A/N: Sarah had been opening up and just finished telling Chuck about her last boyfriend, then she mentioned the previous one, shocking Chuck.

Great to get so many positive reviews. Thank you to all that left them. Care to guess what Chuck and Sarah will discuss in this chapter?

Thanks to MarkeyDaSad for being my beta in this story. He is helping me a lot, especially with Americanizing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or the rights to dislike people; hopefully, we can all keep that inside, disliking quietly.

Anger Management
Chapter 5: Pain Remembered

Sarah was surprised at the reaction she'd received from Chuck about her earlier boyfriend. "Do you know Bryce Larkin?" she asked.

Chuck looked angrier than she'd seen him. It makes her feel upset. Her words did this to him. Again. But this was even worse than when she'd told him about her landlord. Chuck was shaking with anger.

She tried to use his technique, humor, to diffuse the tension. She snapped her fingers to get his attention and, with a sparkle in her eye, said, "Hey, stop it! Anger is my thing, so don't try and steal it!"

He focused back on her face. He was trying to control himself now, but he still growled, "Oh, I know him! I hate him for what he did to me. Now I find out he did… that to you!"

It was Sarah's turn to be shocked. Bryce had hurt both of them. They both disliked Bryce.

Chuck's voice cut through her thoughts. "Sarah, I have to get back to work. I guess you do, too. Can we meet later?"

She wanted to, but… "Chuck, I still have to work the long shift."

"When's your shift over?" he immediately asked.

"Seven," she replied. "I could ask Scooter to let me just work normal hours tomorrow, though."

"Ask him anyway," Chuck told her. "But I'll come here at seven so we can discuss our shared enemy this evening."

Sarah nodded and watched him dart away. She was stunned. Bryce had hurt both of them.

Still in a daze, she walked back to work. She was trying to figure out how Chuck knew Bryce and what happened between them?

They had agreed to order a pizza for delivery and eat at her apartment as they talked that evening. Both were hoping the other would talk about Bryce first. She showed him around the place while they waited for the food to arrive. She was embarrassed at how small it was, but Chuck never showed anything other than interest.

Chuck could see that Sarah hadn't done more than move in. She had nothing personal on show. Maybe she didn't even have anything. He wasn't going to embarrass her by asking.

The only thing she had in there of hers that was of any worth was the Blu Ray player. He noticed which disc she had played and which was still sealed.

When the pizza arrived, he noticed her vegetarian one was different to normal. "No olives?"

"I don't like them," she explained.

They decided to eat at the table, even though that wasn't really necessary.

Chuck decided he should talk about Bryce first, as Sarah was obviously not going to. "I met Bryce at Stanford," he started. "We had a shared love of gaming. In the second year, we moved into the same apartment, we were roommates. That was the year I met Jill Roberts when we had math class together. I guess I fell for her straight away. I had not really spent much time with girls before that." He looked at Sarah, embarrassed, but didn't stop. "I was painfully shy."

Sarah smiled when she heard that.

"Jill liked me, a lot. She became my girlfriend." Again, he blushed, but didn't want to hide anything. "She was the first girl I had ever been with." He hoped she would understand and not make him spell it out anymore. Thankfully, she didn't, but just nodded.

"I thought it got more and more serious. She came to Echo Park to see me during the Summer Break that year. She stayed in my room, even though Ellie didn't like her. I never knew why they never hit it off, but they didn't." He paused thinking about that.

"In the final year, I convinced myself that we would be together after Stanford. We never talked about it, I just assumed. I was going to propose to her ant the end of the year." He felt stupid saying it.

" We saw less of each other as the year progressed, both of us busy with our studies, particularly Jill. I would have spent more time with Bryce, but he was rarely in the apartment."

Chuck took a deep breath. "In the first year we shared that apartment, Bryce had a lot of girls come over, sharing his bed. It felt like he was trying to work his way through all the girls in our year!"

Sarah snorted. That did sound like Bryce.

"In the last year, that diminished and he often stayed away, presumably at their places. I never questioned that." He shook his head at that.

"In the final term, Bryce seemed … less friendly is the best way to put it. I didn't know for sure, but suspected that was stress with the approaching exams."

He still hated thinking about thinking about that last semester there. "Just before the first of my Finals, I was called in to see the professor that had taught that class. He told me I was to be expelled for cheating."

Sarah gasped, then asked, "Did you?"

"I didn't need to cheat, Sarah. I was so close to graduating with honors. I was one of the best there. I denied it and he said that evidence had been found in my room. No one ever went in my room, even Jill had stopped coming over. I knew then that Bryce must have planted it."

"Bastard!" Sarah shouted, then realized she had and looked embarrassed.

Chuck chuckled at that. "Indeed."

"So, were you expelled?" she questioned.

"No, I wasn't. I'll get to that, but not yet. When I went to accuse him of planting it, he laughed at me and said I'd get what I deserved." Thinking about that, Chuk got angry again. "What I deserved was to go straight through and get my degree with none of that crap!"

He calmed himself and restarted, "I left and went to Jill's. She was surprised to see me, but listened to what had happened. I was shocked when she told me she couldn't be with a cheater! I told her it wasn't true and that she knew me better than that, but she threw me out!"

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Chuck," Sarah said.

"Oh, it gets worse! I didn't know what to do, so I got into my car and just started driving back to Echo Park. I had nothing with me, but I just wanted to get away."

That journey home was a miserable one. He hated remembering it.

"When I got there, Ellie couldn't believe what had happened. Her words about both Bryce and Jill were choice. She also told me not to be so stupid. I couldn't be expelled without a hearing and that I should go back after a night's sleep. She was right of course. So that's what I did. I spent the next day, after I got to Stanford, with the administration. They agreed with me and brought in the professor. He admitted that he had been premature and it was decided that it would be taken to a hearing."

He looked at Sarah before the next part. "I went back to the apartment, to my room. I found two people in my bed, naked… doing it." He paused and looked at her. "Bryce and Jill."

Sarah's hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped. Bryce had done that to him just like he'd done it to her. "In your bed?"

"In my bed."

"I can't believe he did that in your bed rather than his."

"Oh, believe it! Seeing his backside going up and down, her legs wrapped around him and her shouting out his name was quite convincing!" He shook his head. "When they'd finished, and I had to wait for that, they told me they'd been together for months. They even told me I should leave them to it! In my room!"

"So, he planted the evidence to get rid of you? To be with Jill?" Sarah asked.

Chuck snorted. "He obviously didn't need to do that, he already had her. Virtually every day, apparently! No, it turned out he was jealous of my grades. He wanted to be the one with the top grades when we finished."

"The absolute bastard!" was all Sarah could think or say.

He continued, "It took a couple of weeks before Stanford were prepared for my hearing. I was allowed to stay there, in my room. Bryce moved into Jill's with her. He shouldn't have been allowed there, but obviously he didn't get sent back to me. I felt like burning all the bedding, but couldn't afford new sheets, so I just washed them all. With bleach. Twice.

"I missed the finals because I was waiting for the hearing. When it happened, they considered my course work as well as my test results. They concluded someone else must have planted the 'evidence' but didn't try to find out who. I was cleared, but would have to wait to take my last finals, so that I could graduate, until the following academic year. I'd had enough of the place, so I got out as soon as I could. I can still go back, if I want to finish, but I haven't wanted to go back there. Ever."

He was exhausted after talking about this and slumped back into his chair.

Sarah just sat after that, amazed that Bryce had been like that, even back then. She couldn't comprehend how Chuck could have been treated like that and still been this kind-hearted man she had with her now. "Why didn't you track him down, beat him up?" she demanded. "And why weren't you angry, like I am? Still angry?"

He chuckled and leaned forward again. "He was always stronger and more agile than me. He was an athlete on scholarship. He would have beaten me to a pulp, not the other way round. Anyway, I got into fights."

She huffed. He was probably right. Bryce went to the gym regularly, pumping iron as well as running a lot. He was very athletic and physically fit.

"I was angry, though. I came home and El had to put up with me ranting. I think I broke a few things in the apartment before Devon stopped me. I just went out then and would get into arguments with people at the apartment block. I couldn't contain my anger."

"But, Chuck you're not still like that." She thought for a second. "That sounds like me, but you're not like that."

He chuckled again. "No. Not anymore."

"Obviously," she said. "So, how long were you? And what changed?"

He didn't have to think. "Ellie Bartowski. Ellie happened. She knocked it out of me, I think. But I also realized it wasn't achieving anything. I didn't feel better for it. In fact, it made me even more miserable. I also couldn't hold down a job. My temper got me thrown out of a couple of jobs, junior IT jobs that I enjoyed."

Sarah sat and considered that. Her anger had gotten her thrown out of jobs before now, as well. It was why she hid behind a 'friendly' mask at work now.

She wished she could lose her anger like that. It would probably help her too. She tentatively asked, "Can you help me change like that, Chuck?"

He was surprised, hearing that. He didn't know what to say. How could he help her when he didn't know how? "Sarah, I don't really know how to do that. Maybe if you came and met my sister. She might tell you what she had to do."

He wasn't saying no. Sarah was thankful for that. She considered that offer. "I'd like that, Chuck. I'd like to meet the woman who tamed this Angry Chuck!"

He burst out laughing hearing that. "Oh, she'll love being called that!"

Sarah knew it was her turn now, so she leapt up and started clearing away the mess from their meal.

Chuck grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Oh no you don't. You need to tell me your Larkin story."

She glared at him, but he wasn't taking that back. "Not before getting a drink," she said.

He helped her clear things away. She pulled a beer out of the fridge and offered one to him too. They took their drinks to the sofa.

Sarah sighed wishing she'd escaped this. "When I was seventeen I left DC where I had been with my dad. I was mad at him." She glanced at Chuck who was starting to smile. "Yes, imaging that. Me mad at someone!" She chuckled, but didn't want to focus on that time.

"I left and went to New York," she continued.

Chuck interrupted her. "At seventeen? On your own?"

She didn't get mad at him for interrupting her. She had realized he only did it to get things straight in his head. He wanted to know her as best he could. She liked that about him. I made her feel… special.

"Yes, Chuck. At seventeen, on my own. I was pretty good at looking after myself. And making myself look older than I was."

She cast her mind back. "What I wasn't good at was keeping my anger hidden. Like you, I guess. I had a string of temporary jobs. Very temporary some of them. I moved around the city, finding jobs where I could, not sticking any place for long. I was working as a waitress when Bryce found me, nearly two years after I got to New York."

"Hold on. How were you able to hold a job at seventeen?" Chuck asked.

She smirked. "You think I told people how old I was?"

"But your ID…" he started.

"Was false. Okay. I don't want to talk about him, but my dad got me a fake ID, and a fake birth certificate, to show I was nineteen by then."

Chuck couldn't believe the deception she had been pulling at such a young age, but didn't want to focus on that now. "Sorry. Bryce found you?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I was nearly nineteen by then. He was a smooth talker."

Chuck did smile at that. "Yeah, he was always a smooth talker. He could charm the pants off any woman." Then he realized what he was saying. "I- I didn't-"

Sarah stopped him. "And he did. I had watched him do it a few times in our bar. Mr. Charmer."

"Then he turned it on me. I wasn't interested in men like that. I had to brush them off repeatedly there. He followed me out that night and stopped me. I gave him a piece of my mind. He just smirked at me. Smirked! And he said we'd talk again, when I was back at work."

She didn't enjoy this. She never talked about it, but Chuck had told her his sad story…

"He came in every night after that. He didn't go for any other women, just me. And he piled on the charm." Oh, he did!

"He did actually help me. He got me a junior job in his accounting firm. That was where I first worked in that sort of job. How he got me in there with no experience and a fake ID and birth certificate, I will never know." Still today, that confused her. "I can only guess that Bryce must have charmed one of the hiring managers in the HR department. Many were women, after all. Anyway, I felt grateful for that, obviously. He kept after me until I gave in."

She was embarrassed about this next bit, but thought it was only the same as for Chuck. "He was my first." She blushed and rushed the next part out. "I moved in with him. It was my first time living in a nice apartment and I loved it."

"You know, Bryce always got the best girls," Chuck commented.

"Thank you, Chuck." She almost lost her track after those kind words. Only Chuck could say something nice to help her through this. Then she remembered where she was in her story. "We were together there for eight months. I never saw him at work, but the girls I worked with were jealous of me.

"I had a bad cold that final day, and my boss told me to go home and not infect everyone. When I got back I found him, just like you did, with another woman in our bed. She was a co-worker. Always a co-worker!

"We had a really heated argument. Surprise, surprise! There was no way he could deny it. He said that was how he broke up with people, gradually easing into a new relationship. Easing in! Looked more pumping in to me! They'd been doing things behind my back for the last two months. He said the six months before that was the longest he'd kept anyone around before he got bored. As if I should be grateful!" She shook her head at that.

"I collected up my things, there weren't many, and went back to work. I told my boss I couldn't work somewhere that a cheat like Larkin worked and I left New York, and headed for Chicago."

Chuck couldn't believe it. Bryce had done it again. First time it had been his best friend, Chuck, that suffered, this time it was his girlfriend, this lovely woman. "I am so sorry that happened to you, Sarah. I hate him more now than I did before."

Sarah felt better just hearing Chuck say that. She grasped his hands. "You don't have anything to be sorry about, Chuck. You didn't do it."

He couldn't stop his mouth. "I'd like to, though." Then he realized he hadn't just thought that and gasped, putting his hand over his mouth.

For once, Sarah interpreted in the way he was thinking as something amusing. If she'd thought he'd meant cheat on someone she would have gotten mad, but she guessed he meant having sex with someone after so long. She burst out laughing.

Chuck felt hurt. "You think the idea of having sex with me is laughable." It was a statement. He wanted to leave and started to get up.

Realizing what he'd had actually meant. Sarah blushed. She was embarrassed for interpreting it wrongly, but also surprised he was so open about it. She didn't know what to say, so she just held onto his hands, stopping him from rising.

"I'm sorry, Chuck, I just laughed because I thought you were making fun of the situation and your own time without … that. I certainly wasn't laughing at you."

The pleading look she was giving him made him understand he'd misinterpreted her comments. "Sorry, Sarah. I took it the wrong way."

She decided to deflect from this and go back to their discussion about Bryce. "So, we both have reasons to hate Bryce Larkin, huh?"

"We do. I wonder if he still ends relationships this way; his and others," Chuck mused.

Then he thought about the timelines. "Wait. You met Bryce, what, four years ago?"

"Just under four years," she replied.

"Had he been working there long?"

Sarah thought back. "Nearly two years, I think. He was doing well there."

"He must've been there from leaving Stanford. He wasn't still with Jill, then," he noted.

Sarah chipped in, "There was no mention of a Jill. I was told that he arrived at the job single and dated several of the women there."

"Huh, sounds like Bryce." Then Chuck thought about Sarah's time with Bryce. "You know, what he said about your time together, it was a long time for him. You must've gotten to him."

"That doesn't make it better, Chuck!" she growled.

"Oh, I know, but you held his attention longer than any woman I know." He hated saying nice things about Bryce, but this was about Sarah. "You really are special."

She blushed again and placed a hand on his wrist. "Thank you, Chuck."

He realized this was a bit intense. "So, joint founders of the 'Bryce Haters Society', huh?"

She laughed. "There's probably many potential members out there!"

He shifted back to something said earlier. "Ellie would love to meet you and she'd happily share her hatred of him. You can also talk to her about anger management, Bartowski-style."

She thought about that. This woman intrigued her. "I'd like that, Chuck."

He grabbed his phone. Sarah was amazed he was so immediate. She listened to his side of the call.

"Hi, El."

"Yes, I'm with her now."

""I think so."

"I've told her she should come and meet you."

"Yeah, that would be good."

He looked at Sarah with a raised brow. "Tomorrow?" She nodded. What else do I have to do?

Chuck talked to Ellie again, "Yeah, she can make it."

He listened for a while, then said, "I'll tell her, El. Thank you, see you later."

He hung up. "Sarah, you're coming to dinner tomorrow evening."

"Dinner? I thought it'd be a coffee." This was far more than that!

Seeing her looking panicked, Chuck sat with her. "Hey, Ellie isn't formal. And…" he smirked. "You're not my girlfriend, so you won't be judged." He said it jokingly, but wished that that wasn't the case.

Sarah took on board what he had just said, but still narrowed her eyes at him. Was she being vetted for that role? She then thought about what he'd said earlier and the two times he'd asked her out. Would it be so bad? More importantly, would she be judged worthy by his sister.

She had to shake off such thoughts and just appreciate that she was going to meet this woman. "Thank you, Chuck."

"I better go, Sarah," he told her.

She stood and reached for her car keys.

He stopped her. "You don't have to drive me there. It's not far, I can walk."

She was tired and appreciated that. "Thank you again, Chuck." She gave him a hug. Holding onto him, and him hugging her back, she hoped Ellie Bartowski liked her.

The door opened, a tall brunette pulled her into the apartment and hugged her as if they were old friends. Sarah had never been hugged as tightly before.

Releasing her, her hugger leaned back holding onto her shoulders. "I hope you're Sarah," she said, with a smile.

Sarah chuckled. "And I hope you're Ellie."

Ellie grinned and took a hold of her hand and pulled her in further.

After Sarah had been introduced to Ellie boyfriend, Devon, who was heading out to go to work, Chuck walked into the room and smiled. "I see you've been welcomed."

Sarah was a bit annoyed with him, not being there for her and helping with the introductions, but she smiled and nodded.

Over the meal, Ellie told her more of Chuck's life. His childhood before they lost their parents, briefly about the accident, and then how they managed after that, with only each other.

Ellie glossed over what she did to keep them together, how she worked to bring in money and how both of them got their scholarships. Chuck would chip in to fill in those details and, although Ellie glared at him, he showed how proud he was of what she'd done.

These two were the family that Sarah had missed. They obviously adored each other. If only she'd had that, she thought. Even without their parents, they had each other.

After the meal had been cleared away and they sat with coffees, the subject turned to Sarah.

"Chuck tells me you need to find a different apartment." Ellie gets right to the point, thought Sarah.

Sarah can't help it, she groans. She gets her mouth to work after that. "I do!"

Sarah explained her situation. Ellie was horrified. Chuck hadn't told her this, just that he wanted to help his friend. Now Ellie wanted to help, too.

Ellie had been observing them both all evening. She could tell that her brother had fallen for this young woman, even though he hadn't said anything. The way he watched her and smiled listening to her talk, it was so obvious. He was trying to hide it, but Ellie could see it. It was equally obvious that Sarah didn't pick up on these signals. She did, however, hang on every word he said. She was falling for him too, even if she didn't realize it.

Ellie knew this was the right thing to do, for both of them. "There's an apartment coming free here in two weeks. I only found out about it from the tenant who told me this morning."

Sarah smiled, but shook her head and, sadly, explained, "I can hardly afford my current hell hole, I couldn't possibly afford a place like this."

"Oh, it's not as big as this. Two bedrooms, but much smaller," Ellie said.

"It would still be too expensive for me," Sarah told her, wishing Ellie would stop rubbing salt in the wound.

Ellie dropped the bomb shell. "For you on your own, yes, but not for you and Chuck together."

A deathly silence followed. Chuck and Sarah swiftly turned their heads and stared at each other. Neither had thought of anything like that.

Ellie continued, "Come on, you two. You need somewhere where you can be safe from lecherous landlords, Sarah, and you, Chuck, need to leave the family nest."

Sarah thought it sounded too good to be true. She would no longer be on her own, but she would also be with her friend, her only friend. Could they afford it between them?

Before she could ask what the rent cost, Chuck spoke. He had been thinking it seemed perfect, but he was sure that Sarah wouldn't want to. It would also make his feelings for Sarah difficult. He wouldn't try anything, but would he be able to cope with being around her all the time and not be her boyfriend? "Ellie, you are putting Sarah in a difficult situation. She wouldn't want to live with me."

Sarah was now annoyed with him for putting words into her mouth, but she knew he was trying to make it easy for her to back out. She ignored him. "How much would the rent be, Ellie."

Ellie told her. A lot more that her current rent. A lot more. She turned to her friend. "If I could get a better job, I'd jump at the chance of this, Chuck. However, if we could scrape together enough, I'd really like to go for it."

Chuck knew he couldn't resist that almost desperate look she was giving him. He gripped her hands. "We'll manage somehow. I can work overtime again, if we need it."

"Not too much," his sister growled.

Sarah beamed at her. The protective sister / mother.

"How can we make this happen?" she asked.

Ellie smiled. She'd done good here. "Our landlord is much, much nicer. I'll go with Mrs. Ellis," she saw Sarah's frown. "She's the current tenant. We'll go and see the landlord and see if we can make it happen. It will be easier for him than having to advertise."

Sarah got up and did something she never did. She hugged Ellie, whispering into her ear, "Thank you so much, Ellie."

As Sarah let her go, she felt herself becoming tearful. No one had helped her before and now these two Bartowskis did without any thought. It was a bit overwhelming.

Two and a half weeks later, she was moving in to her new home. Not a boyfriend's home, her own home that she was partly funding and sharing with her best friend, Chuck Bartowski. Even better, in the same apartment block, she had a second friend, Ellie Bartowski.

She was happy. So happy.

In the last two weeks she had not even noticed the boys, younger and older, at the Wienerlicious. They were irrelevant. She hadn't felt angry, either. Well, that's not true. She had been mad at her old landlord, the perv. She'd given him a piece of her mind when she told him she was leaving and telling him where to shove it!

She had also met with Ellie to talk about how she should try to control her anger.

How her life had turned around since she met Chuck! It could only get better.

A/N: Sarah moving. First step in a new life?

A review telling me your thoughts about this would be great.