A/N: Hey all, we're back. It's short, again, Covid brain is real. I hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

"So, is this what you do?" Mary asked, venom in her voice. Sarah stared at Mary, having no idea what the older woman was talking about. "Finding rich men that are having brain troubles, and then swooping in so that you can drain them dry?"

Sarah's eyes widened in shock.

"Sarah, who's that at the door?" she heard coming from the hallway. She spun, saw Chuck, and started to answer when she heard Mary speak.

"Son!" It was the honey-dripping play-acting that made Sarah want to throw up. Sarah turned back around, slammed the door shut, and locked it. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Chuck and Sarah heard, muffled, from the other side of the door.

Sarah turned back to Chuck. The look on his face was absolutely priceless. She hoped one day they could look back on this moment and laugh. But she knew, deep down in her soul, if she didn't do something right now there might not be a someday for them.

"I need you to trust me, okay?" Sarah asked. Chuck just stared at her, and then started to chuckle. She started to get irritated at him, and that… that was when he spoke, and everything that was wrong with the world simply melted away.

"Always," he said softly, shaking his head. The lopsided smile on his face seemed to say everyone knows this except, apparently, you.

"We are soooo gonna talk about that," Sarah began. "But right now, I need you to do something very important. Go back to your room, stay in your room, and call your sister. Tell her your mom's here, and I said she needs to get here, ASAP. Can you please do that for me, Chuck?"

"I can," Chuck told her. "But Sarah, it's just my mom."

"Chuck… she may be part of the reason your brain malfunctioned the way it did," Sarah told him. "You can't see her until you see someone about how to deal with her."

Chuck blew out a rough breath and nodded. "Okay, you're the doc… Doc."

"And don't you forget it," she teased, winking at him.

"Chuck, stay in the car," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Sarah asked.

"You know, in my dream you always were telling me to stay in the car, to protect me," Chuck said, shrugging.

"Chuck, I'm serious, you could have another episode if you don't." Chuck nodded, and headed back to his bedroom. Sarah took a deep breath as she went to the door, unlocked it, opened it and stepping outside, shut it behind her.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Mary screamed.

"If you'll quit your caterwauling, I'll tell you," Sarah snapped. "Your son has had a significant brain injury, and the way you are acting could trigger another episode."

"What is wrong with him?" Mary asked. Sarah tilted her head and crossed her arms. "You have to tell me."

"Actually, not only do I not have to tell you, but it would be a violation if I did," Sarah told her. Mary started to speak. "You know, the HIPAA privacy act?"

Mary had a sour look on her face, but nodded begrudgingly. Sarah continued, "So here's what's going to happen; we are either going to stand here until Ellie gets here to deal with you-"

"Oh, so you're scared of me, and called my daughter?" Mary accused.

"Frightened? Of you?" Sarah scoffed. "I get it… in your world, you're important. I get that they know you as the Frost Queen. But Mary, this isn't a court of law. This is medical."

"You are no longer his doctor," Mary pointed out.

"You are exactly right. And that is why I called Ellie," Sarah reminded her. "She is family, that is authorized to know exactly what is wrong with Chuck, and she can make the determination of who can know and not know. Until he is cleared, I don't need you yelling and belittling him."

"Belittling?!"

"Yeah, belittling," Sarah replied. "Remember the start-up money for his company? We call that belittling in the real world."

"I was just pointing out how we helped him," Mary insisted.

"No, you were pointing out look what I did, and making him seem like he could accomplish nothing without your help, or clout," Sarah snapped back. "What you did hurt your son."

"Are you saying what I did caused his episode?" Mary asked. Sarah studied the woman. It almost seemed like it was dawning on Mary that her words had consequences she had never thought of or anticipated.

"I am saying nothing," Sarah told her. "Other than anyone trying to heal doesn't need that type of attitude around them."

"But you implied…" Mary trailed off. "I don't have to take this from you." She tried to move past Sarah to get to the door. "Out of my way, girlie!"

Sarah raised an eyebrow as she caught Mary's wrist, stopping her from opening the door. "Until he is cleared, the only way you'll see him is with Ellie's permission, or over my dead body," Sarah said in a low but intense voice.

"And there's no way in hell I'm giving you permission," Ellie said, walking up to the two. "Mom, what are you doing? Are you trying to make Chuck worse?"

"I see what this is," Mary snapped, jerking her hand away and rubbing her wrist. "I parent you the best I can – and yes, maybe I was a little abrasive – but this…this is nothing more than payback for being stern with you two. For being a tough, but good, parent."

Ellie shook her head. "Mom, this is because you behaving like a nutjob will do nothing to help Chuck, and could potentially harm him."

Mary started to say something when her phone went off. She pulled out her phone, looked at it, made a face, and looked up at Ellie. "I have to go to work," she began, and then pointed her finger at Ellie. "But you have not heard the last of this. I will see my son when I damn well please."

"But what about if he doesn't want to see you?" Ellie asked. Mary growled something unintelligible and stormed off. The two women watched Mary power-walk to her car, get in, and zoom off.

Ellie turned to Sarah. "I don't think you're gonna get her blessing, when she finds out what is going on with you two."

"Chuck told you?" Sarah asked, surprised.

Ellie smiled. "Well, good to see I didn't have to get involved. Now, am I allowed to go in?"

"Ellie, I couldn't stop you if you wanted to see your brother."

Ellie just looked at Sarah, chuckled, and shook her head. "Even you don't believe that," she said softly, and went inside the house.

Sarah stood there, smiling softly.

}o{

"Do you know what he did?" Ellie asked Sarah when she finally made her way back inside a few minutes later. Sarah had dealt with difficult family members before, worried about the welfare of their family members, but this was different. She cared for Chuck, and not in a doctor/patient way. She cared about him… a lot! And that scared her. That terrified her, if she were being absolutely honest.

"I didn't leave the bedroom, Sarah, honest," he told her. She grinned at him. She should have known he had done something. He wasn't the kind of guy that just sat around when someone… did he care about her? He had to. He just had to. "I heard my mom… did you say caterwauling?"

"I did," Sarah replied. "I thought it perfectly described what I heard out of her." Ellie and Sarah both laughed.

Chuck winced, then continued, "I quickly found her schedule-"

"How did you do that?" Sarah asked.

"I'd… rather not say," Chuck admitted. Ellie shook her head at her brother, and gave him a small shove. "Hey, I'm injured."

"He has computer skills," Ellie said to Sarah.

"Anywhoo," Chuck continued. "I sent her a text reminding her of her schedule… I may have fudged it a bit."

"Won't that get you in trouble with your mom?" Sarah asked.

"You think I'm not going to go to bat for my girlfriend, when she's fighting with my mom?" Chuck asked Sarah. He missed the look on Ellie's face, because he was concentrating on the one on Sarah's. "You think that when you're out there fighting for my life, I'm just gonna sit in the car?"

"Car?" Ellie asked.

"It's a metaphor," Chuck said, waving her off, again missing the look on his sister's face. "Was I not supposed to say girlfriend? Because you did say we were exclusive, and maybe it's me, and I'm just old-fashioned, but I think that would be the perfect use of the word girlfriend, and-"

He didn't get anything else out, because Sarah had crossed the distance between them and was kissing him soundly.

"Yep, seems like she's your girlfriend," Ellie said, grinning.

A/N: I apologize for the brevity, but concentrating post-covid isn't the easiest, and I wanted to get something out. I'm slowly trying to ramp back up… of course I also need a nap now after vacuuming so… I'll do what I can when I can. Take care friends.