A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. I love reading the stories on here, so I figured I would give it a try. As for the story itself, I would say it takes place after 2.03. I will keep all before that canon, but the episodes after won't play a role in this story. It mostly just stays with Chuck, because I find he is easy to write. I won't try to develve into other's heads, because I won't pretend to know what they are thinking. My Chuck is more sarcastic than in the show, but that is probably my personality rubbing off on him. I won't promise Charah or anything, because I'm not sure I could write it well, and I can say that enjoy unhappy endings from time to time. Mistakes are all mine and reviews are welcome.

Chuck vs. The New Girl

Chapter 1

At 7:00 AM, the alarm clock on the night stand was buzzing, causing Chuck to wake, slowly roll over, and shut the machine off. He rolled back onto his back, wishing he didn't have to be up so early, last night's surveillance not ending until well after two. It was believed that a shipment of illegal weapons, and possibly some explosives were coming into town, but he didn't flash on anything or anyone he saw last night. He got out of bed, yawned, and groggily made his way over to the bathroom for a shower, hoping that the water would wake him up more effectively than the alarm had done.

Fifteen minutes later, he made it to his bedroom wearing only his towel. Chuck quickly got dressed in his Nerd Herd attire. After one quick look in the mirror, he thought about how this was going to be the outfit that he would be wearing the rest of his life. With no foreseeable plan for the Intersect to be removed, and have had recently received an update from Bryce, this did nothing to brighten his mood about the long shift he was going to have to work.

Chuck made his way over to his over to his desk in search of his Buy More ID, his keys, and his phone. He grabbed his ID and his keys, then just stared down at his phone. Atop it was the glasses Bryce left for him. He kept them not to remind him of Bryce, but rather of what he had promised Bryce he would do, "the right thing". Much to his chagrin, Bryce was right. He, Chuck, had to put a stop to the thing under cover thing. 'It's easier for the job,' he told himself.

Ever since his talk with Sarah, the two of them seemed to be ignoring each other more when they were alone. In front of Ellie and his friends, they acted like they always did. Chuck even became more relaxed in these settings, even though they still made him a little uncomfortable. Since there was no wondering whether or not it was real, it became less taxing worrying about what was too much, too real, or vice versa.

Before, it was easy to be around each other when they were alone, because they were friends. Now however, it seemed like so much of a chore. Chuck was intentionally trying to get her mad at him. 'It makes the job easier' was his rational. Their one on one dates for cover weren't any better, with very little talking, and after dinner, she would do reports, while he either read a book, played a video game, did anything to pass the time until she had to leave. Chuck was actually talking to Casey more now than when he was to her.

He shook his head at how much he hated "the right thing", grabbed his phone, and left his room. As he approached the kitchen, he heard voices talking excitedly. Then it hit him. Ellie and Awesome were going to the Bahamas for ten days of fun and sun. They asked him and Sarah to go, but he knew was out of the question. He doubted Sarah wanted to go, and even if she did, the government wouldn't let that happen, what with the protection of the Intersect compromised. Chuck sighed as he made his way into the kitchen.

"I'm so jealous that me and Chuck couldn't get the time off work to come too," Sarah whined, smiling at Chuck as he made his way for coffee. "Hey sweetie."

"Hi," Chuck said, giving her a quick smile before taking in a large amount of coffee in one swallow.

"I know it sucks," said Ellie, "but this was the only time Devon and I could get off together, so we have to go without you guys."

"Yeah," stated Devon, "but at least you guys get full reign of this place. The couch and shower are great places for 'fun', so feel free to have as much 'fun' as you guys want," he finished while giving Sarah a wink and Chuck a brotherly punch in the arm. Sarah giggled, while Chuck smiled uncomfortably.

"Devon!" Ellie exclaimed, slapping his arm.

"Well," said Chuck, quickly wanting to change the conversation, "when does your flight leave?"

Devon looked down at his watch. "In a few hours, which means we better get going," he said, looking at Ellie, and giving her a nod.

The foursome made their way to the doorway, exchanging hugs and kisses, with Devon telling Chuck other places around the apartment that could be 'fun'. Chuck and Sarah watched as Devon and Ellie got into their car and left. They waved at the car as it drove away. Chuck, still holding his coffee mug, made his way over to the kitchen sink to clean it quickly before he went to go to work.

"Chuck?"

He looked up. There eyes met and they just stared at each other. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was, even in just jeans and a t-shirt. She started to say something, stopped, then simply said, "Make sure you put your watch on."

Chuck looked down. He indeed wasn't wearing his watch. He looked up in time to see her close the door as she left. He thought about the Bryce, "the right thing", and said to himself 'it makes the job easier'. He went to his room, put the watch on, and made his way out to the Nerd Herder and on the way to work.

***

"Chuck!"

Chuck lifted his head up off the Nerd Herd desk. The morning shift at the Buy More had been unbelievably boring. No service calls, and surprisingly, Jeff and Lester had logged all their invoices, meaning that they were actually all caught up on work. Morgan hopped up on the desk while Chuck leaned back in his chair and tried to stifle a yawn.

"Dude, go take a nap or something, it is not like there is any work to do," Morgan quipped. "I was just sleeping in the home theater room. Why don't you go take my spot?"

"Nah, I'll make it, only a few more hours to go," Chuck replied.

Morgan looked down at his watch. "Man, the day really flies by when you sleep through work. Shouldn't you be headin' to your ladies for lunch right about now?"

Chuck looked at his watch. It was a little after 12:30. They usually had lunch between noon and one, and he always showed up at noon with the food. He sighed, realizing he was probably going to get a scolding for being late.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Am I detecting problems with the lady Chuckster?"

"What? No, nothing like that. I'm just late, and I know I'm gonna hear about it."

"Ah, I gotcha. Yeah, I try not to get Anna mad. I remember what she did to Mitt. Don't wanna be on the receiving end of that."

Chuck grinned at that statement, remembering it vividly. He walked out of the Buy More into the parking lot, looking at which restaurant in the plaza looked good. At a quick glance around, he decided pizza was a safe bet.

As he made his over to the pizzeria, he looked at every person he saw very closely. He was trying to flash on anything he could. Normally the missions weren't something he looked forward to, usually because he found a way to put himself in harms way, way too often. Now he dreaded the time in between mission. The time he and Sarah spent alone together was becoming something like a torture session. He recounted their last one in his head. Very little conversation, with him and Sarah each trying to say the least. They were at her place, so she decided to work out after she finished her work. Chuck wondered if was because she was trying to tease him by showing off skin and getting sweaty, but when he caught her looking at him, she then proceeded to nearly rip the heavy bag from the ceiling. He concluded that it was more out of anger. He wondered whether these lunches would get that bad. 'Makes the job easier' he told himself.

Before he knew it, he was walking into the Orange Orange carrying a small pepperoni pizza. Sarah looked up, and said matter-of-factly, "I thought you weren't showing up, so I already ate." She hadn't. She just hoped to get some type of response out of Chuck.

"Yeah, my bad. Lost track of time at work. You mind if I eat some of this here," he said, moving the box a little, "you know, for the cover. Wouldn't want people to think something was wrong."

She motioned to a table, as if to say, go ahead. Chuck pulled up a seat at the window, grabbed a slice, and looked out the window, willing himself to flash. He was tried of trying to act like he had just lost interest. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He was hopelessly in love, but any admission would get her reassigned, and he didn't want that. She was the best agent the CIA had to offer, and he trusted her with his life. Being with her, no matter torturous the dates were, was better than if she was gone.

By the time he had finished, he had not looked at her once. Sarah was cutting up some bananas with extreme speed and viciousness. He grabbed the empty box, stood up and said, "Well, this has been fun." She looked up in annoyance, because lunch was anything but fun, and she was hungry, the smell of the pizza making it worse. But her pride wouldn't allow her to ask for a slice. He gave her a smile, and noted her jaw clenched and her hand gripped the knife even harder. Chuck decided it would be best to leave rather than linger.

Chuck knew he'd been an ass, but if this was the only way to do "the right thing", then so be it.

As he resumed his post behind the Nerd Herd desk, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed of himself. He hated acting the way he did to Sarah, but it 'made the job easier.' He kept saying it, realizing everyday he was saying it more and more, and believing it less and less.

Just as Chuck was getting ready clock out, his iPhone began to vibrate. He grabbed it and saw that it was Sarah. He swallowed, contemplating whether or not to answer. He decided he might as well take the verbal abuse now rather than later, so he answered. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Chuck, you wanna come by my place around 7:00 tonight?" He noted she didn't sound angry, but it was impossible to tell, especially over the phone.

"Oh? I didn't think we had a date tonight?"

"We don't, but we need to talk." She sounded serious.

"Is it about a mission or something, should I bring Casey?"

"Just come over." She sounded irritated as hung up.

7:00 seemed to arrive a lot faster than Chuck anticipated. He remembered getting home, playing a little Call of Duty and before he knew it he only had a half hour to get ready. After a hurried shower, he quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of blue jeans and a white polo, grabbed his keys and was on his way.

Chuck seemed to get more anxious the closer he got to Sarah's apartment. He wasn't sure why they were meeting. No Awesome or Ellie at home, so no need to protect their cover. No mission, so there no briefing or planning that needed to be done. He concluded that it was going to be about Chuck's behavior. He had been acting differently since their talk on the fountain, he knew that, and so did she. 'Must be she doesn't like the new Chuck,' he thought.

He walked down the hall and stopped just before her door, took a huge breath, then knocked. He was smiling politely when she opened the door. She let him inside, but didn't return the smile. He sarcastically thought, 'well, this is gonna be a fun evening.' He took a seat on the edge of her bed while she took a chair near the window. They stared at each other for a full minute, neither one really wanting to start the conversation they were about to have. He noticed that even in sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts, he still looked gorgeous.

"Chuck."

"Present," he replied, giving her a grin. Her jaw clenched.

"Chuck, we need to talk about your behavior." He noted how she was trying be professional like Sarah the agent, when it was really Sarah the girl who wanted this talk.

"What about it?" he asked.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like this. Being an ass to me when we are alone. Barely talking, or talking only to make quips. Doing things that annoy me. Like today at lunch. That sarcastic comment followed by your little smile right before you left. It's been going on ever since you decided we can't be together."

He licked his lips, deciding how best to answer. "Well," he paused. 'She won't buy this, and I'm not even sure I do,' he thought. "Umm, I've been 'acting'," he used air quotes, "this way because I figured it would make your job easier, you know, protecting me and whatnot."

"How would that make it easier?" asked Sarah, confused as all hell.

"Well, you see, I figured the best way for you to do your job is to be like Casey." She looked even more confused. "See, Casey doesn't worry about me, he worries about the Intersect. I figured that if I created some separation between us, you would act more like Casey."

"I don't wanna act like Casey," she protested. "Doing things by the book doesn't necessarily make them easier. Having me wanna kill you sometimes doesn't make it easier. I don't like this new Chuck. I like the old Chuck, the one I was friends with."

'Friends,' Chuck thought bitterly, 'just friends, nothing more.' He spoke heatedly, "Look, this way is just easier. No more personal feelings getting in the way of missions. No more mixed signals between us. Just the job. Nothing more, nothing less. No more trying to get you to..." he stopped, realizing he had gone too far. She was looking at him, but he couldn't meet her gaze. He looked away.

It dawned on her. She knew he was crazy about her. He was always trying to win her over, be charming, but she resisted. He took what he said about never being able to be together as an opportunity to try and distance himself from her, to make it easier for him to be around her. If she hated him, he would never get the mixed signals she knew she was always sending him. She reached and took his hand in hers. "Chuck." She spoke softly. "Chuck, listen, I know..."

He stood up and broke the connection of their hands. "No, this way is easier. No more time together, other than what is necessary for our cover. It makes the job easier." He turned and walked towards the door. He had to leave. He knew he would give in to her eventually, because he loved her. It would be like before, with him always pining after her, and never getting anywhere.

"Chuck, wait." Sarah said, rising from her chair.

"No, I'm sorry, I gotta go." He was trying to get out of there as fast as possible. It was too hard to be around her, to lie about why he was acting the way he was. He had been lying to himself, saying it was for the missions. It was just too hard to be around her, knowing it was never going to go anywhere.

Sarah ran at him and pinned him to the door as he attempted to open it.

"Ow, ow, that hurts."

"Sorry," she said as she turned him around. They were face to face, just staring at each other. She really wanted to kiss, but the agent side of her told her not to. Chuck saw the hesitation in her eyes, and just gave her a look that implied 'this is exactly what I'm talking about'.

She noted his look, and backed up, continuing to stare at him. She was breathing heavily, not realizing she had been holding her breath when deciding whether or not to kiss him. He just shook his head. "You see, it's just easier."

She knew he was right. But she didn't care. She wanted more than the what their cover was going to offer. So she rushed him and mashed their lips together. Chuck was unprepared and nearly knocked over. He wanted to kiss back, to let her know how he really felt, but something in the back of his mind just wouldn't let him. She kept kissing but he wouldn't respond.

"Sar.." Kiss.

"Sar.." Another kiss.

Finally, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Sarah, no. You do this now, but a week from now, it'll be, 'Chuck, we can't, I'm your handler and you're my asset.' So, no."

Sarah knew he was right. She would do this now, call it a mistake later, and leave him hope of a future that seemed impossible. Her eyes started to well up with tears, but she turned around so he couldn't see. Chuck sighed, and opened the door. "Good-bye Sarah."

She went to her bed and started crying softly, while Chuck went down to the Nerd Herder, convincing himself he did the right thing. Not only had he slammed the door on a future together, he also ended their friendship, or whatever the hell it was.

Just as he was getting into the Nerd Herder, a black SUV pulled up in the spot next to him. A man of about 35 got out. He was about Chuck's size and build, with short black hair, black eyes, and had a five o'clock shadow going. He looked at Chuck and Chuck felt the feelings of a flash coming. The intensity with which the rush of information and pictures came nearly floored him. The man, whose name was Carmine Soto, looked at him strangely and Chuck gave him a weak smile before getting into his car. The flash showed that the man was an arms importer, funding terrorists, and had recently got into dealing C-4 and other high grade explosives. He was the guy that was bringing in the guns and explosives. Chuck watched him walk away.

"Aww, great," said Chuck sarcastically, as he realized the man was heading into Sarah's hotel. "Just great."