I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything.

I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old.

This is the third of four stories in the Real Relationship arc rewrite.

Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well.

Sisters

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were walking to the car on their way to Casey's. They had agreed last night that Casey and Chuck would go to the club and work on their cover. Carina had pointed out that it made some sense for the guys to be seen there. Especially, since they were supposed to be regulars. Since the girls weren't scheduled to start dancing for a couple of days, they decided to spend a few hours there each day until then. "Um, Sarah," Chuck asked hesitantly as they approached the Porsche. "Do you think that maybe I could drive?"

Sarah did an obvious double take. "What?" she asked. "Are you serious? You really want to drive my car? I'm sorry, Chuck, but nobody drives the Porsche except me."

Chuck knew that asking to drive her car was a long shot. "I understand," he said sadly. "I was just hoping all that 'For Richer, For Poorer' stuff included everything. I guess not."

Sarah stood still for a long moment. Yeah, he was laying a guilt trip on her. That was pretty obvious. But the truth was, he was right. Finally she sighed. "Okay, Chuck," she said begrudgingly as she tossed him the keys. "You're right. It's not my car, it's our car. I'm sorry. If you ever had any lingering doubts about how I feel about you, this should erase them. Nobody drives the Porsche."

Chuck hopped into the car with a huge grin. "Thanks," he replied. "I just have one question. What is this third pedal for?"

Sarah's eyes got big. "You've never driven a stick shift before?" she asked in horror. "Chuck, this isn't a good car to learn on. It's far too powerful. Maybe we can rent a regular car for you to practice on and then when you…" Sarah finally looked at his face. "Very funny," she said.

Chuck was laughing as he started the car. "I thought it was," he said as he pushed in the clutch and gently revved the high performance engine. "Trust me. I do understand that if I expect any sex in the next month or so, I know exactly how careful I should be."

Sarah was honestly very nervous on the drive over to Casey's. She had never been in the passenger's seat before and fought the urge several times to yell as Chuck approached other cars. Finally, she had to admit to herself that Chuck was doing fine. In fact, he looked pretty damn sexy behind the wheel. Of course, at this point, that kind of thinking wasn't helpful. It would be several hours before she'd be able to do anything about it. Maybe someday she'd be able to look at him for two minutes without turning into some aroused, sex maniac.

Of course Chuck noticed. "Really?" he asked. "Now?"

Sarah's face turned noticeably red. Why did her chest always react this way? It never had before. Certainly she had been aroused before she met Chuck. There was just something about him that got her motor instantly running. She'd have to figure this out. Chuck would be at the club. If this happened while she was dancing topless, it would send entirely the wrong message to entirely the wrong group of people. "I don't know," she sighed. "You just get me going. I'm sorry. I'm out of control."

It certainly wasn't anything to be sorry about. Chuck pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. "Tell me," he said sheepishly. "Has Bryce ever driven this car?"

And there it was. His jealousy of Bryce was always going to be there at some level. At least, today, she could deliver an effective lesson. Sarah shook her head decisively. "Never close," she said. "At first, he begged constantly. It was a real source of tension between us for a long while. Bryce was never one to take no for an answer. But finally he thankfully got the message and stopped asking."

Sarah's smile turned into a broad grin. "So, Mr. Bartowski," she said. "You're well known to take small details and analyze their meaning to death. I have a detail for you to analyze to death. Bryce, the guy you always seem to be internally competing with, was never allowed to drive my car. It drove him crazy. This afternoon, we're going to go get you your own set of keys. This car belongs to you every bit as much as it belongs to me. You don't ever have to ask for permission to drive it. I think my chest is screaming what watching you drive is doing to me. In case there is any ambiguity, it doesn't mean I'm unhappy. I'd love to hear your analysis of what this development means."

Of course she was teasing. But her point was still very, very valid. So Chuck grinned back and considered the question. "Well," he said thoughtfully. "There are several possibilities. The car is older now. Maybe you don't care about it as much."

Sarah shook her head. "Not true," she said. "I get a new one from the CIA every year. That's a little past due. Maybe we can go together this afternoon and pick out our new one. Even if that did happen to be true, it doesn't explain the chest. What else you got?"

Chuck paused again in faux thought. "I suppose that you could think that I'm a better driver," he said. "But that wouldn't make much sense. Bryce is much better at the physical things. The chest is a wild card. I guess the only reasonable explanation is that you're in love with me when you never were with him."

That got them both laughing. "I think that I agree with that analysis," Sarah said. "Very nice work. Perhaps the next time you're tempted to compare yourself unfavorably to Agent Larkin, you could remember this conversation. Maybe take the Porsche out for a little spin. After you're done, come talk to me for five minutes and allow my out of control chest to remind you that, with me anyway, you're not in the same league."

The truth was that she was absolutely right. The car was a far bigger deal to her than she was admitting. Even the chest said volumes. What could Chuck possibly say to that? "Thanks," he said. "That really helps me. I'm embarrassed."

Sarah nodded. His insecurity with Bryce was a little cute. But it was also a little frustrating and a lot silly. Hopefully this was a breakthrough. "Don't thank me," she said. "All I'm doing is telling you what I think is painfully obvious. I just realized something today. Loving a car is silly. It's a machine. If something happens to it, we'll just get it fixed. It can't love me back. What I love is you."

Chuck reached out and grabbed her hand. "I know," he said. "I love you too. Now that I've quit the Buy More, I'll have to turn in the Herder. Maybe we should talk about buying another car."

Sarah nodded her head in agreement. "I'll talk to Washington," she said. "We can look for one this afternoon. Since the Herder had some special mods, maybe they'll give us something to take on missions. We can't be taking Casey's car. That thing screams cop car from here to Ohio."

"I like Casey's car," Chuck protested. "If I remember right, we were getting pretty comfortable in the back seat. As fabulous as the Porsche is, I don't see sex in the back seat in our future anytime soon. That might become an issue if your chest continues to be out of control."

He was right about that. Unless you were two feet tall or a professional contortionist, sex in the Porsche was simply impossible. But Sarah knew that if she agreed, he'd ask her how she knew. The truth was that she had purposely initiated several attempts on assignments counting on the fact that they would prove to be impossible. That discussion would be awkward. Why ruin such a nice moment? They could have that discussion later. "Probably not," she said. "But we could do that in a lot of cars."

"I think a smaller one would even be better."

x-x-x-x-x

As they entered Casey's, Carina was standing there to greet them. "Hi," she said tentatively. "How did it go last night? I'd ask if you guys were still fighting, but Sarah's chest already answered that."

Sarah grinned as she considered how much to tell her with Chuck standing there. Carina was something of a self-proclaimed mentor in the area of well executed sex acts. Maybe bragging about the details of her performance last night would be best in private. "No," she said. "I think we've reached an understanding. As a matter of fact I think I'd like to talk to our other partner about that. Where is he?"

Carina knew that look she was flashing. Until Sarah found Chuck, their discussions about sex had been pretty much one sided. At least the girl was starting to carry her own weight. "He's in the kitchen," Carina said. "He's been staying out of my way. And don't go easy on him. He has it coming."

As soon as Sarah stomped out of the room, Carina walked up to Chuck. "Relax," she said with a grin as she saw the concern on Chuck's face. "I promise I'm not coming on to you. We just haven't been alone in a while and I wanted to thank you. I promise to keep my shirt on."

"Thank me?" Chuck questioned. "Thank me for what?"

Carina didn't hesitate. She threw her arms around him. "For saving my best friend," she said.

Chuck still wasn't sure what Carina was up to. "What do you mean?" he asked. "When did I save Sarah? It's her that is always saving me."

Carina squeezed him tightly. "Not this time," she insisted. "Sarah might save you physically sometimes but it's you that saved her. I was so worried about her. She was wondering through life all alone and sad. She didn't think her life had any value. She was throwing it away taking more and more foolish chances. Now she's like a different person. There's this glow about her. Her feet aren't touching the ground… and that's all because of you. You saved her. You're really a hero."

Carina couldn't have possibly said anything better to him. It got him grinning broadly. "Well," Chuck said. "I'm not really sure that's true. But believe me. If it is, then it was totally my pleasure."

"It's true," Carina insisted. "If anything, I'm starting to worry that she might lose focus as an agent."

Chuck nodded. He worried about that too. They lived in a high octane world. If Sarah lost even a bit of her edge, she would become vulnerable. "That's why I'm so happy that you've joined the team," he said. "You can keep her head in the game. I don't think there is much cause for concern though. Sarah has a switch in her head. When she's in agent mode, nothing else matters."

So now it was Chuck that couldn't have said anything better. "I hope you're right," Carina said. "We worked together for years. That switch was always stuck in the 'on' position. We'll see soon enough if she can switch it back on. Trust me. When Agent Walker is on her game, she is a sight to behold."

"I'm really looking forward to it."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah marched up to Casey in the kitchen. "I want to talk about your mission today," she said with zero humor in her tone. "I expect you to be watching out for Chuck. I don't expect any repeat of last night."

"Good morning, Walker," Casey replied sarcastically. "It's nice to see you too."

"I'm serious," Sarah snapped. "I let last night slide, but strip clubs are one area where I'm not comfortable with you giving Chuck the benefit of your vast experience."

"You let last night slide?" Casey asked sarcastically. "Walker, you could have started a campfire with your head. And we weren't even technically on a mission last night."

Sarah shook her head. "As long as he's the Intersect, we're always on a mission," she insisted. "I'm amazed that I have to tell you this. Your job is to protect Chuck. Not to see how much Scotch you can pour down him or how many sluts you can rub up against him."

Casey shook his head. Okay, maybe she had a point. They weren't on vacation anymore. The new Sarah might be kinder and gentler in some ways. But when Chuck was concerned, she was still a mama lioness that you didn't want to piss off. "Don't worry," Casey sighed. "I already have that message loud and clear. My neck is still sore from sleeping on the couch."

Sarah was convinced that her message had been received. "Good," she said.

"As long as we're on the same page."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah and Casey joined Chuck and Carina back in the family room. Sarah turned to Carina. "What are you going to do while the guys are away?" she asked. "I promised to spend the afternoon with Ellie. I'm feeling bad that you are stuck here alone. Do you want to come?"

Carina started giggling. "A girl talk, sister fest?" she asked. "I think I'd rather shoot myself and slowly bleed to death. Don't worry. I have a ton of paperwork from my last DEA assignment to catch up on."

Sarah grinned back at her. The truth was, this would be a new experience for her as well. Unlike Carina, she was looking forward to it. And Carina was famous for dodging paperwork. Beckman had made the point to her… very clearly.

Carina turned to Casey. "I'll expect a full report," she said. "There's a nice warm bed in there tonight if I like what I hear. Do we understand each other?"

Casey nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Thank you, ma'am. Trust me. I've learned my lesson." He turned to Sarah with a gleam in his eyes. "You're not going over to Ellie's like that?" he teased. "She might get the wrong idea. Maybe you should drag Bartowski into the spare bedroom and get this over with."

Sarah ignored his shot and kissed Chuck goodbye. "No Scotch today," she said. "Right?"

That got Chuck laughing. "Don't worry," he said. "The only fun I'm going to have today is telling Casey how we made up last night."

Sarah considered that for a moment. "Do you think he'll believe you?" she teased. "I was there and I'm not sure that I believe it."

"I have great news," Chuck said to Casey as they were walking out the door. "Sarah says that we can take the Porsche." Of course he saw her look and grinned at her. Driving the Porsche was one thing. Driving it home from a strip club after drinking was probably another.

"I'm just kidding."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah really didn't know what to expect. In some ways, she was dreading it. But in other's she was looking forward to it. Regardless, this had to happen. Ellie was much too close to Chuck to ignore. When she married Chuck, she also married Ellie… and Devon… and to some extent even Morgan. Being part of a family was like being a wife… something she never allowed herself to seriously hope for and didn't have a clue how to handle. She knew herself well enough to know that she usually ran from those kinds of uncomfortable situations. She couldn't run from this one. So she lightly knocked on the door as she opened it. "Hi, Ellie," she called. "Are you here?"

She had clearly just jumped into the deep end of the pool. "Sarah!" Ellie cried as she came out of nowhere and engulfed Sarah in a huge bear hug. "Mrs. Bartowski. Welcome to the family. I'm so happy to see you, I could cry."

At least Chuck had warned her about the hugs. Sarah really wasn't a hugger, but in this case she had little choice. There was nothing to do but to return it. "Thanks," Sarah said while struggling to breathe through the intense hug. "I'm happy to see you too."

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Ellie sighed. "I finally have a sister."

"I've been looking forward to this too," Sarah replied. "Although I have to admit that I'm scared to death."

Ellie finally released Sarah from her death grip. "I'm scared a little too," she admitted. "It's only natural, right? You have been dating Chuck for a year, but we haven't spent ten minutes alone together. I have to tell you, Sarah. I was worried. Your relationship wasn't really moving forward. Frankly, I was starting to doubt that you were ever going to get serious. Then bam… you're married and I have a new sister. It was a little fast."

In spite of the tension, Sarah had to smile. No kidding, right? Ellie hadn't explicitly asked a question. But her meaning was clear. She was skeptical. Why wouldn't she be? In a way, Sarah was glad. Ellie was just as protective of Chuck as she was. That was never a bad thing. The very last thing that Sarah could say was that their relationship had been a cover. But she also knew that she had to answer Ellie's unasked question if they were ever going to move forward. Fortunately, Sarah had the truth on her side. "I really do love him," she said.

Ellie smiled at her. "Sarah, I'm not questioning that," she said. "It's been obvious from almost the first day. But you have to admit, you went from zero to sixty in like three seconds."

Sarah smiled at the metaphor. "I do admit it," she said. "That is all on me. Chuck would have moved forward a long time ago. I wouldn't let us. The truth is, I didn't believe in love. It was for schoolgirls and dreamers. I was taught that the only person you could depend on is yourself. So when I started feeling things that I couldn't explain, I denied it for as long as I could. I was scared, didn't know what to do. I even got mad at him and pushed him away."

Ellie nodded. "It was obvious that you were struggling," she said.

Sarah took a deep breath. "I was panicked," she said. "But, Ellie, here's the thing. He just wouldn't go away. Long after most men would have moved on, Chuck just put up with all of my crap and silently loved me, even when I was giving him next to nothing and telling him that it was never going to happen. At some level, I think that he knew. But it was getting harder and harder to deny. He was wearing down my defenses. Finally, I knew that something had to change. I was in love with the nicest man in the world. But I was still scared and miserable. So I finally believed in love… and found out that it can suck… make you wish you had never been born. I really had no choice. I was hurting this amazing man, who I didn't deserve, but loved me anyway. So, about a month ago, I had no choice. I was defeated. I finally gave in. And I discovered something wonderful, something that I didn't expect. Love can also make you feel like your feet aren't touching the ground. Ellie, every second has been magical since then. Chuck is my life. I could never go back to the miserable way it was before."

Ellie was trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. Quickly enough they were hugging again. But Sarah knew she couldn't stop there. "I discovered something else," she said. "Marrying Chuck meant marrying his family. I've never had a family, not really. So here I am hugging my new sister who I barely know. I'll admit. I'm intimidated. My honest reaction is to run out of here and never look back. But that's not going to work. You're too important to Chuck to ignore. And since Chuck is now my life, anything that's important to him is important to me. I'll freely admit that I don't have a clue what to do. But I'd like to work at getting closer."

Ellie released her hold and smiled. "I'd like that too," she said. "Why on earth would you be intimidated?"

Sarah breathed a big sigh of relief. Ellie was making this as easy as she could. "You're joking, right?" she asked. "Just look at you. Ellie, you're the most impressive woman I've ever met. Forget that you're beautiful. You raised your brother on your own. You're a great cook. And let's not forget, putting yourself though medical school and becoming a brilliant doctor at the same time. I wouldn't be able to do any of those things. You're sort of my hero."

Ellie started laughing. "Maybe I should admit that you intimidate me too," she said. "Sarah, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. You should be an actress. I feel pretty plain standing next to you. Let me tell you something. You saved my brother's life. You have made him happier than I've ever thought he could be. You're sort of my hero."

Ellie walked into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "This is pretty ridiculous," she said. "I know that we really don't know each other that well. But we need to fix that. The best way to bond is to get sloppy drunk together. I have three bottles of this wine. We're not going to stop drinking until we can hug without being intimidated."

Sarah grinned. She was right. It was a little early to be drinking, but a little wine wouldn't hurt at all. She picked up her glass and agreed.

"Or we pass out."

x-x-x-x-x