Disclaimer: I wish Chuck was mine, but it's not. It belongs to Josh Schwartz (does anyone else think of Spaceballs every time?) and Chris Fedak, and I'm sure NBC should be in there somewhere.

Summary: Three times in Sarah's life that she thinks of Chuck as a best friend. The timeline goes from just before Chuck and Sarah meet to sometime in the future.

A/N: This chapter is set while Sarah and Bryce are still together, so if you really hate them as a couple, this chapter isn't for you. Check back for the latter two, though. You'll probably like those.

My Best Friend
By CountryPixie

Chapter One

The two spies sat cross-legged on the bed, facing each other over the piece of chocolate cake they were sharing. Sarah moaned in appreciation as she took her first bite.

"This is just what we needed after today," Sarah said, refilling her fork and taking another bite.

"Hey, now. Leave some for me," Bryce joked. He finally took his eyes away from his partner to see that half of the piece was already gone. "Should I call room service for another piece?"

Sarah eyed the dessert. "Make it two," she answered. "Oh, and an order of fries, please. Chasing terrorists always makes me so hungry."

"Chocolate and French fries coming up," Bryce said as he picked up the phone. "Anything else?"

Sarah shook her head, mouth full. Covering her mouth with her hand, she spoke around her food, saying, "Not unless you want anything."

Sarah listened as Bryce placed an order for two pieces of cake, two orders of French fries, and a cheeseburger. She'd known he'd get the cheeseburger, but he didn't normally go for fries. Just goes to show that even after being partners for almost two years now, they were still learning about each other.

"Fries?" she questioned after he hung up.

"For you," he replied. "If you don't want them, that's fine, but if you decide you want more than one order, we won't be interrupted again."

"Thinking ahead," Sarah said. "No wonder you're such a super spy," she teased.

"I try," he said in mock humility, settling back on the bed.

"Don't get too cocky, Super Spy. You lost this mission's bet."

"I did not!" he argued.

"You did," Sarah asserted. "You said we'd crash two cars, I said one. We have the recording if you insist on arguing."

"No, I remember the bet. But we crashed two cars, not one."

Sarah cocked her head, trying to recall crashing more than one car. "We crashed the Aston, that's it."

"'That's it'?" Bryce repeated incredulously. "Director Graham is going to ream us for that one. And the Vespa," he finished, his voice triumphant.

Sarah snorted. "Vespas don't count as cars."

"Sure they do."

"You didn't think so when we were using it. 'Why not just issue us bicycles?' you said. You just don't want to lose."

"Fine. Here's what I propose," Bryce said, waiting until Sarah cocked her head and raised her eyebrows to indicate she was willing to listen. "We both lose."

"I don't lose," Sarah said flatly. "But we can both win."

"Agreed. And I think I should get to go first since you ate the entire piece of cake," Bryce said, gesturing toward the empty plate.

Sarah looked down, shrugging her shoulders in response. "Fine by me."

"Okay. Your first kiss," Bryce said.

Sarah racked her brain, trying to dredge up the memory of her first kiss. She'd spent most of her life pretending she didn't have a past, but as she and Bryce grew closer and closer, they began to share more information about their true selves. They both knew the dangers that knowing too much about a partner could bring, so they limited their sharing to one story per mission, and only then after one of them won one of their bets. Most importantly, they never named names.

"I got my first kiss when I was eighteen," Sarah said.

Bryce raised his eyebrows in disbelief, but he kept his mouth shut – another one of their rules.

"I didn't really connect to any of my classmates in high school," she said in way of explanation. "The one place that I stayed for very long...well, they had such perfect lives, but they managed to make drama where there was none. It bothered me. Even if I'd wanted to fit in, I wouldn't have known how."

Sarah looked away from Bryce; she could see the pity that always filled his eyes when she mentioned her childhood, and she couldn't stand it. Cursing herself for bringing up information not directly related to her story, Sarah continued.

"I started my training right before I turned eighteen, and I got my first kiss three weeks after. We'll call him Bob. Bob and I were often partnered up in training, and we really hit it off. I couldn't believe that a guy actually like me, and it turns out he couldn't believe I liked him. Fascination turned to flirtation, and then flirting became dating. Well, as much as two candidates can date during training," Sarah conceded.

Sarah had hoped that was enough, but Bryce was still looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, fine," she sighed. "We had our first real kiss on our second date. He'd taken me to dinner. It was only the cafeteria, but it was the best available. We talked about our futures, mainly. He walked me back to my room, kissed me goodnight, and that is the story of my first kiss."

Bryce continued to smile, never speaking.

"What?" Sarah asked defensively. "I told you the story. That's it."

"I highly doubt that was the end of you and Bob, but I'll just have to make do. Your turn. What would you like to know about Bryce Larkin?"

For a split second, Sarah wanted to ask for his real name. Every spy's most guarded secret was his or her name. There were rumors around the CIA that Bryce had never been given an initial alias, and Sarah desperately wanted to know if they were true. Asking that question would be too intimate for both of them, though, so she thought of another.

"Your best friend."

What she had thought would be a simple question was obviously much more personal than she suspected. Bryce's teasing smile faded, only to be replaced seconds later by the saddest smile Sarah had ever seen.

"My best friend. The best man I've ever known," he said softly, looking at the floor. Raising his eyes to Sarah's, he adopted a happier tone, saying, "Let's call him Charles."

Bryce opened his mouth to continue, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. The two spies collected their food from the waiter and took it to the bed, digging in.

"Nothing like saving the world to keep you in shape," Bryce said. Sarah nodded her agreement.

"Where was I?" Bryce said to himself. "Oh, yes. Charles. We met on the first day of college. He seemed shocked that I was talking to him at all, and even more shocked that we shared the same interests. It took me about ten seconds to decide that he was the nicest guy I'd ever talked to, and probably ever will be."

"I ended up introducing him to my friend Jen. He introduced me to his friend, Drimes. He and Jen dated for about three years. Drimes and I never did," he joked.

"Charles was…the best friend anyone could ask for. If you needed anything, he was there, never asking for anything in return. There was one time," Bryce chuckled, "Charles and I were headed to 'the party of the year.' He was so excited, probably because it was his first date with Jen. We were walking there when we came across a little old lady who had fallen on the sidewalk. Charles insisted on accompanying her to the hospital, and he stayed with her until her daughter arrived, even though he was freaking out about Jen the entire time."

Bryce had spent most of the story staring at the floor, the bed, out the window – anywhere but at Sarah. Looking her in the eyes, Bryce smiled sadly, saying, "Charles was, still is, and always will be my best friend. Because of the life I chose, I can never see him again, and it kills me. If we were to ever run into each other on the street, he'd hate me, and I'd deserve it. He's safe, though, and I wouldn't trade that unless the world depended on it."

Watching her partner, Sarah was moved by his story. He was obviously leaving a lot out, and whatever it was was heavy stuff. Bryce's eyes were haunted as he remembered his best friend, but she could tell he loved this 'Charles.'

Abandoning her fries and reaching over his now cold cheeseburger, Sarah took Bryce's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Hey," she said, "I'm sure whatever came between you two can be solved."

Bryce shook his head and started to reply, but Sarah held up a hand to stop him.

"I'll likely never know Charles," she said, "but the guy you just described to me is not the type of guy who throws away friendship lightly. He'll listen to reason, and he'll forgive. At least think about it," she encouraged.

Bryce squeezed her hand in thanks. "I will," he said. "Maybe…someday. Whatever happens between us, he'll always be my best friend."