A/N: You can't have a Christmas story without Christmas music. Let's get our karaoke on!
A special shout out to michaelfmx, the amazing beta with the thankless job of correcting my countless mistakes. Think of him as the Photoshop artist that makes my stories look pretty. Any mistakes or blemishes are my own, likely due to me trying to "put on my own makeup", as it were.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck
Chapter 10
Chuck had never been much for the bar scene. He'd allowed Morgan to convince him to go out a couple of times over the years, but the noise and the crowds didn't seem worth it. There was also the fact that Morgan had tried to push him at every woman that would sit still long enough. He hadn't really been interested in picking up a woman at a bar, and it seemed those women had no interest in being picked up by him, so the exercise had only been awkward and depressing.
As their small group walked into Big Mike's, Chuck thought he felt a breeze from all of the heads turning at once. His sister was an attractive woman, earning her fair share of stares, but Chuck was all too aware that most of these people were looking at Sarah. He certainly couldn't blame them. He noticed a number of men straighten up, setting their shoulders back as she walked by, looking her up and down. Chuck immediately felt on edge. It was one thing to appreciate someone for their looks, but it was another thing entirely to ogle them like a piece of meat.
They weaved their way through the bar, finding an empty table that could seat all six of them. The karaoke wasn't scheduled to start for another twenty minutes, so they had some time to settle in and get their drinks before things got started. It didn't take long for the waitress to stop by their table, but in that time, no less than half a dozen men had done drive-bys of their table, making no attempts to hide the fact that they were checking Sarah out. If Sarah noticed, she didn't let on, keeping her focus on the list of drink specials in the plastic stand in the center of the table.
Before Chuck could say anything to their waitress, Devon held up his hand to get her attention, while holding up his other hand, palm out toward Chuck, as if blocking him. "I got this bro," Devon declared. "This'll all be on one check," he told the waitress, pointing at himself. The waitress gave him an amused nod before taking everyone's orders. Devon was on-call until Christmas Eve day, so he volunteered to be the designated driver, since it was possible he could get called into work.
While they waited for their drinks, a thought occurred to Chuck. "Hey, Ellie. We never got around to putting the ornaments on the tree."
"Ooo. You're right. Oops," Ellie gave a sheepish grin, looking at her mother apologetically.
"You don't see me complaining," Mary replied, shrugging. "I think it's safe to say that this Christmas we're starting some new traditions," she continued with a wink toward Chuck and Sarah's side of the table. Before Chuck or Sarah could dwell on what that meant, their drinks arrived, much to everyone's delight. Devon got a virgin mimosa, as the waitress called it, eliciting giggles from around the table.
Stephen had gotten a hot apple mule, the warm cinnamon smell wafting around the table. Mary, Ellie and Sarah had all agreed to work their way through the specialty Christmas martinis, starting with the Peppermintinis. The martini glasses were rimmed with chocolate and dipped in crushed candy canes. A miniature candy cane hung on the rim as garnish to top it all off.
When the waitress set Chuck's drink in front of him, everyone oohed and ahhed. The Mint Hotchata was a large glass mug filled with hot chocolate, Rumchata and peppermint liquor, topped with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. On top of that were chopped pieces of chocolate mints, with a whole chocolate mint wafer inserted into the whipped cream for garnish.
Sarah hummed with something akin to lust as she reached over and took the chocolate mint wafer, scooping some whipped cream and chocolate syrup with it. Before Chuck could protest she'd taken a bite, moaning as she licked bits of whipped cream from her lips. She gave him a shy smile and shrugged, giggling as she finished her bite. Sarah held out the half-eaten wafer, offering it to him.
"N-no you…," he stammered out, swallowing thickly. "You can have it." Sarah's grin grew wider, pleased with the effect she had on him. She took another scoop of whipped cream with the partial wafer and brought it to his lips to feed it to him. It turned out to be a terrible mistake on her part. When he tentatively took the cream covered chocolate from her, his lips closed around her index finger, wiping it clean as he pulled away. Even though he hadn't done it intentionally, she knew the tables had turned. That seemingly innocent act had set a fire within her, the likes of which she'd never felt. She hoped that nobody noticed the way her entire body shivered.
"You guys need us to give you a minute?" Devon asked, pointing between Chuck and Sarah, earning him some chuckles from around the table. Both she and Chuck turned crimson from embarrassment, which was only intensified by the immense physical desire that both of them were feeling. Sarah glanced around the table, looking sheepish, when she caught Ellie's eye.
Chuck's sister sent a scolding look her way, then mouthed the words, "Tell him". Sarah tried to hide her anxiety and exasperation when she silently replied, "I know". During their shopping trip earlier that day, after they parted company with Morgan and Alex, Sarah, Ellie and Mary had talked at length, retelling Sarah's story about her and Chuck. While they had tried to reassure Sarah that she had nothing to worry about by telling Chuck her history, she wasn't so certain. There was so much riding on this for her. If she told him the truth and he rejected her, she had no idea what she would do. They had been right that the longer she put it off, the worse it would be, so she vowed to herself to tell him tonight before they went to sleep. They would be alone in their room where they would have a modicum of privacy. She also wasn't sure she could endure another night of just lying beside him, on top of him, and not become completely unraveled.
The microphone came to life with a loud tapping sound. The entire bar's focus shifted to the small stage, where a portly, balding man stood holding a microphone.
"Merry Christmas everybody. Welcome to Big Mike's. As you could probably guess, I'm Big Mike, and tonight is our third annual Christmas Karaoke night. In just a couple of minutes, my man Skip over here will start taking your requests," he said, gesturing to the rather nerdy looking guy standing behind a sound board with a laptop beside him. Skip gave a short wave with a deadpan expression on his face before returning to his laptop. Big Mike rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation before getting back to his introduction.
"While you enjoy all the ...lovely singers, be sure to check out our drink specials in that little card holder thing on your tables." Big Mike waggled his finger at one of the holders sitting on the table in front of the stage.
"Now, let's get this party started. And might I remind you, while not everyone can be Nat King Cole, show some respect and clap or somethin'. It's Christmas, dammit." And with that, he gave a nod and put the microphone back on its stand, leaving the stage to mingle with the patrons.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
After another round of drinks, everyone at the table was starting to loosen up. Ellie leaned across the table to holler at Sarah and Chuck, trying to be heard over the horrible rendition of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" that was blaring through the speakers. "Come on Chuck! Get up there and show her what you got," she challenged, nodding toward Sarah.
"Why don't you go up and show me how it's done? Warm the crowd up for me," he shot back with a smirk.
Being the elder, more mature sibling, she stuck her tongue out at her brother. "You know what? Fine. If that's what I gotta do to hear you sing again, then so be it." Standing up, she grabbed a confused Devon by the arm and dragged him toward the DJ, where there was a table with the lists of songs laid out.
"Come on Stephen, let's go pick something out," Mary said, tugging on her husband's sleeve. Tossing back what was left of his drink, he pushed himself out of his chair and started after his wife, playfully tickling her sides causing her to jump and giggle.
"What did she mean by 'sing again'?" Sarah asked, practically yelling as she leaned in closer to Chuck.
"I… I used to like singing. Not in public necessarily, but I enjoyed it," he shrugged.
"Why'd you stop?" she inquired, her chin resting on his shoulder with her arms around his bicep.
Chuck was slow to respond but eventually replied. "Life happened, I guess. I didn't feel much like singing anymore. Not for a long time." Sarah quickly realized what, or who, it was that "happened". She felt a little guilty for dredging up that painful memory, so opted to change the subject.
"Well, I'm not much of a singer and I've never really done karaoke. I mean, I've seen people do it before. I understand the concept and everything. I've just never gotten the courage up to want to try it," she confessed as she watched the stage.
Chuck turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "You don't have to, if you don't want to."
"No. I want to. I'll do it if you will." Sarah gave him a little nudge, smiling as she lifted her head and kissed his cheek. "Oooo. Look!" Sarah exclaimed, pointing toward the stage as Ellie was dragging a rather reluctant Devon behind her. With the crowd cheering, including Sarah and Chuck, Devon sheepishly waved to the crowd and took his place beside Ellie.
The two sang a spirited rendition of "Baby It's Cold Outside", which was surprisingly good. The women in the crowd cheered whenever Devon sang certain lines with a more salacious tone than was used in the original. All in all, they seemed to have fun doing it and got a big round of applause when they finished.
Ellie bounded back to her seat, amped up on adrenaline, with Devon trailing close behind her. "Oh my God! That was so much fun," Ellie shouted over the din of the bar as she plopped down beside Sarah. "You guys need to go up there. Seriously."
"We will. I just wanted to see Mom and Dad go first. Check it out," Chuck pointed as their parents took the stage. They received a smaller applause as they took the microphones, but didn't seem phased by it. They sang Nat King Cole's arrangement of "The Christmas Song" and they sounded beautiful together. Rather than singing to the crowd, they were singing to each other and it seemed to captivate the bar patrons. When the song ended, Mary and Stephen kissed, sending "awwws" throughout the bar, along with a well-deserved round of applause.
Sarah grabbed Chuck's arm and pulled him up, though he wasn't offering any resistance. He started following after her, but they stopped to hug Stephen and Mary, giving them praise for their performance. Chuck's parents wished Chuck and Sarah good luck as they went back to their seats.
At the table with the lists of songs, Sarah stood among a number of other people looking over the laminated sheets. Chuck stood behind her, peering over her shoulder to get a glimpse as well. When one couple left, another person slid into their place, standing much closer to Sarah than was necessary.
"Hey, do I… do I know you?" came a rather deep, smarmy voice from beside them. The man was very handsome and well built. He was a few inches shorter than Chuck, but noticeably broader. His hair was overly sculpted with product and his shirt was unbuttoned much further than was necessary, showing the hint of sculpted muscle underneath. On top of that, the amount of body spray he wore was an assault to the senses. "You look just like my next girlfriend."
Chuck could only stand by and watch, completely speechless that this guy had the audacity to walk up to them and hit on Sarah so blatantly. Sarah was battling an amused grin, licking her lips as she spared a brief glance over her shoulder at Chuck. Chuck just watched her, trying to pick up on any cues. He didn't want to throw down the "macho card", stepping in and speaking for her, so he waited to see what her response would be.
"You got a pen?" she asked, her tone dripping with honey. The man scrambled to pull a pen from his back pocket, handing it to Sarah. She gestured for his hand and he happily obliged, giving Chuck the cockiest, most shit-eating grin he'd ever seen. It made Chuck's blood boil, but he could feel his heart crumbling at the sametime, turning his stomach in knots. Sarah began writing on the man's hand, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. When she was finished a moment later, she returned his pen with a devilish grin. Sarah then lifted the man's hand, showing him what she'd written. Across the palm of his hand was simply a large smiley face, and what looked like hair just below where his fingers met.
"There's your next girlfriend. I'm spoken for." With that, Sarah turned and took a fist full of Chuck's shirt, pulling him to her for a searing kiss. When she pulled away, it took Chuck a moment to open his eyes, seeing her dazzling blue eyes looking back at him. The Christmas lights strung around the bar reflected brilliantly in her eyes, but her smile was perhaps the brightest of all. Chuck blinked and looked around for the douchebag that Sarah had just put squarely in his place, but he was nowhere to be found.
"I have to admit, his line was pretty good," Chuck confessed, giving a shrug.
"Eh. I've turned down people for better," Sarah retorted matter-of-factly. "If it had been you though…" she trailed off, giving him a wry smile.
"So, you're saying, if I had the right pick up line I might have a shot of going home with you tonight?" he asked, his grin spreading. Sarah unconsciously licked her lips, looking up at him through her lashes.
"I'd say your chances are pretty good," she purred, biting her bottom lip to keep from giggling.
"I'll … I'll keep that in mind." With that, Chuck stepped around her and picked up a song list and started reading it. Sarah just stared at him for a long moment before chuckling to herself and following his lead.
After another minute, Chuck dropped his sheet on the table. "OK. I got one. Do you know what you're going to sing?"
Sarah bounced her head from side to side with a wince, feigning uncertainty. She knew what she wanted to sing, she just really wanted to hear Chuck first. "I dunno. I've never been that into Christmas, so I don't know that many songs. Why don't you go first? That'll give me some more time to look."
Chuck took a deep breath, blowing it out, before nodding. "Alright. Here goes. Just don't laugh too hard if I make a complete fool of myself."
"I haven't so far," she shot back, teasingly. Chuck's mouth dropped open, holding his chest in mock offense.
"Wow! Ouch. OK. I see how it is," he replied, feigning dejection. Sarah couldn't help but giggle, but she wanted to make sure he knew she was just teasing. She'd never had a relationship like this with anyone and she was afraid she might take things a little too far, not understanding where the boundaries were. Sarah grabbed his hand as he turned away from her, keeping him from leaving. Chuck turned around, giving her a quizzical look.
"Chuck. You know I was just…" she paused, seeing the expression on his face change. His warm smile, along with a reassuring squeeze of her hand let her know he'd taken it the way she'd intended.
"You uh… you like this shirt? Does it look OK?" he asked, looking down at his chest, brushing at the fabric.
"Yeah. It looks really good on you," she remarked, taking her free hand and running it lightly over his chest.
"You… you know what it's made of, right?" he asked, watching her hand touch him.
"Ummm, no. No, I…" she shook her head, trailing off as he raised his face to look at her. It was at that moment that she could see him struggling to keep the grin off his face.
"It's boyfriend material." Sarah was speechless for a moment. It was kind of cheesy, but coming from him, it was rather profound. If there was such a thing as "boyfriend material", Sarah was certain this man had a three-piece suit made of the stuff.
Clearing her throat, a salacious grin grew across her face. "You'd better go. Otherwise, we might be giving these people an entirely different kind of show." Chuck's eyes grew as wide as saucers, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly.
"Yeah. I'll just…" he tried to say as he thumbed over his shoulder at the man running the karaoke station. He quickly turned and addressed the nerdy DJ, giving the man his request. Sarah let out a chuckle, then blew out a long sigh. Unraveled.
When a trio of tipsy women finished singing a cringeworthy version of "Santa Baby", the crowd applauded more because they had finally stopped, rather than because of the performance itself. The three tripped and laughed their way back to their seats, making way for Chuck to step up on stage.
There was a staggered applause for Chuck, which included Sarah, along with loud whistles and cheers from Ellie and the others at their table. Chuck smiled nervously and waved as he took the microphone. Sarah gave her request to the DJ, then stepped a little closer to the stage, wanting to get a better view of Chuck.
A song began that she wasn't familiar with, but she heard some gasps and murmurs from the tables near her, making her feel a little self-conscious at not knowing the song. Pushing everything else aside, she focused on Chuck. The piano went silent and Chuck began to sing, looking directly at Sarah.
"Oh it's Christmas Eve
Hope your cares are free
And you're right where you heart longs to be
You know that
All these moments are
Like falling stars
You blink they fade into the dark
So hold on tight to Christmas Eve"
Sarah could hardly breath. His rich, baritone voice, and the emotion he put into the words, had already caused her to tear up, biting at her bottom lip to keep them at bay. It was like he was singing this song just for her. Was he hoping that this was where her heart longed to be? If only he knew how true that was. Her heart was here, with him, with his family. There was no place else she'd rather be at this moment. And these moments were fleeting. She just hoped that magical feeling that this Christmas, that Chuck, had given her could grow to become more.
"And we go trust in time
Next year our worlds will realign
Will dance and drink and sing of memories
And for all the lucky ones
Who leave no "I Love You" undone
They'll see a hundred trips around the sun
And know all that their dreams become"
The prospect that she and Chuck could look back on this day, years from now, reminiscing about this time as a happy memory, gripped at her heart. She wanted that so badly it hurt. To be able to build a lifetime of good, happy memories with someone she cared so deeply for seemed like a fairytale. When he sang the words, "I Love You", her stomach clenched into a knot. Certainly, they were just the lyrics of the song, but the way he sang them, and the way he was looking so intently at her, made her question just how deep his feelings for her really were. She'd never used those words herself and rarely heard them spoken in a way that would lead her to believe they might be true.
"Oh it's Christmas Eve
I may be naive
But you're right where I hoped you would be
Here with me
Here with me
Oh my...
My Christmas Eve"
He was naive, wasn't he? Especially when it came to her. But he said it, sang it. She was where he wanted her to be; with him. She wasn't sure when it started, but her tears were rolling, unbidden, down her cheeks, even though she was wearing a smile that nearly reached her ears. She was even more determined that she had to confess her past to this man. If she had any hope of this future she realized she so desperately wanted, she couldn't keep him in the dark any longer.
When Chuck finished, the room erupted in applause and whistles. He gave an embarrassed bow, waving at the audience before putting the mic back in its stand. Before she knew it, she was climbing the few steps to the stage, intercepting him before he had a chance to leave. Chuck's aversion to PDA be damned, she took hold of his face and kissed him soundly, causing the bar to erupt again, this time with more cheers and whistles.
When she pulled away, she gazed into his eyes, her hands sliding down his chest. Chuck instinctively brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb as he looked at her lovingly. "Definitely, high quality boyfriend material," she mused, tugging at his shirt. The two burst out into laughter, stepping further apart.
"Knock 'em dead," he encouraged, thumbing over his shoulder toward the microphone in the center of the stage behind him. Sarah nodded and smiled, her fingers sliding off him as they parted, walking their separate ways.
Sarah looked over toward the DJ station and nodded at him that she was ready, making her way to the microphone. The bar patrons clapped, followed by some "hoots", which she was rather accustomed to, having been in her share of seedy bars in her day. She cleared her throat and tried to prepare herself, her nerves abuzz from the emotions as well as being in front of all these people. When she caught Chuck's gaze, standing in the same place she had, the encouraging nod he gave her helped to set her a little more at ease.
Leaving the microphone in its stand, Sarah took hold of it as the music began. Chuck was transfixed, listening with bated breath as this angel, bathed in the glow of the stage lights, began to sing.
"I'm dreaming tonight of a place I love
Even more than I usually do
And although I know it's a long road back
I promise you"
For all her talk of not being much of a singer, Chuck realized she was just being modest. Her voice was incredible. She was incredible.
"I'll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams"
Chuck was overcome with emotion as he listened to her sing. The gravity of her song choice had not escaped him. He knew that she was without a home, had never really had a home, being constantly on the move with her father's work. He knew that before he met her, she was adrift, trying to make her way in a world that had seemed to be putting its thumb on her, keeping her down. She'd lost her job, her car and had no real family to speak of; at least not yet. Still, with all of that, she was singing about being home for Christmas. Chuck had wanted to show Sarah how amazing Christmas could be, but he realized that it wasn't just that. He wanted to show her what a home could be; a place where "the love light gleamed". As he grew to know her, he wanted more and more for her to find a home with him, in him. To be what she wanted and needed. To be that home she never had. Was she telling him that she wanted that too?
The brief instrumental break was concluding and he wiped a tear away with the back of his finger, trying to clear his vision. He could see that the stage lights made Sarah's eyes shimmer like glass, perhaps because she was feeling some of these same emotions. She was holding his gaze, ignoring anyone else in the room as she began to sing again.
"Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
If only in my dreams"
When she finished she smiled at him; a smile that he had come to know well over the past few days. It made his insides melt, as if there was anything left after what he'd just witnessed. He was oblivious to the roar of the applause and whistles as Sarah approached him. When she stopped directly in front of him, he could see the tears that had streaked down her cheeks and wanted so badly to wipe them away; wipe all her hurt and sadness away. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her. He had no idea how long he'd kissed her, but eventually they were rudely interrupted by a firm pat on the shoulders.
"Alright. Break it up you two," came the booming voice they recognized belonging to Big Mke. They both turned to see him standing beside them with an amused look on his face. "You're start'n to fog up all the windows," he teased. Chuckling at his own joke, he shook his head and walked away.
Feeling properly chastised for all the PDA, they smiled shyly at each other as they made their way back to their seats. When they arrived, they were nearly tackled by a nearly blubbering Ellie and, to a lesser degree, Mary.
"Oh. My. God!" Ellie exclaimed, pulling each of them in turn into a bear hug. "You two were so fantastic. My God! And the chemistry? Holy cow! I was afraid you two might actually -"
"Eleanor," Mary warned, interrupting her daughter from finishing that thought. "You two were wonderful. It was so moving. Both of you," Mary added, giving Sarah, then her son, a strong hug.
After retaking their seats, they all spent the next nearly two hours working their way through the variety of specialty holiday drinks and listening to more karaoke. They all joked and laughed, sometimes at the expense of the well-meaning karaoke singers. With all the liquor that had been consumed, everyone, except for Devon, was well on their way to drunkenness. Of those drinking, Stephen was the most lucid. Making the decision to call it a night before they moved from drunk to "wasted", Devon settled up their substantial bill and helped to walk/carry his wife to the car. Stephen lent aid to Mary, who kept insisting she was fine, despite the fact that she was only able to walk in diagonal lines when left on her own.
Chuck and Sarah leaned on each other, though they were coherent enough that they could walk on their own if they chose. Sarah just found she liked holding on to him and Chuck wasn't about to complain about that. They all loaded into Devon's SUV, and after a short ride, they made it to Ellie and Devon's house.
Ellie loudly shushed everyone, whisper-shouting for them to be quiet as they made their way into the house. Ellie was the worst offender with all the noise she was making, which made the others snicker at her warning. Stumbling into the house, they locked up behind them and everyone went to their respective rooms to get some much-needed sleep.
Sarah was the first to have a turn in the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth. She then took a couple of ibuprofens with a big glass of water. She left another dose on the counter and refilled the glass of water for Chuck. When she got back to the room, he was already changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt, sitting on the end of the bed.
"I left some pills and a glass of water for you in the bathroom. It'll help stave off a hangover in the morning," she told him, taking out her earrings.
"Thanks. I appreciate that. Nothing like trying to be 'merry and bright' when you've got a raging hangover," he mused. He started to stand, but Sarah stepped in front of him.
"When you get back, I need to talk to you about something. So, don't be too long. OK?" she asked, giving him a tentative smile.
"Sure. Sure. Just let me uh… I'll be back in just a few." He stood, giving Sarah a kiss on the cheek and leaving for the bathroom. Sarah rounded the bed to take off her dress and kick off her heels. It was then that she noticed that Chuck had neatly laid out one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers on her side of the bed. She chuckled, but was incredibly heartwarmed. He'd never once complained about her stealing his shirts, but here he was actively giving her his clothes. After slipping them on, she laid down in bed, luxuriating in the feel and the smell of his shirt on her skin. She closed her eyes and recalled back to their mornings when he'd been wrapped around her, or she around him. It had only been a few times, but after a lifetime of going to bed alone and waking up alone, she didn't want that feeling anymore. She wanted to feel warm and safe and cared for.
When Chuck returned to the room a few minutes later, he saw Sarah curled up into a ball, fast asleep. She had wanted to talk, but clearly her body had other ideas. Whatever it was, it would keep until morning. He gingerly pulled the covers over her, kissing her on her temple and turning off her bedside light. Setting an alarm on his phone and plugging it in to charge, he too slid into bed. He tried to lay on his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling, but he felt an undeniable pull toward Sarah. Relenting, he slid to her side of the bed, spooning in behind her and wrapping his arm over her side.
As if by instinct, Sarah hummed in her sleep, pulling his arm further around herself and placing his hand on her stomach and threading her fingers in his. When he kissed the back of her head, she let out a happy moan, making him grin uncontrollably. He didn't want to give this up for anything. If his Christmas wish were to come true, hopefully he wouldn't have to. Within a matter of moments, he was fast asleep as well.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The next morning, Sarah awoke to the feeling of the bed sinking beside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Chuck sitting on the edge of the bed holding a cup of coffee.
"Hey gorgeous. I thought you could use some coffee," he said with a smile, lifting up the steaming mug to show her. She moaned happily in response, stretching her arms over her head before trying to pull herself up to a sitting position.
"You're amazing," she confessed, taking the offered cup. "Thank you." Chuck just smiled, giving her a quick nod.
"I'll leave you to get dressed. There are bagels and schmear downstairs." The comical way he pronounced 'schmear' made her chuckle as she took a sip of coffee. "Mom said we can eat while we decorate the tree."
"Mmmm," she hummed, swallowing her coffee. "I forgot about decorating the tree."
"Yeah. Same here. Mom, Dad and Ellie are down there sorting through the boxes as we speak." Chuck stood and paused for a moment before starting toward the door. "I'll uh… I'll let you get ready. Don't take too long though, or Ellie might just start without you," he called over his shoulder.
"Hey. Hold on, you," Sarah demanded as she swung her legs out from under the covers and set her mug on her night stand. Chuck halted, turning around to face her, looking perplexed. Sarah stood, pausing for just a moment to make sure her faculties were all intact after last night's drinking. Satisfied, she walked across the room to meet him. When she stopped, standing toe to toe with him, she stared up at him through her lashes. After the events of last night, she felt more confident in their relationship, even a little more flirtatious. Without saying a word, she simply pointed at her lips, giving him a pouty smile.
Chuck's eyes lit up and his smile made his nose crinkle. Placing his hands on her cheeks, he softly pressed his lips to hers, kissing her until she was satisfied enough to pull away. When she did, Sarah felt more than a little flush. Her hands had gravitated to his chest, which they seemed prone to do. Sliding them down to his stomach she slowly stepped back to put some much needed distance between them. If not, the likelihood of them getting out of this room was nil.
Clearing his throat and waving goodbye, Chuck grabbed for the door handle behind him several times before turning around and making a hasty exit. After the door closed, Sarah blew a stray hair out of her face, sighing in frustration.
Within ten minutes, Sarah was dressed and had joined them in the family room to begin decorating the tree. With the lights already on the tree, Ellie was just waiting for the ornaments and ribbon to go on before they turned the lights on for a big reveal.
Ellie and Mary made it a point to pull Sarah into the middle of the decorating, trying to get her as involved as possible. They were both aware of the original reason that Chuck had brought her here, even though they were leaving Chuck in the dark on that matter. Sarah had asked that they wait until after she'd talked to him, allowing her to get it all out in the open at once.
Soft Christmas music played in the background as Chuck watched Sarah laugh and joke with his family, looking so incredibly happy as she helped to hang ornaments on the tree. Ellie and his parents took great delight in sharing the history behind some of the ornaments and Sarah seemed to genuinely enjoy hearing the stories. There were times that he thought he saw a wistful expression cloud her face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile as she was pulled into another story. Chuck thought it would only be natural for her to feel some longing for all the Christmases she missed out on, especially with her mother. He couldn't imagine what that would feel like, but as bad as he felt for her, she likely felt worse. Still, he hoped that being able to experience this Christmas with him and his family would start a new tradition for her.
Sarah pulled an ornament out of the bottom of one of the boxes and held it up in utter disbelief. "Is… is that a … fish?" she asked incredulously, showing it around to everyone. Chuck's eyes went wide when he saw what she was holding. Ellie snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Yeeees. God," Ellie huffed, shaking her head. "That's Chuck's. Morgan got that for him for Christmas like… I dunno, when they were in high school? I don't remember exactly."
Sarah turned to face Chuck, holding the fish ornament up, as if to ask what the story behind it was. Nervously, he chuckled. "Yeah. It's… it's a piranha. Kind of an inside joke, I guess you could say. More like a gag gift, really. You-you can just … put that back in the box. That's fine. It doesn't really go with the tree anyway," he added, trying to play it off as unimportant.
Thankfully, the subject got changed and Sarah put the ornament back in the box it had come from and it was forgotten. After what felt like hundreds of ornaments later, the tree was finally done and the group stood back to admire their handiwork.
"Alright gang. Y'all ready to do this?" Devon asked, holding a small remote in his hand. Everyone agreed, so they started the countdown. "Three. Two. One" With a click of a button, the tree lit up, earning oohs and ahhs from everyone as they stood there staring at the tree. Chuck slid his arms around Sarah, who in turn, pulled them even tighter around her, humming in contentment as she stared in wonderment at the tree.
"It's so beautiful," she breathed out, captivated by the sparkling lights and shimmering ornaments.
"Yeah. You sure are," he whispered in her ear, earning him a "tsk" and a soft elbow to the stomach.
"I'm being serious," she stated, though her grin brought that into question.
"So was I," Chuck retorted, enjoying the back and forth with her. Sighing with faux exasperation, she leaned back against him and continued to stare up at the tree. They stood there for a while, Chuck just holding her, until the rest of the group started to clean up, pulling the two out of their comfortable little bubble.
With the boxes of ornaments put away, and the room returned to normal, Sarah went to look for Chuck, needing to continue their unfinished business. Her pulse and breathing were quickening as her nervousness grew. She knew this could be it, that this could be the end of it all. Her perfect Christmas with Chuck would come to a fiery conclusion just as it was getting started. The events and moments they'd shared, those would be the only thing she'll have to remember this time with him. She'd thought that the look of disappointment on Ellie and Mary's faces had been heartbreaking, how devastating would it be to see the look of hurt and betrayal on Chuck's face when he learned she'd been lying to him? When he discovered what she really was, how could he ever harbor any feeling for her beside hatred and anger? She was clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking as she wandered the house looking for him. When she found him, he was peeking out the front window, looking down the street before replacing the curtain and turning to see her standing there.
"Oh! Hey," he said, stepping up to her, placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Chuck, can we… can we take a walk?" Sarah asked, her voice shaky and looking more nervous than Chuck had ever seen her.
A/N2: I knoooooow. I know. I keep doing this. But the good news is, you shouldn't have to wait too long for the next update. At least I hope not.
Songs referenced in this chapter are:
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" - Elmo & Patsy
"Baby It's Cold Outside" - Frank Loesser
"The Christmas Song" - Robert Wells and Mel Tormé
"Santa Baby" - Joan Javits and Philip Springer
"It's Christmas Eve" - LeAnn Rimes
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" - Kim Gannon and Walter Kent (as performed by Johnny Mathis)
I clearly do not own any of these songs. The lyrics referenced above are freely available on any number of sources across the Internet.
Thanks so much for all the support and kind words for this story. I really appreciate you all for taking the time out to drop me a note.
Until next time,
Joe
