A/N: This morning, I posted this on the FB Chuck fanfic site. "So, since I remain in the festive writing spirit, I thought I would do a little Harlan Ellison. Ellison, one of my favorite writers, would sometimes do radio interviews in which he would take story ideas, choose one, write it in a short time, and then read it on the air. (Some of you may remember Ellison as the writer of some great Star Trek and Twilight Zone episodes.) I am going to do a FB version of that. Post stories ideas here *this morning*. The idea needs to be plausibly something that can be done in a one-shot, and it needs to be *Chuck*, nothing crossover, but it can certainly be AU. Christmas-themed, preferably. I will choose one of the ideas at 10 am (CST), announce it, and then I will write the story and post it on the fanfic site by 3 pm (CST) today. So, what will the story be?"

Joe Watkins gave this suggestion, the one I chose: "This may be too long for a one-shot, but I'll throw it out here. AU - Chuck and Sarah work for the same company and are 'forced' to participate in the secret Santa. Not knowing anything about the other, they have to learn about each other to be able to choose an appropriate gift."

Here is the story, such as it is. I got interrupted, so I had even less time than I planned. If you know the Jonathan Coulton song, Code Monkey, it plays a role in the set-up, here. The story is, of necessity, episodic. Read at your own risk!

Code Monkey Christmas

An On-Demand Story

Black Friday Managerial Meeting, Barker Security

Burbank, California

Chuck Bartowski stared in fearful excitement at the small slip of paper in his hand. On it was a name: Sarah Walker.

Oh, no.

Oh, yes.

— Oh, no.

He looked across the meeting room at the woman seated against the opposite wall. Unapproachable, brilliant, blonde and tall. Sarah Walker.

Just my luck, Chuck thought, unsure if the words were a protest or a prayer.

Sarah Walker balled the small ribbon of paper in her hand. Chuck Bartowski.

She had been waiting for him to talk to her since she arrived at the company in September, but, except for necessary interactions, he had not. She was almost certain he was interested in her, but she never got any more confirmation than the feeling that he had just looked away from her whenever she looked at him. It didn't help that Rob and Cole had positioned themselves around her at almost any free moment, walling her off from anyone else and jostling with each other for her attention. She was completely uninterested. If a heart monitor was attached to her when they talked to her, it would have shown a perfect flatline.

Rob Smith was perhaps the single most boring man she had ever met. She knew rusty shovels who were more engrossing.

Cole Barker was more complicated, but not in a good way.

He was from the UK, armed with an accent and attractive smile and loads of cash. He owned the company and ran it. But he was not the man for Sarah. She had known that before she overheard Cole one day while she was in the copier room. It was the same day that her interest in Chuck Bartowski really took root.

Sarah had been on the job for about a month. She had seen Chuck around, of course. Her managerial office was just outside 'the Monkey House', as it was known, the bullpen room in which the programmers for Barker Security worked. Rob Smith had given the large room that name and had singled Chuck out to Sarah on her very first day, on 'a walk-through' during which Rob kept managing to touch her or brush against her.

"That skinny guy with the messy hair, that's Bartowski. He's...um...almost as good as me at this stuff. If I'm not here, he's your guy. Chief Code Monkey."

Sarah had looked. She had not thought Chuck skinny, and she had liked his curly, not messy hair, but she kept her face impassive, nodding at Rob.

A few weeks later, Sarah had been in the copy room, making copies for a presentation, when she heard Cole outside the room. He was talking to someone. "So, the new head of our Personal Protection division, the leggy blonde, Walker. What do you make of her?"

The other voice sounded unsure. "Um...We've not really talked. Just an exchange or two about work. She seems very...professional. Very smart. But I don't know her. Why?"

Cole's voice dropped, became conspiratorial. "Because, employee or not, I plan to butter her muffin…"

Sarah's mouth had fallen open as she stood over the copier. Smug, entitled bastard.

The other speaker cleared his throat. "Mr. Barker, that's...well, that's inappropriate. I know you own the business, but that should make you...less likely to act like this, not...more. She's your employee."

Sarah held her breath, worried about the consequences for the man talking to Barker that way.

"You're right. I do own the company. You should remember that."

"Right. You're right. We should all remember that."

Cole walked by the copier room door, but did not look inside. A second later, Chuck Bartowski came into view. His ears were bright red, his cheeks flushed. He watched Cole walk away. He shook his head and headed back to the desk. He had been the one talking to Cole.

He had not seen Sarah either.

A few days later, Sarah had gotten up and gone to the door of her office, hearing raised voices in the Monkey House. Rob was standing over Chuck, jabbing a finger into his face, ranting about Chuck's recent programming.

"It sucks, Bartowski. Sucks! It's routine, boring, clunky. It's not elegant, edgy. I expect more from the lead of my team. More, do you hear me!"

Rob had turned and stormed away. Everyone else in the room pretended to be busy, not to be gawking. When Rob went into his office and closed the door, a hush fell on the Monkey House. A young woman, a recent hire, got up and walked to Chuck, who had turned back to his monitor. Sarah knew the young woman's name. Hannah.

"Chuck," Hannah started, glancing around but looking determined to have her say. "We all know that code was mine. You didn't need to take...that...for me."

Chuck swiveled his chair around, giving the room a look before he addressed Hannah. "Hannah, your code did exactly what they asked for it to do. Rob has about as much feel for elegance as a water buffalo with jock itch." The room broke up, and Sarah had a better sense of why 'Monkey House' had stuck. Chuck's mouth crooked up on one side at the reaction, but he went on. "Don't worry about it. In a couple of days, Rob will decide he loves it, because Mr. Barker does, and then I'll make sure he, and Mr. Barker, know you were the one who did the coding. We look out for each other here."

Hannah's eyes were wet with tears but none fell to her cheeks. She wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her green sweater. "Thank you, Mr. Bartowski, I…"

"Chuck, Hannah. Call me Chuck. Everyone does."

Hannah's smile was more than thankful. Sarah could detect affection in it, and not just friendly affection. "Thank you, Chuck."

Cole Barker stood up in the meeting room, yanking Sarah from her memories.

"So," Cole said, smiling his white, expensive smile, "as a team-building exercise, we are doing a Secret Santa this year, but with a twist. Each of you is going to be gifted $200 dollars to use to buy a gift for the person whose name you received. We will gather here on Christmas Eve, before the office party begins, to exchange gifts. The goal is for each of you to learn as much as you can about the person whose name you received, and for you to find them a gift that reflects what you have learned about him or her, a gift with a personal touch. You will have to stand up and explain your gift before you give it. That will give us all a chance to benefit from your knowledge. But there is a catch. Try your best not to let the other person know you are learning about him or her. Keep it a secret. — As you can see, I will be participating too."

Cole held up a still-folded piece slip of paper. He opened it, the look on his face expectant. But what he saw made his face fall. He looked up at Sarah, then at Gretta Glau, his personal assistant. She went pale at the look Cole gave her, the question in his eyes, and then shrugged helplessly. Cole looked around the room, still with a question in his eyes. After a moment, he shoved his slip of paper into his pocket, his face blackened with anger.

Chuck had listened to Cole but kept his eyes on the meeting room floor. He already knew some things about Sarah Walker.

She had come to the private sector, to Barker Security, after several distinguished years of work as a Secret Service agent. She had, Chuck had found out, actually guarded the Vice-President. She had gotten hurt during a training exercise, taking a serious fall during it, and although she had recovered well, she had not recovered to the level necessary for her to resume her work as a bodyguard. She had left not long after that, unhappy with remaining being shuffled from protection to investigation — chasing counterfeiters was not what she had joined the Service to do.

Chuck had also heard that there were family reasons why she joined Barker. Cole paid better than the government could, evidently.

All that had been scuttlebutt, picked up around the office, most of it spread by Cole or Rob. But, beyond it, and beyond what he had seen of her, Chuck knew nothing.

She seemed nice. Her smile, rare, was a cause for rejoicing whenever it appeared. Business-like, competent, cool — she made Chuck feel like he was on the far left-end of human evolution, the bent-over, grunting, jutting-forehead-man many removes from the elegant, poised, human perfection she represented.

As far as Chuck knew, no one in the office knew much about her. Cole and Rob pretended to, but it was clear that they did not, not anything personal. Chuck did not want to pry, but this was a chance to get to know her without the effort making him a stalker. He had a legitimate reason, such as it was, thanks to Cole.

Chuck looked up and thought he saw Sarah look away from him. Probably a trick of my brain. This is messing with me.

It had surprised Chuck somewhat when he found that Cole's advances on Sarah had all been repelled. That had more to do with Cole, and his looks and money and persistence, and especially his power, than it had to do with Sarah. But she had remained firm, despite a number of attempts by Cole. Other women in the office, some jealous, some impressed, had talked about Cole's frustration.

Chuck noticed that Cole was staring at Sarah as the meeting ended. She had not noticed. She was smoothing out a slip of paper, focused on that task. He wondered if she had gotten Cole's name.

Chuck got up and headed out of the meeting room. His friend, Morgan Grimes, fell in with him. Morgan was chuckling quietly.

"What's up, Morg?"

"Just monkeying around with the boss."

"What do you mean?"

Morgan pulled on his beard and sat down in the chair in his cubicle. "Gretta was trying to fix the Secret Santa swap. She had marked the piece of paper with Sarah Walker's name on it. Cole expected to get it, but I helped Gretta put the names in the bowl, and when she wasn't watching, I erased the mark on Walker's name and put it on mine. Cole's my Secret Santa." Morgan chuckled again, delighted with himself. Morgan had a Gremlin-like fascination with throwing monkey wrenches into the works. "I got Gretta. Who'd you get?"

"I didn't think we were supposed to tell."

"Well, not the person but I don't know why you can't tell me, since I know I'm not your person."

"I got Sarah Walker."

Morgan turned a little green. "Really? Geez, I hope I don't get you in trouble, unrigging the selections the way I did. Cole's going to be pissed he didn't get Walker, and even more pissed you did."

"Why, why would he care that I got her?"

Morgan shook his head and tsk-ed-tsk-ed softly. "Because that scary beauty likes you, Chuck."

"No, she doesn't. — Why would you think that?"

"Because at least once a day, she comes to the door of her office and...I don't know...gazes at you, but never when you are looking. She thinks no one notices, but she doesn't realize there's a gap here in my cubicle," Morgan pointed, "and I can see her without having to stick my head up, like Punxsutawney Phil, or whatever his name is…"

"The groundhog? I think Phil was the guy, Bill Murray..."

"Yeah, whatever. The critter that looks like Speak, you know, the Tick's dog."

"Wait, is Speak a dog? I didn't think so…"

Morgan waved his hand. "We're getting off-topic. I tell you, that woman is into you, Chuck Bartowski."

"And why haven't you told me this before? I thought you were my friend." Chuck could hear the impatience in his own voice.

Morgan ignored it. "No, I'm not your friend, I'm your best friend. The Arthur to your Tick. And Cole has a serious thing for Walker. You know his history with women in the company...No reason to position you between Cole and his next...conquest. You need this job, man, if you are ever going to move out of your sister's place."

Chuck motioned for Morgan to keep his voice down. "I appreciate the thought, Morgan. But I would have liked to know...Although I still think you're wrong about what she's been doing, or that there's some other explanation…And please don't talk out loud about my...living at home."

Morgan shrugged. "Sorry. Hey, I've done my part. The rest is up to you. Now, by luck or fate or Divine-Morgan Intervention, you have a reason to get to know more about the mostly aloof Ms. Walker. I'll help, if you want."

"Let me figure out what I am going to do, Morgan, and I'll get back to you about that."

Chuck walked to his cubicle and sat down, without realizing it taking the pose of The Thinker.

Sarah had been out of town over the weekend, visiting her mother, Emma, in San Diego. Her mother was having a hard time. She had been diagnosed with Lupus, and although she was coping, she had been struggling in many ways.

The illness had forced her from full-time work into part-time work, and had put her in a tight financial situation. Sarah had taken Cole Barker's offer partly because his offer had included such a generous salary. With the salary, Sarah was able to stabilize her mother's situation, financially and medically. Sarah had caught up on the medical bills — her mother's employer had lousy insurance — and she had gotten the mortgage caught up. Her mother now had one of California's finest rheumatologists as her physician.

While there, Sarah had gone to see her own doctor. The fall she had taken as a Secret Service agent had broken her leg in multiple places, and, although the leg had healed well enough and Sarah had worked furiously at rehabbing it, she had never regained the speed or agility she once had, and she had been unable to pass the rigorous physical tests required of Secret Service protectors. She could now walk without a limp, but she could not run or jump as she once had. It was maddening. The leg did not hurt; it worked; it just would not work well enough. Her doctor had told her that she was lucky. She knew she was, but she did not feel lucky. The work that she had chosen was denied to her, and, although she liked the job at Barker Security, she was still adjusting to a different life than the one she had expected. It was not too bad, really. She was even starting to like parts of it.

Sarah left the office to get some lunch. She was beginning to think about how to gather information on Chuck, so that she could buy his gift, when she saw Hannah ahead of her. Sarah increased the pace of her walk and drew up alongside the shorter, dark-haired woman.

"Hi, Hannah, right?"

Hannah looked at her. "Miss Walker? Um...yes, I'm Hannah. I didn't think you knew me."

"Well, Hannah, to tell the truth, when Mr. Barker hired me, he asked that I look through all the employees' files, as a sort of precaution, I guess. To see if I saw any red flags he and his team missed when they were hiring."

Hannah suddenly looked panicked. Sarah laughed. "No, no, Hannah, there was no problem with your file. I was just explaining how I knew who you were."

Hannah was visibly relieved. "Oh, good. You did scare me. Not that there's any reason why...I mean...I'll just shut up now."

"Would you mind some company for lunch? Are you going to Lou's?"

Hannah nodded. "Yes, and sure, the company would be nice. Sometimes I eat with Chuck and Morgan, but Chuck was going to have lunch at his desk today, and Morgan had a half-day today."

They walked into Lou's diner. Sarah knew a lot of the Monkey House had lunch there. Sarah normally ate a salad from home in her office, the door closed against Cole or Rob. Hannah led the way to a table and sat down. Sarah sat across from her.

"So, Chuck. He seems like a nice guy, although I haven't really talked to him, gotten to know him."

Hannah smiled, her smile dreamy around the edges. "Oh, Chuck, he's easy to get to know. He's such a great guy."

"You...like him?"

Hannah's smile melted slowly; she blinked her eyes. "Yeah, I do. But he doesn't seem interested. I mean, he's sweet, don't get me wrong. Even gallant. But I keep giving him signs and he keeps missing them."

"Why do you think that is?"

Hannah mused for a moment. "Not sure. Part of it, I guess, is his...native diffidence. Unlike most guys, he's not taking himself romantically all the time…"

"Huh?" Sarah asked.

Hannah shook her head. "No, sorry, that sounded wrong. Bad. I don't mean...Well, I just mean that he's not asking himself, about every woman he meets, is she into me? He just meets you, you know. He's willing to think or talk about what you want to think or talk about instead of insisting that you think or talk about him. Maybe 'diffidence' isn't the best word. Maybe 'humility' is better. He's like...the anti-Cole."

Hannah looked upset with herself for having spoken so frankly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I…"

"No, don't be, I get it. That's a useful comparison."

"Why are you asking about Chuck, Miss Walker?"

"Sarah. I just was curious. The more I know about the business, the more I know about Rob, the more convinced I am that Chuck is the one really keeping the place going."

Hannan nodded excitedly. "He is. Rob knows it too, so he takes every chance he can to attack Chuck." Hanna tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "You know, there's another reason why I think Chuck isn't picking up on my signs."

"What's that?"

"I'm almost sure he's interested in someone else at work."

"Who?"

"You."

"What makes you think that? We've never talked except a couple of times about work things."

"That's why. He doesn't talk to you. He doesn't even look up when you walk by. Pardon me for saying it, but he is the only man in the office who doesn't."

"But then you must be wrong," Sarah concluded.

"No, I wish I were. But at lunch, when he works at his desk, he often looks at your closed door. And he does look at you sometimes when you aren't looking. He looks at your face, and looks away if you might see."

"I thought you said he doesn't look at me."

"No, I said he didn't look at...parts...of you."

Two days later, in the middle of the afternoon, Sarah's oldest friend, Carina Miller, showed up at Barker Security. She knocked on the frame of Sarah's office door.

Sarah glanced up, expecting anyone but Carina. "Carina!"

"Hey, Sarah! Long-time, no see." Carina walked into the office and Sarah got up. The two women embraced.

Sarah pointed to one of the chairs in front of her desk. Carina sat down in it. Sarah sat in the other, facing Carina. "I can't believe you are here!"

"I had some time off, and I was tired of the grey and snow in DC, so I thought I'd come to California and soak up some sunshine, see my old colleague and friend." Carina looked around the large office. "Impressive."

"So how's work," Sarah asked. "Are you working the VP?"

"No, not at the moment. Visiting foreign dignitaries, mostly. Pretty sleepy stuff but the job is staying awake, as you know."

Sarah nodded her head. "So, no problems, no incidents."

"No, nothing. Boring. You know how it is."

"Yeah, long hours of standing and watching and listening, mostly for nothing."

Carina nodded. "You don't sound like you miss it."

"Oh, I do. But not as bad as I thought. This place is okay."

Carina narrowed her eyes. "I met the big boss on my way in. The Brit. Very nice. He seemed eager to meet me."

"I'm sure he was. Eager."

"Oh, one of those?"

"Yes, exactly your type. You two would end up fighting over the knife to notch your bedposts."

"Ouch, girl. That's cold."

Sarah laughed. "We've always been honest with each other."

"Yeah, we have. But this isn't really fair. I'm the one with all the juicy stories. You had that stormy six months with Bryce Larkin, but all you ever told me about was what he did wrong, not anything he did right. I assume there must have been something…"

Sarah shook her head. "Less even than I thought. He…"

At just that moment, Chuck walked into the office. "Ms. Walker…" He saw Carina and froze. She smirked at him and turned from him to Sarah.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Bartowski. Can I help you?"

"Sorry, I can come back…"

"No," Sarah said, "this is just my old friend, Carina. We used to work together in DC."

Chuck's eyebrows went up. Carina stood, smoothing out her short skirt. "Hello, Mr…"

"Chuck, just call me 'Chuck'. You too, please, Ms. Walker."

"Sarah," Sarah offered.

Carina extended her hand and Chuck shook it. Carina laughed. "Carina. And I am not just anything, as you can plainly see."

Chuck kept his eyes on Carina's face but nodded. "Pleased to meet you, Carina."

"What can I do for you...Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"It's not anything important...I mean, not so important it needs to be done just now. I can come back after Carina leaves."

Sarah nodded. "Okay, but be sure you do. She won't be staying long."

Chuck turned to go. Sarah watched him leave and then realized that Carina was watching her watch him leave.

"Oh," Carina said, "that's how...I mean...who...it is."

Sarah felt her cheeks redden. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that someone is interested in Chuck."

Sarah shook her head. "No, no. Don't get started, Carina. I just got his name in Secret Santa, and I was trying to figure out what to give him for Christmas."

Carina's smirk revisited her face, even more pronounced. "You mean you were trying to figure out how to unwrap what you want to give him for Christmas."

"Carina!"

Sarah felt completely foolish, but she was not sure how else to get the sort of information she needed.

She had visited with Carina for a while and they made plans to have late drinks together. Carina left.

Chuck came back an hour later and got Sarah to okay plans for a new plan better to manage personal security employees. Sarah had found the meeting uncomfortable, not because of anything Chuck did or said, but because of what Carina had said. Sarah's mind kept settling on the word 'unwrap' as Chuck talked to her, and it led her mind in completely inappropriate directions.

After Chuck left, Sarah finished her work and then looked up an address.

She drove to Chuck's sister's apartment. Chuck had mentioned to Sarah that he was staying late to work on the new program, and Sarah decided it was a chance to find out more about him.

Sarah was standing outside the apartment, feeling too embarrassed to knock. The door opened, and a woman just a few years older than Chuck started out. She saw Sarah standing there and stopped.

"Hi! Can I help you? Are you looking for a particular apartment?"

Chuck followed Carina from Sarah's office, out of the building. Once she was outside, Chuck caught up with her. "Hey, Carina."

Carina turned to look at him. "Chuck?"

"Um...yeah. I'm sorry. I don't intend to seem creepy, but I wanted to talk to you for a minute, about...Sarah."

Carina's eyes glinted and she smiled. "Do you, now?"

"Yes," Chuck said, feeling embarrassed. "I got her name in the office Secret Santa...thingy...but she's not an easy person to find out about, and our boss wants us to get personal gifts...It's part of a team-building exercise."

"Oh," Carina said as if surprised, "I thought it was because you are so obviously attracted to Sarah."

Chuck felt his blush, knew it was bright red. He saw Carina see it.

"Well, she's...you know, her, and I'm, well, me...:"

Carina's eyebrows went up. "And what? And never the twain shall meet?"

Chuck was unsure how to answer, so he just stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Carina grew a grin, small at first but enlarging quickly. "I think east wants to twine with west, and vice-versa."

"Twine? You mean 'twain'?" But I don't know what that would mean; that's not even English, is it? Chuck was lost.

"I said what I said, Chuck. So, what else can I tell you?"

"Well, I'm not trying to pry, but I'd like to get her something that would make her happy, you know, genuinely happy, and that would show that I had put some effort into this."

"What do you know about her past?"

Chuck shrugged. "Almost nothing. She was Secret Service — with you, I'm guessing."

"Right."

"I heard that she got hurt and left. I also heard that she has some family difficulties. And that's all, really."

Carina gave him a hard look. "Okay, meet me when you get off work. We'll talk."

Chuck nodded. "So, where should we meet?"

Carina told him the name of her hotel and her room number. Chuck told her he would come over right after he left work.

Ellie had poured Sarah a glass of tea and was sitting across from her at the table. For some reason, Ellie seemed very nervous, excited even.

"So, you are here about Chuck?"

"Yes."

"And you are the Sarah Walker."

Sarah started at the article. "'The?"

Ellie looked chagrined. "Forget I said that. What can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you could tell me a little about your brother. See, I got his name in this...steroidal version of Secret Santa our boss came up with, and I am supposed to get him a gift that's responsive to who he is, as a person…"

"Right. Chuck told me about that. He's been sort of stumped figuring out what to get the person he is Secret Santa for."

"I can imagine. Anyway, one day at work I heard Morgan mention that Chuck lived with his sister...you...and I remembered, and was hoping you'd tell me something about him, help me with him."

Ellie's excitement seemed to ratchet up. "Help you with him?"

Sarah nodded, unsure of what to make of Ellie's reaction.

"Well, Sarah Walker, can you tell me what you already know about my baby brother?"

Carina opened her hotel room door wearing a tied, short robe — and, as far as Chuck could tell, nothing else.

"Come in, Chuck."

Chuck's feet were glued to the floor. He could not find a place to look that was not either exposed legs or hallway walls. "Um...Carina, I can't come in with you dressed like that. I'll wait."

Carina stood for a moment then she closed the door. A couple of minutes later, she opened it, wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants.

"Ok, Chuck, now come in."

He entered. Carina shut the door. She seemed pleased with something. "Ok, Chuck ask me anything about Sarah you want to know."

"So," Chuck said, visibly shaken, "this other Secret Service guy, he knocked her off a building during a training exercise?"

Carina nodded. "The idiot didn't intend to do it. It was an accident. He got a foot entangled in some wiring that had come loose during the previous exercise, wiring for cameras used to film the exercises. Walker was at the edge, checking sightlines, and he stumbled into her. He went down, she went...over. Freak thing. The guy was broken up about it but Walker was kind to him. She knew it was an accident."

"Wow, though, to have your...career taken from you like that."

Carina gave Chuck a thoughtful look. "It was the job she thought she wanted, but I'm not really sure it was the right one for her."

"I don't understand."

"Look, Sarah would kill me for telling you this, but...I'm going to. Her father was on the wrong side of the law a lot of the time when Sarah was a girl. A con man. He got sick and died while she was in high school. He had gone straight, but I got the feeling she was trying to right his wrongs, to restore the family honor. — I'm hoping that maybe she's over that now, and is ready to live her life and not to make up for her father's."

Chuck talked with Carina for a while longer. She made plans to meet him later, and he left. He shook his head as he walked out of the hotel. Sarah Walker was even more amazing and intimidating than he knew.

Ellie showed Sarah out. "Thanks for coming by, Sarah. I really enjoyed this. I was on my way to the store but I'm so glad I hadn't left yet."

"I enjoyed it too, Ellie. I haven't made many friends in town yet, maybe we…"

"Definitely. Good luck with the Secret Santa."

Sarah left, her head full of stories about Chuck, about his and Ellie's difficult childhood. She realized that she was falling for the guy and that they had barely spoken to each other. Maybe she had fallen for him already and was now just falling farther.

Chuck got out of the cab, checking the address. He had not realized he was meeting Carina at a bar.

He walked inside and blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dim light. He could not see Carina anywhere.

And then he saw her. Sarah Walker. She was looking at him, her mouth hanging open. Chuck screwed up his courage and walked to the small table at which she stood.

"Hi, Chuck," she said, saying his name as if she had conjured him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to meet Carina."

Sarah looked surprised, then puzzled, then: "Oh."

"Do you mean?..."

"I think we've been tricked, Chuck." Sarah's phone rang. She took it out of her small bag and answered. "Carina? Yes, I'm here. And, yes, he's here. Carina...Okay, okay."

Sarah put the phone on speaker and put it on the table.

"Hey, you two!"

"Hey, Carina," Chuck responded.

"Sorry, I couldn't make it. Big date with Cole Barker. We're taking his jet...somewhere. He's going to pick me up."

"Carina, he's…" Sarah started.

"Oh, I know. But he's also hunky and owns a jet, and I'm not looking for Mr. Right."

"That's good," Chuck said, "because you haven't found him."

"No," Carina said, sounding serious, "but Walker has."

Sarah blushed. "Carina!"

"Oh, come on, Sarah. I...talked to you both today. You're going to waste weeks, maybe months, dancing around each other, offering all kinds of excuses, when what the personal something each of you wants from Secret Santa is the other. Go find some mistletoe and do what one does beneath it, and tell me I'm wrong."

Chuck glanced nervously at Sarah, then glanced up, and gulped when he realized that a sprig of mistletoe was hanging over every table in the bar.

"Have fun, you two." Carina ended the call.

Chuck looked around the bar, unsure what to do, what to say. Finally, he turned to face Sarah. She was right beside him. She took him in her arms and kissed him. The kiss was awkward for a moment but then became comfortable but then became frantic.

Chuck had never been kissed like that and he had never kissed like that.

When the kiss ended, Sarah gave him a surprisingly shy look. "Well…?"

"Carina's not wrong," Chuck said, wobbling.

"No, she's not."

They smiled at each other. Sarah put out her hand. "Dance?"

"Um...I'm not really…." Sarah grabbed him before he could finish the thought.

The song was slow. Chuck put his arms around Sarah. "So, you're my Secret Santa?"

"Yes, and you are mine?"

"Yes."

Chuck looked up. "Thank you, Divine-Morgan." Sarah gave him a puzzled look. "I'll explain later."