A/N: This Christmas fic is a bit different; not a story, but a set of linked chapters.

It's fourteen years after the birth of their first child in 'After You,' and we are approaching Christmas. We see the family preparing for it. All of them have challenges, which is why the title includes the mashed-up words 'Christmess', but they're all trying to get together for the festive period. Hopefully, they will.

None of the chapters will be long, but, as with the main fic, all will contain the lyrics from a song, this time a Christmas one, that is relevant to the chapter.

A prologue to start, with Sarah thinking about what's to come.

MyNameIsJeffNImLost has kindly agreed to help me with this as my beta. So, it should be better than my usual. If not, it's still my fault.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or the lyrics I have used, but, as always, recommend listening to the songs or even watching them on YouTube.

After You, Christmess
Prologue

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please to put a penny in the old man's hat;
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you!

"Christmas Is Coming"
Traditional

Sarah Bartowski sits down between her two youngest children, nursing her coffee. She'd been tidying. Again.

She'd never been a particularly tidy person until she'd started living with Chuck seventeen years ago. Seventeen years! Is it really that long? In those years, his cleaning fanaticism had become hers. So, when big gatherings are approaching, she cleans and cleans and cleans. Then she cleans some more. She is now exhausted and needs this break.

She's been a mother for fourteen years, longer than she was a CIA officer, which puts her life in perspective. Even when she was first married, she would have laughed at anyone suggesting she would have one child, let alone four children.

However, when she found out she was pregnant with her first, Maire, she was overjoyed. Maire was born with a full head of dark hair, so it had looked like she would take after her father. However, within a few months, all her birth hair had fallen out and blonde hair replaced it. Chuck was over the moon. "A mini you!" he had declared. Much as his reaction charmed her, she had hoped for another brunette girl to love, other than Chuck's sister. Previously, brunettes had caused so much trouble in their lives!

Gwen, their second, was blonde too. She didn't get that brunette daughter until her third child, Kathryn.

Looking down at her brown-haired five-year-old boy, Liam, it doesn't feel anywhere near that long since he was just a baby, making his voice heard in that hospital room, just like his three sisters had before him. He snuggles up close to his mom, but his eyes do not shift from the television on the wall.

Kathryn might be eight, but she also loves snuggling up to her mom while watching television, and does so. Sarah has to keep her right arm raised to keep her coffee away from her daughter.

Years ago, feeling trapped like this, with two bodies pressed against her, would have driven Sarah to fight to escape. She is so glad that those days are well behind her. She loves being like this with her kids.

She takes a sip of coffee and starts watching with them. It's nearly two weeks until Christmas, and all the kids are watching during the day is Christmas movies and programs. She recognizes this one, an old one from 1979. 'John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together'. She rolls her eyes at knowing the year it was broadcast. Chuck really had rubbed off on her, in child-friendly as well as child-making ways.

Miss Piggy has just started singing 'Christmas in Coming,' and Liam and Kathryn are joining in. It sure is coming, but Sarah is still not sure who it will bring with it!

Listening to the verse, Sarah shudders. There will definitely not be a goose! She's heard from friends in Britain that this used to be the traditional meat at Christmas over there, before turkey became popular. Goose was a very, very fatty bird and will not be on the table! No, they'll have turkey, just like they usually do. Everyone loved turkey, even though they'd eaten it at Ellie's for Thanksgiving.

Thinking about who should be there, she is most worried about Chuck. Not that he isn't safe, but whether the man she loves will be home in time for Christmas. She tries not to worry, but when she's on her own in bed at night, his absence is all that occupies her mind.

Then, there's her wonderful fourteen-year-old, Maire. Will she be bringing that boy, Craig? Maire still hasn't told her mom.

Eleven-year-old Gwen will be there, or she better be. She's more independent than her older sister was at that age and spends a lot of time with her friends now. She might surprise Sarah and decide to go to one of their houses.

Obviously, these two munchkins will be there, loving the whole Christmas experience, just like they always do.

Her mom and sister should be there. She misses her little sister. Well, not so little now. Twenty-one-year-olds don't like being called little!

Sarah's sad that Chuck's sister and family won't be coming, with her and Devon being stuck working this year. She thinks Mary will be coming down, but who knows with that woman, stealth being her middle name.

Just another Christmas, some would say, but for Sarah every one is precious. She really hopes this one will be a happy one.

A/N: That set the scene for the rest of this fic. For anyone doubtful about what happened to Maire's hair, it does happen. Our oldest was born with thick black hair which all fell out and her blonde hair grew instead.

The cover used is of a younger Sarah, but a great Christmas one, nonetheless. If I can get an older one, I'll replace it and remove this note.

The next chapter will focus on Chuck and Sarah's first daughter, Maire, who we first saw in the epilogue of 'After You.' Then, we'll have chapters for her siblings, Molly, the two grandmothers, Chuck and a longer one for Sarah, before finishing with them all together.

"Christmas Is Coming" is a traditional song, which the Muppets used in the show.

For those of you in the Chuck FanFiction FaceBook group, when I post about each chapter, I'll provide a link to where you can watch a video of the associated song, just as I did with 'After You.'