A/N: Here are some notes for this chapter. I used to be an 11-year old tournament attending soccer player. We are crazy in hotels. We practically get kicked out of hotels, actually. Another note, this one is after everything Bryce/Lou in Season 1. I like this one. It's not as dark and weird as some of them have been, I like to think. Also, I would like to say that I do not have an aversion to quotation marks, but I'm not using them for stylistic purposes. If this is bugging you so much that you can't stand reading this let me know...

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or West Coast

I talk out loud like you're still around.

Walking walking walking walking. Oop, elevator! Push the button. Up up up up up up up up up. Let people get on. Up up up up up. Ding.

This is my stop! Heh, excuse me...

Walking walking walking walking. Knocking knocking knocking. Waiting. Knocking some more. Still no answer. Well thats weird.

Sarah? You home?

She is moving around inside the room. He can hear her. But she's not opening the door. Is she mad at him? Why won't she answer?

Um... I'm sorry for whatever I did? But, I don't really know what... so why don't you come out here and tell me?

Noooo answerrr. Gah.

Well, I was coming over to ask if you were hungry. Um... I don't know. I am truly sorry, for whatever it is. Let me in! I'll give you a patented Chuck Bartowski hug!

The door remains shut. She turned down a patented hug? Must be horrible... or whatever worse than horrible is. He has to fix this. He can't leave her knowing she's upset.

I can't stand making you, or seeing you really for that matter, unhappy. When you're down then I'm down then Casey makes fun of me then I yell at Casey and he pins me against the wall and you yell at Casey and then there's a circle of yelling, and really, it isn't good for my vocal chords. So I'd like to avoid that...

Seriously no answer? Well she stopped moving around. Maybe she's waiting for more. What's wrong? He wants to go in, comfort her. Maybe it was because of Bryce, was she still upset about him leaving? Again? Or that he'd dated another girl, that he'd broken up their fake-relationship?

I'm sorry about Lou! I'm sorry that Bryce had to leave again!

No answer. Maybe an explanation? Chuck will never understand women.

It's just, I'm tired of liking... ugh...fine. Look, I'm tired of liking you so much and not being able to do anything about it! I'm tired of Bryce swooping in and ruining my life... but making it better too! It's hard to hate a guy that's so great, you know? He's great for you, Sarah, he really is. And before Lou was on our threat list, she was good for me. Not great... but yeah. I want someone great, and I'm afraid you might be the only option!

Still nothing? He's pouring his heart out over here, the eleven-year-old soccer tournament girls are video taping him from around the corner. They'd make awful spies.

Please, Sarah? Open the door? I'm sorry, I won't ever try to replace you again! Well... unless you give up completely and totally and 100%, then I might need to get over you, but come on. She won't be as good... Hi sorry sir, excuse me... you!

People were getting off and on elevators, giving him weird looks. One girl tried to give him her number. Sarah better appreciate this humiliation. There's only one more heart-filled truth he can tell her... he just wants to eat dinner!

Sarah, I love you! Please, please open the door!

The soccer girls give a simultaneous, dreamy, sigh. A business man pats him on the back... Seriously, busiest floor in the building.

Hey, Chuck!

And Sarah pops up right behind him, smiling, like nothing's wrong. Oh God.

Hey... Sarah...

What's up?

I, um... was just checking to see if you wanted to grab something to eat?

Oh, yeah! Sounds good. Let's go!

Sarah... is there someone in your...

Chuck let's go! I'm starving!

Whatever. After all that... he was ready for a mind-blowing kiss, and she missed it all. Guess there wasn't anyone in there at all. O.K. reset. Chuck puts on a bright smile and willingly follows Sarah to her restaurant of choice. She will here that speech one day, he swears it.

Sigh. Heart flutters. Walking walking walking walking. Wait for the elevator! Push the button, again. Finally! Up up up up up up up up up. Let people get on. Up up up up up. Ding. Get off. Walking walking walking walking. Get key, enter room.

Get ambushed by a masked ninja. Crap.

Thankfully she had shut the door, so she wasn't thrown out into the hallway... but the door didn't feel all that pleasant when introduced so quickly to her back. Sarah throws herself off the wall and sweeps the legs of the intruder. She follows up to pin the attacker to the floor, but misses as the ninja rolls away. She tries to recover, but after one too many glasses of wine and thoughts of Chuck still on her mind, she quickly finds herself pinned to the floor staring into the eyes of her best friend.

Carina? What the hell?

Along with the eyes of her best friend, Sarah is staring as a small, black, somewhat rectangular device Carina is waving in her face.

It's a recorder, stupid. I've been waiting since forever for you to get back from your date.

Carina! It wasn't a date!

That's what you think, sweetie. Trust me, you have to hear this.