A/N: Instead of "meet the parents", we had "meet the Ellie". I'm not sure which is more intimidating. Let's see how they make it through dinner.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 7

The laughter in the living room died down, dissipating into hums of amusement. Chuck looked around, taking in the moment. Devon had gone to bed a while ago, his day at the hospital having taken a lot out of him. Ellie was lounging in a high back chair, her leg draped over one of the arms. Her eyes were hooded, likely due to the late hour and large quantities of wine that had been flowing all evening.

At the end of the couch opposite him was Sarah, laying with her head on the throw pillow and her knees pulled up. She, too, looked rather comfortable, having matched Ellie glass for glass throughout the evening. Chuck had enjoyed a few glasses as well but had cut himself off since he would have to drive home at some point.

Ellie let out a hum, her head rolling to look over at Sarah. "Sarah… I like you." Her words were slightly slurred, but she seemed to still have most of her faculties about her. "I always wanted a s-sister. Don't get me wrong," she corrected, rolling her head to look at Chuck, holding up her hand as she clutched her wine glass, and pointed across the room at him. "Chuck is the bestest brother in the whole-le world.

"Do you know what-what he did?" Ellie struggled to sit up in her chair, her wine sloshing in the glass and nearly spilling. Chuck's head flopped against the back of the couch as he stared at the ceiling, groaning in embarrassment. He'd done a lot of that throughout the evening.

"You know what he did?" Sarah looked between Ellie and Chuck, her grin showing she was clearly amused. Before Sarah could comment, Ellie continued.

"He was like… thirteen, maybe… an-any who… it was just the two of us and… and money was super, super tight, you know? So, we had to go without lots of stuff… This guy," Ellie, turned from addressing Sarah to pointing at Chuck again, his face now growing crimson. "This guy went behind my back… and took odd jobs around our apartment complex. You know, fixin' computers and stuff, cleaning, collecting things to recycle for extra money. He did all that so… so he could buy a prom dress for me," she choked out, her eyes tearing up. Sarah's head snapped to face Chuck, looking astonished.

Chuck just shrugged, looking down at his lap as he fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt. "You deserved to have something nice for yourself, to have someone take care of you for a change." Sarah stared at Chuck for a long moment until Ellie spoke again.

"I think we did a pretty good job of taking care of each other, huh?" Ellie gave Chuck an adoring smile and when he looked up, he caught her gaze, returning the same smile. Chuck nodded, looking back down at his hands. Sarah watched the exchange, biting her bottom lip.

Ellie shook her head, waving a hand in the air. "Sorry… sorry, I got distracted. My point is, as great as this guy is… I would have loved to have a sister. You know, to go shopping or just talk about… stuff. Drink wine!" she chuckled, holding her glass aloft. Sarah chuckled in reply, holding her own glass in the air.

Ellie sat back in her chair, humming lightly. "You'd make a good sister, Sarah. And not just 'cause of the wine," she giggled, swirling the wine in her glass.

Chuck was surprised at the comment, even knowing how Ellie got when she'd been drinking. He looked at Sarah, concerned about how she might react to Ellie's confession, especially given Sarah's sad, lonely upbringing. To his dismay, Sarah was looking at Ellie, practically in tears. Before he could react, Ellie clumsily sat her glass on the end table and slid out of the chair to crawl over toward Sarah.

"Oh, sweetie," Ellie cooed, wrapping Sarah in an awkward hug. Chuck scooted closer to Sarah, placing a comforting hand on her knee.

Sarah tried to return Ellie's hug with one hand, holding her wine glass up and out of the way with the other. Recognizing her dilemma, Chuck removed his hand from her knee and took Sarah's wine glass, setting it on the coffee table for safety. Sarah let out a wet chuckle, now using both arms to return Ellie's hug.

"I'm okay," Sarah said with a mixture of laughter and tears. Eventually, Ellie let go of her, sitting back on her heels. The two women smiled affectionately at one another, an understanding seeming to pass between them.

Sarah took the opportunity to swing her legs off the couch and sit up. Ellie pulled some tissue from the box on the coffee table beside her, offering one to Sarah as she wiped her own eyes. Sarah took it gratefully, doing likewise. The two women chuckled at their respective appearances, Ellie passing out more tissues.

Once tears were dried and noses blown, Sarah let out a long sigh. Pulling her phone from her back pocket she checked the time. "Oh my gosh. It's almost two in the morning. I should get going." Sarah pushed herself off the couch, steadying herself as she got her bearings.

"Go?" Ellie stood up as well, holding on to the arm of the couch as she teetered slightly. "Where are you going? I thought you were staying here. I got the spare room all setup for you." Sarah looked between Ellie and Chuck, seeming surprised.

Chuck had the good sense to look contrite. "Yeah, about that. I may have forgotten to mention that part. We kind of set all that up before we realized you lived so close." Sarah nodded her understanding, giving Chuck a knowing smile.

"I don't care," Ellie pouted, taking Sarah's arm in hers. "It's late and Sarah's staying here with us."

"Well, I gotta get home too, El. I can drive her home," Chuck interjected, trying to give Sarah an out. He watched as Sarah looked between him and Ellie, uncertainty painted across her face.

"That's crazy. It's late, you're both staying here. No more arguing." Ellie stomped her foot and let out a huff to emphasize her point. Sarah pulled her lips between her teeth, looking at Chuck to try and hold back her laughter. Chuck rolled his eyes, blowing out a small laugh.

"El, I really don't want to sleep on your couch—"

Ellie stomped her foot, pointing a dagger-like finger at Chuck. "No arguing!"

"But… clearly she can't sleep on—" Chuck took a step back as his sister began to lunge toward him. Thankfully, Sarah still had her arm intertwined with Ellie's so was able to hold her back.

Sarah stepped in front of Ellie, placing her hands on the older woman's shoulders. "Thanks, Ellie. We'll figure something out." Sarah looked over her shoulder at Chuck, a wry smile on her face. "While Chuck grabs our stuff from the car, can you show me to the spare room?"

Chuck slumped in defeat, shaking his head at Sarah good naturedly. Sarah just chuckled, sticking her tongue out between her teeth as she was led by Ellie toward the guest room.

It only took a minute to grab their bags from the car, but Chuck took a few moments to himself, sitting on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. The trickle of the fountain did a lot to drown out the distant traffic and city noise. Taking some long, cleansing breaths, he tried to let the embarrassment and awkwardness from the evening's conversations melt away. He knew that any teasing was all in good fun, and ordinarily he wouldn't care so much, but Sarah's presence seemed to make him feel even more self-conscious than usual.

They'd barely known one another for two days but he could scarcely recall a time in his life when being around someone made him feel as happy as he'd been since meeting Sarah. He could feel it in his chest, he was falling for her, and he was helpless to stop it. Truth be told, he didn't want to stop it, but he knew that it was foolhardy to think that she could feel the same way about him. Although, their conversation before dinner brought that thinking into question. Was Sarah simply teasing him by asking if it would have been so bad to bring her home to "meet the family", introducing her as more than simply a friend?

Normally, he would dismiss a question like that as a joke, but the way in which she asked it, her body language, it was almost as if she felt a vulnerability. It was far more likely that he was just projecting his own feelings, seeing what he wanted to see. As much as he would love to entertain the idea of something between them, Chuck knew that he needed to try to put a lid on his feelings and make these next few days about Sarah and her needs.

Blowing out a breath, he stood and picked up their bags, making his way back into Ellie's apartment. Trying his best to be quiet, he closed and locked the front door, turning off the outside light. Walking down the hallway toward the bedrooms, he was met outside the guest room door by Sarah, who jumped back slightly when she saw him.

"Oh, thanks," Sarah said, taking both bags from Chuck. "I'll take those." Before he could protest, Ellie stepped into her place, blocking his way.

"'Night, baby brother. Sweet dreams," she cooed, pinching his cheek and giggling as she pushed past him. When Ellie disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her, Chuck turned his attention back to the problem at hand.

Tentatively stepping into the guest room, he peeked around the corner to make sure it was safe before entering entirely. Sarah had placed both bags on the bed and currently had hers open, pulling out clothing.

"Sorry to intrude," he said hesitantly. "I just need to grab my bag and head out to the couch."

Sarah dropped the clothes from her hands, huffing as she crossed her arms. "Don't you think it's a little ridiculous? Sleeping on the couch?"

"Well, it's softer than the floor," he retorted, earning him a flat look from Sarah. Chuck threw his arms in the air, huffing in mild frustration. "What else would you suggest?" When Sarah gestured at the bed, much like one of the models on the Price Is Right, Chuck immediately shook his head, waving his hands.

"Chuck, I know this is more than a little awkward and… sudden, to say the least. And-and I appreciate your sense of modesty or … chivalry or whatever this is," she stated, waggling a finger at him, "I really do, but you're being irrational. We are two, mature adults— very tired adults I might add. Plus," she continued, gesturing at the bed, "this is a queen-sized bed. There is plenty of room where we don't have to touch each other or anything. We can even leave the door open if it makes you feel more comfortable," she added with a nervous chuckle. Picking up her clothes and a small toiletry bag, she began to make her way around the bed toward him.

"I'm going to go wash my face and brush my teeth. I'll leave you to do… whatever it is you need to do." She patted his arm as she walked by, giving him a timid smile. Just as she reached the door, she turned to look back at him over her shoulder.

"Fair warning, if I come back and find you on the couch, I'm going to join you." The stern look on her face and the arch of her eyebrow were in stark contrast to her previous expression and it nearly made Chuck's knees buckle. He stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty doorway before he turned toward the bed.

There was an epic battle raging within him. The prospect of sleeping in the same bed as Sarah — one of the most beautiful women he'd ever known— made his heart race and blood pressure rise. On the other hand, there had been moments throughout the day when he questioned Sarah's feelings toward him. There were the slightest hints that he might not be alone in his feelings, but he didn't trust his own judgment. If he did something, even inadvertently in their sleep, it could ruin whatever friendship they were building. But given how adamant Sarah had been about sharing the bed, he didn't want to make her angry or hurt her feelings.

Sighing, he relented and pulled a clean t-shirt and pajama pants from his bag and began to change. Realizing that the door was still open as he was in the midst of disrobing, he hopped on one foot toward the door, closing it as he pulled a leg out of his pants. He changed quickly, not wanting to risk Sarah coming in and seeing him. After setting his bag and dirty clothes aside, he dug out his toiletry kit and quietly crept out to the kitchen.

Brushing his teeth in the kitchen sink, he splashed some water on his face, hoping to curb the nervousness he was feeling. He allowed the water to drip from his nose and chin and he took a few calming breaths. Satisfied that he was as calm as he was ever going to get, he dried his hands and face with a paper towel, shooting it into the wastebasket. Naturally, he missed, and while it was not surprising it was still frustrating. Huffing, he picked up the wadded paper towel and prepared to shoot it again. Thinking better of it, he dropped it into the wastebasket with a harrumph.

Turning off the lights in the kitchen and living room, he fumbled through the dark to make it back to the guest room. He noticed that the door to the hall bathroom was open, so he took the opportunity to use it, also helping to prolong the inevitable. When he made it back to the guest room, he cautiously stepped inside and was relieved to see that Sarah was already in bed, covered up to her chin with the comforter.

"All uh… all tucked in huh? Got your-your side all picked out? Good deal. Yep. Good. Goooood," he said nervously, nodding his head. Returning his toiletry bag to his duffle, he stood looking at the bed in apprehension. After a long moment, Sarah slowly turned her head to look at him, a questioning look on her face. Realizing how awkward he was being, he snapped out of his stupor, quickly pointing toward the light switch. "I'm uh….I'll just—"

Practically lunging, he swatted at the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. He paused for a moment, letting his eyes adjust before he made his way to the bed. Sliding under the covers, he tried to stay as close to the edge as possible, leaving a wide buffer in the middle of the bed between them. Shifting to get comfortable, he finally settled and a silence fell over the room.

Staring up into the darkness, Chuck was almost startled by the voice next to him. "Can I ask you a question?"

Taking a moment to decide whether he imagined the question, he nodded his head. Realizing how idiotic that was in the pitch black of the room, he quickly followed up with a whispered, "Sure."

He felt the bed shake and the covers rustle as Sarah shifted positions, and by the direction and closeness of her voice he assumed she was laying on her side facing him, much closer than before. "Ellie kind of danced around the subject, but … what's the story with your parents?"

Her closeness was worrisome, but it was the question that blindsided Chuck. It probably shouldn't have though. They had talked at some length about Sarah's past, especially how it related to he and Sarah's reason for meeting. So far, he'd artfully dodged or deflected talking about his past, but Sarah was right. Ellie had made some mentions of he and his sister's past. It only seemed fair that he be as open with Sarah as she'd been with him.

Blowing out a sigh, he tried to think of a good starting point, but Sarah misunderstood his delay. "You don't have to say anything. It's alright," she whispered, dejection evident in her voice as he could hear her turning under the covers.

"No," he rushed out, instinctively reaching across the gap between them, hoping to find her arm. Instead, his hand found hers, warm and soft, as it lay on her stomach beneath the covers. He was helpless to prevent the choking sound that escaped at his mortification. Yes, it was just her hand, but realizing how close he'd come to groping something else entirely sent dread and a hint of guilty excitement through him.

Jerking his hand away quickly, he pulled it against his side, willing it to stay in place. Clearing his throat, he focused his attention on the ceiling again. Rather than apologize for the incident, Chuck tried to push on, hoping that not drawing attention to it might help ease his embarrassment.

"I…I just… I'm not sure where to start, I guess." Chuck heard Sarah shift under the covers again, the faint feeling of her breath on his cheek giving him an added pause.

"Things… things weren't so bad in the beginning. I was young and largely oblivious I suppose. Our parents may have been better at hiding it back then. The fighting, that is. Ellie remembers it more than me, since she's a few years older. Anyway… our mother," he continued, unable to keep the bitterness from his tone, "had grown, shall we say, 'discontented' with family life. Marriage and motherhood weren't all they were cracked up to be, apparently.

"The fighting got worse until one day, when we came home from school, she was just… gone." Sarah breathed out a sigh in sympathy, sliding her hand across the sheets to find Chuck's hand. Despite it being pressed flat against his leg, Sarah pried it away, holding it in hers.

"I'm so sorry."

Chuck turned his head slightly to look down at her beside him, just able to make out her form in the darkness. "S'okay. It was a long time ago. I was eight."

Sarah let out a soft gasp, squeezing his hand lightly. "The same age I was when we left my mom."

Chuck nodded, turning to gaze back up at the ceiling. "If she left a note, Ellie and I never saw it. Either that or she's been hiding it from me; trying to protect me. She's been known to do that." He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "After that, Dad was a wreck. I kind of got the feeling— looking back at it— that Dad felt he wasn't enough, that he'd never been enough…could never be enough ... for her… for us. It broke him. After that it was a slow, ugly, downward spiral. He started drinking… a lot. There were times when he'd leave for days, even weeks at a time, saying it was for work. Sometimes he'd tell us in advance but most of the time we just had to find out the hard way. "

"Jesus. And I thought I had it rough," Sarah interjected, sounding a bit shocked.

"I mean, this may sound bad, but the times when he was gone? They weren't so bad. When he was around he was never mean or abusive toward us or anything. Neglectful, sure, but he never hurt us. When he was gone, we didn't have to see how sad and miserable he was. Plus, Ellie and I, we had each other. She had access to Dad's checking account, so she was able to pay the bills and buy food and stuff. It was hard on her, really hard, but I tried to do my part to help how I could.

"When I was about… twelve, the money started to dry up and Dad was home less and less. Ellie had to get an after-school job to help make ends meet. Things were tough. Ellie already mentioned the prom dress thing."

Sarah squeezed Chuck's hand. "Yeah. That was a pretty amazing thing you did. I don't imagine many little brothers would do that for their sisters."

Chuck just shrugged the comment off. "I don't know about that. I just know she deserved to have that one thing, that one moment, where she could be a high school girl, going to prom with a boy and not have to worry about all the shit that was going on at home.

"Anyway, no thanks to our dad, Ellie got into college with lots of scholarships. She's freaking brilliant," he gushed, glancing over at Sarah before returning his gaze to the ceiling.

"My junior year in high school, just before Thanksgiving break, we got the call…" Chuck chewed on the inside of his cheek to keep his emotions at bay.

"They found our dad in a motel in Tucson. The coroner said it was a heart attack. All the alcohol and prescription drugs he was on likely contributed to it, but that was it."

"Oh god, Chuck. I'm so sorry." Sarah moved a little closer, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. He wasn't certain if she was aware she was doing it, but the sensation was so comforting that it only served to amplify the emotions that were beginning to boil over inside him.

"It's okay," he chuckled wetly, sniffling through a few tears. "I think we'd said goodbye to him a long time before that day. We had the holiday breaks from school to get things in order. Ellie and I, we grieved a little, but I … I hate to say it but… I think we were relieved. Not-not that he was dead, but that it was over. We didn't need to worry anymore. The not knowing… that was the hardest.

"I think…. When I read your letter, your wish for your family back, to have a Christmas like it used to be, I wanted that same thing. Maybe more than I realized. And I know that I'll never get that but… if … if I could make that wish come true for that little girl —for you— then maybe—"

Chuck's resolve faltered, barking out a sob as he turned his head away from Sarah. In an instant, he was wrapped in a powerful hug, Sarah's arm around him and her cheek pressed into his hair. When he heard her sniffling in his ear, it was more than he could take. A dam broke within him; one that he'd been subconsciously holding back for years.

Laying there, wrapped in her warm embrace, taking strength from it, he felt safer than he could ever remember. Safe enough that he didn't try to hold back his emotions any longer. Wrapping his own arms around her, his body shook as he cried silently, allowing her warm softness to comfort him.

After several minutes, both of their crying had stopped, only the occasional sniffle could be heard. Wordlessly, Sarah turned her head slightly, pressing a soft kiss against his temple. The sensation sent a shiver through his entire body. He could hear her giggle softly in response, but he had so many other reasons to be embarrassed. He needed to apologize for all of them, but he didn't have the courage for that just yet.

Slowly, she pulled away, looking down at him, she brushed her hand over his forehead, smoothing out his hair. "Feel better?" He looked up at her, too dark to really see her face, but he could just imagine her piercing blue eyes and radiant smile staring back at him. Not trusting his words, he just nodded his head. She let out another soft chuckle, nodding her own head. "Good."

To Chuck's surprise, Sarah scooted down under the covers beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, draping her arm and leg across him. He knew he should be petrified, this being the type of situation he wanted to avoid. But, given all the emotions they had just shared, he wanted her comfort; needed it. So, instead of fighting against it, he leaned into it, pressing a kiss of his own to her forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered, relaxing into her embrace. He could both hear and feel her hum against his chest as she snuggled further into him. Chuck couldn't recall a time in his life when he'd felt more safe and at peace. There were discussions to be had, more questions that needed answers, but for now he was content to enjoy the moment. Wrapping Sarah in his arms, pulling her even closer, the two quickly drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

A/N2: I don't think it would be a Joe Watkins Christmas story without making someone cry (namely myself). I offer no guarantees that there won't be more of that in the future. Thanks for sticking around with this story. I know it's closer to Ground Hog Day than Christmas, but I'm going to keep plugging away at it. We'll get there eventually. Maybe by Arbor Day?

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate hearing from you all.

Stay well,

JW