A/N:So the weekend continues with our friends. Let's take a peek and see how things turned out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.

Chuck had clocked out at work and was walking the two blocks to his bus stop. He pulled out his phone and opened his contacts. He hovered his thumb over the name, trying to steel his nerves. He took a deep breath and pressed the name and brought the phone to his ear. After three rings that seemed to last an eternity, a female voice answered. "Hello?"

Something in Chuck's stomach tightened when he heard that voice. I caused him to pause for a moment but brought himself back to reality before the silence became too awkward. "Hi...uh.. Sarah? Uh...Hi. This is...uh.. this is Chuck. You know. Fro-from school," Chuck winced as he realized how utterly ridiculous he sounded. Come on. Pull yourself together man.

A sigh followed by a small chuckle came through the phone, "Yes, Chuck. I know who you are. Goofball. What's up?" she inquired with a light-hearted tone.

"Uh...well, I just got off work and was wondering if you might...I dunno...maybe want to grab something to eat or maybe watch a movie or something? You know...if-if you're not too busy or have..um… other plans or something," Chuck stammered out, wanting to smack himself for sounding like such an idiot.

"Actually..." Sarah began but paused for a moment. Chuck was playing a thousand scenarios through his head, most all of them involved some excuse as to why she could not go. "I'm washing my hair", "I'm out of the country", or "Chuck who?". Before his mind could spiral any further she continued, "...that sounds great! How about I order pizza and you bring a movie and we can eat and watch it at my place?" she inquired.

Chuck was a little taken aback. He had not gotten this far in his planning. Some part of him still believed that she would say no, so this step would not be required. He quickly collected himself, "Um..yeah. Sounds great. Um..what a...what sort of movies do you like?" Chuck asked, hoping that she might choose something he liked.

"Well, I don't watch a lot of movies, but I like comedies or romantic comedies. Sometimes some action movies. I'm not really a fan of horror movies so much and I'm not really in the mood for anything too serious like a drama or anything like that." she confessed, he could almost hear the shrug from her tone.

"Well then I guess I will bring a few and you can pick one. What time should I be there?" he asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"How about 6:00? Does that give you enough time?" Sarah inquired with a slight bit of apprehension.

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you around 6:00," Chuck replied. They said their goodbyes as Chuck climbed onto the bus as he hung up the phone. Once home, he grabbed a quick shower and rifled through his closet to find something to wear. He settled for a pair of jeans and a black button down shirt as it was easier to get on. He put on his black Chucks which was a real chore when it hurt like hell to bend over. He made is way to the living room and flipped through his collection of movies. He got a very mischievous smile when he picked up one movie and eventually settled on two others as well. He wrote a note for Ellie and put it on the fridge. "Going to friend's to watch movies. May be late. Love ya, C"

Since Ellie had the car, he was forced to take the bus to Sarah's house. He stopped in a convenience store that was close to that stop and bought some movie watching supplies. He made the remaining trek to Sarah's house with a couple minutes to spare. He attempted to straighten his appearance as best he could before knocking. Convinced that it was hopeless he knocked three times. Moments later he could hear what sounded like a controlled fall down the stairs and large thud at the bottom, then the door flew open. A young teenage girl, blonde hair and hazel eyes stood there in surprise. She looked him up and down and without taking her eyes off of him yelled over her shoulder, "Mom! I think there's one of those Mormon people at the door again," turning her attention toward Chuck, "Dude, we're all stocked up on crazy here. You should try the neighbors," as she thumbed toward the house next door.

Chuck let out a hearty chuckle at the girls antics, bracing his side, "You must be Molly. I'm Chuck. I go to school with your sister," he extended his hand as if to shake it. She just stared at his proffered hand.

"Oooo. That Chuck," she gleamed with a knowing smile. She then grabbed his hand and performed what seemed like a secret initiation hand shake that he was not entirely certain wouldn't have betrothed them in some aboriginal culture.

A little bewildered he just briefly pointed at her "Uh, right…" at which point he was saved by Sarah coming down the stairs and berating her sister.

"Molly, will you let him in the door already. What's the matter with you…" Sarah stopped in her tracks and let out a gasp and she brought her hand to her mouth, "Chuck! My God what happened?!" she immediately closed the distance and reached out, lightly touching his left cheek for just a moment. The touch sent a warmth through Chuck, like a drop of food coloring in water, the tendrils of warmth slowly crept through him, giving him a warm sensation all over.

Clearing his throat he explained, "It's nothing. I just had a… a fall. I'll be fine," he waved it off but Sarah seemed sceptical. She looked at him for a moment and then conceded that he was not going to reveal anything else. She guided him into the kitchen where she removed some pizza boxes from the oven where they were being kept warm. She offered him a plate and a glass for the bottles of soda that were set on the counter. Chuck watched Sarah open the pizza boxes and made note of what she selected. There was a vegetarian pizza which had black olives on only half. Seeing she took from the side with no olives, he tucked that little nugget away for later. He also took note of the soda she liked and anything else that he could glean from her, about her. Molly and Sarah's mother joined them for pizza and light conversation. The visible injuries on Chuck's face certainly did not go unnoticed but he played it off as best he could.

Pizza was finished and Sarah led him to the basement where there was a game/entertainment room with couches, beanbag chairs and a large TV. She sat down on the couch and offered a seat near her. "So...you brought a movie?" Sarah inquired expectantly.

Chuck straightened and began digging in his bag, "Not only have I bring A movie, I have brought several to choose from. But first, things first. A movie night isn't a movie night without…" he paused for dramatic effect, "Snacks!" as he brandished the packages of candies that he purchased along the way. "We have Snowcaps and Raisinets for the Chocolate food group. There is Swedish Fish and JujyFruits for the Gummy group and rounding things out we have Sour Patch kids to break up all the sweetness." Sarah laughed at his antics and pulled one of the pillows into her lap, hugging it as Chuck continued. "For the movie selection, close your eyes and I will let you pick one at random." She closed her eyes and he offered the three movies fanned out for her to select one. " And the winner is….'Can't Buy Me Love'. Great flick," Chuck exclaimed as he got up and headed to the DVD player.

"I don't think I've seen this movie. What's it about?" Sarah inquired as she started to open some of the boxes of candy.

"I don't want to spoil it, so just watch it and you'll see," he smiled and sat on the couch but not too close to Sarah. They were only friends after all. As the movie played on it was very evident the similarities between the characters and their own situation. Chuck noticed out of the corner of his eye that Sarah looking at him a briefly at certain points throughout the movie. He didn't want to bring attention to it and make things awkward so they just watched the movie in silence with the occasional outbursts of laughter.

"That was a cute movie, thanks," Sarah confessed when the credits started rolling.

"Yeah, it's a fun movie. One of my favorites," Chuck replied starting to feel a little awkward. He was saved by the bell as Sarah's phone rang. She looked at the contact and excused herself. Chuck collected the movie as Sarah went upstairs to take her call. He sat back on the couch and waited for Sarah, reading a magazine to pass the time. Nearly ten minutes had passed and Chuck was getting a little nervous. He didn't want to seem anxious, so he just tried to wait patiently.

A little while later he could hear the sound of someone walking down the stairs, but rather slowly. He watched to see who it might be when he saw Sarah round the corner. She seemed very stoic and her eyes looked a little red. She made her way to a chair adjacent to the couch facing Chuck and sat on her feet in the chair. She had not said a word and seemed far off in thought. Chuck was definitely worried now."Sarah? Is something wrong? Are you OK?" he inquired with concern in his voice.

She looked up at him with grief in her eyes. "That…" she started but had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could continue, " that was Carina Miller." She trailed off but her gaze did not drift from Chuck.

"Oh…" was all Chuck could say as he looked down at his hands in his lap. " Sarah, I..." he didn't know quite what to say. "What all did she tell you?" The embarrassment was showing in his ears.

"She said she was out with guys from school and they had been drinking. She said they stopped you and… well she didn't say specifics but she said it was bad. What...why? Why would they do this?" the question almost sounded rhetorical but she seemed to be expecting him to answer.

"They uh… they were not exactly happy with me and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I guess they wanted to teach me a lesson," Chuck gulped as the words were harder to get out.

"I just don't get it. You'd never hurt a fly and I've never heard you say an unkind word to or about anyone. What lesson could they possibly hope to teach you?" Sounding exasperated.

Chuck was silent for a moment debating if he should tell her the truth but ultimately he didn't want to lie. Not to her, "They wanted to teach me to know my place. To know that... that my place was not with "his" kind. Was not with…" he paused for a moment as he raised his gaze to meet Sarah's, " .. was not with you," he finished with barely a whisper. He couldn't stand to hold her gaze any longer and looked back to his hands fidgeting in his lap.

Sarah let out a small gasp as his words sunk in, "They did all this...be-because they saw you with me?" her voice broke as she finished. She paused for a moment and then moved to Chuck, kneeling on the ground in front of him and placed her hands on his knees. "God, Chuck I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea. I was stupid and selfish. I was only thinking about myself and how I didn't care what they said or did to me for being your friend. I never dreamed of what they would…" she trailed off as he heard her sniffle and started to sob. "This is all my fault isn't it? Chuck, I'm so…".

Chuck interrupted, "Hey! This is not your fault," he declared as he put a hand on top of hers, "You can't control what others do, no more than you can control the weather. Look … this is ... this is not the first time Bobby and his band of idiots have tried to 'teach me a lesson'. I suspect it won't be the last either. I knew something like this could happen…. That... that was why I didn't want to study in the library. But I liked hanging out with you, even if it was just for tutoring. I...I don't really have... friends...so if...if this is the price for having a friend, for having you as my friend... I'll gladly pay it. OK?" Chuck stared into her eyes, still glistening from tears.

Still trying to process what had happened she shook her head, "I don't understand. Carina...sh-she was there. Why didn't she…" Sarah's anger was growing.

"Hey, hey, hey. She did. OK? She did, but there was nothing she could do. Alright?" Chuck squeezed her hand trying to get her to focus on him. "Please don't be angry with her. In fact, she … she stayed behind and helped me. She drove me home and helped clean me up. I know she was upset about what happened and she probably blames herself too. Aside from having poor taste in some of the people she hangs out with, she didn't do anything wrong." Chuck paused to ponder his words. "I don't really know Carina, but from what I saw that night, she is a good person. And please...please don't mention what she did to anyone. OK? I… I don't want it to come back on her, alright? Can we keep it between us? And speaking of us, please promise me...promise me that you will not do or say anything to Bobby. Please?!" Chuck pleaded with her, desperation apparent in his eyes. After staring into his eyes for a few moments, she closed her eyes briefly and nodded. Chuck squeezed her hand one last time and let go. "Thank you, Sarah." Sarah returned to her side of the couch and popped some Snowcaps in her mouth as this was definitely a time for chocolate. "Isn't there something that your parents can do? Talk to the school or something?" she inquired, trying to come up with some solution to their predicament.

"Um…", Chuck paused for a long moment, building the courage to talk about a subject he had tried to bury for so long. If she was really his friend, she deserved to know. Maybe it would be too much, too awkward to deal with. Perhaps, for himself, he just needed to tell it. He would have to put his trust in her. "Um… my uh...my parents aren't around anymore. Ellie is all I have now," he waited to see her reaction before he said anything else.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Chuck. Do...do you want to talk about it?" Sarah inquired with a nurturing tone. There was sadness but no pity in her eyes or the tone of her voice.

"Well, uh...it's a long story… if you want to hear it?" Chuck offered with a bit of apprehension.

"I've got nowhere else I want to be." She smiled at him with encouragement.

"Ok….well...my parents met in college," Chuck began his story.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mary and Stephen met in graduate school at Stanford. Stephen was studying electrical engineering and Mary was studying Law. They met at the Mean Bean coffee shop near campus during their late-night study sessions. Their meet-cute over the last packet of sugar began a blossoming relationship. Stephen was an extremely intelligent and kind-hearted man. He was immediately taken with Mary and fell deeply in love. He took great joy in fawning over her and nearly worshipping her. He found it impossible to believe that such a smart and breathtaking woman would even give him the time of day, let alone want to date him. Once Stephen finished his degree, he got a job with Shaffer Scientific where he was on a team to develop video rendering and encoding hardware for the film industry as well as academic research applications in life and physical science. He was the low man on the totem pole, but it was a foot in the door. Mary was finishing her degree as they were discussing marriage. Four months before Mary was to graduate, she discovered that she was pregnant. This expedited their wedding plans significantly. By the time Mary finally graduated, they had a small two-bedroom apartment in North Hollywood which was as close as they could get to Stephen's work and still be able to afford to eat. Mary, almost five months pregnant, could not find meaningful work with the prospect of being on maternity leave looming. She took part-time work at a non-profit law clinic run by a college friend. This was not what she envisioned her life to be like, but she would make do for now. She at least had a loving husband and a start to their family on the way.

Early September saw the birth of their beautiful daughter, Eleanor Faye Bartowski. As Stephen was the primary breadwinner, Mary stayed home with Ellie and did her best to remain hopeful that she would someday be able to pursue her dreams. As she had yet to take the Bar exam, Mary was relegated to doing little more that legal aid work from home, part time. Stephen was a devoted husband and father, but his mind was often preoccupied with work. While this seemed a cute quirk of Stephen's during college, it was less so now that she was stuck at home alone all day with a child and no adult conversation.

When Ellie was old enough to be a little more self-sufficient, Mary was able to study for and pass the California Bar exam. She was then able to obtain a position as assistant legal counsel to a large multinational shipping conglomerate with a branch in Los Angeles, thanks in part to some good references from some Stanford friends. Finally, she was back on the path she set for herself. Mary immersed herself in work, happy to have a reprieve from purple dinosaurs and the like. The unfortunate side effect was that little Ellie spent a great deal of time with babysitters or playing alone in her room while her parents were consumed with work.

Before Mary saw her first year of her new job come to a close, she was surprised and somewhat disheartened by the news that she was yet again expecting a child. Not to be deterred, Mary immersed herself in work to keep the frustration at bay from the new

'speed bump' on her road to success. When Charles Irving Bartowski was born, Mary took little time off before diving back into work. While Mary did not completely ignore her family, they certainly did not seem to be her top priority. Stephen was equally invested in his work, finding little quality time to spend with his children. He did try to read bedtime stories to the children when possible, but as the years went by that event became fewer and further between.

Stephen and Mary had been able to afford a small 3 bedroom home in the suburbs. While it was nice house, it was still not as nice of a place as Mary's colleagues and college friends. She pushed Stephen to strive for a better, higher paying job, but he was happy with what he was doing and was not interested in the money. Out of frustration and resentment, Mary committed herself to her job with renewed fervor. With or without Stephen, she was determined to get out of this suburban hell-hole and into more befitting accommodations. She was tired of the embarrassment she felt around her friends and colleagues at their meager lifestyle.

Since their parents were rarely around and never "present" when they were, the Bartowski children had learned to become quite self-reliant. Ellie was heading into adolescence and had developed a head-strong and defiant personality. From years of being left to her own devices, she was not accustomed to being told what to do and often butted heads with her parents. This was in large part due to the resentment she felt toward them for not being active in her life.

Chuck on the other hand was quiet and reserved. From an early age, the TV and computer were his babysitters. He seemed to get his quest for knowledge from his father; nature not nurture. With the Internet at his fingertips his insatiable appetite for information was never satisfied. It allowed him the escape from the boredom and depression of his homelife as well as the increasingly more frequent arguments between his parents. Though he blocked most of them out, the arguments seemed to center around his mother yelling at his father. Oftentimes, it was over money or work or both. The end of the arguments were usually signified by his mother slamming doors and demonstrating the appropriate pronunciation of words he had only seen on the Internet. At times she would leave the house and not return for a day or more.

One late evening in October, the eve of Chuck's 9th birthday, he was lying in bed anxiously awaiting tomorrow. He remembered his mother referring to himself, rather snidely, as Stephen's birthday present. He never understood this until some years later as his father's birthday was in February. Chuck's musings were interrupted by his parents arguing again. Chuck could overhear the argument quite clearly from his darkened room. He was certain the neighbors could as well. His mother was the angriest he had heard her yet. Chuck could hear them argue about his birthday and they were blaming each other for not getting any gifts or making any arrangements for even a cake. This was not a complete shock as the past three years he remembered having "belated" birthdays as well. As the argument wore on and grew more heated, Chuck clearly made out his mother's parting words to his father.

"You are a weak and pathetic excuse for a man. You and your fucking kids are sucking the life out of me. I've had it! You are all an anchor dragging me to the bottom. Well not anymore. I'm done! You want this life so bad, it's ALL YOURS! WE'RE THROUGH!".

Shortly after, Chuck could hear his parent's bedroom door slam, shaking the whole house. This was followed by heavy steps down the stairs with something bouncing along with them. He could make out the sounds of his mother's travel case rolling on the entryway floor just before the front door opened and slammed closed. There was an eerie silence that followed, only broken by the sound of several car doors slamming in succession. The engine of his mother's care roared to life and the car speed away with tires squealing as it went. The only sound that could be heard beyond his own sniffling were the muffled sobs of his father down the hall. "Happy Birthday to me".

The next few years were a downward spiral for Stephen. Periods of deep depression gave way to drinking. When he was not home drinking, he was burying himself in work; anything to mask the pain of losing his wife. Though he did not talk about it, Ellie and Chuck noticed the paperwork that was served to his father to finalize the divorce. However, they sat, unsigned, on the desk in his office.

Since Stephen was quite often not home or "checked out" when he was, Ellie was forced to take care of most of the household responsibilities. She acquired access to their Dad's bank account and check book to allow them to pay bills and buy groceries. Chuck and Ellie shared the chores around the house, like laundry, cleaning and even cooking. Thanks to recipes on the Internet and Youtube videos, Ellie, and to a lesser degree Chuck, became quite good at cooking.

Every year on Chuck's birthday, Ellie would try to do something special to help take his mind off of the lingering memory of their mother's leaving. A trip to the comic book store, a movie marathon or just hanging out away from the house and those memories. On Chuck's 12th birthday, Ellie had arranged a Star Wars marathon with popcorn and candy. As they were starting their final selection, Return of the Jedi, there was a knock at the door. Pausing the movie, Ellie answered it, only to be greeted by a CHP officer. He proceeded to inform them that their father had been involved in an accident in which he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a concrete embankment. Being on the freeway, traveling at a high rate of speed, the injuries sustained in the crash were fatal. "Fatal"… The word seemed to echo, drowning out everything else. The conversation after that was unintelligible noise. Their father, the only parent they really had left, was gone. It was later found that alcohol and lack of a seat belt contributed to the accident and ultimately his death.

Ellie was forced to make the necessary arrangements for their father's funeral. There was nobody there that Ellie or Chuck knew. They were mostly people from their father's work or passing acquaintances. There was no extended family to speak of and they had no grandparents (at least that they were aware of). Three days after the funeral it was almost as if nothing had happened. They were already accustomed to their father being gone and taking care of the house themselves. The question was, "What now?" Ellie retrieved the life insurance policy and their father's will in the firebox in their father's office and contacted the attorney who drafted it for guidance. As it turned out, their mother, Mary, was the sole beneficiary as they were technically still married. The lawyer was able to contact Mary and through her attorney they worked through matters. It was clear to them that Mary wanted nothing to do with them or the house, so she would plan to sell it. That would leave Ellie and Chuck with no place to stay. Worse yet, they would be placed into foster care and likely separated. That was not an option. With the assistance of their attorney they made an agreement with Mary that she would sign a lease for a modest apartment that Ellie had located in Burbank. Ellie and Chuck would receive a small percentage from the sale of the house and the remainder of the payout of the life insurance policy. They would use that money to pay for rent and living expenses until Ellie was old enough to sign the lease into her own name (or they opt to move out). Mary would technically still be their legal guardian on paper but would be on a more or less permanent "business trip" if anyone asked. The correspondence was all done through lawyers and email, so they never saw or spoke to their mother in person. While the respective lawyers offered condolences for the loss of their father, Mary made no such gestures. At least she was human enough to let Ellie and Chuck stay together and give them a small amount of the estate settlement. Ellie was still fuming at what a heartless bitch their mother was. To toss her family away like trash and then have the nerve to take the proceeds of the wholesale of that family and leave them with crumbs.

Ellie was able to secure the lease on a small, two-bedroom apartment in Burbank. It was a nice place that was close to school and public transportation. With the money allotted them, they could afford the rent for two years and not much more. Ellie would have to work to pay for utilities and food. They were at least permitted to take some of the furnishings from the house before it was sold to furnish the apartment. While it was a strange new place, there were at least some of the "comforts" of home. The important part was they Ellie and Chuck were together and if they had each other, that was home to them.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Sarah just sat and listened to Chuck's story. When he finished he let out a long sigh, "So, that's it. Ellie, has the lease in her name now and in October I will turn 18, so our ties to that woman will be completely severed," he shrugged rather matter-of-factly.

"Wow. That...that's probably one of the shittiest stories I've heard. I thought I had issues, geez. I just don't get it though. How? How can you go through all of that and still be the caring, funny and kind person you are? I'd think that kind of upbringing would make someone bitter and angry at the world," Sarah shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, that's the thing. Mary and Stephen were not responsible for my "upbringing"; Ellie was. She was the one that showed me love and kindness and support and encouragement. I owe it all to her really. She's made so many sacrifices for us. She's going to school for nursing now, only because we could not afford the tuition for her to go to a 4-year school. As soon as I can, I'm going to help her pay toward getting her bachelors and then off to medical school where she belongs; where she deserves to be," Chuck smiled with a sense of pride.

Sarah cleared her throat before continuing, "Um, can I ask you a question? It's kind of unrelated," Sarah asked.

"Uh, sure. You can ask me anything," Chuck replied.

"Why...why is it that you never stand up for yourself? I mean at school. You let people walk all over you and treat you like crap. I guess I just don't understand why?" Sarah shrugged, a bit in frustration.

"I….I don't know really. I guess it started with Mary. The last thing I heard her say, the bit about the anchor, in addition to all of the other comments made 9-year-old "me" feel pretty … unloved, unwanted. I guess that stuck with me. I've never really had much of a sense of self-worth I suppose. Which is probably why i never really sought out friends. I didn't see that I had much to offer them. If I try to look at it objectively, I guess I felt I deserved or was destined to get whatever I got, so why fight it? What good would fighting it do?" Chuck's voice was shaky and tears were streaming down his cheeks. With tears rolling down her face as well, Sarah crossed the couch and pulled him into a strong hug, laying her head on the top of his shoulder. They sat there in silence for a while as tears streamed down their cheeks until they almost simultaneously let out a sigh. This caused them both to chuckle and the pulled apart. Both looking a bit sheepish, Sarah was the first to speak.

"Chuck, I think that if people got to know you, they would really like you. You are smart, kind and funny. I mean look at just choir on Friday alone. They all liked you. Once you let your nerd flag fly and with that goofy smile of yours, what's not to like?" Sarah commented with a wry smile across her face.

"I have to admit I did have a good time at choir. In fact, I decided to stay in choir for the rest of the year. Hey! What do you mean goofy smile?" Chuck pouted in mock offense. They both chuckled and she shoved his shoulder followed by a playful "Nerd".

"I have a plan. I think we need to introduce Chuck Bartowski to the world. So, since we are friends, we will do "friend" things together. You can hang out with my friends too, you can go to some of the games maybe. Just get out and meet people, show them that you are not some sort of "Boo Radley" or something," Sarah chuckled. "And I can...well….you can show me whatever it is you do. How's that sound? Deal?" Sarah extended her hand to Chuck. He examined her face for a moment and then her hand, taking it and shaking it.

"Deal," Chuck conceded. "Just one question, is basketball the one where they try to get the like disc thing in the net with the sticks? Or is it the one where they can only use their feet?" Chuck asked with a serious and confused look on his face.

Sarah was dumbfounded, "Uh...well...um, actually... " Sarah was interrupted when Chuck broke out into laughter, unable to contain himself anymore. "You ass!" Sarah exclaimed and she playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "That was sorta funny though," she admitted, shaking her head. "Alright, smartass. So what movie is next?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, alright. I have the perfect movie to indoctrinate you into the nerd culture. It's a Star Wars movie and I think it's rather fitting," as he got up to put it in the DVD player.

"Ok. Which one is it?" she asked.

Chuck gave her a smile that reached to his eyes, "A New Hope...".

A/N: Aaaaannd "Cut". That's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed movie night. Stay tuned for Chapter 7. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.

JW