A/N: These two….I am just along for the ride at this point.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Chuck had cleaned the kitchen, done his morning workout, and was hanging from a bar he had attached high on a wall, near the ceiling. He was doing crunches like Richard Gere in American Gigolo, thinking about what to do next. Sarah said she needed to find Piranha, and he was certain it was Vaas Montenegro that was after him.

Chuck didn't know the full story about how Vaas was tied into everything, but he knew enough to know that Vaas was evil. Accordingly, he had drained the warlord's bank accounts. The man was somehow connected to Graham and Sarah's father, and Chuck suspected he was the key to everything.

The front door opened, and he watched his sister walk in. "I don't know which is more bothersome; you doing that, or the fact that Devon taught you."

Chuck started to respond when his bedroom door opened, and Sarah hobbled out. She paused, blinked, and then rubbed an eye. "Chuck?"

"Yeah, just working on my core," Chuck told her.

"Jesus," she breathed softly. He was shirtless. He had learned that if he wore one while doing this, it just ended up in his face. Sarah was looking around everywhere except at him, and she finally chose to focus on Ellie. "Have you heard about his unrequited love for some mystery woman?"

Ellie turned to Chuck, amusement on her face. "I have," Ellie said. "Come on, let me give you a check-up, and we can compare notes."

"I've already checked her out," Chuck said. Sarah gave him a look. "Oh, for the love of… Sarah, blind men check you out. Ellie too, for that matter." Both women chuckled as they headed toward Chuck's bedroom.

"Ellie, I know we don't know each other that well, but Chuck always talked about you, so I feel like I do know you," Sarah began, sitting on Chuck's bed again. "This woman he's in love with… is she good enough for him?"

Ellie had an amused look on her face and a twinkle in her eye. "I don't know her that well, but from what I can tell, yes. Absolutely."

Sarah was studying Ellie. "Ellie, you have the same smile and twinkle in your eye as Chuck, when he talks about her."

"Probably because we both think she's pretty amazing," Ellie said with a shrug. Sarah sighed. "Something wrong?"

"No," Sarah said. Ellie snorted. "What?"

"You, pretending this isn't killing you," Ellie told her, gently touching around the wound with her gloved finger. "I'm not as oblivious as he is."

"He's not oblivious," Sarah objected. Ellie looked up at her, grinning. "Oh my God," she groused, looking up at the ceiling. "He was always so smart, so kind, so funny." She was smiling, her look far away from his bedroom. She looked down at Ellie. "And now he has the damn nerve to look like that?!"

Ellie snorted. "Maybe you should tell him," the older woman said, applying an ointment to the wound as she prepared to apply a fresh dressing. "Maybe if he knew…" Ellie trailed off, grinning.

"Ellie, he's in love with her," Sarah told Ellie.

"Yep, for years now," Ellie said, shaking her head.

"Years?! Jesus, how can I compete with that?" Sarah asked. She pulled her chin back in surprise as Ellie stood, looking Sarah right in the eye.

"You've been around my dad too damn long," Ellie told her. "Talk to him. Tell him how you feel, Sarah. That's Chuck. Do you think he's going to hurt you if he knows how you feel? What's the worst thing Chuck would do? He'd feel bad if he didn't feel anything for you, but do you think he doesn't feel anything for you?"

"How could he, I was barely in his life," Sarah insisted.

"And yet, here you are, head over heels in love with him," Ellie pointed out.

"Guys like that don't love women like me, Ellie," Sarah replied.

"Oh, sure… Beautiful-"

"I looked nothing like this back then," Sarah interrupted.

"Smart, kind," Ellie continued. "Funny, caring, the best heart. Yeah, you're absolutely hideous... no guy could ever want a woman like that. You've spent too much time with the wrong Bartowski man."

"You are really angry at your dad," Sarah said softly. Ellie nodded, blowing out a rough breath. "You know, I know I'm not as good of a listener as Chuck is… hell, who is, for that matter?" Ellie snorted a little at that. "But I can, you know… listen."

"Thank you, Sarah," Ellie replied. "I truly appreciate it, but I feel like you're part of the problem." Sarah's eyes widened. "No, not like that. I'm sorry." Ellie shook her head. "He kept you from your family, as well. He is one of the reasons you're running."

"Graham did that," Sarah protested.

"Yes, he did," Ellie agreed. "But my father could have come back at any time, with you, and you could have been here with us. All of us, together. But Dad…" she shook her head, frustrated. "He got this damn idea in his head he could fix everything, and he can't. It's pure hubris on his part."

"Stephen always did seem surprised when things went wrong," Sarah admitted. "I think it was more than that, though." Sarah looked down at her leg. "I wanted to clear my dad's name. I wanted to stick it to Graham. And I think when I made that choice, your father wanted to protect you and Chuck, and that's why he never came back."

"That is the dumbest thing I ever heard, and completely checks out as something my father would do," Ellie grumbled. Sarah couldn't help but laugh, and even Ellie had to smile. Ellie reached over and squeezed Sarah's hand. "I need you to keep something in mind: Chuck is his father's son."

"I don't know what you mean," Sarah said.

"Sometimes, he gets an idea in his brain, and he gets a little stubborn about things," Ellie explained. "Not often, but when it comes to those he cares about – and please, make no mistake, you are one of those people…" Ellie was looking her directly in the eye as she spoke, making Sarah swallow. "– Sometimes, he needs a little bit of help. He may appear confident, but he's still the child of a father who left him, and sometimes he thinks he just not good enough for people."

"Like the woman he's in love with," Sarah said. Ellie sighed. "What?"

"Nothing," Ellie said, standing. "I'll be back in a few days to check on your leg. If it gets too bad, call me. I'm sure Chuck will before you do, but just in case, if you are worried call me." Sarah nodded. Ellie gave her a hug. "I'm gonna go talk to him, then head out."

She paused at the door. "Tell him."

Sarah said nothing, and Ellie just shook her head as she left the room. Sarah hobbled over to the door just in time to hear Ellie say something to Chuck, sotto voce. She opened the door, as he looked properly chastised. Ellie gave Chuck another look, kissed him on the cheek and told them she would see them in a few days. With that, she was gone.

"Everything okay?" Sarah asked.

"No," Chuck told her. "I have been told by Ellie that I need to do something."

"I think you need to listen to your sister," Sarah told him. "I don't think she'd ever do anything to harm you."

"No, she's usually really good at advice, but this… I don't know," Chuck admitted.

"Yeah, she gave me some as well, and while she's right, I just… I don't know if I can," Sarah replied.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Have I done something?"

Her face softened and she smiled at him. "You? Chuck, God, no. Never. You've been everything for me, ever since I've known you." She put her hand to the back of her neck and rubbed it. "I guess that's a lie, you have done something." Chuck's look of worry returned. "You're here for me, again, and you always are."

"Always, Sarah. I'm always here for you, as much as you need me to be," he told her. She held his gaze. "I just worry that… you said before I was confident, but I'm not. Not about everything."

"Jesus, that girl again. I swear, tell me her name, and I'll straighten this out," she told him.

"No, no, no, no, no," Chuck said, shaking his head. "It's not that-" he clamped his lips shut as she looked him dead in the eye. "It's-" he clamped them back shut as the look intensified. "I'm gonna go shower. I'm all sweaty from the crunches." Sarah couldn't reply as she eyed his chest. She noticed the way his shorts sat on his hip bones. She looked back up at him and nodded. "You okay? You look… well… kinda funny. Your leg okay?"

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She turned and hobbled back to her bedroom. When she'd shut the door, Chuck dropped his head backwards to look up at the ceiling.

"Gah," he muttered.

}o{

Chuck came out of the shower, got dressed, and decided it was time to talk to Sarah. He needed to tell her how he really felt. He was taking a deep, fortifying breath when his phone rang. "Hello?"

"Pineapple," he heard his sister say, and she hung up. Chuck ran over, grabbed his bag, threw all his clothes in it, and bolted out his bedroom door. He stopped in front of Sarah's door, wanting to burst in, but he knew better. He knocked.

"Come in," he heard Sarah say.

"We gotta go," Chuck told her. He went into her closet, grabbed a bag, and started throwing in all the clothes Ellie and Devon had procured for her.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"No idea, but Ellie called with our code word, and that means either she was made, or she thinks we're being tracked," Chuck told her. "I need you to trust me."

"Done," Sarah told him, standing. Chuck looked at her leg, and then back to Sarah. He was trying to decide what to do when she spoke. "You're going to carry me, aren't you?" Chuck's eyes widened. "But why, your car is in the garage."

"I'm considering it compromised," Chuck told her. "We have another car hidden a few blocks over."

"Fine. Give me the bags, I'll hold them, and you carry me," Sarah told him. "Come on, Chuck, we both know you can. We both know it will be faster, and I promise I won't tell the woman you're in love with."

"I have no problem if you do," Chuck told her. She took the bags from him, put one strap over her right shoulder to left hip, then mirroring the process with the other. Chuck reached down and picked her up, chuckling. "Never thought anyone would sweep you off your feet."

"Nerd," she muttered, smiling at him. "Now, go."

He took off as quickly as he could, while being gentle to not jostle her. He went out the back door, across the back yard, to the fence door. Opening it quickly, he looked both ways, crossed the street, and took off down a hedge row cutting across another yard.

It took nearly fifteen minutes, but they came to a parking garage. "That it?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied.

"Are you even winded?" Chuck shrugged. "My God, your cardio must be amazing."

"Not as amazing as you," he told her, winking. She snorted as he headed down the steps to the provisioned SUV he and Ellie had pre-positioned when he went to Stanford.

"Do we have a plan?" Sarah asked. Chuck started to answer, but she laid a finger over his mouth. "Nope… don't tell me until you're sure we're secure." Chuck squeezed her a little tighter. "Oh, I know I'm secure in your arms, you nerd."

Chuck laughed as he opened the staircase door, walked over to passenger side of the SUV, and gently helped Sarah into a standing position. He unlocked the door and helped her in, then took the bags, tossing them in the back. He then ran around to the driver's door and got in, started the SUV, and skillfully maneuvered the big vehicle out into traffic.

"We secure?"

"Dad has a cabin in the woods. It's away from everything and everyone," Chuck explained. "He also has telecommunications set up that are basically untraceable, so we can get in touch with Ellie. I have her burner phone number that no one knows about. Once we establish secure contact, we'll figure out what is going on."

"Okay," Sarah said, nodding.

"You're really calm," Chuck said, looking over at her.

"Do you remember that week you and your dad stayed with me while my dad went out to do something?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Chuck replied, grinning. "I've never had as much fun in my life." Sarah smiled at him. "Why?"

"My dad was a checkers guy," Sarah began. "His goal was to get through the board and become a King. Your dad – and I learned this the hard way – is a three-dimensional chess guy. His goal is to be the smartest guy in the room, and to do things in an intelligence-based way."

"Yeah," Chuck replied, confused.

"You can do either of those, and you can play regular chess," Sarah continued. "But one of those days, when it was raining, I suggested we play a game, and I asked you to choose." She shifted in her seat, turning towards him. Her leg with the injury remained forward, with her other up on the seat, her arm wrapped around her knee.

"Yeah," Chuck replied. "I picked Life."

"Yeah, you did," Sarah agreed. She grinned. "Do you remember what you said when I asked you why?" Chuck shook his head. "You kinda shrugged and said, 'Those games are so serious… sometimes, I just want to enjoy life, have a car, a family, and enjoy things.'"

"Huh… you remember that?" Chuck asked.

"I don't forget the important things, Chuck," Sarah told him. Silence descended on the vehicle for a moment. "Chuck, everyone is always serious around me in my life, except you. You are enjoying life, at least trying to when you're with me. So, if you tell me it's time to be serious, then it's time to be serious." She was silent for a moment. "But, when the seriousness has passed, you want to go back to playing Life."

Chuck thought about that, then began to chuckle. "Huh… and here I am driving the family car."

"Does that make me the wife?" Sarah asked. Chuck's pressed his lips together and widened his eyes. "When we get some time, when we are safe, we need to talk."

"We do?" Chuck asked, glancing at her. She gave him a look. "Right," he replied. "We absolutely do." She snorted. "If you want to doze, feel free. It's gonna be a bit of a drive. Sarah nodded, turned, and got comfortable. A little while later, he heard her softly snoring.

"All we need is a couple of kids," he said softly to himself.

A/N: I swear to….let me guess, you wanna know about next time.

"Of course there's only one bedroom, with one bed, and it's a double," Chuck groused

…..*throws up hands and walks away*