A/N: This story is a one-shot, based on a short film by Omeleto titled Reception (look for it on Youtube). This doesn't really do the film justice, but I could picture our favorite characters in this situation and wanted to adapt it. I don't know how successful I was at that, but here it is anyway. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck, Omeleto or the Reception film. I also don't own slipper socks, but that's not important.

The Reception

Stepping away from the crowded dance floor, and the mingling partygoers, Sarah walked through the beautifully manicured gardens to find a secluded spot to sit. As she approached the raised flower bed made of stacked flagstone, she noticed a man in a tuxedo sitting on one end. Nearly motionless in his black suit, she hadn't spotted him at first.

"Sorry. Do you mind?" she asked, gesturing to a spot on the opposite end of the raised bed. In a daze he turned to face her, his mind looking a million miles away. Blinking, he shook his head slightly, his eyes widening.

"Oh, no. Please. Have a seat," he offered, gesturing to the stone ledge beside him. Nodding her appreciation, she smiled and sat down, blowing out a long sigh. They sat in silence for a long moment, Sarah looking at her phone while the man returned his gaze to the party going on. Putting her phone in her lap, she blew out another long breath.

Glancing at the man beside her, she recognized him from the toasts earlier in the evening. "You're the best man, right? Chuck?" she asked hesitantly, not certain if she'd remembered correctly.

"Best- oh, right. Yep. That's me… the 'best man'," he nodded with his lips pulled into a thin line. It sounded as though there might be a hint of sarcasm in the admission, but she let it go.

"It's pretty crazy out there. Lots of people," she offered, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Yep," he agreed, popping the 'P'. "Pretty. Crazy," he agreed, nodding his head but still seeming lost in thought. For a moment, she thought that was all he was going to say, not taking his eyes off the party. Closing his eyes for a few seconds he opened them wide, then blinked rapidly. He averted his gaze to the ground between them, not looking directly at her, yet seemingly not wanting to look away either.

"You uh… you with the bride or the groom?" he asked, clearing his throat. She considered the question, and the man, deciding if it were easier to tell a short lie or the long truth. Taking a cleansing breath, something about him, the setting, made her opt for the truth.

"Neither. Well, I guess you could say the bride. My friend, Zondra, she's related to the bride somehow. They're like… second cousins twice removed or some shit. Zondra's parents are on vacation in Costa Rica, so they asked her to come, just to make an appearance, you know? She brought me as her plus one, that way she wouldn't have to come alone and if she met a guy, she wouldn't have to feel guilty about ditching me. And now it seems she's disappeared and won't answer her phone, so, it doesn't bode well for me." Sarah let out a huff at the end, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. When she looked up from the ground, turning toward the man, she saw he was looking at her, his features softer than before. "Sorry. That was probably way more than you bargained for. I should have just said 'bride' and been done with it, saving you the boring details."

"No. No, it's fine. You're good, um..." he trailed off, his head tilting slightly, leaning forward as if in anticipation.

"Oh, Sarah! Sarah Walker," she offered, extending her hand, scooting toward him to close the distance. He did likewise until their hands met. His handshake was warm and soft, far gentler than she'd expected. Sarah could feel there was strength there, but he was deliberately holding back.

"Chuck. Chuck Bartowski," he replied, rolling his eyes at himself. "But you already knew that," he stated, looking sheepish as he gestured toward the reception with his head. They both realized their hands were still connected, pulling them away a little abruptly. Chuck fidgeted in his seat, swallowing thickly as he went back to looking at the guests. Sarah did likewise, feeling a warmth in her neck and cheeks.

Chancing a glance at him, she licked her lips, feeling a bit anxious. "Your speech, it was good. Really good," she rushed out, needing to say something for fear of the silence enveloping her. Chuck's eyes grew wide as he glanced in surprise, before quickly averting his gaze to the ground.

"You heard that, huh? Well, th-thanks. Speaking in front of a lot of people's really not my thing," he confessed shyly, shrugging.

"I could tell," she admitted, wincing slightly. She could see his shoulders slumping slightly and he let out a one note chuckle, nodding in agreement. "Th-that's not a bad thing. I could just tell you were a little nervous. It was good though. Your speech, that is, but um… what was that last part?" she inquired, out of curiosity.

"Wh-which part?" he asked, turning back to glance at her briefly before looking away again.

"You said he …'finally found a dance partner' or something like that."

"Oh that. Right," he said with a nod, his lips pulled into a tight smile again. "That's uh … an inside joke, I guess you could say."

"Well, I kinda feel like you have to share it now. I mean, you put it out there for all of us to hear. We need to know the greater meaning. Inquiring minds want to know," she teased, giving him a wry smile. He met her gaze, his expression softening as he considered her.

Blowing out a long breath, he straightened his jacket, sitting up a little. "I know it may come as a shock to you, but I wasn't always the suave, debonair specimen you see before you," he began with a self-deprecating tone in his voice as he gestured to himself. "In my formative years I was quite the nerd; a social outcast" he confessed. "I know. I know. It's hard to believe to see me now." His tone was dripping with sarcasm and, while she could see it was an attempt at humor, the humor of it only went skin deep. While his lips were trying to smile, his eyes told the real story.

"Let's say for the sake of the story that I believe that, but I reserve the right to call bullshit on that later," she chided, giving him a smirk. That got a chuckle out of him, the corners of his eyes crinkling adorably. She couldn't help but smile in return, the sight causing a slight flutter in her stomach.

"As you wish," he conceded, rubbing his hands on his pants legs. "Anyway, Bryce - the groom if you recall- and I have been friends since we were kids. As you can imagine, he's never had any trouble finding female companionship, even in high school. Especially in high school," he added, rolling his eyes. Sarah bobbed her head from side to side, conceding his point. Bryce was a ... 'pretty' man; a little too pretty. Chuck on the other hand, he was handsome. He was a good-looking man but there seemed to be so much more to him, a certain depth she couldn't explain that made him far more appealing. Chuck was someone you wanted to get to know.

"Somehow he convinced me to go to the Homecoming dance our sophomore year. I was a gangly, awkward and clumsy teenager with very few social skills to speak of. Dances truly weren't my scene."

Sarah couldn't help but snort. "I can empathize," she confessed, nodding her understanding. Chuck gave her the most incredulous look she thought she'd ever seen, causing her to giggle. "It's true. Believe me, but this is your story, so please…" she twirled her hand, gesturing for him to continue. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly before he looked off in the distance to continue his story.

"With all I had going for me, it might not come as a surprise that I had nobody to go with to the dance, but Bryce convinced me that we should go stag, assuring me we'd find plenty of girls to dance with once we got there. So, we went to the dance and I assumed my position along the side of the cafeterium, being the wall flower that I was-"

"I'm sorry, a cafe-what?" Sarah asked incredulously, chuckling at the term.

"A cafeterium. You know. That room that doubles as a cafeteria and a gymnasium? Our high school was small and old as hell. Our cafeterium had linoleum tile floors. Needless to say, when other teams came to play, we were a laughingstock." Sarah burst out laughing, both at imagining what he was describing and the way he told the story. He was funny and charming, and a little bit goofy.

Chuck seemed pleased that he was able to get her to laugh, and as she sobered, he continued his story. "As I was saying, I stood along the side of the cafeterium, and Bryce was right there beside me as we watched everyone else dance. We made fun of some of the couples and gave color commentary as we saw guys crash and burn as they asked girls to dance." Sarah watched him with a grin on her face, trying to picture a young Chuck in that situation.

Chuck paused, looking over the crowd of guests at the reception, seeming lost in his memories. Giving his head a small shake after a moment, he returned to his tale. "Girls would come up to Bryce, as they often did, and they'd whisper something to him. The music was too loud, so I couldn't hear what they were saying, but each time he'd just give his head a little shake and off the girl would go. This happened throughout the night. After probably the… tenth girl had left, Bryce sighed and said, 'I just can't seem to find anyone to dance with.'" Sarah gasped slightly as the realization struck her.

"He didn't want to leave you alone," she stated, seeming so invested in the story. Chuck nodded, averting his gaze to the ground. "And now he has someone to dance with. That's … that's a really beautiful story. He's a good friend." Chuck just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. After a long moment, Sarah continued.

"I can see you've gotten over that awkward, gangly phase. Surely you must have had some 'dance partners' of your own since then?" Chuck turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. After a long moment he found his voice.

"Yea- uh… well… y-yeah. There was… there was one," he said, stammering as he nodded.

"Just one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"Yup… just the one…" he trailed off and Sarah's smile died as she could feel the hurt in his voice. "She… she's here actually," he confessed.

"Really?! Your girlfriend? She's here?" Sarah asked, surprised. She looked over the crowd, trying to guess who it might be, all the while feeling more than a little disappointed.

"Ex," he corrected with no warmth in his voice. Sarah's disappointment vanished, but she still felt that hurt in his voice.

"Oh. I'm… I'm sorry. So, your ex, she's here then? I guess that explains why you're sitting over here," Sarah joked, trying to take the edge off the topic. "If you don't mind me asking… which… which one is she?" Sarah didn't know why she felt the need to know. Did she want to know what type of woman he would date? Perhaps it was just morbid curiosity. Chuck leaned closer to Sarah, holding his arm out and pointing into the distant crowd.

"You see that woman? The one in the white dress?" He asked, looking down the length of his arm. Sarah followed his finger, getting close enough to look down the length of his arm, smelling the woody scent of his cologne. She found his point of reference and waited for him to continue but he remained silent. Realization crashed over her like a wave, causing her to sit up and turn to face him fully.

"N-Nooooo," Sarah gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "The bride? Jill is your ex?" Chuck just nodded as he set his hands in his lap. "Wait, wait, wait, wait," she rushed out, shaking her head in disbelief. "So, your best friend married your ex-girlfriend? Are… are you fucking kidding me?"

"Noooope," he confirmed, accentuating the "p". They both sat in silence, Sarah feeling at a loss.

"Jesus…" she finally breathed out, her mouth agape. "How… how long were you two together?" she found herself asking, then wincing as she realized how terribly uncaring that must sound.

"Almost three years," he replied, nodding his head.

"You were together for three years? Wow. And…. and how long after you…"

"Five months. She broke up with me five months ago," he admitted, his jaw tensing and Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly. "They got together a month or so after the breakup. At least I think so. It could have been sooner, or even before we…." he trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Sarah let out a long shaky breath, running her hand through her hair. She barely knew this man, but she could feel his heartache. Sarah couldn't imagine how devastating it must be for him right now. She was generally not prone to being a comforting, supportive person, but she had a strong urge to want to hug him, to make it better somehow.

"How are you not a complete wreck right now? If it were me, I… I don't know that I could be here at all, let alone be his best man. Are… are you OK? Is that why you're over here?" she asked, her brow knit in concern

"Yeah. Pfft. I'm fine," he reassured her, though he sounded anything but.

"Are you? Are you really? You know, it's OK to not be fine about it. I mean, not saying you should have some sort of psychotic break and ruin their wedding, but… over here, alone, you could give yourself a moment to just… not be OK with it."

"Well, I'm not alone… technically speaking," he corrected, giving a quick smile. "But it's fine. I … I care about them both and I want them to be happy."

"You are far more noble and understanding than I would be. Jesus. I just … I can't wrap my head around it. Have you really allowed yourself to be angry about it? Get all of that off your chest?" she asked. Sarah knew she was butting into his business, but she just couldn't stop herself from wanting to help him in some way. Chuck was silent for nearly a minute before he finally spoke.

"You know… we used to talk about getting married, what it would look like, the ceremony, her dress…." he continued, rocking slightly where he sat. "That's it," he stated, gesturing with both hands to the reception. "The dress, the flowers… the music. All of it." Chuck shook his head, lifting his gaze to the night sky, blowing out a long breath. Sarah felt compelled to reach out to him, to offer him some sort of comfort, but stilled herself, just listening to him.

"I look out at the reception and a part of me gets lost in it, that for just a moment, I think… I think that's my wedding, my happy bride, and then I see him holding her and dancing with her and I think, 'What the fuck? Who's this guy?" He paused for a moment, lowering his gaze to the ground. "Then I realize … he's my best friend. What… what can I do?" After a long moment of silence, he sniffed and abruptly turned to face Sarah.

"So, you from LA then?" he asked, trying to inject some cheer in his tone. Sarah couldn't help but burst out in a fit of laughter, doubling over. The one-hundred-eighty degree turn of the conversation took her completely off guard. Once she'd gained control of herself, she noticed he was just watching her. She was surprised to see that he was actually smiling, much of the previous darkness in his expression dissipating.

"Wow. So, we're here now? Back to the small talk?" she teased, still trying to get over the sudden change in topic. "Yeah. No. I mean, not originally, but I live here now; have for some time. You?"

"Same. Small world… OK, not-not really. I don't know why I said that. We're in LA, the bride and groom live in LA. One would expect that a large majority of people in attendance would also live nearby. So, I guess it's not really that small of a-"

"No, I get it. I get what you're saying," Sarah interrupted, sensing he might spiral out of control trying to explain himself. She looked over the tables of people and the crowded dance floor, the loud music in the distance. "There's a lot of people out there."

"Tons of people, and I know too many of them, or rather… They know me. So many of them know the story, whispering among themselves when they think I can't hear them. The last thing I want is for them to come up to me and do or say something just because they … they feel sorry for me or something. I think that would be infinitely worse than if they just ignored me."

"Yeah, I can see that. To be honest...God this is going to sound so terrible…" she trailed off, shaking her head at herself.

"Oh, and I've been sunshine and rainbows? Please, say it. You won't offend me," he encouraged, gesturing for her to continue. The grin that was growing on his face gave her the confidence to continue.

"The people I've met here… I'm not all that impressed. I mean, I was only introduced to a few people. The bride and groom seemed nice enough during the like… five seconds I spoke with them, but other than that, generally I'm not a fan. Ugh. Especially Jill's uncle Bernie." Sarah's whole body shivered, convulsing slightly at the thought of him.

Chuck burst out laughing, a full belly laugh that caused him to rock back and howl at the night sky. "Oh my God! Bernie," he managed to get out in between bouts of laughter. "So… so I take it he sought you out? Not surprising in the least. He's…. Well, how can I put this? Creepy. He's creepy," he repeated, turning to look at Sarah sympathetically.

"Oh, God! Soooo creepy. He was chewing and talking and…. And sweating. Ugh. I felt like I needed a shower after that," she confessed, shivering again in disgust.

"Did he do the whole finger gun, 'How you doin' sweetheart?' thing?" Chuck asked, shooting her a finger gun with a quirked eyebrow, trying to mimic the smarmy expression. Sarah leaned forward, wheezing in laughter, holding her stomach which was beginning to hurt from all the laughing.

"Yes!" she admitted, nodding through her laughter, tears filling her eyes. "Oh, God. Stop. Stop. I… I can't breathe," she pleaded, waving at him to stop. When she looked back over at Chuck, his smile practically lit up the garden they were sitting in. His nose and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he laughed, his eyes sparkling from the Edison lights strung through the trees overhead.

"Thank you, Chuck. I have to say that I was having a pretty boring time; not knowing anyone here. This," she continued, gesturing between them, "… this has been the most fun I've had all night. Hell, the most fun I've had in… a long time," she confessed, giving him a soft smile, feeling a bit shy at admitting that. He returned her sheepish smile, a silence falling between them as they held each other's gaze.

A buzz and a chime broke them from their shared moment, causing Sarah to look down at the phone in her hand. "Sorry," she apologized as she swiped it open.

"The boyfriend checking in on you?" Chuck asked teasingly.

"Yeah," she agreed distractedly as she read over the text. Glancing back over to Chuck, she could see the crestfallen expression on his face, even though he was trying to hide it, looking anywhere but at her.

"No!" she exclaimed, waving her hands. "God, no. That … that was a joke. I'm so sorry. No. That was work. You didn't think I'd…" she trailed off, looking at him with concern.

"That you'd… have a boyfriend? The chances seem pretty high. I mean…" he didn't finish the thought, but simply gestured up and down at her, as if that were evidence enough.

"Well, thank you, but I guess I thought it was pretty obvious that I didn't have a boyfriend," she replied sheepishly. "That would be pretty shitty of me to sit here having this long, rather personal, conversation with you if I were with someone else."

"You'd be surprised," he retorted, huffing at the comment.

"No. Seriously? People do that?"

"All the time! At least with me anyway. I guess people don't have a hard time talking to me. I have that 'there's no way I'd be into him so I can tell him anything without having to worry' kind of vibe. Firmly cemented in the 'friend zone', I guess." Chuck's self-deprecating humor was a little charming, but she was beginning to get annoyed at how much he put himself down.

"Well, that's not me. I… I thought we were hitting it off pretty well," she confessed shyly.

"Hitting it off?"

"Yeah. You know. Getting along…"

"No, I-I know what it means. I just … I guess nobody has ever told me that before. I've never really heard that said out loud, I guess." Chuck paused for a moment, before he continued. "We are getting along, aren't we?" he asked, sounding a bit apprehensive.

"Yeah. I think so. We're sitting here talking, enjoying each other's company. Right?"

"Yeah. Right. Definitely. Definitely…. Hitting it off," he added with a grin. Sarah chuckled at his joke, nodding in agreement. "But we're definitely not flirting. That's something else altogether," he stated, waving his hands dismissively.

"Uh… no. No, I suppose not."

"When I'm flirting, I'm much more charming, less… what you see going on here," he said with his self-deprecating tone as he gestured at himself. "And I read that when people flirt there's a lot of unnecessary touching, and we're not doing that."

"Definitely not," Sarah agreed, "no unnecessary touching going on here," she confirmed, gesturing between them.

"Right, ergo, not flirting. Just two people, enjoying each other's company."

"Right. Exactly", she affirmed, nodding her head.

They fell into a silence again, Sarah's mind a swirl of thoughts and emotions. A thought slowly crept into her head, and before she had time to second guess herself, she slowly reached her hand across and deliberately touched his leg for several seconds before returning it to her lap, just as slowly, without looking at him or saying a word. She stared straight ahead, waiting with bated breath for several long moments. She saw movement out of her periphery just before she felt his fingers pressed gently against the back of her hand.

Sarah fought to control her breathing, trying not to gasp or sigh in relief. She was glad to know that she wasn't alone in this little game they were playing, that she wasn't misinterpreting what was happening. Barely holding in her grin, she shifted in her seat as the nervous energy coursed through her.

"Your uh… your friend, Zandra?" he asked hesitantly, breaking the silence between them.

"Zondra," she corrected, nodding.

"Sorry. Zondra. Any word from her? Should we send out a search party or…"

"No. Nothing," she stated, holding up her phone as if to offer it as evidence. "I… I should probably see where she is, huh? Make sure she's OK? It's been a while."

"Right. Right. You… you should probably do that. Make sure she's alright," Chuck replied, nodding his understanding, having a hard time holding her gaze.

"I'll um…" Sarah trailed off, standing and pointing toward the reception.

"Yeah. Yeah. You go. Take care of your friend. I'll uh… I'm sure I'll see you out there," he reassured her, though it sounded forced. Sarah nodded, giving him a weak smile, trying to hide her disappointment. He was in a bad place, so she didn't want to push him, yet she was hoping that he might ask her to stay, especially now that their flirting had been established. Perhaps he wasn't in a place to act on those feelings.

"You gonna be OK here?" she questioned, looking around the garden area.

"Oh, yeah. I'll be… I'm fine. I'll just hang out here for a little bit. Chill, ya know?" Sarah nodded again, hesitating. She knew she was stalling, but she wanted to give him every chance to ask her not to go. Giving a final nod and a tight smile, she turned to walk away. As the distance between them grew, so did the tension. Sarah closed her eyes as she slowly walked, inwardly pleading with him to stop her, hoping that he'd find some reason for her to stay.

"Sarah!" Chuck called, a hint of desperation in his voice. Sarah's eyes flew open and, feeling elated, she spun around to face him. Chuck was standing, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, not even knowing what he was going to say. "S-sorry. Um, yes?" she tried again, hoping to pass it off as a question.

"W-would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice quivering with nerves.

Sarah's smile spread from ear to ear as she slowly nodded. "I would love to dance with you." The way Chuck's eyes and nose crinkled, his eyes alight with a joy she'd yet to see in him, he closed the distance between them. When he stepped up to her, as if by instinct, he took her hand. Chuck's eyes widened and they both lowered their gaze and stared at their joined hands. Sarah could feel him try to pull away, but she held tight, lifting her gaze to meet his. With a reassuring smile, she gestured with her head toward the dance floor, pulling him along with her.

A/N2: Fade to black The End.

So, Chuck found somebody to dance with too. This is a one-shot and I will not be continuing this story any further. If you want to know what happens next, feel free to insert your own continuation as you see fit, but I suspect living happily ever after will be involved.

Thanks for making it this far. Hope you enjoyed it.

Stay safe and be well,

JW