A/N I threw out a silly comment on the Fb group a little while ago, trying to see if I could inspire some silliness from the members. Maybe get someone to run with the idea. As no one took up the challenge I ran with it myself.
All mistakes are mine. I don't own Chuck, and I have never even tried Rocky Road, let alone know who created it, sorry all you iced cream aficionados.
Hope you enjoy this one shot. R&R etc., it is much appreciated.
I also would like to remind everyone who hasn't yet joined the Chuck Fanfic Facebook page to head over there, the community is still waiting with open arms and maybe a silly one shot to welcome you.
The Iced Cream Queen.
"If you'll follow me" said the petite secretary, ushering the two men to follow her along the hallway. Stopping before a large wooden door, she opened it and gestured them through.
Reaching the doors, they took in the room. It was large, well-appointed, but basically, a conference room. The main features were the large table in the centre and the massive windows, showing the skyline of downtown L.A. They'd seen it for years, this was just from much higher up.
"Are you ok?" the smaller of the men chirped through his beard, looking up at the much taller man who slowly followed him in. Stepping over to the large central table he dropped the black duffel bag he held.
"Yeah Morgan, I'm fine buddy." The tall man replied, looking around the room, eventually settling on the massive window. Taking in the view of downtown L.A. he let out a slow breath, trying to calm his growing nerves. Swallowing a sudden lump in his throat, he opened the bag and pulled a large folder from within, dropping it on the desk beside him.
"Chuck, bubbala, have I ever steered you wrong?" Morgan reached into the bag, pulling out a tripod and began to click it together. Reaching behind Chuck for the camera case, he completely missed the way his tall friend simply shook his head with the biggest "Really?" look on his face he'd ever used
"I mean other than the time…" he continued, Chuck suddenly covered the bearded man's mouth with his hand, almost knocking the tripod over. Morgan held his hands up in surrender at the glare Chuck gave him.
"Morgan, I get it… Ok?" he removed his hand slowly, gesturing with both hands at his lifelong friend in a "calm down" manner.
"Yeah? I know it's the first job Casey's ever given us… Well you." He offered, a little more sedately, wincing at the end. Finally fitting the camera to the tripod distractedly.
Chuck stood quickly before pacing around the desk nervously. "He didn't really give me the job. Just threw the file at me, grunted and walked away. I think he just wanted me to stop asking him about my 'Dear Chuck' segment. He REALLY doesn't like that kind of thing…" wincing at the end.
"I know… lady feelings, so why are you so?" Morgan waved his hand in front of Chuck's face.
"What? Nervous? Well, this isn't really my kind of thing. I know NOTHING about food, so why send me to speak to a world renowned dessert genius? Before I saw the file, the only thing I knew about her, was a name and that she made iced cream."
"Ok, so what did the file tell you?" Morgan asked encouragingly.
"Well, other than her name, Sarah Walker. She's young. I mean… Our age. She appeared out of nowhere four years ago, she's obviously gotten training but where, is a mystery. She's been offered major money by the big guys. Haagen Dazs, Ben and Jerry's, but she believed she could do better. In only four years she built up… well, this place" he gestured to the room they were in. "She's now worth more money than I could even imagine. And somehow despite all that, she's managed to keep her life private. No one knows where she grew up, her family. Nothing. She just appeared on the scene and BOOM" he gestured widely with his arms.
"Aaaahhh. A mystery woman. How very…" He trailed off, giving Chuck a knowing wink and a cheeky grin. "…You" he finished.
"Morgan!" Chuck chided.
"Hmmm?" the bearded man tried to look around innocently.
"What's with the 'mystery woman' thing?" Chuck sat back down, simply looking at his friend with a frown. "Have you been talking to my sister?" Chuck leaned towards him, moving the camera from between them this time.
"Me? Nah, not since she caught me with… never mind." He looked around the room, suddenly sheepish. "Well, let's be honest. We both know that you've always been a curious guy. You're interested, in people, always have been. They're puzzles to you. High School you had the school paper, and well me. After that there was Stanford." He stopped for a moment at the hurt look he saw appear on his friends face. Deciding to change tack a little, using a bit more tact he continued "…But after… That. You kind of… How can I put this gently? Shut down. You stopped caring. You still asked questions constantly, but that was because you didn't trust anyone. You stopped being. Well, you…" he offered with a tight lipped smile.
Chuck tried to object but just accepted his buddy's opinion with a sigh. "You know what they did." He offered dejectedly, his brow furrowing.
"Yeah buddy I do. But that's in the past. You transferred to UCLA, got into the whole TV journalism thing instead, made that cute smile and your constant questioning work for you again. You became obsessed with…" Morgan placed his hand on the table beside them.
"Obsessed is a bit strong." Chuck cut in.
"Really? So when you interviewed that lady who hinted that her former husband was being abusive you just ignored it? You didn't go all 'Piranha' and hunt him down, getting evidence on him for the police anonymously?"
"Well she was nice, and that guy was…" Chuck furrowed his brow for a moment before grimacing as he realised what Morgan had referred to. Looking around the room nervously. "Ixnay on the iranhapay" he chastised,
Morgan ignored the comment and simply looked back at him "He deserved everything you did to him, but SHE didn't ask you to do it. Didn't really tell you anything. His name, where he lived, anything. He was another mystery, but by doing what you did. You showed both Ellie and me something. You cared again, you wanted to help solve this woman's puzzle, help her. Finally you'd started being you."
Accepting the candid moment Chuck simply replied "Ok, I get it. Trying to find him was kind of fun though." He shrugged with a wry smile.
"Oh really? Although I thought you'd stopped mainlining Chardonnay years ago. By the way, you never told me how you do that and never get a hangover." Morgan ended with a "what gives" tone, resting his hand on top of the camera.
Chuck smirked at him and just tapped the side of his nose, flipping the cover of the file open again.
Realising that they'd probably be needed soon Morgan picked up the radio mic. Telling Chuck to stand, he went about connecting him up.
"Mic check?" Morgan asked with a shrug.
Chuck simply nodded, before chirping "One...Two…One. Two…"
"Hey buddy, do you know why we only ever say one, two?" Morgan looked genuinely interested.
"Well I've always thought that you stopped there because on three most people usually lift" Chuck shook his head at the faux glare he received, chuckling to himself.
Across the hall, in a large office.
"Hey Sarah, are you about ready?" said the beautiful brunette as she walked through the door and seated herself on the edge of the large desk that dominated the room. A tall, athletic blonde woman stood behind it staring into a nearby mirror, preening a little.
"How's my hair?" the blonde replied, glancing at herself in the mirror before pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Seriously?" a flat look appeared on her tanned face. "You look as fabulous as you usually do. If I wasn't so stunning myself I'd say you were the most attractive member of our little group." the brunette smirked, inviting her friend disagree with a challenging look.
"What about Carina?" the blonde said over her shoulder, "Z?" Sarah replied, shaking her head and turning away, the brunette cut her off before placing her arm on the other woman's shoulder, turning her around. "Nope…not going there, and since when does the great Sarah Walker doubt herself about anything, let alone her looks?"
Giving Zondra a stern look she replied "I don't care about that stuff… I DON'T." she challenged when Zondra gave her a flat stare.
"I'm just, I don't know… Nervous? I don't know what they'll ask…" she looked away frustrated with herself.
"…and you don't like surprises." Zondra chimed in, sotto voce. Placing both hands on Sarah's shoulders pushing her down into the large leather seat behind her, Zondra stared firmly into Sarah's blue eyes "Sarah, why are you nervous? Really?"
Looking back at her best friend, her brow furrowed. "Well I don't usually do this sort of thing…" she challenged with her gaze.
"What? Talk to people?" she answered the blonde in mock offense. "With everything you've done in your past, what you've gone through, and how you got here" Zondra shook her head in frustration "You should be screaming that shit from the rooftops."
"No!" Sarah said aggressively. "I don't want to talk about… ME. The company, my work, OK. But not all that other stuff."
Zondra carried on despite the outburst "It is one stupid interview. For Alexei…" she chastised. "You owe him for the time…" she stopped abruptly at the sharp gaze directed her way.
"I know" Sarah challenged "It just feels stupid talking about anything but the company or my work. The fame, money, success, that's just superficial crap. Just because someone wants to know about my past doesn't mean they have the right to intrude in it."
"Do you really think Alexei would do you like that?" the brunette offered, walking away in frustration, starting to head towards the far door.
"Well, no…" she conceded, sighing.
"So just talk to whoever they've sent, answer a few questions and you're done." Zondra shrugged and turned, walking away as if it were nothing.
"Do we know who Alexei sent?" the blonde continued, stepping away from the mirror.
"From what his email said, it's some guy called Charles Bartowski" finally reaching for the door handle.
"Oh great, another guy who'll just stare at me, try to look like some superhero for the 'little woman'." She rolled her eyes and looked to the ceiling, her professional mask beginning to appear.
Zondra shook her head in frustration before turning to look back over her shoulder "You think Alexei would hire some wooden headed superhero guy? Some idiot called Daniel, or Cole? Listen, just give this guy a chance. He might be I don't know… Nice? Don't do your usual." she shook her head.
"Usual?" Sarah's mask fell, showing concern.
"Yeah, close off. Throw on that cold exterior, just flash them your smile for a little while… Remember, we need people to like you."
Sarah sighed, feeling a little like she was being scolded by her mother, not that she could really remember her mother. Being abandoned by her, and then lied to for years by her father had left scars that Sarah struggled with to this day.
Realising that her friend was just looking out for her, Sarah relented, dropping the mask completely. Smirking a little at her friend's candidness, she turned back to the mirror.
"Now are you gonna be OK while I go see if they're ready for you? No running away to a motel? Or the beach? Ok good." Finally mollified, Zondra reached for the door handle again and stepped through.
A few minutes later Chuck noticed from the corner of his eye the door to his left begin to open, interrupting the previously jovial conversation. Both men quickly stood to attention, trying to give off an air of professionalism. Swallowing the nervous lump that had reappeared back in his throat, Chuck fixed the most confident smile he could muster onto his face and waited, holding his breath without noticing.
A tall, svelte brunette stepped through the door quickly and headed their way, a stern look on her face.
"Are you guys about ready?" she asked, challenging them with her tone.
Morgan stared back at her from behind the camera, forgetting momentarily what his hands were doing and froze with eyes like saucers, unable to reply. Chuck fixed his face with a sincere smile and reached out with his hand "Sarah? Sarah Walker?"
Giving him a stern glare, the brunette simply ignored the attempted handshake and, shaking her head "Na ah! I look like a blonde to you?"
"I'm sorry… What?" Chuck replied quickly, removing the offered hand.
"AM I BLONDE?" she spoke in an extremely exaggerated slow way.
"Well, no. But I don't exactly know what Sarah Walker looks like so I assumed…" he looked a bit sheepish.
"I'm Zondra, Zondra Rizzo." She answered as if that explained her presence. She looked at him in annoyance.
A moment later Chuck caught sight of a flash of blonde hair, as a tall blonde pushed her way impatiently through the door. A pair of beautiful cerulean eyes turned his way, stunning him into silence. From behind the camera he heard a muttered "Vicky Vale, Vickety Vicky Vale…" Frowning a little, Chuck managed not to draw attention to his friend's not so subtle reaction. Attempting to reboot his brain for a moment as she approached he just stood and stared.
Letting out the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, he reached out his hand again, palm open invitingly.
"Sarah Walker?" he looked over at Zondra nervously, receiving a faux glare in reply.
Taking his hand slowly, shaking it gently with a slight smile. Sarah was surprised by an unfamiliar charge that flowed through her fingers when their hands met. Removing her hand with a curious look on her face, she nodded.
"Charles Bartowski, but everyone calls me Chuck." He said distractedly, looking at his hand for a moment before moving his gaze upward quickly. He realised after a few seconds that he had yet to look at anything but her eyes. His nerves burned away in their brilliance. The most intensely blue eyes he'd ever seen, and they gazed back at him, seeming amused. When he finally noticed he'd been staring the whole time he swallowed loudly and looked to his still outstretched hand. "…and this is Morgan." He gestured over the camera towards his little friend with that hand.
"Hello." She smiled sweetly, "Chuck?" the question still held in her eyes.
"Yeah, my parents were sadists…" he offered quickly. Pointing behind the camera "and he was found by carnival freaks." He finished.
Morgan stood quickly and found himself automatically responding "…but they raised me as one of their own." hunching back behind the lens, he smiled to himself.
Sarah snorted a little, smiling at the two men. "And how many times have you guys used that routine?" She chuckled at their mock indignation, Zondra just rolled her eyes.
Something about the way Chuck looked at her made her walls crumble, he really seemed to be what Zondra said earlier, a nice guy. A really cute, funny, nice guy. She felt a little guilty at her earlier accusations, her nervousness had been quelled, her stomach now filled with butterflies of a different kind. His voice could almost incinerate those butterflies with the warmth it held.
"So should we begin?" Sarah asked, trying to understand her own reaction, needing to regain her composure. Taking a breath to calm her now rapidly beating heart. It felt so loud to her that she was sure he could hear it too, barely catching his next words as he looked back at her with a smirk. He gestured at the leather chairs beside them. Waiting for her to take a seat, he carefully sat and gestured for Morgan to sort out her microphone. Morgan reached over, looking nervous.
"He's waiting for you to give him permission to clip the microphone onto your…" Chuck chimed in calmly, giving her a warm smile as he gestured towards her belt.
She liked this guy, he was unbelievably charming, but his effect on her had put her on the back foot a little. Unsure of what to say, Sarah shook her head, taking the microphone from Morgan's outstretched hand and clipping it quickly onto her waistband. They'd only just met after all.
"So, before we start. A few things… This won't be too intrusive" seeing her let out a breath and offer a serene smile. "I promise." He said smiling at her sincerely. "Just a few easy questions, some boiler plate stuff for our viewers. Let's see…" he flicked absent-mindedly through the pages of his file, barely looking away from her eyes. "You made your name with your signature "Rocky Road" iced cream. We'll ask about that... Why you came up with the name?" She cringed inwardly at the thought of revealing something real like that, but Chuck continued to look at her in a way that made her insanely comfortable. He just seemed so open, honest. Not noticing her flicker of unease, he continued, the warm smile never leaving his face. "…simple stuff. Like, are you working on anything new? He leaned forward and smirked at her, inviting her to answer, cheekily. "Maybe something you could let us try today?"
"Well…" she shook her head at him, a glint appearing in her lustrous blue eyes, before smirking herself. She reached a hand to move a few loose hairs behind her ear, eyeing him nervously.
"R-Really? You do?" he looked excitedly.
"Maybe…after all of this" she teased, waving her hand at the camera behind Chuck "I could…" she trailed off, looking away coyly.
His smile intensified, the one that now took over his face made her insides not only flutter but combust. Zondra's eyes shot open from her position in the corner of the room, suddenly paying attention to her friend's reaction.
Moving on quickly Chuck gestured at the camera and winked "So should we?"
Turning on the camera, they began…
The couple's conversation for the next hour flowed easily, forgetting the camera, the others watching around them, the world slipped away, there was just Chuck and Sarah. The questions he'd mentioned earlier were quickly dealt with, Sarah giving a practiced if not entirely truthful answer about the name. Both were completely at ease around each other, but her ingrained reticence about her past kept her from revealing too much. She realised all of a sudden that for the first time she actually wanted to tell a guy everything, her entire life story. The red light of the camera to her left held her tongue, kept her quiet. For now. It felt to her like she and Chuck had known each other for years, skipping from subject to subject. They laughed, teased, and on occasion flirted. Sarah had even touched his knee a couple of times, which had made Chuck jump a little and Zondra eye him warily.
Sarah could feel a charge through her fingers every time she touched him, surprising her with its intensity each time but like an addict she found she wanted to touch him, time and again.
When their time was up, Morgan gave them a signal and turned off the camera. Realising he'd been ignored, he stood up and looked at still chattering couple. Clearing his throat a little he finally made his presence known. With a shared smile the couple got up to say goodbye, the intensity of this moment seemed to build between them and once again they found themselves shaking hands, although both were more holding than shaking. Like a balloon holding static electricity she felt a constant arc through her hand, one that had seemed to want to break beyond that extremity and surround her. Deciding to stop fighting whatever it was, she opened herself to it. The constant charge beginning to suffuse Sarah's whole being, looking at him intently she noticed the same intensity held in his eyes. It seemed to be overtaking him too, swiftly. He must be feeling the same way she did. Realising that they'd been shaking hands for far longer than customary they both released their grips and looked at each other, small grins on both of their faces.
"So, I'd better." She gestured towards the door, stepping away slowly, her smile tightening a little. Not wanting their time to end, she looked over at him through her lashes, suddenly unsure of what to say she started to edge her way to the door.
His smiled widened, crinkling his nose a little. "Thank you… Sarah." He said warmly as she finally opened the door, their mutual gaze now broken as she stepped through.
The door closed behind her, making Chuck turn away, bringing the world back into existence. Looking over his shoulder at the wooden panels with a sense of melancholy Chuck moved quickly, surprising Morgan. Reaching the door in a few strides he opened it to see Sarah reaching for the handle herself, the look of surprise on her face giving way to a beaming smile.
"I just…" she looked up at him through her lashes nervously.
A/N I hope you enjoyed that, it's pretty much my first attempt at a complete AU. Please R&R if you did, it's much appreciated. Stay safe, take care.