A/N - Hi there, I'm sorry it took a little longer to update this time around, but I was wiped out physically by my vaccine jab and just couldn't concentrate.
A/N2 - For those of you who were actually interested in the song hint in the previous chapter, it was Tubthumping, by Chumbawumba (Chuck drank a whiskey drink, she drank a vodka drink etc. on their date.)
If you haven't done so yet, please join us over at the Chuck Fanfiction Facebook page, we won't bite. The usual disclaimers etc. apply, I don't own Chuck and no beta was involved. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 5
Chuck's morning began the same as many others since he'd gone to work at , with hundreds of pointless email. Scouring a litany of scientific and technical announcements for the week's breakout subject was tedious busy-work, but today he'd settled into his task with an almost perpetual smile. Even the obligatory chewing out by his boss for his habitual tardiness, felt strangely castrated in the wake of the previous day's wondrous events. He simply stood as Casey grunted his way through the litany of tasks, potential problems, and gruff sarcasm. His mind wandering through the few glorious hours that led to the kiss he'd shared with Sarah just before they'd reluctantly gone their separate ways.
The lanky nerd found it hard not to just grasp the much larger man by his shoulders and give thanks for sending him on his first non-scientific assignment.
"…and Kid, good job yesterday." the big man said as Chuck came back to the present, the words making his brow lift in surprise.
"Thanks…" Chuck eyed his boss curiously. Casey having turned his back, clicked angrily on his mouse, and began to type furiously.
Realising he'd been dismissed, Chuck started for the door. The questioning look returned as he looked back to his boss, before stepping through and going back to his small office. Chuck pondered his boss for a moment, thinking how rare Casey's compliment actually was. It had definitely been the first directed his way in the time he'd been at the station.
The station chief had grudgingly accepted Alexei Volkoff's appointment of his old college friend's son, the gruff veteran making it clear to the nerd from the start that he'd never be Chuck's greatest fan, despising the obvious nepotism. The experienced boss also wrongly judged that the younger man's compassionate nature somehow exposed a weakness in the nerd's journalistic integrity. The search for truth apparently at odds with Chuck's need to help people.
Casey quickly found how to utilise the nerd's strengths, choosing to harness the younger man's considerable technical knowledge and understanding in the station's late night TechNews report, initially as a researcher, but then its presenter. Realising that the nerd's genial nature would help viewers connect with a subject often thought of as cold and unfeeling. It had been a no brainer to the veteran and the segments figures had grown almost immediately.
The welcome side effect for the stern chief was that Casey could avoid the nerd's incessant attempts to connect with him personally, by leaving the station each night after signing off on the younger man's segment.
"Buddy, you ready to get outta here?" came the voice of Chuck's bearded friend as his head appeared around the edge of the door a few hours later.
Having daydreamed his way through every item on Casey's list, Chuck distractedly checked his watch "Yeah Morgs, one second…" He locked his computer, stood up, and covered the distance quickly to the door, grabbing a black windbreaker from the back as it began to close.
Stood in the lift, waiting for the doors to open at the lobby, Chuck could see his friend dying to talk about the previous evening. "Chuck, bubbala…spill" the bearded man glanced at his friend with an excited grin, considering the muted silence and serene grin fixed to Chuck's face. "Where'd you two disappear to? Jeff and Lester went looking for you…, well for Sarah really, sorry buddy. When they didn't come back I did the usual…" the two men locked eyes as Chuck declared "…called Security?" They both chuckled before Morgan continued "...Apparently they found what they thought was an abandoned Segway next to the hot dog stand. Long story not so short… they're probably being released by the cops about now, hopefully there'll be no charges this time." Morgan shrugged in a 'what you gonna do?' way.
"So how did you get home?" Chuck asked innocently. "Your mom pick you up?"
"Buddy you're killing me here…" Morgan griped, ignoring the taller man's jibe. Chuck could actually see the frustration building in his friend for a moment, an animated tremor twitching his beard.
Proud of his friend's previous restraint, Chuck relented "Ok, I'll tell you a little, as long as it stays between us. No telling Jeff and Lester, no telling Awesome, No telling Ellie." He gave Morgan a stern look before continuing "…No telling Ellie…" leaving the hidden warning unspoken "…We went for a nice walk along the pier. Ended up at a little Cajun place a few blocks from the water. It… I mean she, was amazing."
"Why didn't you take her to Chen's?" the bearded man chirped, visibly disappointed.
"Seriously? Sarah Walker, eat at a dive like that, I don't think so…" Chuck placed his hand on Morgan's shoulder, looking sympathetic.
"They have the most amazing dumplings, AND they're under ten bucks" Morgan gushed defensively.
"I know buddy, but she wanted to show me a place she already liked…" Chuck gave a tight lipped smile.
"Ok big guy." The bearded man looked dejected for a few seconds before brightening "So where'd you go?"
"Ivy at the Shore." Chuck immediately grinned at the memory, the culmination of which drew a broad smile.
"Woah, that place is seriously upscale. I bet the portions were tiny." he shoulder bumped the bigger man. "If that was all you ate, you must be really hungry today…"
"They were fine…" the nerd admitted with a grin. "I am starving right now though."
"Ok buddy talk to me. There's more than that. Tell me EVERYTHING." He grasped the taller man's shoulder as they entered the parking garage and left the station.
A short drive later they parked Chuck's Toyota, the taller man having related most of the evening's events. He kept the kiss secret for now, not wanting Morgan to inevitably reveal that to his sister.
"So, considering last night…Why did you bring us here?" Morgan said as they crossed the Buy More parking lot, strolling towards the apparently crowded deli.
"What? Lou serves the best pastrami in Burbank…" Chuck shrugged innocently.
"I know, but do you seriously not see that Lou's wanted y…" Chuck placed his finger over the bearded man's mouth cutting him off, earning a chuckle from beneath that tickled his finger.
"She's just being nice." Chuck stated indignantly, giving his friend a frustrated glare before removing his hand.
Looking up at his best friend, Morgan feigned innocence, simply giving an impish grin as he reached for the door.
"Oh hey boys" the petite brunette called as they walked in and took a number, waiting at the back of the small crowd. Thinking of Morgan's remark, Chuck noticed how she kept sweeping her gaze his way, a tell-tale smile flashing briefly across her pretty face.
As Chuck watched her, he realised that while he would have previously appreciated a girl as smart, funny, and pretty as Lou, in 24 hours Sarah had raised his expectations so high that other women would never even see the glass ceiling she'd created, let alone pierce it.
Chuck tried in vain to avoid Lou's now unwanted advance as she placed the wrapped sandwich into his hand, eyeing the tall nerd hungrily. Having purchased their lunches, he promised for the hundredth time, to mention her sandwiches on the air, and left, Chuck feeling a little awkward at the exchange.
Walking back to the car, Morgan eyed his friend curiously, noticing the furrowed brow give way to a faraway gaze "…I haven't seen you smitten like this since…" The bearded man cleared his throat, taking on a more sympathetic tone. "…Jill. So, what gives?"
"I'm not smitten, I like Sarah a lot and I think we really connected by the end of the night." he frowned at his bearded friend's sudden snickering. Chuck frowned at the little man "I can't really describe it, but when I look into her eyes…" he drifted off for a moment as he easily brought the image of her face back. "…it's like she can see past the bull, all the walls I've hidden behind since Jill. REALLY, see ME…" Chuck shrugged, a broad smile exploding on his face. "When she smiled at me, I couldn't stop myself from doing the same. Every laugh made me giddy, every touch electric..."
"I KNEW IT… I hope you more than touched though. Sarah Freakin' Walker." he threw up a fist, waiting a few moments with an excited look before Chuck lifted his own and bumped it back, the taller man rolling his eyes as the little man shook with glee. "I'm not really sure what else to say except I'm proud of you." Morgan gave his friend a gentle pat on the shoulder, grinning widely.
The tall nerd swallowed loudly, suddenly looking at his friend with a solemn gaze "Thanks buddy… and you know what? It was a great night. But in the long term what can a guy like me really? I mean she's… I just don't know." Now it was the smaller man who clamped his hand over the others face, cutting off the unwanted conversation and train of thought.
"Just don't." Morgan glared into the fellow nerds deep brown eyes, deciding he needed to quickly improve Chuck's fluctuating mood. "You forget, I saw the way she looked at you. She was right there too" he offered a knowing smile.
"Hey Morgs, I don't know what I'd do without you" Chuck nodded at his best friend appreciatively.
Feeling his throat tighten a little, Morgan swallowed loudly "…So, did Casey tell you when the segment airs?" he chirped, giving a tight lipped smile.
"Yeah, he emailed me to say it would be on Wednesday, at 9pm, they're editing it right now." Chuck puffed up his chest proudly, knowing it signified a milestone in his career, as well as his personal life.
"Well I can tell you something. When Ellie sees it, she'll know there's something going on between you two. Like I said, I could see the way you looked at each other all afternoon…" the little man nodded at the pleased look Chuck gave him. "Have you spoken to Ellie about yesterday? Tell me you at least messaged and let her know you went on a date last night? Did you?"
"Nope, we've both been busy but knowing her, she'll know..." Chuck shrugged apologetically, fully aware that Morgan would probably sell him out if Ellie wanted him to.
Morgan leaned close and placed both hands onto his friend's shoulders "She REALLY will kill you if she sees that segment before you tell her yourself." He admitted.
"I know…" Chuck frowned, looking down at the much shorter man.
"You're terrified right now aren't you?" Morgan grinned.
"Oh yeah." Chuck winced, stepping away from his friend's smug grin.
The next couple of days passed quickly for the embryonic couple, enmeshed as they were in their regular day to day grind.
Chuck had spent a great deal of his free time trying to find a way to drop the potential bombshell on his sister, driven by the looming deadline the interview created. Despite Morgan's heartfelt reassurance, the nerd had initially also allowed his inner demons to control the reflex to call Sarah, instead sending her playful texts through the first day, mustering enough courage to at least speak for a few moments when he got home that night.
While her workload had given her less opportunity to daydream of their date, the blonde found herself continually toying with her phone, eagerly awaiting his nerdy little stories through the day with a permanent smile. Watching his face on the TV both nights, and then hearing his invitingly caramel voice as she curled up with her phone and spoke about literally everything the day had thrown at her. It suffused her entire being with warmth, a feeling of comfort that pushed all of her stresses away.
They both drifted off wondering how it would feel to wrap themselves in the other's arms, their bodies entwined around each other as they slept. Her thoughts constantly wandered back to the wonderful moment they'd kissed, the exhilaration of it, causing both her heart to flutter and a broad smile to appear as she happily fell asleep. Carina had been right, in her own un-subtle way. For the time being if not physically, she was definitely emotionally in bed with the tall nerd.
Ellie Bartowski closed the door to her apartment and wearily tossed her keys into the bowl beside the door. A last minute emergency having extended an already twenty hour Tuesday shift in the Emergency Room at Westside Medical, leaving her not only tired but uncharacteristically cranky. Taking a few steps across the room, she blew out a deep breath and pulled out her ponytail, quickly running her fingers through the newly freed brunette hair. Eyeing an already open bottle of wine on the kitchen counter, she reluctantly stopped herself from giving in to the temptation.
Reaching the large central sofa, she drowsily fell into its deep cushions, shutting her eyes and allowing herself a moment to decompress.
Beeeep, Beeeep, Beeeep, Beeeep.
Grudgingly she opened one eye and reached for the nearby telephone, noticing the endearingly dorky image of her brother gracing the screen.
"Hey there little brother…" she glanced at the nearby clock, bleary eyed "…what did I do to deserve you calling right after a 26 hour shift?" Ellie groused.
"Sorry El. I didn't know… I can call back later." The nerd offered apologetically.
"Chuck, don't be silly, talk to me" Ellie chuntered, good humouredly, sitting up and seriously reconsidering getting that drink.
"Its OK sis, it's nothing, not really." Chuck countered nervously, wincing to himself.
"Come on, what is it?" Ellie's voice began to take on a more severe tone as her exhaustion began to take over.
"Turn on the station at nine tonight and you'll see…" Chuck declared, deliberately being enigmatic as he attempted to steer the conversation.
Glancing wearily at a nearby clock Ellie gruffly replied "I thought you were on at ten on Wednesdays?" she began to shake off her lethargy, her frustration growing.
"I am, it happened sis, Casey finally gave me a shot…" The nerd excitedly replied, pulling the phone quickly from his ear, nervous about Ellie's reaction. He'd have to quickly end this call if he wanted to get over to Vegas for today's report, hoping that the Bellagio's new anti-cheat system wouldn't take too long to research and shoot. He'd initially found it funny that they'd nicknamed it "the Greco", tying it ironically to the failed system in his favourite heist movie, but they'd been serious.
He was eager to get back in time to watch the interview, see Sarah's angelic face again. Picturing her cobalt eyes shining at him as he sat across from her, asking those inane questions brought an involuntary smile to his face. They'd yet to arrange a second date, but he longed to spend more than just those few magnificent hours in her company. The blonde's beauty was absolutely breath-taking in person, but he understood Sarah's true beauty hid beneath those azure pools, waiting for her to find someone worthy.
He truly hoped he was.
"That's amazing, you've always been so much more than just a geek, and it's about time that Sasquatch… " the brunette declared indignantly, glancing at her phone screen for a moment, wincing at the time.
"You know its NERD sis…" he cut in, rolling his eyes at Ellie's deliberate taunt. "Well, I'd better go… I've got a millionaire to meet." Chuck announced cryptically, pulling the phone away from his ear again in anticipation of his sister's reaction.
"…a millionaire, like a REAL one?" she squealed, before turning suspicious "This isn't another of those stupid reports like you did at college? Like that online dating one where you met that… You know what? I'm going to forget that stalker Hannah ever existed. So, who did you interview?" Ellie stood up and grabbed a glass, grinning proudly as she finally put away the wine and poured herself some juice.
"Oh, that's not fair. It's not easy to find someone real, especially in this town and that report got me an A. How was I supposed to know that Hannah had changed coasts and got a job across the street from campus just because I'd picked her face on Instagram?" Chuck winced as he remembered the awkward moment he'd broken up with the obviously disturbed brunette. Internally chastising himself for the misguided decision to ask Hannah on a date.
"…Anyway, her name was Sarah, Sarah Walker…" the nerd suddenly felt warm inside. Even the thought of her, enough to make his heartbeat race.
"Like the ice cream woman?" Ellie unwittingly glanced towards her freezer.
"Exactly like her…" Chuck offered, cryptically. "I sat down with THE Sarah Walker, the "Iced Cream Queen." She was my assignment El."
"OK, now that's worth keeping me up. So, what was she like?" Ellie's interest had finally been peaked.
"I think you'd should watch the segment… and then we'll talk." Hearing her growl a little in frustration "Hang on sis, I will tell you…"
"Charles Irving Bartowski." She threatened, her tone sharpening instantly.
"Alright sis, I'll talk. No need to go all Doctor Doom. She's amazing… Smart, funny, beautiful, perfect... I actually ran into her later that day after the interview. I was at the pier, out with Morgan and his friends… I saved her from a fate worse than death… JEFFSTER." He chuckled.
"Wait. Don't you dare think we're not going to circle back to how giddy you sound right now, but let me get this straight? You met a beautiful millionaire businesswoman for work and a few hours later ran into the same woman when you were surrounded by those idiots. On one hand I'm impressed, she must be really brave to be out at night near those two, but this is a little too similar to that scary bitch turning up here every night during Spring break."
Choosing to ignore Ellie's hauntingly precise description of the petite brunette, he continued on "Yeah, she's pretty fierce, and I can tell you something for sure, there's no way Sarah Walker would ever hurt me. No way El…" he declared proudly.
Chuckling a little at his indignant tone, she calmly asked "I don't need all the details, but I do have one more question."
"Ok, El. So what do you want to know? Time's a wastin'" he tapped his finger on an imaginary watch.
"Do you like her? That's it…" she declared, smiling to herself.
"Yeah." he proudly decreed "…a lot."
"Then that's enough for me..." She answered, feeling the weight of years of concern lift itself from her chest.
"Thanks El. I'd better be going…" He happily stated, relieved that she'd not demanded to meet Sarah immediately.
Ellie glanced at the clock again, realising Devon would be back soon. "Chuck, I knew you had it in you to get past that harpy… and if Devon were here right now I think we both know what he'd say…"
"Oh, did I mention she's that too?" he snorted a little.
"Aces Charles, you're Aces. See you soon little brother…" She offered warmly.
"A dad quote. Thanks El… Bye." Chuck said as he ended the call.
The unusually warm Wednesday morning found Sarah sat in her office with her chin planted firmly in her palm, looking anxiously at the mysterious email she'd received. She worried her lip as she read it for the third time, before pressing the button on her intercom and asking her assistant to find Zondra.
A few minutes later, the brunette stood beside the blonde, reading through the message, occasionally giving Sarah a worried glance.
"So what do you want to do about it?" Zondra eyed Sarah curiously.
"I don't know, I mean… I'm seriously pissed right now… What do you think I should do?" Sarah ran a hand through her blonde hair, obviously panicked.
"…well first, I think you need to get everyone in the building to shut down their computers. Then it might be a good idea to get Skip up here. See what he can do with this…" The brunette pointed at Sarah's laptop, placing her other hand reassuringly on her friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, that's probably a good call." The blonde nodded, and began to press the building's intercom, preparing to make the announcement. Sarah focussed on controlling her voice, barely in control of her own shock as finger hovered over the button to get a building wide connection. The prospect of having to maybe pay such an exorbitant amount just to regain her company's data, or have her entire life's work threatened by some anonymous hacker, shook the usually strong woman.
She tried to hide behind her professional mask, rebuild the inner defences that had kept her safe for over a decade, but the nerd had obliterated them, revealing a vulnerability she almost regretted. Sarah longed to see the tall nerd right now, have her fears seared away in the blazing heat of their innate connection, but knew that he was out of town.
The brunette continued, oblivious to Sarah's inner turmoil "…and you might need to speak to the LAPD, see if they know anyone that can help with finding this…" Sarah gave Zondra a flat stare "…oh come on, we both know that seventies reject won't fix this… Maybe they can find out who this… What did the email say the hacker's name was?" Zondra reached past Sarah for a moment and scanned the screen "Neo? Seriously?" the brunette rolled her eyes. Noticing the visibly trembling blonde, I'll call the cops ok?"
Nodding appreciatively at her friend "Don't freak out, don't freak out" the blonde muttered to herself as she pressed the button.
A/N – I'm sorry about the lack of direct Charah in this chapter but I had to get the party started, so to speak on the actual plot I'm working towards. It'll be back in full force soon I promise.