sort of make out similarities in the dark eyes and the shape of the mouth...maybe. Her agent mind kicked into overdrive as she assessed him as a potential threat. Though a big sort of guy, he seemed fairly harmless and jovial and she didn't detect any weapons on him. So, when Chuck turned to introduce her to him, she smiled brightly.
"James, this is my girlfriend, Sarah," he said. Sarah held out her hand.
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine," he said with a polite smile, but Sarah caught his eyes whipping down to her cleavage and back. She immediately slipped her arm around Chuck's waist (he jumped a little, surprised at her forwardness) and smiled up at her sort-of-fake-totally-maybe-a-cover boyfriend.
"You didn't tell me you had cousins on your father's side," she said to Chuck, calming down a little as she soaked up some of Chuck's apparently eternal supply of body heat. "How exactly are you guys related?"
James shrugged. "His dad's my mom's brother. We don't get out to California that often, but things are a little different this year." For being a recovering alcoholic and being disowned by his family, he looked surprisingly calm and together. Sarah's smile began a little less challenging and a little more honest.
"And all the alcohol is out of the house, James! Not a drop in the house, I swear," said Ellie, trying to smooth down her hair. James shrugged again good-naturedly. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going to run and change...maybe take a quick shower."
"I'm...going to do the same," said Sarah, slipping out of Chuck's arm with a little difficulty - he was holding on sort of tightly. She threw a smile his way and stood on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Be back in a minute, sweetie." He gave her a dazed sort of grin and a little wave as she ducked into his room to change and maybe get some of the frosting out of her hair.
--
The party was in full swing an hour later, with a perfectly-cooked turkey on the table, mashed (Yukon Gold) potatoes and plates piled high with cookies. Garland and Christmas lights and red bows hung all around the room, and there was even some mistletoe in the doorway to the kitchen. Sarah was standing with a glass of sparkling cider near the window when Chuck sidled up to her.
"Hey. How you doing?"
"Great," she said, and meant it. "How 'bout you? Enjoying the party?"
"Yeah," he said before trailing off. They sipped their non-alcoholic beverages for a moment in silence before Chuck spoke up again. "How much do you wish this were anything with alcohol in it?"
"So much," Sarah replied with a laugh. "But it's sweet that Ellie's doing this for your cousin." She glanced up at him as he leaned against the wall next to her. "You guys are a great family." Her voice was soft as she said it.
He looked down at her and gave her that fond little smile that made something deep inside of her crumble. "You know you're part of it too, right?" Quickly, she looked away. Seemingly not deterred by her lack of response, he turned to face her more fully. "Hey, want to go take a walk in the courty - "
At that precise moment, Morgan and Anna arrived. Carrying two bottles of wine. Ellie quickly went to intercept them. "Hey guys," she said, her tone of voice apologetic. "I'm really sorry, but the Christmas party's a dry one this year. Our cousin James - "
"Oh, I see how it is," interrupted Anna. "You're just trying to thwart any effort by me to be nice in front of Morgan, aren't you? You still want him for yourself! He's taken, Ellie, get over it." She grabbed Morgan's arm and dragged the confused little bearded man into the house, leaving Ellie holding her wine by the door. Looking rather dazed, Ellie was about to close the door when Lester and Jeff appeared in the doorway. Jeff was holding to cases of some sort of beer, and Ellie lost it.
"NO. Absolutely not! Get back from the door, you two. Absolutely no alcohol at this party!" She waved her hands frantically, trying to get them to back off.
"But this is the Christmas Brew!" cried Lester. "It's filled with holiday cheer, even if this isn't the holiday I celebrate!"
"NO," said Ellie firmly.
"Come on, dude. If there's no booze at this party, why do we want to go?" said Jeff, already quickly backing up. "The prison my mom's at has a pretty good holiday party..." Following Jeff, Lester looked over his shoulder longingly and somewhat desperately.
With a decisive bag, Ellie shut the door. The slightly stunned party resumed its chatter, more than a little rattled. Anna was over by the table as Morgan shoveled mashed potatoes onto his plate, glaring fiercely at Ellie. Sarah remained over by the wall until she noticed James had come up beside her. She smiled in a way she hoped was friendly.
"You know, Ellie doesn't really have to do this," he began, taking a sip of his glass of water. "Part of recovery is resisting temptation. Still, I guess I appreciate the lengths she went to."
Sarah nodded thoughtfully. "She was kind of desperate to make this a good time for you. And she...both she and Chuck are just unbelievably generous like that." Her stomach gave a little flip as she thought of all the times she'd been rescued by Chuck, though he didn't know it, and his invitations for Bartowski family...anything.
James nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah, they are, aren't they?" Ellie and Chuck were currently having a little scuffle over an iced seahorse cookie (she still had to ask about that one) that ended in them laughing and splitting it in half. Sarah felt her whole chest go warm looking at them.
"They're great." Great didn't really cover all that they were, but it would have to do for now.
James lifted his glass to her. "To being a Bartowski."
Sarah was about to clink glasses with him but balked, pulling hers back. "I, uh...I'm not actually a Bartowski."
James just smiled. "Not yet, anyway."
--
As the party was winding down and Ellie had finally taken the time to relax and sit down for a moment, Sarah found Chuck in the kitchen, nibbling on a piece of turkey. He guiltily dropped it when she appeared, but she just smiled. "Oh, hey, Morgan's giving these out to everyone as Christmas gifts," he said with a semi-full mouth.
Sarah took the circular object and frowned down at it. "What is it?"
Chuck shrugged. "Some…funny little animal bracelet, I think? I don't know." He held up his wrist. "Mine's a dolphin."
Sarah smiled smugly. "Mine's a tiger." Chuck laughed as she was slipping it on.
"Well, I guess that's fitting."
"Sarah's under the mistletoe!" yelled Morgan, walking over. "And nobody's there to kiss her!" A spike of panic ran through her veins. "I guess I'll just have to do it myself," he said, straightening his tie.
"Nope!" Chuck lunged between her and Morgan, effectively pinning Sarah against the wall. "Not a chance, buddy." Morgan sighed in mock-defeat and walked back over to his girlfriend, who was know glaring daggers at Sarah.
Chuck looked down at Sarah and took a step back, giving her some room. "Well, that was a close call."
Sarah laughed. "I'm still under the mistletoe, you know. And now you're here with me."
Chuck looked up at the plant and then down, eyes wide. "Uh, you sure?"
"Of course I am, sweetie," she said for the benefit of Ellie and Awesome, who were watching. Grabbing his tie and tugging him closer she stood on her toes and whispered, "Come on, Chuck, am I really that bad?" her voice was teasing.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "That's not exactly the word I would use." Smiling, she leaned up and kissed him. It was a simple kiss, just their lips pressed together, but it lasted for much longer than was technically acceptable. With his arm around her waist and her hands gripping his shoulders, they just stayed there for a very long time until someone (Awesome) whistled suggestively.
Pulling back and taking a deep breath to steady herself, she raised an eyebrow at him. "So, how about that walk you proposed earlier, Mr. Bartowski?"
The beginnings of a smile curled up the corners of his mouth. "You mean out to the oh-so-exotic locale of our courtyard, Ms. Walker?"
"Mhmm, that one."
"My lady," he said, offering her his arm somewhat jokingly. She wrapped her arm around his and leaned into his shoulder, only slightly aware of how...normal this felt.
Outside it was dark, with lights twinkling all over the courtyard and trees in almost every window. They settled by the fountain, sitting with their sides pressed together. Sarah looked up at the clear night sky, feeling a tiny bit of a chill as the breeze picked up. Feeling her shiver a tiny bit, Chuck wrapped his arm around her. God, that man was a furnace. She leaned into him gratefully.
"Hey, Sarah?"
"Hmm?" she replied in a hum, feeling full and warm and happy.
"Remember that time you said you didn't like nice guys? Was that...true?" Though he was trying to play it off, Sarah instantly picked up on the worry and curiosity in his voice.
For a moment, she thought before responding. "It would have been more accurate for me to say that I don't usually like nice guys."
"So there are exceptions?" The hand of the arm wrapped around her skimmed her shoulder, rubbing lightly up and down.
Sarah tilted her head so that she was looking up at him, her hair falling over one shoulder. "Just one."
For a moment he just looked down at her, his eyes dark and soft. She looked back at him and for a second felt like there was literally nothing else in the world but the two of them. There was no spying, no CIA, no history of broken hearts, no reason they couldn't just be Chuck and Sarah.
"Sarah."
"Hm?"
He was surprisingly calm, though Sarah could feel an emotional conversation coming on. Somehow when he was talking to her about how he really felt, he was sure and calm, if not always confident. She wondered why that was.
"I'm going to say something to you," he continued, running his hand lightly up and down her arm again. "and you don't have to say anything back. It's just…if you can't say it at Christmas, when can you?" The bottom of Sarah's stomach dropped out. "Sarah, I'm in love with you."
Her mouth dropped open and she meant to say something, but words failed her. Luckily, Chuck cut her off anyway. "I love you, Sarah Walker. I'm absolutely sure of it, just like I'm sure you can't say anything back." He smiled and reached his free hand to touch her tiger bracelet. "But I just thought I'd tell you anyway."
Something strange and terrifying and full was welling up in Sarah's throat, blocking all noise she might have made, even if her brain had been working. There was just…nothing to say. That wasn't true. There were so many things to say. She's suspected he…she's known…but to hear it out loud, to see in his eyes that he really, truly meant it…Sarah Walker had never been so affected by anything in her entire life.
Chuck just smiled gently and pushed a tiny bit of hair back from her face. "Merry Christmas."
Sarah swallowed and stared into his eyes, seeing the lights from the courtyard reflected in the deep brown. She had to say something, didn't she? And he didn't seem upset that she wasn't saying anything…if anything, he looked completely okay with her lack of response. Wasn't he supposed to be angry or hurt or something?
The truth was, there just wasn't a man out there like Chuck Bartowski.
Feeling tears prick the backs of her eyes and wanting to hide it, she reached up and cupped his jaw, bringing his face close enough to hers so she could press her lips to his. The kiss was hard, almost desperate, and Sarah twisted so she could take his face in both of her hands, keeping her less than a breath away from her.
When they pulled apart, both dazed, Sarah gave him a slightly watery smile. "Merry Christmas, Chuck."