A/N: Singles Awareness Day….*smirks*

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

For the next month, the only time the two saw each other was on Saturdays, when Sarah showed up at the store – sometimes with Molly, sometimes without – to help out. Chuck closed the store on Mondays, because that was his slowest day, and he needed a break one day a week. Running the store by himself, and doing his radio show, was wearing him ragged.

As he turned the sign on the door to Closed on the night of February 14th, he heaved a sigh of relief. Two more weeks, and this was all Sarah's. She already had a key, which was helpful. She had decided which fixtures she did and did not want, and helped him by contacting other businesses about selling them. Chuck let her handle that. He wasn't sure what the going rate was on those fixtures, but since she had paid him 150 percent of what he thought the store and land was worth, he wasn't worried she was gonna short him on the cost of fixtures.

He was working on the register, when he heard the doorlock turn, and looked up to see Sarah walk in. "You gonna make it?"

"Do I look that bad?" Chuck asked, grinning. "I am running a bit on fumes."

"Well, it's your lucky day," Sarah told him. "Do you know what today is?"

"You mean Valentine's Day?" Chuck asked, a sour look on his face as he continued to count the cash and make notes on his paper.

"Nope," Sarah chirped. "It's Singles Awareness Day." Chuck looked up at her, and for a moment, he had a thought.

Three weeks ago, Ma23 had asked him if he had plans for tonight and he had replied he was done with Valentine's Day for a while. Her response had been, Nope you big dummy, it's Singles Awareness Day. Chuck pushed the thought from his head. There was no way Ma23 and Sarah Walker were the same person. Why the hell would Sarah Walker be on Friendster?

"So, what does that mean… for us?" Chuck asked. "Singles that is," he said, gesturing between the two of them. "You and I… us?"

"You okay there, buddy?" she asked, chuckling.

"No, I am worn the hell out," Chuck admitted.

"Well, then it's your call," Sarah told him. "We can go out to a little Mexican place I like for dinner, orrrrrr, there's a certain bearded man in my store that keeps telling me about sizzling shrimp."

"Whoa, there, ma'am," Chuck said, holding up his hands. "You and I cannot have sizzling shrimp together, because that would be too much."

"Naeiou," Sarah replied, drawing it out. "I have it on the bearded one's authority that friends can have sizzling shrimp together, and per the bearded one, if one doesn't believe that, then one does not believe men and women can just be friends."

"Lots of beards in that sentence," Chuck pointed out.

"Tell me about it," Sarah replied. "However, there is a downside; I'm still on the boat, and I have it on good authority you do get seasick."

"Listen, it was one time, on a boat, and the water was really choppy, and I was like… twenty," Chuck told her. "I can't concentrate on this." He shoved the money back into the register.

"It's me, isn't it," Sarah began.

"No, it's not you… I'm just absolutely punch-drunk, and I cannot think," he told her.

"Would it be okay if I did it?" Sarah asked. "I mean, I've done it a time… or fifty."

"Just fifty?" Chuck asked. She shook her head. "A lot more than fifty?" She nodded. Chuck held his hand out toward the register, and sat on a stool. Sarah came over, and began to count it, while Chuck didn't pay any attention. He slowly turned on the stool looking over the store. "I start with two hundred if you couldn't tell from my fine writing."

"I figured it out," Sarah told him with a wink. "Gonna miss this place?"

"Gonna miss the memories," Chuck told her.

"You know, you can come by from time to time, and see it," Sarah told him.

"Nah," Chuck replied. "I mean, I need to let go, and find out what I want to do in life, not what I thought I had to do. Does that make sense?"

"Oh, a ton," Sarah told him. "I envy you, Chuck. You get to start over, and discover what it is you want to do."

"Do you want to do something different?" Chuck asked her.

She paused from counting, and looked out over the store. Chuck could see her wheels turning. "In a different life, probably," she admitted. "But I'm good at what I do, and I like what I do, and I have people to take care of."

"Thank you for taking care of Morgan," Chuck said softly.

"First, he is a hell of an employee." Chuck smiled in pride at that. Secondly, he's been nothing but a ball of positive energy."

"And a bit of a hair ball," Chuck reminded her.

"Yes… yes, he is," Sarah admitted, chuckling. "But he's made the store better, and I hope I am justly rewarding his work efforts."

"You're okay, Sarah Walker," Chuck blurted out. Sarah turned toward him. "You are."

"You're okay, yourself," Sarah told him.

}o{

A few hours later, she stood, pulled the blanket from over the couch, and put it over him. He was fast asleep. They had hardly started the movie, Enter the Dragon, when she heard him softly snoring. She had turned off the movie, pulled out her phone, and read through some emails, exactly what she would have done at home. After she had stayed past the end time of the movie she decided to leave.

After covering him, she started toward the door, paused, went back, and placed a soft kiss on top of his head in his curls. "You're gonna be okay Chuck," she said softly. "Maybe not today, not tomorrow, not next week, but you are going to be okay." With that, she walked over to the door, turned the door lock, and closed the door. She headed to her car to drive back to the boat. Inside, Chuck blinked his eyes and sat up, looking around. He knew those words… he just didn't know she did.

A/N: Dun dun dunnnnnnnnn What? You want to know what's going to happen next time? Well, Chuck turns over the building, and we are coming up on the anniversary of Stephen's death….and someone *cough* Morgan *cough* might let that cat out of the bag.