A/N: He's about to turn his store over, how is that gonna go?

A/N 2: You ever get reviews and are legit like, why are you all saying what you're saying, and then you realized, a scene in your head never actually made it to paper. So, I give you the missing scene from chapter 12 and then the rest of the story, the missing scene is unbeta'd and it's my bad, sorry guys.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Chapter 12 missing scene after the talk with Hartley before he meets Sarah

"So, back to you moving on with your life," Hartley began, his eyes dancing with mirth watching Chuck come to realizations that he had never thought of before. "Your last day at the station, two weeks?"

Chuck spun his head around at Hartley. "TWO WEEKS!" Hartley was taken aback. "Hartley, no, you can't do that to me," Chuck began.

"Do what?"

"I mean, I have so much more to say, so many people depend on me," Chuck continued.

"But Charles," Hartley tried to interject.

"I mean, there's so much, just about Dad that I need to say, and...and..." he looked up at Hartley like he was about to take his favorite toy away. "And Christmas."

"What about Christmas?" Hartley felt like he had been pulled into what Chuck had told him a trip to "Morgantown" felt like.

"You want me to quit before I get to play Christmas music?" Hartley closed his eyes feeling pain in his forehead. He began to take his thumb and middle finger and try to rub the pain away. "You want me to not play all those amazing Christmas songs and not tell their stories and-"

"Charles, you can't keep DJing forever," Hartley tried to cut in.

"The kids, Hartley! THE KIDS! I always tell them where the best Santa's are," Chuck continued.

"CHARLES!" Hartley yelled. Chuck turned toward Hartley realizing he had gone on a full on spiral. "I will make you a deal, if you promise me, and I mean promise me."

"Let's here it," Chuck said.

"You may DJ until Christmas Eve on TWO conditions." Chuck had never seen Hartley look so serious and he wondered in another life if he could have been the villain in a TV series. "One, there are no arguments, no nothing, as of December 24th you are done."

"What's the second?" Chuck asked.

"The second, most important, and non-negotiable is you are NEVER to talk to this with me again. I have a migraine now."

"Sorry," Chuck began. "You just know how I-" Hartley gave him a look. Chuck pressed his lips together, and mimicked zipping his lips.

"Very good," Hartley said. "I have never in my life heard of twelve months notice, but it's you so I shouldn't be surprised." Chuck had the good courtesy to look a little embarrassed. Hartley clapped his hand on Chuck's shoulder. "Let's head back, I need to see your mother, is she dating?"

"I have no idea and don't want to know," Chuck admitted. Hartley laughed.

And now, Ch 16

He locked the door to the shop, turned, and looked around. It was now no longer his. He could see his dad tinkering with some piece of electronics. He could see himself stocking the comics that had come in. He could see his mom and dad slow dancing to a song on the record player as Chuck counted the register. He sighed. His mom and sister told him they'd help him tonight, but he told them no. They had moved on, he hadn't. And he was the one that had to.

"I mean, you can visit any time, it's okay," he heard a voice behind him say. He turned slowly. He hadn't heard the door unlock and open, so lost in the memories of the past as he'd been.

He reached into his pocket, took the key off his keychain, and walked over. He stood there, waiting for her to hold out her hand. She did, but not without giving him an amused look. He gently laid the key in her hand. "I needed to do that," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"What else do you need to do to finish?" she asked.

"Nothing. Whatever is left is yours. It's not much," he said, gesturing toward one bin that held odds and ends.

"Okay," Sarah said gently. "Let me take you to get something to eat. I know you haven't."

"How do you know?" he asked. At that moment, his stomach chose to betray him. "Okay, so I haven't, but how did you know?"

"Because I had Morgan watching you all day," Sarah told him. Chuck's mouth dropped. "I know, it's terrible that I paid an employee to hang out with you all day, but you needed someone."

"You were who he was texting?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded. "Do you know what Anna would do if she found out?"

"He was texting Anna, and she was relaying everything to me," Sarah explained.

"You know… that was ingenious," Chuck admitted.

Sarah bounced a shoulder. "I have my moments."

"Sarah Walker, I feel you have more than just moments," Chuck told her. "Fine, let's get food, but I'm paying."

"No, tonight I'm paying," Sarah told him. "If you feel honor-bound to pay, or not to cheat on your internet girlfriend…" she quickly held her hands up at the look on his face "…I'm just saying this is a friend taking you out after a bad day, and you can buy next time." She stuck her hand out. "Deal?"

He studied it a second, and then slipped his hand in hers. "Fine, next time, I pay."

"Okay," Sarah said, grinning, leading him out of his store for the last time.

}o{

Over the next five weeks, Sarah saw Chuck twice, texted with him dozens of times, and talked to Orion every few days. Chuck was trying to find a job, but wasn't sure what he wanted to do. What's up Chuck wasn't live, and Sarah wasn't sure what that meant.

As March turned into April, Sarah noticed that both Chuck's and Orion's messages were growing shorter. She saw Morgan walk past her office a third time, and knew something was up. "Morgan!" she yelled, the fourth time he walked by, causing him to jump in the air, and drop the box he was carrying. "I'm sorry!" she said, jumping to her feet, to help him.

"It's fine," Morgan insisted. "The box is actually empty. I just needed to talk to you, but it's about Chuck, and I'm on the clock and-"

"Morgan," Sarah said. "What's wrong?"

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of his dad's death," Morgan blurted out.

"That's why he's not been very talkative," Sarah said. "I need his address."

"You're gonna send him a card?" Morgan asked.

"No, I'm going over there tomorrow," Sarah told him. Morgan smiled at Sarah, held his hand out, and Sarah handed him her phone. He typed for a moment, and handed it back. "Anything I should avoid?"

Morgan sniffed a laugh. "If anything, you might ought to help him face things." Sarah nodded, understanding. "Take care of him, Sarah." With that, Morgan turned and left. Sarah went back to her desk, and turned on Chuck's program.

"Tomorrow is a big day for me," she heard Chuck say over the speakers. "Tonight's first song comes from my and my father's favorite movie." She heard a ukulele begin in the background. "Miss you dad." Sarah felt tears in her eyes. She heard Kermit's voice begin, and she couldn't help but smile.

Why are there so many songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?

She opened Friendster and began to type.

Hey, you've gotten kinda quiet and short the past few times we've talked, are you doing okay?

She didn't expect a response, so she began to get ready to leave. Her computer dinged, and she rushed back to it.

Just a lot going on. Trying to figure out what to do with my life, and trying to fight the feeling I let my father down.

Sarah began to type.

Hey, I'm here, and you need to know you didn't let him down.

Her computer dinged almost immediately.

I know, deep down, but my brain, you know? Listen, I promise I'm not blowing you off, but I have a bit of a cold and I took some cold medicine, so I'm about to pass out. But before I do, I need you to know something: I'm not a USB… I mean I might be ugly, but the rest… no.

Sarah laughed out loud at that.

I guess I will verify when I see you, but I think that's the cold medicine talking. Good night.

Good night

He stared at his computer. How the hell did she know what USB stood for?

Sarah stood up to leave when Carina walked into her office. "You need to get a boyfriend and get laid or something, you're here way too much."

"Fine, I'm taking tomorrow off," Sarah told her, walking past Carina.

"Seriously?" Carina called after her. "What are you going to do?"

"Take care of someone," Sarah told her.

"Is that code for getting some?" Carina yelled. What few employees that were upstairs turned to look at her. "Seriously, she needs to get laid."

A/N: Well, well, well. What will Sarah do? What? You're still here? You want a peak….I swear I spoil you.

"How are you?"

"Great," he said, as she walked past him. She put the box on the kitchen table, pulled one of the coffees out of the drink holder, walked back over to him, and offered it to him. Chuck took it, took a sip, and his eyelids fluttered at the taste as he swore he felt the caffeine work it's way though him.

"So, I'm going to give you that, because you're new to being Sarah Walker's friend," she began, making his eyes go wide. "I know what today is, I know you are most certainly not great, at least emotionally," she quickly added. "I mean you are great in general, but emotionally, you're not, so….Chuck Bartowski….how are you?"

WELL, WELL, WELL. See you in 24 or so more hours.