A/N: Ellie inbound. How does she react? Like Ellie, I think, but some of you may disagree.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.

The camera focuses on Chuck and Sarah. Chuck is covering his mouth, trying not to laugh and Sarah is looking away, blowing out a breath.

}o{

"Ellie," Zondra began. Ellie gave Zondra a look and Sarah saw Zondra take a step back. Sarah had never seen Zondra step back from anyone.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said. Ellie turned to look at Sarah as did Zondra. Sarah held her head up, and looked Ellie right in the eye. "I got offered a part in 24 and I couldn't pass it up Ellie. It gave me more exposure, more money, more clout to chase my dream." She was silent a second. "And more damn loneliness." Ellie's expression didn't change but her head tilted ever so slightly to the side.

Sarah continued. "I was working six days a week. Ten to fourteen hour days, and all I could think about was Molly, you and your party, and, I didn't know it at the time, your brother."

Zondra's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "How did you know Chuck at that time?"

"I saw him at the premier, remember?" Sarah asked. Zondra nodded.

"Go on," Ellie said, curiosity having the better of her.

"I met Cole there, and…God," she shook her head. "He understood. He understood the schedule, the hours, the sacrifice to get all of this. To finally have my own production studio." Ellie was nodding. "I kept thinking, if I'd text her, she'd understand. But a part of my brain said you wouldn't, because you literally wouldn't understand this life."

"I work as a doctor in a hospital, Sarah," Ellie reminded her. "I'm use to crazy hours and having to run at a moment's notice."

"I never even thought about that," Sarah admitted. "I was alone, on another continent, and every time I saw your name in my phone….I thought about what it would be like to not be lonely."

"Is that how you and Cole ended up together?" Zondra asked. Sarah nodded.

"Come here," Ellie told Sarah. Sarah looked a little concerned, but walked around her desk, to Ellie. Sarah stopped right in front of Ellie. Ellie tilted her head, gave her a sad smile, and nearly crushed Sarah with a hug.

"What?" Sarah managed to get out.

"Oh, honey, you think I'm mad over you missing a party, and then because you were embarrassed so you didn't contact me?" Ellie asked her. "I'm so sorry you were so lonely."

Sarah pulled away from Ellie. "You Bartowskis are too kind for your own good."

"Not so fast on that," Ellie told her. "You got a pass that one time, next time, I will hunt your ass down." Ellie smiled at her. "I could have contacted you as well, don't forget that."

"Why didn't you?" Zondra asked.

"Kayla," Ellie nearly spat. "That's when she and Chuck started dating…or whatever the hell she was doing with him." She looked Sarah in the eye. "Why did you get her back in Chuck's life?"

"She's back in Chuck's life?" Sarah asked. "Last time I saw him at the beach-"

"Wait, what?" Ellie asked. "You were at the beach, with Chuck…my brother…at his beach?" Ellie couldn't stop the smile on her face.

"Oh boy," Zondra snickered. Ellie gave Zondra a look, which only increased Zondra's laughing. She suddenly stopped. "Wait, how'd you know that Kayla was here."

Ellie looked from Zondra back to Sarah. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" Sarah asked. Ellie sighed, reached into her bag and grabbed her phone. She went to an app, and handed it over to Sarah. Sarah looked at Ellie then back to the phone, and hit play.

}o{

A few minutes later, Zondra was rubbing her temples. "I swear to God…." Zondra groaned. "She doesn't say anything when they break up, but now when she finds out how much she hurt him, she goes on Tik Tok, makes a video apologizing about how she was to him. Now she does it, not back then, but now."

"And that would be fine, and the end of it, but her followers," Ellie said, shaking her head.

"Why the hell are they begging Chuck to give her another chance?" Sarah asked. "She didn't even say she wanted him, or wanted to be with him."

"They're jumping to conclusions," Zondra told Sarah. "Listen, I have an idea on how to fix this. You go with Ellie to Chuck's, and let me meet you there in a bit."

"That's a great idea," Ellie told Zondra. Ellie turned to Sarah. "Come on, you can ride with me and tell me about those thoughts you had about my brother."

"And you will tell me about those later as well," Zondra added.

"You're really not mad at me, Ellie, because you have every right to be."

"Your mom and dad came to the party," Ellie told Sarah. "They told me about you getting called away for the job at the last minute, and how much you were both thankful for the work and the opportunity and frustrated at how so much of your life you have had to pick up and do this kind of thing because of your job. I didn't know it was as bad as you told me, but I did have some idea."

"It's hard to explain to people, because all they see is the money and fame, and not what all is a part of it." Sarah was following Ellie outside to Ellie's car. "I know, woe is me, right?"

"No, you're right," Ellie agreed. "People tend to look at others and see what they have, not what they are fighting, or dealing with. They see the outside of people, and not what issues they're dealing with in-house." She opened the door, and motioned for Sarah to join her.

Sarah got in, shut the door, put on her seatbelt, and sat there for a second. "Like mental health," Sarah said softly. Ellie was about to start the car, and paused. Ellie turned to Sarah, and stared at her. "Some people look like they're doing wonderful. They look like they have life under control, but we have no idea what anyone is fighting inside." Sarah turned to Ellie. "We need to give people grace." Ellie smiled at Sarah and nodded.

"Now," Ellie said, starting the car. "How did you end up on Chuck's beach with him?" Sarah giggled, and began to tell the story.

}o{

The camera came back to the interview chair, where Ellie was sitting. "I've grown very protective of my little brother. Our parents leaving, his anxiety diagnosis." She paused, and then with disdain in her voice, continued. "Kayla." Ellie was silent for a moment. "I knew Chuck was crazy about Sarah Walker. The person, not the actress. Sarah was amazing, but as she said, she lived a life…I questioned that Chuck could handle. Let's be honest, anxiety grips him constantly, so if he were in a relationship with her, and she was shooting a scene in a movie, or show…say it was a sex scene…his mind would absolutely rip him apart….or so I thought."

The producer speaks. "So, you were wrong about that?"

Ellie chuckles. "He once explained it to me and I was gob-struck about how he got around his anxiety. Their relationship…it's what people dream off. It's no wonder America is obsessed with them." She chuckles. "Charah." Ellie shook her head. "I'm telling you the first time I saw them together…not like boyfriend and girlfriend, just in the same room together…" Ellie shakes her head. "Magical."

}o{

Chuck was sitting on the couch, looking at the pictures of Sarah when there was a familiar knock on the door. He quickly shut down the picture, the program, and closed his laptop. He hopped up, walked over to the front door, unlocked it, and swung it open. "Hey, Ellie," he said, smiling as he opened the door. His eyes went wide as he saw two women standing in the hallway.

Ellie came in, smirking, but she knew Chuck didn't even notice her. His stare was locked on the woman behind him. "Sarah," she heard him breathe.

"Chuck," she replied, following Ellie in. She stepped into the apartment, and looked around. The apartment was an open floor plan and she was surprised at how much she thought it suited him. To the right was the kitchen area, after that was a room that stuck out that she was sure was a laundry room, since she could see the washer inside. Past that was another room that she supposed was the bathroom.

To her left was a living room, and behind that was a bed, with a TV across from it, mounted on the wall that led to the bathroom. "Huh, no closet space," she joked. Sarah saw Ellie and Chuck both make the same amused face.

Ellie smirked and turned to Chuck, "May I?"

"Be my guest," Chuck told her.

"Follow me," Ellie said. Sarah followed behind her, toward the far side of the bed. Sarah felt nerves in her, that she had never felt before, and she had no idea why. She had felt them build on the way over, but now that they were here, in Chuck's apartment, they seemed to have multiplied. She looked back at Chuck who was grinning. That made her grin in return…and the nerves increase. What in the hell was wrong with her?

"Prepare to be disgusted," Ellie told Sarah, opening the door on the far side of Chuck's bed. Sarah snorted, and walked through the door.

"OH MY GOD!" she yelled. She stepped back out of the closet, looked down the wall, and then stepped back inside. The walk-in closet was at least six feet wide, and ran the entire length of the apartment. She came back out and stared at Chuck. "How the hell do I get an apartment like this? Not that I have enough clothes to properly use that closet, but…I love it!"

"Perks of owning the building," Ellie groused. She saw Chuck shoot Ellie a look and Ellie winced. "Okay, guess that wasn't my place to say."

"I was told to invest my money in real estate," Chuck said with a shrug. "So I bought the apartment complex with my first big deal and the rent on the other apartments pays for this."

"The view is amazing," Sarah told him, looking out the window. She turned back to Chuck. "It's a smart investment."

"He's really good with his money," Ellie said. She winced again as she heard Chuck make a noise. "I'm sorry, little brother, but you're just as good at real estate as you are at podcasting."

"So, you own more than one building?" Sarah asked. Chuck nodded. "What's your favorite place you own?"

"There's a place I own in Arizona," Chuck told her. Sarah heard Ellie "tsk". "Fine, there's a place I own near the Grand Canyon." She heard the noise of disgust Ellie made. "FINE!" Sarah couldn't help but laugh. "I happen to own a cabin, near the Grand Canyon. You can see the Grand Canyon from it. I rent it out…a lot. It pays for itself and then some."

"I bet it's beautiful," Sarah told him.

"I'm happy to take you there sometime and show it to you," Chuck told her. "I mean, if you have time in your schedule."

"We just gonna fly up one day and back the next," she joked. Chuck smiled, but the smile never reached his face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"He really hates flying," Ellie told Sarah. "He drives it."

"Oh," Sarah replied, looking over at Chuck.

"Yeah, I'm sure no one wants to spend eight hours in a vehicle with me," Chuck said, shrugging.

"Come on, you're telling me that there's been no one that wanted to ride with you to see that amazing sight?" Sarah asked, surprised.

"He'd have to ask someone, wouldn't you, brother, dear?" Ellie asked. Chuck pressed his lips together, blew out his cheeks and gave Ellie a look. She threw up her hands as if in surrender. "Okay, okay."

"Who have I dated long enough to say, hey, you want to take an eight hour road trip with me, to a very secluded cabin, near the Grand Canyon? That seems kinda big," Chuck pointed out.

"And yet you just invited Sarah," Ellie reminded him. Chuck's eyes went wide. Sarah looked from one to the other, and just burst out laughing, breaking the tension in the room.

}o{

The camera comes back to Ellie in the interview chair. "Like I said…" she pauses, and then takes her hands, places them in front of her, and as she spread them in opposite directions, speaks. "Magical."

A/N:…. Magical.

Next time:

"I-I didn't invite her like that!" Chuck said to Ellie. "I work for her, and I'm sure there's someone in her life-"

"Nope, no one," Sarah chirped.

Chuck stopped talking to Ellie and turned to Sarah. He was stunned, and couldn't hide a bit of what he was feeling on his face. "Are men just stupid or what?" he asked softly

*Turns to the camera, smirks, and takes a sip of tea* Train. Wreck. See you soon.