A/N: This one has been insane from the start and I had an idea how to make it a touch insaner. Actually it's all Nomadic Nerd's fault…I got the idea from his fic. Not what he was going for, but something he made me wonder. Thanksgiving just never went well on Chuck, did it? Why change…Welcome to Ch 11, Thanksgiving
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck...I'm working on it…I'm working on it.
Ellie started at Stephen. Da-"
"What the hell is he doing here?" Mary Bartowski bellowed from behind them. Sarah spun, and there was Mary, having barged through the front door. "I look over and see…her bring him in."
"Now you wait just a damn minute, Mom," Chuck said, getting frustrated with how she kept treating Sarah.
"Ah, there's the Mary I know, never a moment for me unless it's to belittle me about something," Stephen fired back at her.
"Everything's just all fun and games to you isn't it?" Mary shot back.
Chuck looked over at Ellie. "Ellie, we have the best people over," Chuck said, grinning.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said to the two of them.
"Why, this is better than anything on TV," Ellie admitted, taking a drink.
"What?" Sarah said, shocked.
"Reality TV has nothing on these two," Ellie replied, pointing to the two parents ignoring everyone, shouting at each other. "They really had no business being parents. I mean I'm glad they did or Chuck and I wouldn't be here, but they aren't the best role models."
"This conversation sounds familiar," Sarah said, twisting her lips, trying to hold off a grin. Ellie looked at Sarah, and then turned to Chuck.
"Please, Ellie, no squeals right now, you'll frighten those two and we'll miss the show," Chuck begged.
"We," she said, pointing to the three of them. "Are SOOOOO talking later."
"Nothing to talk about, seeing my parents has probably put the kibosh on any possibility," Chuck grumbled.
"You know that I know other parents who are worse," Sarah muttered. Ellie looked at her, but a particularly vicious exchange between Mary and Stephen caught their attention.
"Most people try to enjoy life," Stephen said to Mary, both of them having no clue of what was going on behind them. "But how would you know? You are so wrapped up with your students you've had no time for your kids, or your husband, and I'm quite certain you never will."
"Shows how little you know," Mary fired back. "I'm seeing someone."
"Are you aware that requires you not to be the Frost Queen?"
"Dad sure does have a day with words," Chuck said to Ellie.
"Mom's got her own brand of sweetness," Ellie retorted.
"Did you ever consider it was you that caused me to act like that?" Mary spat at Stephen.
"How could I?" Stephen asked. "You were never around for me to cause you to act anyway. Is there really even a guy, or did you just make him up, like your feelings for me?"
"Oh, he's real, and he's wonderful, unlike you," Mary said, heading for the door. She opened it, and stuck her head outside. "Jack, can you come over here please?" She shut the door and stalked back toward Stephen. "You're about to see a real man and how he treats a lady.
Chuck, Sarah, Ellie, and Devon heard the door open. "What's wrong, darlin?" they heard the voice drawl. Sarah's eyebrows about shot off of her head.
"No," she whispered. "Oh, hell no," she said, and started toward the other room where the Bartowskis were arguing.
"What's wrong with her?" Ellie asked.
"Maybe she feels left out not having a crazy parent," Chuck offered.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sarah yelled. Chuck, Ellie, and Devon shared a look.
"Sarah," the heard the man drawl. "Baby, what are you doing here?"
"This is my house, Dad!" she hissed.
Chuck turned to Ellie. "Appears I was wrong."
-ooooo-
Sarah pulled Jack outside to the porch. Chuck and Ellie was trying to find a way to get near the window where they were, but one glare from Sarah had sent the two scurrying.
"My bad darlin," Jack drawled. "I had no idea you were working a con here."
"THIS ISN'T A CON YOU NIMWIT!" Sarah screamed. Jack looked at her in surprise. "In there, I have found a man who accepted me as me. In there I have found a family who loves me, but when they find out who you are, and what I did with you…." She was shaking she was so angry. Tears began to stream. "It was bad enough you got arrested and I had to live by myself."
"What? You were sixteen."
"You had faked the papers, remember?" she hissed.
"Oh, yeah," Jack said, stroking his chin thinking about times past. He looked up at her and grinned. "You're welcome."
Sarah just stared at him. "For what?" she asked in a strangled voice.
"I kept you out of foster care."
"I. WAS. SIXTEEN!"
Jack shrugged. "You knew how to take care of yourself." Sarah crossed her arms and threw her head back looking at the sky. She made a noise that was half a scream and half a moan.
"Darlin-"
"No, Dad," she said, looking at him. "Don't con her. I'm sure I'll never be her daughter-in-law now, but don't con her." She turned and walked inside, leaving Jack standing there, speechless. Mary and Stephen weren't speaking but they weren't firing shots at each other either. Chuck stood on the other side of the room, watching her. "Mary," she said softly. "That's my dad, Jack, he's a con man, so don't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth. Excuse me."
With that she turned and walked out of the living room, into her bedroom. She didn't bother shutting the door. In a minute, Chuck would either leave, or he'd come in there with her. He hoped he stayed, but why would he, a con man's daughter. She never heard him enter, his arms slipped around her, kissing the side of her head, and holding her tight.
-ooooo-
A few hours later, Sarah woke up, hearing murmurings in the other room. She wasn't sure what had happened other than she began crying once Chuck held her, and she assumed she eventually cried herself to sleep. She got up, looked in the mirror, shook her head, grabbed some clothes and headed to the shower. After a bit, she felt human, made herself presentable and headed out, to see what was going on.
She barely made it into the kitchen when Ellie had a glass of wine placed into Sarah's hand and squeezed her with a side hug.
"So, your Dad is gone, I think he and my mom are done, which would have gotten weird to have him as your step-dad and father-in-law," Ellie told Sarah as she took a drink of wine and nearly choked as Ellie said the last part.
"What?"
Ellie gave her a look. "Do you think my brother is that stupid to run away from you because your parents are awful?"
"But, Ellie, he was a con man, I was too."
"So," she said shrugging. "You do know that I basically raised him after Mom and Dad split, right? You do know that had to forge some things, that I had to do some things that weren't exactly legal."
"I was a fake girl scout and took money for cookies people never got."
"I bet you looked so cute in that uniform."
Sarah stared at her for a minute, blushed, and bounced a shoulder. "I mean it didn't hurt…"
Ellie pulled her in for a full hug. "Sarah, you are who you are. You got a real degree, right?" She nodded. "You really love my brother, right?" Sarah nodded again. "And you'll do anything for him, right?" The look she gave Ellie was an almost, "you're kidding, right, of course I will." "Right, stupid question, the same way it's stupid for you to think we don't want you in this family."
"I brought the turkey," Mary said, entering the front door.
"I must say, I tasted it, and it's delicious," Stephen added, following behind her. Sarah's mouth nearly hit the floor.
"After you said what you said to mom," Ellie began in a low voice, talking out the side of her mouth. "Jack pretty much flew out of here ruining her dinner. So she offered to bring the turkey over here and her and dad are promising to behave."
There was a knock on the door, and Chuck went to open it. "Is it okay if I come in?" she heard the familiar voice ask.
Ellie turned to Sarah. "It's your house, and he's your dad, but he's family."
"Should I?" Sarah asked. Ellie nodded. "Come on in, Dad," she said loudly where he could here. Jack came in, with a bottle of wine in his hand. "I'm sorry about earlier, Dad."
"No, darlin' I'm sorry," Jack drawled. "I'm sorry….well…for all of it. It's all I knew."
"I know, Dad," Sarah said softly. Jack held his hands open, gesturing for a hug. Sarah saw Chuck smiling behind Jack. Sarah rolled her eyes, grinned, and hugged him. "Behave at dinner."
"Alway," Jack replied.
-ooooo-
Chuck finished the last of the dishes and came into the living room where Sarah was sitting on the couch, staring off into space.
"Thinking about where the tree should go?" he asked. Sarah gave him a look. "The Christmas Tree?"
She pursed her lips together, looked him in the eye, and sighed. "I don't really do Christmas."
Chuck stuck a finger in his ear to clear it out. "I'm sorry. My eardrum must have had an injury. I thought you said you don't really do Christmas."
"That's what I said, Chuck. Christmas usually meant the Salvation Army scam."
"Oh. Well. I see."
"Yeah."
"Okay, well, I'll do Christmas and you can just watch."
"Excuse me, Chuck." She gave him a look. It wasn't so much a "you're in trouble" look, but more a "oh, really?" challenging look.
Chuck grinned at her. "Since you really don't do Christmas, I'll do Christmas and you can just…watch. You know. I mean it always goes on all around you, right?"
"Yeah, but, Chuck-"
"No," he cut her off with the world's biggest grin. "Every day you pass decorations and cards and trees and carolers at Christmas time. This year it will just be in your house, but it will be me, not you. I should warn you, I get very Christmasy though, to the point I almost have it running out my pores."
"I don't know," she said, returning the grin. "It sounds…infectious."
"It is," Chuck agreed, slowly nodding. "But I'll protect you."
"From the infection, because I have a feeling I might get infected if it's all around."
"There is one known cure," Chuck said, shoving his hands in his pockets, looking depressed.
"And what's that?" Sarah asked, standing and coming up to him.
"Well, to purposely get infected and just surrender to the Christmas spirit."
"Where's the danger in that?" she asked, slipping her arms around his neck.
"Well," he began, looking away. "I mean you could get TOO caught up in it. If you've never really experienced it as a child, it's hard as an adult. Usually children have this natural immunity to the Christmas spirit pouring out their pores…"
"That could be scary, would I kiss people under the mistletoe?"
"Oh, those you love, you might drag them underneath it."
"If only someone could guide me through this horrible, horrible time."
"I mean…I could," he offered.
"Would it be a hard sacrifice?"
"I mean…you're worth it." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Just so you know, your dad doesn't change anything. He doesn't change how I feel about you, he doesn't change the future I think we could have together, and he doesn't decide your happiness."
She pulled away and studied him. "You're serious," she said, looking him in the eye. He shrugged and she shook her head. "You seriously can see a future of us married and having kids, even after all we've seen our parents do wrong."
"We've learned what not to do."
"Having your children not run cons shouldn't be hard to figure out."
"Putting your children first shouldn't be hard to figure out," Chuck countered.
"Chuck-"
"Sarah, I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't know what that's gonna look like, but I will gladly be your mate, if it means I have to take your last name."
"No, Chuck. I want a real last name. I took this one because it wasn't one of the many my dad dreamed up for me. I want a real life, a real husband, real kids, and a real house that we pick out together."
"Did you just propose to me, because I'm easy and will say yes in a hot second."
She grinned at him. "I didn't but I am aware of your easiness."
"I'm not ashamed," he said as she led him to the bedroom. "See, there you go just pulling me along and I'm willingly following."
"Chuck, I love you."
"Love you, Sarah."
"Now about this mistletoe…."
A/N: I think this one is on it's way to a close. I've got a few more idea and then we may be done. We'll see. Reviews and PMs, always appreciated. Take care, see you soon.
DC