A/N: They meet.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Chuck and Devon continued their lunch at the beach side restaurant. "Been a while since you've seen her?" Chuck asked. Devon looked up from his plate. Since the phone call, they had gotten their food, and both had begun to eat. "Your sister," Chuck clarified.

"Yeah, it's been a bit," Devon replied, nodding. "It's actually been longer than bit." He laid down his fork, looking at Chuck. "She went through so much, bro." Chuck nodded, remembering some of the stories Devon had told him about Sarah over the years. "I mean… she's got it in her head that she's cursed, and just will mess with people's lives if she's with someone, or around people."

"That's gotta be a hell of a way to live," Chuck said.

"I'm just hoping she's happy," Devon told him. "Did I tell you she is dating a guy named Bryce? Small world, huh?"

"Yeah," Chuck said, wincing. Devon gave him a look. "What?"

"Is it your friend, Bryce?" Devon asked.

"Devon," Chuck began. Devon gave him a look, and Chuck cleared his throat. "Bryce came by a few weeks ago. I had hired him to run some numbers for me for that center I'd like to start. He had just broken up with his girlfriend because she had taken him to Paris, but he never saw her because she was working the entire time."

"Damn it," Devon said, shaking his head. "Not awesome," he muttered.

"Devon, you can only do so much," Chuck told him.

"You can't go too far for those you love, Chuckster," Devon said. He blew out a breath. "But, if they don't want your help, or to be a part of your life…"

"Hey, Devon, it's not your fault," Chuck reminded his soon to be brother-in-law. "You even said she thinks she's… cursed, or something."

"She does," Devon said with a shrug. "She's sure it's her family."

"I get that," Chuck said softly. Devon sat patiently, waiting for Chuck to continue. "When your parents leave, you wonder, was it you? Are you just not good enough? Was it them? Are you destined to be like them, if it was them?"

"That's a lot," Devon replied.

"Eh, only a few years of therapy, that I may or may not have gotten over," Chuck said with a smile. "I'm comfortable in my own skin though, so that's good… because when you get comfortable in someone else's skin, there's all these people screaming and…" he trailed off, watching Devon laugh. "I will say, Bryce did say she seemed to enjoy her job."

"Great," Devon replied. "But what about her life?" Chuck didn't have an answer for that one.

}o{

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving found Sarah sitting in her rented Porsche, outside of Constellation Electronics. She was going to make the current CEO – whoever he… or she – was, very wealthy. She had spent the last three days preparing her presentation. Constellation Electronics needed a cash injection to grow, and doing so would then allow her to sell each division to other companies, netting her, Graham, the board, and the current CEO a hefty profit.

She got out of her car, confident. She walked up to the front door, opened it, and walked in, sure of her success.

}o{

Carina was sitting on her bed, in the hotel, watching TV. She was leaving in the morning to go spend the weekend with her family. As she waited to hear from Sarah that she closed the deal, and to find out what time their flights left on Monday, she heard a door slam so hard that she wondered if it wasn't broken off at the hinges. She glanced at the clock, realizing the slam had come from Sarah's room, and saw that Sarah hadn't been gone two hours.

"What in the hell did you set me up for?" she heard Sarah growl into what Carina assumed was a phone. Carina walked softly over to the wall that separated the two rooms, trying to listen. "I was set up to fail!" she heard Sarah bellow. "CARINA!"

Carina grabbed her stuff, hurrying over to Sarah's room. She lightly knocked on the door, entering as Sarah opened the door. Sarah walked away, and Carina swore she saw steam coming from her ears.

"HE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT INSURANCE PLAN WE WERE GOING TO GIVE THE WORKERS AFTER THEY SOLD!" Sarah bellowed. Carina had never seen Sarah so frustrated in her entire life. "Oh, no, I'm not coming home. I am winning this, Graham. I swear to you, I will pull this off." With that, Sarah hung up, spun and turned to Carina. "Find out who the hell this CEO is, Carina."

"Okay, I'll get on it Monday," Carina told her. Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Sarah, I'm leaving in the morning to see my family. Thanksgiving? Remember?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, nodding. "Yeah, I remember." Sarah let out a breath. "Sorry, sorry." Sarah nodded and smiled at her friend. "I got caught off-guard, and I never get caught off-guard. I don't know what to do… also something that never happens!"

"How about you go see your family," Carina suggested. "Take some time off from this, clear your head, and hit it hard on Monday."

"You know what, that's not a bad idea," Sarah said, nodding. "I guess we're not flying out on Monday."

"Guess not," Carina said, looking a little worried, watching her friend. "Sarah, you know some people are just crazy, and you can't do anything about that."

"Hmm?" Sarah said, lost in thought. She waved her hand, realizing that Carina had been speaking. "You're right. Now, go see your family. It's fine."

"Okay," Carina replied, and walked over to the door. "Sarah, you will go see your family, right?"

"Yep," Sarah said. "Have a good Thanksgiving."

"You too, Blondie," Carina replied. Carina shut the door, leaving Sarah standing there, fuming, and confused as to what in the hell kind of company was Constellation Electronics.

}o{

Chuck grinned, hearing his phone ring. "I'm sorry Awesome, but Mrs. Alberston's camera wasn't working right and she was trying to zoom with her grandkids," Chuck greeted his soon to be brother-in-law."

"Awesome," Devon said. Chuck could hear the blond man smiling through the phone. "So, I just want to double-check, Sarah did say yes to the e-vite, right?"

"Yep," Chuck replied, putting Devon on speaker and looking back at the responses. "Said she'd be there with bells on."

"Bells on?" Devon asked. "Doesn't sound like her," he muttered in a low voice. "You know what? Let me go over there and check on her."

"Uh, have you tried calling?" Chuck offered.

"Yeah, it's going straight to voicemail."

Chuck chewed on his bottom lip for a second. "She's at Maison23, right? I'm closer, I can stop by."

"You sure, bro? It would mean a lot to me. I know she hasn't been to a lot of things with us, but when she says she's going to do something, she usually does," Awesome replied.

"Usually?" Chuck asked.

"I mean, sometimes she gets caught up in work and is late, or forgets for a bit, but then she… you know what?" He sighed. "This is actually the norm."

"Look, I'll swing by, make sure she's okay, gently remind her that she said she was coming, and leave the decision in her hands," Chuck told Devon. "Now, might I imply that her brother was really looking forward to spending some time with her, and mojitios, and tacos…" Devon laughed. "See you soon, bro." With that the two hung up, as Chuck hurried over to his car.

}o{

Sarah looked up from her laptop, the knocking on her door surprising her. Carina was gone, and she had no idea who might be at her door. It then hit her that it might be Awesome. She smiled, took the laptop from her lap, and hopped up, walking over to the door. She looked through the peek hole, and instead of her brother saw a tall, slender man, with curly hair. She had no idea who he was, but a small part of her said she would like to. She opened the door, and as she did, he looked up at her and gave her a wave. "Hi," he said, like she should know who he was. "I just realized this may be a you know of me and don't necessarily know me moment." Sarah blinked, trying to work that out. He gave her a grin. "I'm Chuck Bartowski, Ellie's brother," he said, extending his hand.

"Oh!" Sarah replied, taking his hand and shaking it. She tried to ignore the feeling of her hand in his. How it just felt… right. "Yes, I have heard so much about you." She released his hand, and he scratched the back of his neck with it, looking the slightest bit embarrassed.

"I hope it's from your brother, because my sister… she… well… she's my sister, you know?"

"So, she says things about you that are bad?" Sarah asked, unable to stop the amused smile from growing on her face.

"No, no, more like… she may exaggerate a bit on the things I do, and make it sound better than it is," Chuck explained.

"So you're saying everything you do is… not awesome?" Sarah asked, grinning at him. Chuck laughed. "I am so sorry, won't you come in?" She was a little surprised at herself. Not that she was flirting with an attractive man, but that she was flirting with this particular man. She realized she hadn't had as much joy in a two-minute conversation since she last talked to Devon. She glanced over at Chuck. Devon was definitely her brother… Chuck, on the other hand… he was not.

"Thank you," Chuck said, as she stepped out of his way for him to make his way inside. "Nice digs."

"It's not the The Burj Al Arab, but it does it's job, and it's nice," Sarah said with a shrug. Chuck gave her a surprised look. "Yes, I have stayed there." Chuck let out a low whistle, making her chuckle. "So, not that I am not flattered that you stopped by to check out my accommodations, but what can I do for you?"

"Well, there's no real way to ask this tactfully, so, I came by to make sure you were okay," Chuck told her. Sarah pulled her head back, surprised. "Your family is excited to see you, and everyone is already at the restaurant except me and you, so I said I would stop by to check on you."

"I am so sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about," Sarah told him.

"Oh, so Mrs. Alberston's camera went out on her laptop, and she was trying to zoom with her grandkids, so I had to get that working before she could," Chuck explained.

"So, you're an IT guy?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Chuck replied, nodding. "I know some stuff, and try and help everyone where I can." She gave him a soft smile. Of course, he did. She remembered all the things Devon had told her about Chuck's childhood, and of course the guy who life treated badly, would go out of his way to help others. "So, once I got it fixed, I was headed there, and then Devon called to make sure you had sent back the e-vite."

"The e-vite?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, this one," Chuck said, digging his phone out of his pocket and showing her the response. "See, right there. The one that says, I'll be there with bells on." Chuck grinned at her. "Devon's excited to see you, but he did say that reply didn't sound like you."

"It's because I didn't," Sarah told him. "Is that the email address you sent it too?" she asked, her shoulder touching his as she pointed at the screen. They both looked at each other, smiling. They locked eyes for a minute and then, she glanced at the screen again. Chuck cleared his throat, and quickly looked at his phone. Sarah couldn't help but grin.

"Yes, yes," Chuck replied, his skin turning the barest shade of red.

"Ahhhh," Sarah replied. Chuck looked over at her. "See, I have… a friend, who tries to look out for me… Carina."

"Oh, I have one of those too," Chuck said, nodding.

"You have a Carina?" Sarah asked, tilting her head and enjoying him chuckling. She didn't know if she had ever seen any man she spent time with romantically ever be as openly amused by her, and she found she liked it… a lot.

"I don't," Chuck replied. I have a friend, Morgan, who… well, he likes to make sure I don't have to do things I don't like to deal with."

"That's exactly what Carina does. Except sometimes, she does the exact opposite, because she thinks she knows best. Like send a reply that I will be at 'Taco Tuesday with bells on,' to an e-vite," Sarah said, shaking her head.

"Sounds like a good friend," Chuck said softly. Sarah sighed and chuckled. Chuck was right. Carina knew how much seeing Devon and the rest of the family meant to her. But she needed to get this deal done, or she was going to be in LA until next Thanksgiving. "You don't want to go," he added, in the same soft voice.

"It's not that I don't want to," Sarah began.

"You don't owe me an explanation," Chuck replied, and then grinned slyly. "Devon, maybe, but me, no."

She wanted to swat him on the shoulder for that. But she didn't, so she gave him her best glare, but smiled the entire time. "I am in town for business," Sarah began.

"I know," Chuck said. "I'm gonna go, and let you get back to work." He started to the doorway, and paused, unable to help himself. He turned back. "As I said, you don't owe me an explanation or an excuse-"

"And yet, you're still gonna say something, aren't you?" Her arms were crossed, but the look on her face was one of humor and teasing.

"Yeah, I am," Chuck said. "Devon told me about you thinking you're cursed." The smile left her face, and she nodded. "I get that. I do. My parents… left. I still don't know why. Was it me? Will I be that way one day, if I have kids? Am I doomed to make the same mistakes my parents did?" She moved her arms so that she was hugging herself, more than being crossed in front of her. "The thing is, you can't curse Awesome."

Sarah sputtered a laugh. "Wait, you call him Awesome as well?" Chuck nodded. "I know I can't, Chuck, but it's not that simple."

"I'm not saying it is simple at all. But family… they are just there for each other, and Devon considers you his sister." Chuck held his hands up. "I'm not telling you not to work, Sarah, but from what he says, he worries about you." She nodded. "He just wants you to enjoy life, take a break every now and then." He was silent for a moment. "I'm probably the wrong guy to talk to about this, because according to some, I take too many breaks and aren't serious enough about business."

"Good," Sarah said before she could stop herself. "I don't want anyone else to live like this. I live in absolute fear that someday I will find a good person, and do to them what my dad did to me." She shook her head, and gave a wet laugh. "You know, my last boyfriend, I took to Paris. I took him to Paris, and worked the entire time. I never saw him." She blew out a breath. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why I'm unloading on you like this."

"People seem to find it easy to talk to me," Chuck said with a shrug. "And that's my problem. I get more worried about people than the things I should be worrying about."

"I could use lessons from you," she said softly.

"Well, I am here, and so are you. So anytime you want one…" he trailed off and shrugged.

"So, teacher," Sarah began.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Chuck replied, his hands up. "First, don't call me teacher, cause… that's weird. I'm just someone on life's journey, who's met someone else trying to make a similar journey." Sarah pulled her head back and gave him a look, making Chuck laugh. "To new-age hippy-dippy?"

"Yes," Sarah said with a nod, and laughter.

"How about this," Chuck offered. "I am Chuck Bartowski, your friend, and I believe friends help their friends."

Sarah studied him for a second, an amused grin on her face. She reached out her hand. "Deal," she said. He clasped hers, and this time she could not ignore the way her hand felt in his, how it was just… perfect. "So… friend." Chuck grinned at her. "What do you suggest I do this evening?"

"Well, this work you're doing… is it pertinent?" Chuck asked.

"I mean… no, because I feel like I'm in limbo," Sarah admitted.

"Then my suggestion, is go see your family. Let your mind rest and relax with people who care about you, and maybe, in not thinking, you might come up with a new idea or strategy. And if not, at worst, you'll get to hear Devon laugh."

"I like to hear Devon laugh," Sarah said, smiling. "Wanna carpool?"

"Sure," Chuck replied.

"I have a Porsche… you wanna navigate?" she asked, grabbing her things.

"Nice," Chuck said, nodding. "I'll be glad to."

"That's it, you're my navigator who's my friend," Sarah told him.

"I don't do windows," Chuck told her with the most serious face he could muster.

"Finnneee," she replied. After a moment, she looked at him. "Thank you, Chuck," she said sincerely.

"My pleasure," he replied.

A/N: Next time:

"Yes, hush, Chuck," Ellie parroted, grinning at her brother. "So, here he is, towel tied around his neck, wearing his Robin Underoos."

"Underoos?" Sarah asked, confused. "Is that an Australian term or something? It sounds Australian."

"It is," Chuck said, nodding.

"It is not," Ellie said, giving Chuck a glare.

"You are really going to tell this whole damn story, aren't you?" Chuck muttered, as he sighed and surrendered.

Oh yes, dear reader, she is. Thanks for reading.