Published November 20, 2020

A/N: It's fall, so get ready for Turkey Time.

This chapter could also be titled, "Where's a Frying Pan When You Need It?"

Thanks again to the beta, davida6.

Thanksgiving, November 22, 2007

Ellie made a final inspection of the table for Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was coming together. The table was almost perfect. The food was almost ready. John was going to help Devon stuff the turkey.

Ellie was glad she had invited Chuck's NSA spy protector to Thanksgiving dinner. She didn't completely trust him all of the time. The way he peeked through his blinds into the courtyard was creepy. But his job was to protect Chuck. Chuck said Casey was fine (most of the time). He gave Chuck a hard time in various ways (like telling Chuck he needed to know how to tango) but he was good at what he did. Ellie was thankful that he was there to protect Chuck, and that's what the holiday was about.

Ellie put two bottles of wine on the table, and Chuck started to say something he had been trying to tell her for a couple minutes. "Uh, Sis, Morgan is bringing somebody tonight."

She continued to move things on the table as she sarcastically asked, "Like, a real someone or an imaginary someone?" The last time she was in her bedroom, her pillow was still there.

"Uh, real, actually, very real, and she's very nice. And…"

Ellie's attention wasn't on dinner anymore. "'She?' You said, 'She.'" Morgan having a girlfriend was a great thing. He'd always been a loyal friend to Chuck. She didn't want him to never have a girlfriend. She actually wanted him to have someone else who would keep him from hitting on her. This mystery woman was immediately one of Ellie's favorite people.

"Yes. Anna. Morgan's girlfriend. There could be a little issue, though, because she knows about you and Morgan."

Her and Morgan? "What are you talking about?" Ellie knew Morgan sometimes acted like there was something between them, but that was complete fiction. Why would some new girlfriend care?

The doorbell rang. Chuck quickly said, "Just remember, it's not my fault." He rushed off to answer the door. To the people right at the entrance, he said, "Hello, Sarah and my other friends! Welcome to Thanksgiving!"

Sarah (gorgeous, like usual) was at the door with Morgan (who had dressed in a T-shirt) and his new girlfriend, a short Asian woman (who was dressed for a holiday dinner). She looked a little familiar. Had Ellie seen her working at the Buy More?

Sarah held a bouquet of flowers at her waist, her entire face glowing. She stepped towards Ellie, handed her the flowers, and kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Oh, thank you. They're beautiful," Ellie said. Sarah went to say hi to Devon while Ellie went to the door to greet Morgan and the surprise guest he had brought.

"Ellie!" Morgan introduced the woman at his side. "So, uh, this is Anna, my…"

"Girlfriend," Anna finished for him.

"Right," he agreed.

Anna held up a dish. "And this is my green bean casserole." Quietly she said, as she handed it to Ellie, "Try not to drop it." Anna sidled up to Morgan possessively and spoke up, "It's good to meet you…" Under her breath, she added, "Finally."

Ellie smiled at the woman who was real. "Yeah. Chuck just told me about you and Morgan. I'm so happy."

Ellie was holding the green bean casserole and a cosmo in a cocktail glass. Anna rudely took the drink that wasn't hers out of Ellie's hand, walked off, and said, "Hussy."

Where was that from? Maybe this woman wasn't such a good thing. Morgan was always sweet to Ellie. He deserved to be happy with someone. Being with someone that kept sweet from being creepy could be a great thing. However, Morgan was still going to be around all the time, so hopefully a girlfriend would be tolerable to be around. This Anna had been completely hostile to Ellie in the first ten seconds. Ellie had figured a girlfriend of Morgan would be mellow to put up with him—not someone who was like that.

Ellie took the green bean dish over to the table for dinner. It was nice of Anna to bring something, rather than show up empty-handed. It smelled a little weird, but whatever. Someone would eat it, and there was enough other food.

On her way back to the dinner table, Ellie was ambushed by a hug from Sarah. Ellie hadn't seen or even talked to Sarah since getting out of the hospital. Sarah hadn't stayed over, even though Ellie had suggested Chuck's security as a plausible excuse. The only reason Ellie had known Chuck and Sarah were back together was she had asked Chuck point blank whether Sarah was coming to dinner. He did tell her he and Sarah were "cover dating" again. This time, he seemed more upbeat when saying "cover," so maybe it was a "cover under the cover." Everyone thought they were a real boyfriend and girlfriend except the NSA general, the CIA director, John, and Ellie. The four of them could think it was just a cover. However, if it was really a "cover under the cover," the two of them would know it's real. If they were happy, the four of them didn't have to know the truth.

It was all complicated but could be a reason for Chuck to stay at Sarah's, a place Chuck had admitted to Ellie had no surveillance. Unfortunately, she had a bad feeling that things were back the way they were before: the two of them tiptoeing around each other and not really being with each other. Chuck seemed happier, though. Maybe knowing the truth was enough, for now. It would be enough to stop Chuck from making a stupid mistake, like leaving the woman he loved for the deli owner. Dinner with both of Chuck's spy protectors and a new girlfriend would've been awkward. Since that doomed relationship never started, it meant there was room at the dinner table for Anna. No matter what Anna was like, she couldn't be the worst possible guest for Thanksgiving. That would be Lou (who was maybe a Russian spy).

In the hug, Sarah whispered, "I'm so glad you're ok."

Ellie gladly accepted the hug from the woman who had saved her. Sure, Sarah had said it was Chuck who saved her, but Sarah saved Chuck after he didn't save himself, so she was part of what made it possible for all of them being there for Thanksgiving. If Chuck and Sarah were happy with how the situation between them turned out, Ellie supposed she'd have to butt out and stop being the nosy big sister.

Dinner started pretty well. The turkey was great. But then, Morgan realized that Ellie had left the marshmallows off the sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, Anna was sitting next to Ellie, and she proclaimed, "Thanksgiving is ruined." Fortunately, Chuck remembered he had left the marshmallows in his car. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a big deal. If it was a big deal, Ellie had Sarah, and even John, to protect her from the crazy woman that was there with Morgan.

Thanksgiving "saved" from Chuck's retrieval, Ellie melted the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. After a couple minutes, she retrieved them from the oven. It was odd that Sarah wasn't back, after excusing herself earlier. A cover story would be Sarah's intestinal problems, but Ellie knew better. Or, maybe there was some truth to the story. Holding the dish with the potatoes and melted marshmallows, she looked down the hall towards the bathroom. She wondered if Sarah knew where the antacids were.

The bathroom door was open. Lights out. No one was in there. Instead Ellie saw Chuck's door slowly close. Someone was in there. Sarah didn't have stomach problems after all. Ellie walked towards Chuck's room. The door was still slightly ajar, and she could see Sarah with someone else in Chuck's room. Someone was in the apartment again!

Inside the room, Sarah softly said, "Bryce, I thought you were dead. I have a gun. Do I need to use it?"

Bryce? He was supposed to be dead. Maybe it was a different Bryce. If it wasn't, he would be a more unwanted guest than Lou. Sarah had thought that Bryce was dead. How many dead people did Sarah know named Bryce?

This Bryce responded, "Sarah, what are you doing at Chuck's? I'm unarmed. And I'm sorry."

"I'm with Chuck because he's a great guy, unlike you. You're a wanted criminal. You pulled Chuck into your crime. Why shouldn't I arrest you right now as a traitor?"

"Because I'm not a rogue spy. Because the Intersect was a mission. Because, Sarah… You're still in love with me."

Uh oh. It was the same Bryce. Sarah's ex was back. She probably still loved him because he was her only long-term boyfriend. That didn't matter to Ellie. After what Bryce did to Chuck, he had one thing coming to him. Hands full, she pushed open the door with her foot.

The opening door must have provided the slightest distraction, because Sarah let loose a swing and slugged Bryce in the face. For Sarah to have hit him so solidly, Bryce was a bad spy, distraction or not. Bryce was bent in half, put his hand to his jaw, and looked up at Ellie.

"Ellie?"

Ellie didn't have a frying pan, so she used what she had. Gripping both handles, she lifted the sweet potato casserole with an uppercut to the underside of Bryce's chin.

THUD!

Bryce was dazed. Ellie swung the warm dish sideways, hitting the cheek that Sarah hadn't.

CRACK!

Bryce crumbled to the ground. Sweet potatoes and marshmallows were everywhere, spread on top of him and the floor, making Morgan's "critical side dish number 2" ruined. There was no point in salvaging the rest, so she titled it sideways, making the rest of the lumps of orangish brown and white food fall on top of Bryce's prone body.

Sarah was staring in shock at Ellie, so Ellie apologized, "I'm sorry. That man has done more to hurt my family than even my mom, who left over a decade and a half ago when Chuck and I were kids. Seeing him, I couldn't help but lash out."

"No, that's alright. You've been taking out people who break into your home left and right. I just hadn't seen you in action before. I obviously didn't see what was coming the time you hit me. This time, I got a front row view. It was messier this time, but I'm impressed."

Chuck came up behind Ellie. From the entrance to the room, he said, "Wow. Ellie. You got him. When I mouthed to Sarah he was here, I thought she would handle it, but I should have remembered you're the one who takes out unexpected visitors."

"Chuck, did you know Bryce is still alive?" Ellie asked.

"No, but he wasn't impaled or beheaded. That's the rule for villains, so I shouldn't be surprised. What are we going to do now?"

Behind Chuck, Devon appeared. "What's the commotion? Ellie, I thought you were bringing back food for Morgan before that strange girl he brought completely loses it." Looking at the floor. "Whoa. Who's that? He's out cold. And he's a mess. Why is food all over him?"

Ellie said, "Anna was right about one thing. Thanksgiving is ruined. I'll go tell them. Honey, you wait here with the spy, while I tell Morgan and Anna that they have to go."

Out in the dining area, Ellie stood by the table, holding no dish. Only John, Anna, and Morgan remained at the table. "I'm sorry. Thanksgiving dinner is cancelled. Something came up."

That captured John's attention. Of course, the spy would know something spy-related was going on.

Morgan asked, "What's wrong?"

Ellie said the first cover story that came to her mind. "Sarah has that spastic colon. Dinner is not what she needs right now." Yes, the story was stupid, but once the idea was out there, it was hard to stay away from.

Anna wasn't sympathetic. She seemed to blame Ellie for everything, casting a disapproving look at the hostess. Anna stood up and threw her napkin on her chair. "Come on Morgan, let's go." She grabbed her still-full casserole dish and left. Morgan hurried after her. Before he left, he stopped briefly and called back, "Tell Chuck we'll see him tomorrow. I'd love it if you'd pack me a Morgan-bag. And thanks for dinner. Bye."

Morgan cared more about food than dutifully following after Anna. His girlfriend wouldn't like him saying what he did instead of simply following her as she stormed out. Maybe it was a good thing that she heard it.

That left Ellie with John. He looked straight at her and asked, "What's really going on? I know Sarah doesn't have a spastic colon. Devon and I heard something. I wanted to go back, but he lives here. It'd be strange if I insisted on going. Sarah was already back there, anyway."

"I found Sarah confronting an intruder in Chuck's room. Another one. It was Bryce Freaking Larkin. You heard Sarah hitting him, then me hitting him twice with a casserole dish."

John shot up. "Bryce Larkin is here? He's dead. I shot him." He raced off to the back.

So, John was the person who shot Bryce. That was new information. If Chuck knew that, he would have told her. John having shot Chuck's nemesis, even though he didn't kill him, moved the NSA agent up a couple notches in her book.

Back in Chuck's room. The five of them crowded around the man on the floor who was covered in brown and white mushy food. Sarah held a gun at the man, despite him being unconscious. She had moved so she was between the food-covered man, and Chuck. As Ellie entered, Chuck said, "Sarah, are you alright?"

"Of course, I'm alright. Your sister was here to protect me." Ellie didn't think her protection was necessary. Sarah had already hit him by the time Ellie used the dish of sweet potatoes. One punch wasn't enough, but it was a good initial salvo in taking the jerk down.

Sarah asked Chuck, "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be alright? He was out cold when I got here. This morning, I thought he was dead. He doesn't look dead now, but unconscious and covered with food, he doesn't look much better."

"He was once your friend, but he screwed you over in college and again a couple months ago," Sarah said. With one hand, she reached behind and took hold of one of Chuck's. Chuck's face had been filled with shock, but after he had a physical connection with Sarah, he closed his mouth and the corners of his mouth started a little smile. Good grief. They needed a normal relationship where they could support each other all the time, as more than protector/protectee—like Elie and Devon. Ellie took Devon's hand, and he brought their clasped hands to his lips for a quick kiss.

John grunted, went over, and threw the rogue spy over his shoulder. "Enough of this lovey-dovey stuff. I'll take him over to my place where we can secure him. Sarah, Chuck, with me. We need a strategy." The three of them left.

Devon said, "Babe, what just happened? The other night, before we took you to the hospital, you said some crazy things about spies and claimed Chuck and Sarah weren't a real couple. Was any of that true?"

She patted him on the top corner of his chest as she left the room. "Come on, Honey. We need to clean up dinner and this mess I made when I knocked out Bryce." Ellie was happy she could finally tell Devon a little of what was going on.

"Bryce? That was Chuck's Bryce? I thought he was dead."

Ellie started clearing the table, "We all thought that, until he showed up tonight. He used to be Sarah's partner with the CIA. He went rogue, stole information, and sent it to Chuck. Everything I said the other night is true. Sarah and John are spies. Chuck is working with them. I found out about them the night after Chuck's birthday, when this entire thing started. I'm on the team for medical support. I wasn't allowed to tell you because we're keeping the circle of people who know as small as possible. Now you know. I can tell you some basics, just not details. I don't know a lot of them, anyway. Tonight, none of us expected that evil man to come here, so this time, even the spies don't know all of the details."

"They're really spies? That's awesome! But everything you said is true? Chuck and Sarah aren't really a couple?" Devon brought over dirty dishes as Ellie got out containers for leftovers.

"No. They aren't a real couple. I also said they love each other. That's true, too. They just aren't allowed to act on it. In my opinion, it's stupid. Sarah's official job as a CIA agent is to protect Chuck from things like his nemesis crashing Thanksgiving dinner. Who would you protect more than the person you love?"

"That sounds complicated."

"Don't use that word, but yes."

"Ok. That sounds not awesome."

Taking a bag of trash out to the apartment bins, Ellie looked over at John's apartment and wondered what was going on. Almost on cue, like she had mental superpowers, Chuck and Sarah came out of John's. Ellie quietly asked, "Am I allowed to know or is this one of those things where the mission is still ongoing?" No one could have heard her. There were bugs out in the courtyard, but she trusted Sarah to only say what was ok for NSA consumption. Casey would hear it first, anyway.

Sarah answered in low tones, "You're an important part of how we apprehended Bryce. You're allowed to know."

Chuck said, "Bryce said the name of a group of rogue spies embedded in various branches of government, and he said a special access project that indicated why he blew up the Intersect. I flashed. It was an internal strike. According to him, he sent the Intersect to me to save it."

"We're supposed to believe that?" Ellie didn't. "There's that video that proves he framed you back in college. He might have thought he was saving you, but Sarah told me it shows he was always a loose cannon. I'm happier that you are working with Sarah and the CIA the way you are, here in L.A., rather than you being a covert agent somewhere I'd never see you. From the CIA's perspective, though, Bryce was keeping you away from them years ago. If he was lying to the government when he was in college, why not now?"

Sarah said, "The CIA doesn't know if they can trust him, but considering there's a group of rogue spies in the CIA, called Fulcrum, and considering the mission Chuck flashed on, we can't dismiss Bryce out of hand. He wants to come in from the cold, and our counterintelligence people need to interrogate him. For that, we need to turn him in to the 'real CIA,' not Fulcrum agents in the CIA. Chuck came up with a smart plan. We do the hand-off to the 'real CIA' in the crowd of people at the Buy More Black Friday sale, tomorrow. Chuck will do a pass to see if he flashes on the agents sent to pick up Bryce."

"Where was Bryce?" Ellie asked.

"Fulcrum had him. For all we know, they may have followed Bryce here, although Bryce says that's not the case."

Ellie suggested, "Sarah, you should stay here with Chuck tonight, to protect him better."

Sarah didn't say anything. Chuck started, "If Sarah doesn't want… I wouldn't make…"

"That's not it. I don't have anything to sleep in." Sarah was smiling. Ellie could tell she was teasing.

Chuck didn't see it as a joke. His eyes bugged out as he obviously imagined trying to sleep next to his beautiful cover girlfriend with her not wearing anything.

Ellie and Sarah both laughed as Chuck's blush was apparent, even in the dark with only the courtyard's lights.

Sarah gave Chuck a new image. "That's ok. I'll sleep in a T-shirt and boxers of Chuck's."

That didn't help much. Chuck mouth opened and shut a couple times with no sound coming out. Chuck had another image stuck in his head, but this one he was going to get to see. Sarah chuckled, grabbed Chuck's hand, and pulled him to the apartment.

A/N: Ellie: 5; Ninjas, intruders, and Boba Fett: 0. We'll give another Mandalorian, Din Djarin, a half a point because Mandalorian season 2 just came out, even though he's not in this chapter. It was fictionally set a long time ago, so it happened before 2007, and he's more awesome than Boba Fett, I mean Bryce. Bo-Katan Kryze stays at zero because she was in Death Watch and she takes off her helmet.

The response to the question in the alternate chapter title? Don't worry about it. Ellie doesn't need a frying pan and will use whatever is at hand. This entire story could have been named "Ellie vs All Comers," but that would've spoiled how we got here. This chapter could have been "Who Needs a Frying Pan?" If you want to read about Ellie hitting Bryce with a frying pan: "Chuck & His Roommate vs the Next Mission," chapter 3, "I Hate Bryce Larkin."

In the show, Bryce found Chuck's apartment when he was on the run from the CIA, so in this AU (assuming he somehow got away from Fulcrum), he could find Chuck's place again. He just couldn't handle the unique, brunette security system.

What? No kiss in front of the not-a-bomb? Nope. In this AU, Lou and the Stavros family stay in the clear of the FDA and harbor security. Keeping Chuck away from Lou prevents that great Charah moment. Keep in mind that that kiss didn't immediately result in "happily ever after" for Chuck and Sarah.

Now it's time to get ready for Black Friday sales.

Song:
- "I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For" sung by Bing Crosby for Holiday Inn