A/N: This chapter starts with a short time jump as Sarah gets settled in her new life. Don't worry; Chuck and the others are not neglected either. Things may appear to be progressing slowly, but there are going to be interesting developments later. This is just setting the stage.
One more time, thank you for your comments and suggestions. On to the story now!
"Dammit!" Sarah cried out in frustration as she yanked the mesh basket out of the deep fryer and somehow avoiding getting splashed with drops of scalding hot oil. "I burned another batch!" The ruined corndogs went straight into the trashcan and she resigned to fry some more, determined not to screw up this time.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Walker?"
She whirled around to face Scooter, her twin pigtails flying wildly. He was the manager not only of the Wienerlicious but also of the Orange Orange next door, since they were owned by the same company. "I think there's something wrong with our fryer. I just burned the third batch of corndogs today."
"Did you set the timer?"
She gave him a pointed look. "Of course I did and I also double-checked the settings. Trust me. I did not use the French fries setting for the corndogs. There must be something wrong with the timer."
Scooter deflated visibly.
"Just watch," she said. She checked the timer settings again and also activated the timer alarm on her watch. The fryer's timer counted down to zero, but nothing happened, aside from the beeping of her watch alarm. "It should have dinged and pulled the basket out," she said, needlessly of course, as Scooter knew how the fryer was supposed to work. She pulled out the basket and smiled with satisfaction when she saw the perfectly done corndogs.
"I don't suppose you can fix it," said Scooter.
"No, I can't. Can't you call someone to come and do it for us?"
"I can, but it's going to take too long for someone to come." He was speaking from experience. The last time something had broken down in the store, he'd had to modify the menu, deleting certain items from it for almost an entire day.
"Well, call them already. I have an idea about what to do in the meantime."
"You do?"
She nodded. "All I'll need is some money."
"How much do you need?"
"Five bucks should do it. I'll bring you the receipt and the change."
Scooter nodded. Sarah was scrupulously correct with money, so he reached into the cash register and gave her a five without a second thought.
"Hold on the fort here. I'll be right back." She went out the door and headed for the Buy More across the parking lot. She returned not ten minutes later with a box, which she proceeded to open. Scooter moved close enough to see her take out a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato.
"Smart move, Ms. Walker," he commented. He also made a mental note to thank Chuck Bartowski for recommending her. The woman was a model employee and he agreed with everyone else that she appeared to be way overqualified to be working in a hot dog joint. Still, she was a boon for the two stores he managed. Her looks alone were enough to attract customers like moths to a flame.
"While I was at the Buy More, I also got lunch orders from a few of the people working there," she said and got started on preparing more food. The retro Ferris-wheel cooker was already filled to capacity, so she added more sausages to the bigger revolving cooker. All orders were filled in a short time. Not only that, but Sarah's brief presence in the Buy More brought in more customers who had been shopping in the electronics store and happened to notice the beautiful blonde in the imitation dirndl which consisted of a red skirt with white polka dots, a black girdle and a white shirt. She and Scooter handled the influx of customers in the same polite yet expeditious manner they had become accustomed to.
Much later, her shift ended and she was about to leave after clocking out and changing out of her work uniform and into street clothes. She said goodbye to Scooter and went to catch a bus. An old AMC Pacer stopped right next to her and the driver poked his head out the window.
"Hey Sarah, need a ride? I'm heading to Chuck's and your place is smack in the middle of my route."
"Thanks Morgan," she said with a smile. "Getting chauffeured around beats waiting for the bus any day." She was suitably impressed when Morgan jumped out to open the door for her.
"So, what do you think of the Buy More Plaza?" Morgan asked, starting the conversation.
"I can't complain. Even though my clothes do smell like sausage at the end of the day, I like my job. How is Chuck, by the way? I haven't seen him around lately."
"Me neither," Morgan admitted. "We talked on the phone and he said something about negotiating with a Japanese company to make one of their anime cartoons into an online game – which is kind of awesome, if you ask me."
"Tell him I said hi, will you?"
"But of course. Did he say he comes here frequently?"
"No, how come?"
"Chuck is a BuyMorian at heart. He may have told you it was his summer job throughout high school and college."
"He mentioned it in passing. Fortunately or unfortunately, Mr. Tucker said he hadn't gotten approval for hiring new people, so when Chuck told me about the opening at the Wienerlicious, I took it without a second thought. He also convinced Scooter to give me the first week's pay in advance, which helped a lot. The hotel he recommended is great, too. But do tell me more about Chuck and the Buy More, please."
"OK. Well, he loves the place, so he gets all his office supplies from us. Nebula Games goes through office supplies at quite a rate, so we see him often."
The banter went back and forth until they arrived in front of the Maison 23. Sarah bade Morgan goodbye and also told him to give her regards to Chuck, Devon and Ellie. Over the week or so she'd been working at the Wienerlicious, she'd grown to like Morgan. He was a bit goofy, but overall a very nice guy. He had to be, since he was Chuck's best friend. She took the elevator to the eighth floor and the moment she locked her apartment door behind her, she went to take a shower and wash the sausage smell off of her body. She had things to take care of and she needed to look (and smell) at least presentable.
-o-
"White," Alexis answered her desk phone.
It was the precinct's front desk officer. "Detective, there is a Ms. Walker here. She says she has an appointment with you."
"Yes, send her up, please." Alexis hung up after thanking the officer and settled down to wait for Sarah.
Sarah soon stepped out of the elevator into the bullpen and Alexis waved at her from her desk. Sarah saw her and smiled before making her way over.
"Detective, it's really nice to see you again," she began. "Thank you for sending Sydney the fax with your ideas."
"You are welcome, Ms. Walker. But let's drop the formalities. I knew you as Sarah from the start, so just call me Alexis."
"Sounds like a good idea." Sarah then reached into a bag and produced a gift wrapped box. "I brought you some donuts as another little thank you."
"Well, I do conform to the stereotype of the donut loving cop, so thanks," Alexis smiled. "Sydney also told me you got settled down into your new life. How are you finding it so far?"
"I really can't complain. The place where I live is great, I have a job… Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about the PI thing. Since I don't know any, can you recommend someone? It'll be a while before I save up enough money to pay him or her, but at least I'll know where to go."
"Sure, I'll give you a list." She got a notepad and a pen, wrote down a few names, addresses and phone numbers and then tore off the page, handing it over to Sarah.
"Thanks again."
"You are welcome." Just then her phone rang. "White… Yes, we'll be right over. Sorry, Sarah, duty calls." She got up, motioning to her partner to get going.
"No problem. Go do your job."
"Don't be a stranger… And let me know if you find out who you are."
"Certainly," replied Sarah.
After leaving the precinct, Sarah decided to take a walk. In fact, she liked discovering the city and over the past few days she'd managed to learn quite a bit about it. She was also keeping her promise to Sydney about visiting the halfway house (she'd already gone there once). For the moment, she walked aimlessly around, stopping here and there to look at shop windows. Nothing triggered any memories, but she didn't mind. Ellie's words about how easily she could have died instead of ending up with amnesia echoed in her head. She definitely preferred having amnesia to being dead. Who wouldn't? Her hand unconsciously reached for the pocket where she kept her wallet, which contained not only her new identification documents, but also some money, the first she'd made from her new job.
-o-
"I believe we have covered enough ground for today," said a middle aged Japanese man over the teleconference link.
"I'll have to agree," replied Chuck, respectfully standing up before the older man did on his end. "It's a pleasure to be working with you, Mr. Morimoto," he added.
"Likewise, Mr. Bartowski. I know you'll do our anime justice. I suggest we reconvene in… well, that's up to you."
"Rest assured, Mr. Morimoto, not only is it being treated with the respect it deserves, but I'll the final version ready by Monday," Chuck said confidently.
One of Mr. Morimoto's associates whispered something in his boss' ear, earning a curt chastising in Japanese. "Please forgive my associate, Mr. Bartowski. I know that given your reputation you will deliver on your promise. We will be expecting your call. Have a nice weekend."
"You too, gentlemen," said Chuck and signed off. He sighed and sank back in his sinfully comfortable office chair, simultaneously clawing at his tie, loosening it before yanking it off altogether. Doing business with the Japanese could be taxing on occasion, not to mention the time zone difference, which was another thing to consider when scheduling videoconferences. Then he smiled. What Morimoto and his associates did not know was that he had already done a lot of the prep work for the game even before approaching them with an offer to turn the anime into an online game. Even if they eventually failed to reach an agreement, he could at least take advantage of the work already completed and use it for another game.
The front door bell rang and Chuck turned around to look at the screen displaying the feed from a security camera. He smiled when he saw who it was and buzzed Morgan in. "Hey little buddy," he greeted his best friend.
"We missed seeing you around, so I decided to drop by and see how you're doing." Morgan then noticed a bottle of chardonnay next to a plastic cup sitting on his friend's desk. "Hitting the thinking juice again, aren't you?"
"Laugh all you want, but a glass of the good stuff is necessary when you have to deal with Morimoto and his company." He sat back in his chair and propped his Chuck Taylors on the edge of his desk. "How are things at the Buy More trenches?"
"The usual," shrugged Morgan. "Of course, there is the beautiful Ms. Walker who is brightening up the Plaza every day. She sends her regards, by the way, and hopes to see you soon. So, where's the fire? You said you wanted to see me right after my shift."
"Take a seat." He waited until Morgan was seated in one of the comfortable guest chairs in front of his desk. "I kind of withheld some information from the Japanese. The truth is I finished the game the other day. I only need to proof it."
Morgan caught on immediately. "And you want me to help, right?"
"We'll play it on the office intranet," nodded Chuck. "You have tomorrow off, if I'm not mistaken, so you can stay a while. Dinner and drinks are on me."
"Bamboo Dragon?" Morgan asked hopefully.
"Sure, why not? It's been a while since we last ordered Chinese."
The two friends shared a laugh and then settled down to play Chuck's newest online game. From the start, Morgan had nothing but praise for the graphics, the gameplay and the fact that it was entirely hosted in the company servers, so the players wouldn't have to download and install anything. All they needed to play it was a Nebula Gamer account.
-o-
Meanwhile, not wanting to stay cooped up in her apartment until bedtime, Sarah had decided not to go home just yet. So, she indulged in a little more window shopping, at some point pausing in front of a used car dealership. Buying a car would give her a lot more freedom in moving around, but it also came with certain expenses. She really needed to save more money before even considering acquiring a vehicle. Given the situation, she was quite budget conscious, carefully planning her expenses, while saving as much as she could for contingencies.
"Sarah!"
The voice calling out to her was very familiar and she turned around with a big smile on her face. "Dr. Bartowski," she said.
"Please, it's Ellie. You are not my patient now. Fancy meeting you here, though."
"Yeah, I dropped by the precinct to see Detective White and thank her for everything she's done for me. She recommended a few private investigators that she thinks could take my case. The problem is… well, I can't tell them where to start looking. But you don't need to hear about my problems. Say, can I buy you a coffee?"
"I'd love to, but you really don't have to."
"I want to," Sarah said, taking Ellie by the arm. "You'll have to choose the café, though. I'm still finding my way around the city."
Soon, they were seated in a booth in a nice little café. Ellie kicked off the conversation after their orders arrived. "So, Sarah, how have you been since you got out of the hospital?"
"I'm doing well," replied Sarah. "Thanks to your brother and his recommendations I now have a roof over my head and a job. It's not much, but it pays the bills."
"Glad to hear that," said Ellie. "But how do you really feel?"
"Starting over can be hard. I mean, I have no idea what I used to do, what I had to deal with, but from what you've told me I must have been a lot better off."
"You seem to be doing just fine, regardless."
"Well, I'm trying to be optimistic. You never know what the future holds. I do know this though: No matter what happens, I won't forget you or anyone else I've met since waking up in the hospital. I'll say it again: all you guys have been a great help, especially Chuck. Unfortunately, I haven't seen him for a few days, but Morgan says he's been busy."
"He has been staying late at work recently… I'm proud of him, I really am, but I'm also concerned about him."
"You are his sister. You have every reason to be concerned about your little brother. But don't hesitate to ask me for anything I can do to help."
Ellie gave Sarah a grateful look. She could tell the blonde was a very nice person, her misfortune notwithstanding. Indeed, she wanted her little brother to find someone like Sarah for a serious relationship. Another thought came to her. If Chuck and Sarah's budding friendship developed further (and she wouldn't object if it became something else entirely either), she could recruit Sarah to help her in her efforts for getting Chuck motivated to go back to school and finally get his degree.
They sat in the café a while longer, Sarah asking about how Ellie was doing at the hospital, about Devon and generally talking about their respective lives. By the time they parted ways, Ellie had decided to subtly suggest to Chuck to ask Sarah out. If necessary, she would also recruit Devon, Morgan and maybe even her parents to help.
A few minutes after Sarah and Ellie left to go to their respective places, an older couple with a baby in a stroller entered the café and sat down. They wanted to celebrate a milestone in their long relationship. From this day on, they were going to be a family again, the two of them plus the baby. Judge Ominsky had granted their adoption application for the little girl and they were very happy about it. Naturally, their happiness was tempered by the pain of the recent loss of their biological daughter.
A waitress approached them. "Hi and welcome. Can I get you anything?"
"We are waiting for someone," replied Jack Walker.
"I'm right here," said a tall, slim, modelesque blue eyed young woman with long reddish brown hair. "I'll have a vanilla latte, please," she told the waitress.
"The lady will have a cappuccino and I'd like a Bailey's Irish Cream Coffee, please," said Jack.
"Certainly. I'll be here with your orders shortly."
Emma rose and hugged the young woman after the waitress left. "Ms. Miller, it's nice to finally meet you, although I wish the circumstances were different."
"Please, Mrs. Walker, call me Carina. And I agree with you. We should have met under better circumstances." She eyed Molly, who was playing with a toy hanging from the awning of her stroller. "Can I hold her?"
Emma smiled, unbuckling the baby from the stroller and carefully passing her over to Carina. "She's cute, isn't she?"
"When Sarah asked me to help her keep you safe, she showed me your photos. And I must say, they don't do you justice. You are both a lot more beautiful." The baby pulled at her hair and gurgled happily. "Awww," cooed Carina. "Sarah was like a sister to me and I hope I can be a good sister – of sorts – to you, little one."
More baby babble was Molly's reply, making all three adults laugh. They stopped talking when their orders arrived, and only when they were sure nobody was paying attention to them did they resume their discussion, mostly focusing on security arrangements for the family and the ways the DEA Agent could help in keeping them safe. Jack and Carina also told Emma about the memorial service that had taken place at Langley a few days ago.
-o-
Later, after darkness had fallen over the city, Chuck and Morgan were enjoying the Chinese they had ordered from the Bamboo Dragon and making light conversation.
Morgan took the opportunity to scold Chuck over the lack of female companionship in his life. "Dude, we need to get you a girl. You've been working too hard and ignoring basic needs."
"Not this discussion again," whined Chuck. "It's as bad as Ellie's pushing about Stanford."
"You have but yourself to blame for leaving loose ends, bro. Just how difficult is it to take a step back from work and finish the damn degree? On second thought, don't answer that. I know what you're going to say; you have contractual obligations to fulfill, yadda, yadda, yadda. But there is something you can do to deal with the other matter. I told you that Sarah was asking about you today. Why don't you ask her out? She's a nice girl and your type to boot."
"My type?" Chuck echoed.
"Tall, beautiful, smart, nice," elaborated Morgan. "You two would be great together. What's holding you back?"
"It's complicated. Although I haven't known her long, I like her and I'm glad I've been able to help her."
"Then ask her out already!" Morgan exclaimed.
"Like I said, it's complicated. She's still trying to get her life on track and I don't want to get in her way… Also, I'd hate if it looked like I might be trying to take advantage of her vulnerable state just to get her in bed."
"Please," Morgan scoffed. "Not a single person who knows you would think that."
"No," said Chuck firmly. "I'll wait."
"Until when?" Morgan pressed.
"Until she's found her rhythm," replied Chuck without hesitation. "And then we'll see."