A/N: It's now Christmas Eve and Sarah has worked hard to get both the house and the kids ready for Christmas Day, as well as with their challenges.
Thank you to those of you that left reviews for the last chapter, on Chuck and Sarah's youngest, Liam. Lest than for Chuck's chapter, which is not surprising as Liam is a totally unknown character.
MyNameIsJeffNImLost beta'd once again, with more corrections and Americanization work needed. As usual, any mistakes found are all mine, some will be in the additional sentences added since he last read this..
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, as well as watching the show.
After You, Christmess
Sarah
It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid
At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade
And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy
Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time
But say a prayer, pray for the other ones
At Christmas time it's hard, but when you're having fun
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
Where the only water flowing
Is the bitter sting of tears
And the Christmas bells that ring
There are the clanging chimes of doom
Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you
And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time
The greatest gift they'll get this year is life
Where nothing ever grows
No rain nor rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?
Here's to you
Raise a glass for everyone
Spare a thought this yuletide for the deprived
If the table was turned would you survive
Here's to them
Underneath that burning sun
You ain't gotta feel guilt just selfless
Give a little help to the helpless
Do they know it's Christmas time at all?
Feed the world
Feed the world
Feed the world
Feed the world
Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time again
Feed the world
Let them know it's Christmas time again
Feed the world
"Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Midge Ure / Bob Geldof
It is coming together. It is!
The house is ready for the Christmas Day celebrations. Presents are already under the Christmas tree. Well, apart from the last-minute presents for the kids. Santa will have to deliver those when the kids are in bed tonight, Christmas Eve.
Sarah chuckles, thinking about Kathryn's plans for tonight. She had told Sarah about the trouble she had been having with unbelievers at school.
As someone who was out conning people by Kathryn's age, Sarah didn't feel as qualified at helping her daughter, but had done her best. Kathryn felt better after their chat, but she was obviously determined to catch Santa. Sarah felt proud of her daughter, who had obviously picked up her detection skills. However, she was sure that Kathryn would be asleep way before midnight, so Santa would not be accosted by the eight-year-old sleuth.
Gwen surprised Sarah, who had expected her to be out with friends, but she was not only here, but offering to help. It's not that she doesn't help, but she has developed Sarah's independent, adventurous streak and was rarely at home. When Sarah questioned her about it, she was evasive, which instantly triggered Sarah's interrogation skills. She no longer threatens the individuals, and she certainly wouldn't with her daughter, but she could still get the secret out of her target.
Sarah had mixed feelings when Gwen told her that she had already discussed this with Chuck. She was heart warmed that her daughter had wanted to save her from additional stress and hugged Gwen for that. However, part of her was a bit hurt that Gwen had kept it a secret from her mother.
When she heard the story, she did, as Chuck had predicted, wanting to keep her children safe and protect them from anyone peddling drugs. After all, she took down a number of drug lords in her time in the CIA and knew very well what those drugs did to the 'customers' of the pushers at the end of the chain.
However, she knew that her own kids were smart enough to not take any. She was more worried about their friends who may be more vulnerable and then the effect on her own kids of seeing their friends suffering the effects.
Gwen promised she was going to break the news to her sister. Sarah hugged Gwen when she said that. Gwen had difficulty bonding with Maire, as she is so jealous of her older sister, in spite of anything Sarah or Chuck said. Gwen promised to tell Sarah when she had done that. Then Sarah planned to talk to both of her daughters about how to communicate this to their friends and other parents. They would work on this together. Sarah chuckled, thinking this will be a new Team Bartowski against drugs.
Gwen also told Sarah about her conversation with Chuck and how bad he felt for not being there.
Sarah felt bad too, for getting mad when he had called with the bad news about his journey home. It wasn't Chuck she was mad at, but the situation. After her conversation with Gwen, she called him and apologized. The two of them had a long chat while he drove ever closer.
All of the flights running were full of others desperately trying to get places. He was driving all the way.
She then started to worry about him, his safety and wellbeing. He wasn't used to long-distance driving, but he assured her he was taking breaks.
He called her two or three times a day since then. The calls late in the evenings, when both were in bed, were hard because they couldn't hold each other, but they were also somewhat therapeutic. Hearing his voice, telling her how much he wanted to envelope her in his arms was the best she could get until he arrived home. Thankfully, that would be later today, Christmas Eve.
They discussed his arrival. He was going to hug each of the kids, as he always did when he'd been away. If others had arrived by then, they would be hugged too, but everyone knew the two of them needed alone time. Just the thought of that sent shivers up and down her spine. They had been apart for so long, unable to be like that.
She trusts Maire to look after everyone else, playing Christmas songs slightly louder than normal. Maire will also welcome late arrivals.
Sarah knows who is coming, now. Her mom and Molly will arrive, around the time that Chuck expected to be here.
Mary is coming, but will arrive later. She didn't tell Sarah where she was coming from. She is still as secretive as she had been as a spy, even though those days are long behind her.
Thinking about their oldest holding the fort, Sarah is impressed with how she had gotten over Craig and his treatment of her. Mother and daughter spent quite a bit of time together over that. She was also impressed with herself over how she handled that. The desire to go and make him realize the consequences of hurting a Bartowski had been almost overpowering, but she resisted, somehow.
Liam managing without his front two teeth would be interesting tomorrow, but he will cope. He's a Bartowski, after all.
She casts her mind back to her pre-Bartowski days. They had been lonely days. She had helped others have peaceful and happy Christmases, but hers hadn't been. Not that she had realized it at the time.
The old, much repeated Christmas song, Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" always springs to mind when she thinks about what she did back then and the importance of helping others.
There's a world outside your window
And it's a world of dread and fear
God, there is! She had lived in a world totally dominated with fear, not hers, but victims of bad people. The song, however, is about starving millions and fear of death from that, but the same holds true for the unpaid people being forced to work in various locations around the world.
And the Christmas bells that ring
There are the clanging chimes of doom
Those words ring true for both situations, too.
It had taken her wonderful husband quite some time to convince her that she was not just a bringer of doom when a CIA officer, reminding her of the thousands of people she had saved from evil men.
She tries not to think of Christmases back in her CIA days. Those dark days are over for her now. She was saved by Chuck. After that she wanted 'normal' Christmases, or as close to normal as possible.
Saving others now was, like encouraged by the song, about giving generously, and Chuck and Sarah did.
For Sarah, since she got her memories back, every Christmas has been wonderful. Chuck makes them wonderful. God, she loves him so much!
She loves all her family so much! Every day she is so grateful for her time with them, and it all started with the man of her dreams, Chuck, her lifesaver.
She, Chuck and their kids are Bartowskis and nothing will stop them from having a great Christmas.
A/N: Sarah spent her time in the CIA helping and protecting others, as Chuck frequently reminded her, so her thinking the same thing here is not surprising.
The song this time, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was performed by a mixed group of artists as part of Band Aid. Released on 3rd December 1984, it was arguably the first benefit song of its kind and was certainly one of the most impactful. A series of television reports highlighting the famine in Ethiopia that began in 1983 shocked the UK. Bob Geldof and his then-wife Paula Yates were deeply affected by what they saw, and wanted to aid the crisis in some way. Bob met with Ultravox singer Midge Ure, agreeing to work together on a charity record. Geldof then called every contact he had and pulled plenty of strings to pull together the impressive list of musicians. Working together for others like that is more common now, but back then it was amazing.
Next chapter we will have everyone together for Christmas Day. Hoorah.
Please leave a review to let me know what you think of this chapter.