F/N1 from AC: I am excited to announce that starting with this chapter, Captainrick944 has begun to share his proofing/editing talents for this story. No changes made by either of us will change any aspect of the original plot or dialogs with the various characters. This is still Wade's story, refined only in presentation but true to his imagination. But CR's efforts will make this a better story and easier to read. I appreciate his help on this project throughout the entire process.

Also please be aware that even though there are some canon event references, the timeline of this story is not the same as canon. This story proceeds primarily in chronological order and timelines and locations will be clearly called out.

I don't own Chuck.

Chuck and Sarah vs The Makeover

Chapter 5: Turning Points

January 2004

Washington DC

Carina had succeeded in talking Sarah into joining her in checking out a local night spot. Johnny's Place was an all-ages game room with a wristband-required bar about 4 blocks away from their apartment. It was a mid-sized venue with a mid-sized dance floor and a D.J. most nights. It also had a handful of pool tables, pinball machines, and a set of dart boards. It was a hopping place around midnight, especially on the weekends. Unfortunately, Sarah had insisted that they come out early, and at 10pm on a Wednesday night, it was mostly teenagers from the nearby high school goofing around the pool tables as the D.J. and sound crew went through sound checks in hopes of some kind of crowd later in the evening.

Carina was all but bouncing with excitement while Sarah warily scoped out the place. "I am so glad you agreed to come check out some nightlife with me," Carina thanked her for the fifth time since they decided to go out. "We always walk past these places, and it always looks like people are having fun."

They walked up to the doorman, who checked their I.D.s and gave them the yellow/no-alcohol wristbands before allowing the women to enter the club.

"Yeah, well, I have seen too many people throwing up or passing out on the street afterward. I don't know if they just think they are having fun." Sarah's face darkened at the memory, and she decided to share a little more of herself with Carina. "Sometimes my dad would drive us around late at night, or you might say, early in the morning. You know, after these places close. And we would drive by them after the lights were off, and it all just seemed kind of scary. Scary and depressing."

"Oh, Sarah," Carina leaned into her for a hug. "So much of your life has been sad and dark. We have to find some sunny parts of life for you to see. Find us some nice, good people to be around so you can find out what that is like."

As much as Sarah was getting to like Carina and her new perspective, it was unsettling to examine her life, so she retreated behind sarcasm. Pointing over to the crowd of high schoolers, who were milling about and trying to mingle. "Yeah, I don't think the brain trust over there is going to provide us much wisdom."

Carina slapped Sarah's arm and laughed, "Well, it is a good thing we are here for fun and not wisdom."

"I think the dartboards look like fun. Let's check them out," Sarah suggested. Throwing darts must be kind of like throwing knives, so that might be interesting to try. They discovered it required a trip to the bartender, who set them up with darts and a couple of overpriced sodas.

Sarah and Carina seemed to be an odd pairing to an observer, as they had a few among the awkward teenage boys wandering around.

Sarah was hard and closed off, leaning into an androgynous look of men's blue jeans and flannel shirts, with boots completing the tough look. Conversely, Carina tended to wear long, conservatively cut dresses but often added a modern twist to create her own style. She liked for things to flow.

What they shared was the feeling of being a misfit. They both had trouble fitting in and understanding how to fit in with their peers at school and out in the world. However, learning to trust each other and having each other's backs helped with their bonding. When Carina led them out to explore the world, Sarah watched over everything, while Carina's more outgoing and adventurous spirit helped Sarah's social reticence.

The girls had collected the darts from the bartender, moved to one of the free dart boards, and started taking turns throwing the darts at the brightly colored concentric circles of the board.

Sarah found that the darts were much lighter than her knives, but she soon got the hang of throwing them and was racking up the points, while Carina seemed to be much less interested in darts and much more interested in scoping out the club's crowd than the dartboard. As they played, Sarah clearly enjoyed the game, but after a few half-hearted turns at throwing the darts, Carina's eyes drifted off to explore the club, causing Sarah to keep a very protective eye on her.

These darts are pretty fun. I guess I could handle playing around with them while Carina tries her hand at mingling with people. Sarah looked at the crowd of high schoolers over by the other games. Although I don't see anyone there I would really want to mingle with. I escaped high school to avoid all the teenage drama. Why would I want to jump in the middle of that again? She shook her head and returned to dominating the dartboard and intimidating anyone who thought she might be up for a match.

Meanwhile, Carina noticed the sound crew, who were closer to the girls' age and began shyly waving at them. When the music started playing, she slowly moved away from Sarah and the dartboard, making her way to the edge of the dance floor, where she began swaying.

Carina looked over at the high school crowd, who mingled around the pool tables. What do they talk about? They seem to get along so easily. How do you find that camaraderie without being thrown together in school? I wish I could just walk over and start talking to them. But that would be awkward, even if they weren't all teenagers. She looked over at the D.J. The sound guys are my age, but they are busy working. They don't have time to talk, let alone dance with me. I've got to find a way to meet people, especially guys, and just hang out with them. She looked over at Sarah, who had given up on the darts so she could be close to Carina. Sarah, whether we like it or not, we need to make more friends.

Sarah had refocused on throwing the darts, but she saw Carina ease her way toward the dancefloor when the music started. Sarah quickly returned the darts to the bar and moved to Carina's side, slightly bouncing on the balls of her feet to the beat of the music. That was as close to dancing as she got. As she scanned the crowd, she snarked to herself, I don't think Prince Charming is in that crowd. Then her thoughts turned wistful. If he is out there, where would I even find him?

After an hour, they decided to call it a night. After all, it was a work night. On their way out, Carina thanked the D.J. and let him know that she planned on returning. Sarah just shook her head, wondering what the appeal was. At least they have dartboards.

March 2004

Washington DC

Carina watched with amazement how fluidly Sarah moved through the assailants, almost turning battle into ballet.

Carina was healthy and athletic. Her strength was built by growing up on a farm where physical effort was a constant, whether at work in the barn or at play, riding horses. It was somewhat hidden in her slender, almost model-thin frame, but it came out when needed, like when she would roughhouse with her older brothers. So, she knew her strength was on par with Sarah's.

Sarah's strength and body control came from Yoga. When she was 10, she found a book of poses and exercises in a drawer in a motel room. At first, it was just fun to stretch and pose. But then Sarah began to enjoy the feeling of her body strengthening, so she kept at it and by the time she was 17, Sarah was deceptively strong. The strength, balance, and body control she learned through Yoga allowed her to move with fluid precision. Not only could she perform acrobatic movements with the grace of a dancer, but she could hold a plank for an hour and do handstand pushups with ease.

As part of Carina's mission to get them out of the apartment and become participating members of society, she had found a women-only health club. In addition to weights and such, they also offered introductory self-defense courses.

And it was in the self-defense courses that Sarah was absolutely killing it. Figuratively, of course, since everyone was padded up. But in the six months they had been practicing, Sarah had become a lethal weapon. Carina was a good, tough fighter, but her movements were clunky compared to Sarah's. Sarah was defending herself against a group attack, and it was like watching a fight scene in a movie. Sarah blocked, jumped, and dodged her attackers while delivering efficient, targeted, and powerful blows that would incapacitate them.

Dang, Sarah! You don't need to be a clerk. You need to be a secret agent. Carina thought as she turned back to her own workout.

Sarah was in the dressing room after the sparring matches, amped up about her performance, and for the first time, she was confident enough to challenge her dad's life lessons. Dad, you were wrong, I am worthy of a good, honest life. I can handle myself in a fight and on the street but as a force of good. I can protect people from criminals rather than becoming one. I am worthy of my job, where I am getting good reviews. I now help the good guys protect the innocent instead of trying to pull one over on them. I am smart, capable of passing my classes, and I will get my degree and promotions. And, I am worthy of friendship. Carina is a good, honorable, decent person, and she thinks I am worth being her friend, and I think she is worth being my friend. I am lucky I found her. Or, to be honest, I am lucky she found me interesting. However, I think my main value is genuinely listening to her and supporting her as she pursues her goals. Hopefully, she will get to explore libraries around the country. Maybe the world. And maybe find her chaste, gallant hero. Me, I don't need a hero. She winced slightly as she stretched and rotated her shoulder. Although having someone around to give me a massage sounds good right now. I guess a boyfriend would be useful, Sarah thought, with a grin, as she headed to the showers.

March 2004

Southern California

As tears streamed down his face, Chuck Bartowski pounded his palms against the steering wheel. I'm just not worthy. There is something wrong with me that will always lead me to failure.

I wasn't worthy of my Mom's love. Always screwing up and breaking things. That's why she left.

I wasn't worthy of Dad's interest. Nothing I did was as important as his work, and he finally gave up on raising two kids, one of whom was worthless.

And now, I'm not worthy of any support from my teachers and friends. Nobody believes that I didn't steal the test. Fleming was cold and only focused on where the test copies were found.

Dean Johnson, who had supported and encouraged me from day one, is totally shocked and feels betrayed. None of them would hear me out. I wasn't worth defending. There is something wrong with me.

Chuck wiped the tears from his face as he continued down the highway in a rental car loaded with all of his stuff from college. And Bryce and Jill. I don't understand them. They both immediately turned their backs on me. Were they both in on this? Whatever this is? Jeremy said he saw Bryce and her going into her Sorority House together? Was this some kind of Con?

Did Bryce get something for getting me kicked out? Was I too trusting? He was my first new friend. And Jill. Jill was my first everything else. And, I fell for her so, so easy. Am I just a pushover? A sucker? Was I just a target for one of them, or maybe both? And how would I ever find out? I am so stupid! So Chuck, no more being a sucker. I have got to avoid setting myself up to be taken advantage of, especially by women. I can't trust they will be like Ellie and have my best interests in mind.

His tears started anew as he thought about Ellie. Ellie is going to be so disappointed. But she should still have her scholarships and grants. I didn't want to create a fuss that could negatively affect her situation, so I tucked my tail and accepted the consequences. Kicked out. No Degrees. Nothing to show for all that work. There has to be something wrong with me that I am destined to fail. If I am going to lose myself in mediocrity, then I will hide my failures among all the others at the Buy More where working in the Nerd Herd is perfect.

The signs on the freeway started indicating Burbank exits. He sardonically laughed. My Destiny is to achieve nothing in the middle of mediocrity. Well, Chuck, I guess you are finding your equilibrium, and it includes Morgan and Buy More.

April 2004

Washington DC

Sarah wasn't too surprised at Director Ross's request for a meeting. They had met for lunch a couple of times over the past months. The Director was interested in how Sarah was doing professionally and seemed to be evaluating her overall. It was always a pleasant time for Sarah, and it filled a certain parental need for her. It was nice to have someone interested in her.

However, when they met this time, it was to discuss an upcoming event. While Sarah became more comfortable around the Director, uncertainty and nervousness remained her baseline. She was never clear about what precisely the Director expected of her.

"So, Miss Walker, I have a conference to attend in Los Angeles at the end of the month. I will need a personal assistant to come along. Essentially a go-fer. It's not glamorous, but quite needed at these kinds of events. So, I have requested that you accompany me. It will allow us to work together, and I can continue evaluating you. I see potential in you but still can't make any commitments. Is there any problem in joining me on this trip?"

"No, ma'am," Sarah replied. "I assume all of this is cleared with my bosses, so I would be excited to help you however possible. I am sure I will learn a lot."

Director Ross chuckled, "Well, you will definitely learn how I like my coffee and how to find your way around convention centers. I'll email you the details. We will be there for about a week," she explained as they parted.

Carina was even more excited and somewhat jealous that Sarah was getting to go to L.A. "That is so exciting. You can fly across the county, stay at hotels, and check out Los Angeles."

"Well, we will probably be stuck in the hotel most of the time," Sarah explained, trying to downplay things.

"Yeah, a Hotel in California with palm trees and swimming pools," Carina pointed out.

"Sure. But it's not that big of a deal for me. I never told you, but I spent much of my childhood in Southern California. So, I've seen it all before."

"Well, I wish I could see it. I would gladly skip classes and change my work schedule to spend a week in California." Carina groused. "Are you sure you can't sneak me in your luggage?"

Sarah laughed, "No, I can't sneak you in my luggage. But if you get there, I could hide you in my room. I am going to have one to myself."

"Really? I could stay with you if I could get there?" Carina asked, her mind calculating.

"Sure, I guess. I don't know that they would care. But you still have to get there." Sarah reminded her.

"Yeah. Well… I have some savings, so I will call my parents and see if they can help me get a plane ticket." Carina kicked her legs in excitement. "This is going to be so much fun."

Oh Crap, what did I get myself into? I hope Director Ross doesn't mind. Sarah laughed along, but there was a nervous edge to her laughter. "Yeah, so much fun."

FN2 from AC: So we finally met Chuck, and things are not going well for him. He is basically the Chuck we saw in the Pilot episode of "Chuck", but he is only a month away from being expelled from Stanford. So everything is very fresh for him as we proceed.