Today was the big day; Sarah could barely contain her excitement. She had spent all day shopping for the perfect dress, the perfect shoes to go with it and of course the perfect jewels to complement her outfit. A full body spa treatment followed and lastly a visit to the stylist. She looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was curlier than usual and had a glossy sheen to it. Perfectly tanned skin covered her from head to toe and she had applied just the right amount of makeup, not so much to overshadow her features but just enough to complement them.

It was then that she realized that she still had not set a time with Chuck. She pranced over to her Iphone and dialed Chuck's number; it was on her speed dial. He picked it up on the second ring. "Hey Chuck, I'll pick you up at seven?" she confirmed.

"Uh, sure. Dress casual." She wanted to scream, she most certainly did not prepare for a casual date. In fact the total cost of her outfit was more than Chuck made at the Buy More in a week.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere a little more formal?" she ventured. Waiting for his reply was agonizing, she unconsciously held her breath and rubbed her index finger and thumb together.

Finally, he agreed and she let out a huge breath. "See you then." He said and then hanged up. Normally, Sarah loved Saturdays, it was her day off. A normal Saturday would go something like this. Wake up and go for an early morning run, then breakfast and a shower. After that she usually hung out with Chuck, or I suppose Shaw now. Sarah realized that an unhealthy amount of her schedule revolved around Chuck, she would spend time with him on the days they did not have missions, during their lunch breaks at work and double dates with Ellie and Awesome. God she missed double dating with the Bartowskis, their happiness was just contagious.

As seven drew near, Sarah prepped up. She put on the dress she bought, a silk midnight blue dress that revealed her back, her shoes, gold strappy heels and her jewellery, a pair of diamond earrings. She looked herself up down in the mirror and was happy at the result. She looked ravishing.

Her Porsche pulled up into Chuck's driveway just as he left his house. He saw her car and signaled for her to wait before doing something very unexpected. He went over to Casey's house and knocked on the front door. Casey appeared and the two men strode over to her car. Both of them were wearing suits. Chuck's was black with a black shirt inside and the dark red tie Sarah had gotten for him once. Casey's was also black but he wore a light blue inner shirt with a black tie.

Sarah was not pleased, although she had to admit Chuck looked good enough to eat. Both men sensed her vibes and shot each other a questioning look. It took Chuck a full minute before he realized what she was unhappy about. "I hope you don't mind but I invited Casey to follow."

"No of course not, why would I mind?" she replied in a strained voice.

Both Casey and Chuck entered Sarah's car. Chuck sat shotgun with Casey in the back. The drive to the restaurant was awkward, several times Chuck tried to start a conversation but Sarah's one-word replies and Casey's lack of replies gave him nothing to work with. So he resigned to revel in the silence and admire the view outside.

They arrived at a classy restaurant whose name Chuck could not pronounce. Tables covered by white tablecloths stood at regular intervals. Guests wore either dress coats or suits like Chuck and Casey. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving the restaurant a smooth ambience. There was a beautiful floral centerpiece in the middle of each table and napkins were elegantly folded into swans. A well-dressed waiter led them to their table and took their orders.

Chuck fiddled with his numerous forks and knives, trying to occupy his idle hands, until Casey barked at him to stop. Casey excused himself to the gents and seeing her opportunity to get rid of him, Sarah followed. Chuck was left sitting at the table with his new found habit, drumming his fingers on the table.

Sarah was shocked to find Casey standing outside the gents waiting for her. He had a small smile on his face as he looked at her. "So trying to get rid of me huh?" he asked already knowing her answer.

"Look Casey, it's nothing personal but I kind of wanted tonight to be for just Chuck and me." She said.

"What about Shaw, he know you're here?" Casey questioned. Normally he could not care less about the social lives of his colleagues but he was a sucker for a good romance story, it was his guilty pleasure.

"Well no," she admitted.

""I'm sorry Walker but Chuck told me specifically not to leave him alone with you tonight, and I gave my word. So I guess you're out of luck." He finished before heading back towards Chuck. Casey's words hit home with her, Chuck had specifically requested to not be left alone with her? That hurt. It hurt more than a fresh bullet wound; more than the time her dad taught her how to pick a lock as her birthday present; even more than the time she watched Bryce die.

Deciding to grant his request, she walked back to their table and plopped into her seat. Throughout the night, she was nothing more than the perfect friend. She laughed at all his jokes, participated actively in conversation and steered clear of any touchy topics. By the end of the night even Casey had relaxed.

Casey fell asleep halfway on the ride home; ten glasses of wine could do that to a person. Sarah felt the silence gratifying; things had become far too uncomfortable between Chuck and her. It was nice to be able to sit in silence and enjoy each other's company; it reminded her of the old days. She found her hand reaching over to grab his and scolded herself mentally. It was just a force of habit, right?

They reached Chuck's apartment and he had to drag Casey out of Sarah's car. Together, Sarah and Chuck, each took one side of Casey and hoisted him back into his house and onto his bed. "There, that should do it." Sarah said nonchalantly. Casey slurred slightly and then crawled under his blanket and went to sleep.

The duo walked out together, chatting about past missions. They reached Chuck's doorstep and looked at one another. Instinctively, Sarah closed her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Chuck seeing this abruptly stuck his hand out at her, stopping her from getting any closer. Her eyes dulled slightly at the sight of Chuck's outstretched hand but she shook it anyway.

A sly thought entered her mind; she shook Chuck's hand and used it to pull Chuck towards the fountain. Chuck, being the gentleman he is, did nothing to resist. "You know," he said, letting the cool air around the fountain envelop him. "I almost didn't want to come tonight." Sarah's heart lurched but she held it in, reminding herself that she was with Shaw now, and that she was happy?

"But seeing the way you behaved tonight, I can see that you're totally over me. And that's good because now we can move on. You and Shaw can become the ultimate spy couple and I…" Chuck left off.

"Will continue being the great guy he is and find a great wife to spend his life with." She finished for him.

"Thanks, Sarah. I needed that." He smiled at her, causing her to melt on the inside, and stood gave her a hug before going home.

Her body was still frozen from where he had hugged her. Every fibre of her being wanted to follow him inside his house and lose herself, if only for one night. His hug just felt so good, too good…