Sarah and Ellie vs mothers, daughters and sisters-in-law

A/N After watching episode 2 I wanted to crawl through the PC screen so badly and just give Ellie a hug, but seeing as I can't do that, Sarah will have to do it for me. Sarah herself could use one. She freaked out for the first time in her life. Good thing they have each other.

I own stuff. Chuck is not stuff.

Sarah scraped another stack of precisely cut cucumber slices into the salad bowl. She and Ellie had been working quietly side by side preparing the salad for dinner while the guys were in the courtyard enjoying a beer. Ellie dropped her knife for the third time. Sarah quickly stooped down to pick it up and placed it on her far side, away from Ellie.

"I think you killed the patient." She pointed to the slaughtered tomato in front of Ellie with her own knife before putting it down and turning towards her. "Look, Ellie, I don't really talk much, but I am a good listener and an excellent secret keeper. Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"

"That obvious, huh?" Ellie took a sip of her apple juice. Sarah gave her half a smile. "Have you...uhm...have you ever been scared? Not like...I mean...the job you do, I understand how dangerous that is...but not scared that you're going to die...more like..."

"...scared you're going to fail at something that comes naturally to so many other people?" Yeah, Sarah thought, try last night. She meant it when she told Chuck he has always been her home. And her heart was so full when he gently stroked her cheek and told her that they had a real future ahead of them. Yet, when he said the words "marriage" and "baby" in the same sentence as "maybe we're next", she freaked out.

"What if I'm not a good mother, Sarah? It's not like I had someone to show me how it's done." Sarah could relate to that. How was she supposed to be a wife and a mother if she'd grown up without one herself? "What if...in the middle of it all, I decide it's not the life I want and take off like she did?" Ellie looked so lost and Sarah wished she could tell her the truth, that Mary didn't abandon them. Instead she opted for the 'Bartowski way' and pulled Ellie in for a hug, trying to come up with something to reassure her.

"You did a great job with Chuck."

Ellie let out a breathless laugh. "He was eleven. It wasn't like I was going to do serious damage if I dropped him on his head."

"Don't sell yourself short, Ellie. Chuck became the man he is mainly because of you. And you didn't stop there. You risked your life not too long ago to save his. You're dedicated to your family, whether it's your brother or your husband, and that's not going to change. Besides, you didn't have anyone to show you how to be a wife and you're great at it. At least from where I'm standing." Sarah picked up her knife again and tried to salvage what was left of the tomato Ellie massacred earlier. If Ellie could do it, maybe there was hope for her. But then again, there was something else that troubled her. What if she was kidnapped or killed on a mission and had to leave her husband and kids behind?

"Thanks," Ellie said with a genuine smile, "I really needed to hear that. You know, for someone who's not a talker that was pretty eloquent."

Sarah shrugged. "Your brother must be rubbing off on me. Speaking of whom, he's amazing with kids."

"Probably because he and Morgan are still into video games. The boys must love that."

"I suppose, but that's not what I meant." Ellie raised a surprised eyebrow as Sarah tossed the last of the tomato into the salad. "The first day I met Chuck he helped out a little ballerina and her dad to tape a recital for the mom. She was a little nervous and when Chuck asked her what was wrong, she said that she was always in the back row because she was taller than the other girls. He told her real ballerinas were tall, flashed a smile and that did the trick. He's a natural."

Ellie stared at Sarah in disbelief. "I had no idea."

"Like I said, you raised a great guy and he's going to be there to support you and Devon. His family means everything to him. Your baby is not going to be short on love and that is what's important, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. It's nice to have a sister to discuss these things with."

"Well, not officially..."

"You're part of the family, Sarah, wedding ring or not. You always have been." It was Ellie's turn to pull her in for a hug. "And one day it will be official. As soon as you discuss your fears with Chuck."

"How did you know?"

"There's a reason I'm the older sister. Plus we have a lot more in common than you think." Ellie didn't raise her suspicions about Sarah's mom or lack of one. She'll tell her when she's ready. For now a little advice will have to do.

"A steady hand with knives?" Sarah quipped. Chuck was rubbing off on her in more ways than she thought.

Ellie laughed. "That and the fact that we both fell in love on the first day. I practically attacked Devon in a broom closet. Had him halfway out of his clothes before I even asked his name."

"I never said..."

"The way your eyes lit up when you told me the ballerina story was all the proof I needed. You fell for him on the spot, didn't you?"

Sarah gave Ellie a crooked smile. "Pretty much."

"Now take a look at everything you had to endure and where you ended up. Marriage is gonna be child's play. Just keep an open mind and trust yourself."

"You make it sound so simple."

"In some ways it is and when it's not, you turn to family. That's what we're here for." Ellie picked up the salad bowl. "Now let's go feed them. There's a lot of truth to the saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I'm a doctor, I should know." Sarah followed with the lasagne dish. Somehow she wasn't that freaked out anymore.

Chuck placed the bottles of water on the night stand and turned to plug in his IPhone. Sarah was sitting cross legged against the headboard studying a file.

"What do you have there?" Chuck noticed she was a little quieter than normal today.

"The intel we have on your mom so far. I was just checking if we didn't miss something."

"And?"

"Nothing," Sarah sighed and put the file on the floor next to the bed. "It's just...I'm hoping we can find her before the baby's born. For Ellie." She dragged a pillow onto her legs and patted it. "Come here."

Chuck gave her a lopsided smile and laid his head on the pillow, looking up at Sarah from an upside down angle. "We'll try our best. Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine." Sarah combed her fingers through his hair. It was starting to curl again on the edges. Maybe she could talk him out of his next haircut.

"I'm sorry if what I said last night scared you. I didn't mean..."

"Don't apologise, I need a little push sometimes."

"That was a great, big shove."

Sarah let out a little laugh. "It's okay, I survived. Are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good." Chuck reached up and brushed his thumb lightly over her cheek. "You know, you're still pretty from this angle."

"And you still love me."

Chuck groaned. "I'm never gonna live that one down, am I?"

"You did better the second time around."

"Maybe, but I'll never outdo you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Our first kiss. There's something to be said for forbidden passion surfacing in the face of danger."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Are you telling me that all our kisses after that were a little...bland?"

"What? No. Of course not." Chuck tried to get up but Sarah pushed him back down. He mock frowned when he saw her smile. "Are you messing with me?"

"A little, but I'm thinking...I can top that first kiss."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm hmm," Sarah nodded as she bent down. "I believe the spiderman kiss goes something like this..."

A/N I know it was supposed to be Sarah/Ellie, but the season 4 episodes seem to end with Chuck and Sarah in bed discussing some family or relationship issue, which I think is pretty awesome – let's hope it's a trend. And you were probably expecting them to discuss marriage and kids here, but it's a little soon. Besides, there were some great lines in this episode I just had to work in. Hope you enjoyed it anyway. Kate.