A Girl, a Boy, and a(n)

by Barbadiangirl

Chuck and Sarah meet in different settings. A collection of fluffy one-shots.

3. Aquarium

A/N: Welcome to the latest short story. This one is a bit longer than previous stories, but some scenes wrote themselves.

Many thanks to my buddy charahkids for reviewing this for me. He's the best.

Thanks also to you fabulous readers who continue on this journey with me. I've been a bit busy with work but I will reply to your reviews.

Without further ado, please read "A Girl, a Boy and...

an Aquarium"

---

Chuck glided through the large aquatic pool easily, weaving among the fish, sand tigers, eels, turtles and sting rays. He loved getting up close and personal with the marine life. This pool was modelled to look just like a coral reef in the Caribbean Sea. The coral reef exhibit was easily one of his favourites- from the vibrant coral reefs to the over fifteen hundred fish of twenty-two different species and the cheeky marine life, Chuck loved it all.

He had been down there for half of an hour, just surveying the general behaviour of the animals below. Satisfied with the conditions, he surfaced, grabbed on to the ladder at the side of the pool and hauled himself to the surface. Once on the concrete slab, Chuck removed his mask and his swim cap. Breathing in, he ran his fingers through his curls and then put his oxygen tank and other breathing apparatus one side.

From his position, he caught sight of someone standing by one of the smaller enclosed pools, watching the kelp forest.

The woman was dressed in a navy blue skirt suit, paired with nude pointy tips and a nude bag. He thought maybe she took the right instead of the left as she looked more suited for a meeting with his mother than for an aquarium dive.

Intrigued, Chuck walked towards the woman. "Excuse me Miss, can I help you?"

The woman turned her attention from the kelp forest to him and smiled kindly. Momentarily, Chuck was struck by how beautiful she was. It was a good thing that his hands were empty as he was sure he would have dropped everything. Chuck took the woman in and found that he was especially captivated by her smile and her brilliant blue eyes which rivalled the blue of most oceans he had dived in. There was something familiar about her- as if he had seen her before. He just couldn't put his finger on it immediately.

"Oh hell no," he seethed when he realised the person before him is none other than Sarah Walker.

More specifically, Sarah Walker, daughter of Jack Walker, CEO of Walker Corp. Their company was worth millions, maybe even billions and its interests were diverse. It was founded in the 1900s by Jack Walker's great grandparents and originally specialised in the manufacture of pesticides, fertilisers and other agricultural products, but since then, the family had used its business acumen to expand the company and diversify its interests, making it the conglomerate giant that it now was. From biotechnology, weapons technology, communications, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and many other branches of technology, Walker Corp's influences seemed to extend everywhere.

It even had subsidiary companies involved in realty, another in hospitality and another in oil production. Chuck shook his head at the thought of Walker Corp.'s interest in the oil industry. One of its newest acquisitions, a subsidiary company, called Luther Oil was recently involved in an oil spill when its ship, The Contessa capsized.

Just thinking about the spill and the hundreds, maybe thousands of marine mammals, birds, turtles and fish that would probably end up dying made his heart clench.

"Excuse me?" Sarah stared at the man in shock.

"What are you doing here? You know, you hotshot corporate people are so predictable! What? Your ship capsizes causing a horrific oil spill which has killed and is endangering the lives of thousands more marine wildlife and all of a sudden, you have this interest in our Centre?"

"How dare you?" Sarah hissed. She turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction of the rude man.

Chuck stared at her back as she walked away. Good riddance he thought. Then he thought about the way he had acted and the things he has said. By all accounts, the oil spill had been caused by machine failure. He had no right to say the things he had.

"Wait, Ms. Walker," Chuck followed after her, his flippers leaving wet footprints in his wake. He'd have to apologise to the janitor for giving him extra work. "I'm sorry." He closed the distance between them and grabbed her wrist in an attempt to slow her down.

Her eyes widened as she looked down at her hand. Then, she looked back to his face, she wasn't angry. Describing her as that would have been putting it mildly- she seemed pissed off. "Get your hands off of me. Now!" Her voice was dangerous and low. Chuck complied, and stepped back, creating more space between them.

He raised his hands in surrender and looked apologetic. He should not have touched her like that. He was not the kind of man to put his hands on a woman. He watched as Sarah rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her. He didn't think he'd grabbed her wrist rough enough to cause a bruise, but who knows how sensitive her skin could be? He was so disappointed with himself. "I am so sorry."

"As you ought to be," Sarah said through clenched teeth.

Chuck sighed. "Um, I think it's fair to say we got off on the wrong foot."

"Wrong foot?" Sarah said with a huff of disbelief. She stared at him, her posture stiff and her expressions unwelcoming. "You don't even know me. You don't even know why I am here, you just-"

"I know, I know," Chuck cut her off, but that seemed to incense her further.

"You're a fucking asshole," Sarah snapped. Her eyes flashed and Chuck thought she looked dangerous...icy. "Can you let me finish my sentences? Or is that too much to ask?"

Chuck, suitably chastised, kept his mouth shut and motioned for Sarah to carry on. "I came here because I thought that my company could help, that I could help the work you're doing here. But if this is the way the Burbank Aquarium and Science Centre operates, then..." Sarah blew out a long breath and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. She wanted to be here. She wanted to help marine life. That's what mattered most. But she also wanted an environment where her help, her company's help was welcomed, not the hostility she'd experienced with this worker.

Chuck winced. "I cannot apologise enough." The Aquarium could use whatever help it could get. He wasn't going to be the reason they lost out on potential major funding because of his personal feelings. The animals did not deserve that. "I can explain my behaviour, but I cannot excuse it. I truly am sorry. But please, don't make any decisions about your company's involvement or support of the Aquarium based on the interaction you've had with me. Please."

"Oh, there you are Ms. Walker," Mary said coming up behind them. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. One of the aquariums down the coast is downsizing and we'll be admitting some of its current habitants so I was hammering out the details of the transfer and whatnot with my counterpart."

Sarah smiled warmly at the older woman. "That's perfectly understandable. Don't worry about it."

"I see you've met Chuck. Did he show you around?"

"Ah, no," Sarah said dryly. "We were just talking a bit. Exchanging pleasantries, really."

Mary rubbed her hands together. "Well, that's okay. Maybe you can have a tour after our meeting."

"I'd like that, thanks."

"Chuck, why don't you change and join us in my office once you're done?" Mary suggested.

"Um, I was gonna see if Ellie had an update on Tortellini's blood work," Chuck stated.

"I'm sure it can wait a few minutes," Mary said in a tone which left zero room for argument. Chuck sighed, but nodded in acquiescence. "Splendid," she smiled. "If you'd follow me," she turned to Sarah, leading the way to her office.

Once they were out of sight, Chuck ran his hand over his face in confusion. "Shit! Shit!" He lightly banged his head against the wall. How the hell was he going to face Sarah Walker now? Groaning in frustration, he headed to the staff locker room. He would hurry to shower and change. He did not want to keep his mother waiting.

/\

Mary and Sarah were sitting on the couches around her coffee table. They were becoming acquainted with each other and Mary informed Sarah that she didn't have to address her as 'Mrs. Bartowski'. Sarah in turn informed Mary that she could address her by her first name.

"I read that you and your husband run the Aquarium. How did that come to be?" Sarah asked.

"I met my husband, Stephen at university. I was doing my Masters in Business Administration and Languages and he was earning his PhD in the Sciences. I worked for a major company before applying to be the Assistant Director. Stephen worked at Roark Industries in their research and development department for a couple of years after we were married but his heart wasn't in it. Ted Roark was a bit too cut throat. When an opening opened in our lab, I encouraged him to apply. It was a good thing that he did too and left Roark Industries on his own terms. About a year after he resigned, serious allegations were made about corporate espionage on the part of Roark Industries. I know many of its employees were tainted by that scandal. Stephen's skills were easily transferrable here and we've been here ever since."

"Wow, so you've been here for what? Over twenty years? What has encouraged you to stay? I'm sure other opportunities have presented themselves."

"They have," Mary continued. "Over the years, I've come to see this Aquarium and Science Centre as a second home of sorts. The satisfaction I get from helping to rehabilitate wounded animals or from knowing that an animal which would have probably died, had it not been for our Centre is now safe and thriving is greater than any satisfaction I've ever felt when negotiating contracts and the like."

"I see."

"And don't get me wrong, I am not knocking anyone who chooses to that life," Mary added, not wanting to offend her guest.

"I get it. To each their own."

"I like knowing that what I'm doing, what we're doing here, is benefitting the animals. They share the planet with us, and if we as humans destroy it so much, then I'm happy to be in the numbers that try to mitigate the damage and impact of our destruction on the animals. And now it's become a family thing. My daughter, Ellie is our veterinary neurologist and Chuck is -"

Sarah arched her brow. "Chuck's your son?" She probed for confirmation.

"He is. He studied Electrical Engineering at Stanford and he's really into technology. His father and I thought he'd go to work for some technological giant like your company."

"Mhmm, is that so?" Sarah asked, barely managing to keep the disbelief out of her voice. He surely seemed like he had an axe to grind with Walker Corp. earlier.

"I hope you don't mind that I invited him to join our meeting, but he works with the animals and has intimate knowledge of them, so I thought his insight could be helpful."

/\

"Knock, knock," Chuck called before turning the knob. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Of course not," Mary waved him off. "I asked you to join us."

"Sarah and I were just getting to know each other a bit better as we waited for you to join us."

"Oh..." Chuck looked like he wanted to be anywhere but inside his mother's office, sharing the confines with Sarah Walker after he had been a Class A Ass.

"Well don't just stand there, Chuck," Mary said, quirking her eyebrow at her son's odd behaviour. "Have a seat so we can begin."

"Oh, ah um sure," Chuck shrugged and covered the distance, coming to sit next to his mother. "So, what's this about?"

Mary gestured for Sarah to lead the conversation. "Well, first of all, Mary, thank you again for agreeing to meet with me."

"Oh of course. Diane mentioned that you were interested in meeting me, but things have been so busy here. Sometimes it feels like a zoo."

"Who's Diane?" Chuck asked.

Mary answered him. "She's one of my old friends from university. She's now the head of Walker Corp.'s weapons technology division," Mary explained. "She's been trying to get Sarah and I to meet for some time now."

Chuck's eyebrows rose. So this meeting had been months in the making? Sarah Walker, and by extension Walker Corp. weren't using their Centre to repair their public image. Gosh, he felt like an idiot.

"I understand how busy things can get. And certainly, you are doing some fine work here."

"Thank you."

"Right, so at Walker Corp, we take our corporate responsibility very seriously," Sarah stated. "But we know that there's always room for improvement. Given our foray into the energy business, we thought it prudent to look closer at our environmental accountability. Obviously the events over the last couple of days have forced us to look at it even more acutely now."

"Indeed," Mary hummed. She had been following the news concerning the oil spill and Luther Oil's ship, The Contessa. Their Centre was even on alert in case it was needed to receive injured marine animals.

"We thought that maybe it would be beneficial for Walker Corp to partner with your Centre."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I thought it best to come here, see the day to day activities so to speak, and to speak to you to see what was really needed, where you could best use our support."

Chuck hummed thoughtfully. "What kind of support are we talking?"

"I don't want to create any lofty expectations as whatever we eventually do needs to have the approval of the Board. But, more than likely, I can say funding, access to some of our contractors and resources if you need them. The details would be ironed out by the grant writers and the legal team."

"I see," Chuck replied.

Sarah blew out a breath. "I am well aware of the...optics of this. Our ship creates an oil spill and suddenly we're here granting money and whatnot. However, I want to assure you that we are not doing this as any part of a spin campaign. We've accepted responsibility for the oil spill and we're doing our best to clean it up."

"I know dear," Mary smiled comfortingly. "We've been following the news. The clean-up efforts seem to be going well."

"They are," Sarah agreed. "And we're also examining the design of our ships, our routes, everything really and trying to see what can be done to reduce the risk of it happening again."

"That's good," Chuck said.

"Chuck, please tell Sarah about some of our current projects and the ones we have planned."

The three had what they considered to be a productive discussion. Sarah had read about some of them on the Centre's website but she found that she enjoyed hearing Chuck and Mary talk about the projects they held dear. When they were done, Sarah thanked Mary for her time and Chuck offered to walk her out.

"Would you like a tour?" Chuck asked hopefully. "I could introduce you to some of the animals. " He hoped she accepted and that he could smooth things over with her.

"Look, Mr. Bartowski, I appreciate the offer. But I really must get going," Sarah said in a clipped voice. "Perhaps another time." She continued walking, leaving a forlorn looking Chuck behind her. Pausing, she turned around and mellowed a little. "Your mother has my contact information. Perhaps you can shoot me an email and we can arrange for that tour."

/\

Later that night, Sarah sat in her apartment, Sarah curled up on her couch with a glass of red wine and thought about Chuck Bartowski and their initial meeting. Her reflection was interrupted by a group video call.

"Well, well, well," Carina drawled. "Look who finally has time for us lowly Yankee citizens."

"Yeah Z," Sarah laughed.

Zondra rolled her eyes. "What? Can't I call just cause I miss my girlfriends and I want to catch up?"

Sarah snickered. "Fine, we'll play it your way."

"How was your day, Sar?"

Sarah shrugged. "Meetings. One of them was with the head of the Burbank Aquarium and Science Centre and her son."

"What for?"

"Our company is thinking to partner with them. Dad and I will iron out the details tomorrow before we go to the Board," Sarah explained.

"Sooooo, was this son cute?"

"Carina, I said I was there on business."

"So," Carina snorted, "nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure every now and again. Just ask Zondra. She met Cole on that extradition case and now look at where we are. Whenever he sweeps into town, we can't find her."

Sarah snorted. "Not that we blame you though."

Zondra blushed. "I don't go MIA every time!"

"Yeah, yeah," Carina waved of Zondra. "Walker, stop avoiding the question. Was he cute or not?"

Sarah shrugged noncommittally. "I guess. I wasn't checking him out."

"Ugh," Carina groaned. "Getting info out of you is like pulling teeth sometimes!"

"Well I guess I should have been a spy then."

"Yeah, and be a part of a team with some silly name like Clandestine Attack Team Squad," Carina giggled. "What's this guy's name? I'll see if he's cute for myself."

"Chuck Bartowski," Sarah supplied.

"Chuck? Who names their child 'Chuck'?" Carina commented. "Although 'Chuck me' certainly has a nice ring to it," Carina laughed.

"You're such a horn dog," Zondra teased.

"Yeah, well we all don't have an Englishman to butter our muffin!" Carina shot back.

Sarah howled with laughter. Her friends were crazy but she wouldn't trade them for the world.

"Aha! I found him on Facebook!" Carina declared. "He's kinda cute. Kinda nerdy though."

"Ehh," Sarah said disinterestedly and made a face.

"Why that face, Walker?"

"Let's just say our initial meeting wasn't the best."

"Why? What'd he do?" Zondra asked earnestly.

"Don't really wanna talk about it right now."

"He has a lot of pictures with turtles," Carina said as she continued scrolling on Chuck's page. "He didn't try to make you touch one or something, did he? Cause they look slimy."

"No, no, nothing like that. He was a bit of a jerk though. And that's all I'm gonna say."

"But that's your type isn't it? Or was your type," Carina said.

"Hey now!" Sarah cried. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's his name? Bruce? Brutus? You know, the accountant from Connecticut? He was a jerk." Zondra explained.

"Bryce," Sarah said through clenched teeth.

"And then there was that god awful two by four, Daniel," Carina chimed in. "He had the personality of a porta potty!"

"He was the mayor of Jerks Ville," Zondra commented.

"He was like if a yawn could yawn," Carina continued the bashing. "I don't know how you managed to suffer through one date with him, let alone four months."

"He did have some redeeming qualities," Sarah weakly said.

"Yeah?" Carina said disbelievingly. "Like what?"

"Yeah, like what? Besides looking like Superman," Zondra stated. "Instead of the Man of Steel, you got the Man of Wood."

"And not the good wood either, if you know what I mean," Carina grinned salaciously.

Zondra snorted. "Nice one Carina! How come we never thought of that before?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Anywayyyyyy that's all in the past. I think I've had enough romantic entanglements with jerks to last me this lifetime and the next. I don't need to add Chuck Bartowski to the list."

"So, you're not interested in Turtle Boy?"

"Not in the slightest!" Sarah confirmed.

---

~/0/\~

Chuck drummed his fingers along the bar top. He never really felt comfortable at these functions. Even though his attendance at such events had increased over the years, largely in part due to his work with the Aquarium, sometimes he felt like he was out of place.

He only came to please Ellie. She and Devon were somewhere on the dancefloor getting their grove on.

He suspected that part of, and maybe the main reason Ellie wanted him to come was so she could set him up with someone from the hospital.

He'd spoken to a few of the nurses and one of the residents in Devon's program, but neither conversation advanced beyond polite conversation. There was no spark. The only person he considered even remotely had been Jill Roberts, a biochemist. She seemed smart and witty and she was beautiful. Chuck thought that maybe, if he tried, there could be something there. While he was contemplating whether to seek out Jill and ask her for a dance, someone came and sat on the bar stool next to him.

"Can I have a Shirley Temple, please?"

Chuck's head whipped around. He knew that voice. "Ms. Walker," He smiled at her kindly.

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Bartowski," she replied.

"Fancy seeing you here," Chuck said.

"Why? Cause I'm a blood thirsty corporate bloodhound who certainly can't possibly care about charitable pursuits?" Chuck winced and Sarah turned her attention back to the bartender. She took the drink, thanked the bartender and then turned to Chuck. "Well, you have a good evening."

Chuck hurriedly got off of his stool. Thankfully, Sarah wasn't walking too quickly, so he didn't have to run after her. His natural stride was long and he easily caught up to her.

"Ms. Walker, can you hold up a minute?"

"How can I help you Mr. Bartowski?"

"Can we talk, please?"

Sarah pursed her lips and stared at him momentarily, weighing her options. "Fine," Sarah said.

"Thank you," Chuck said, "I promise I won't take too much of your time."

They agreed to go out to the balcony to get away from the hubbub of the main room.

Sarah sipped her drink, and arched her brow waiting for Chuck to begin speaking.

"First off, please call me Chuck. Every time you say 'Mr. Bartowski' I kinda expect my father to appear behind me," Chuck joked,

"Very well then, Chuck," Sarah said, popping the 'k' in his name. "You may call me Sarah."

"It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"I just wanted to apologise, again. I was so out of line when we first met."

Sarah hummed. "Indeed you were."

Chuck scratched the back of his neck. "And you didn't deserve that. I gave you utter shit before I even knew what you were there for or what your intentions were. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I didn't extend that courtesy to you. And I truly am sorry. If Walker Corp. intends to partner with the Aquarium, then I do hope that we can have a good working relationship going forward."

"Tell me something Chuck, do you think we purposefully caused the oil spill?"

"Of course not!" Chuck shook his head.

"Good, cause my company takes its corporate responsibility seriously."

"As any company should," Chuck agreed. "I've been kicking myself for what I said to you," he admitted.

"Have you now?" Sarah teased.

"Definitely."

"Well, thank you for the apology."

Chuck puffed out his cheeks and then blew out a breath. "Thank you. I don't mean to keep you away from the party though, so don't let me keep you out here."

"Actually, there are a few things I'd like to say." Sarah began, "I'm not excusing your behaviour."

"And I won't expect you to," Chuck interjected.

Sarah smiled. "Right, as I was saying, I get it, Chuck. Sometimes, most times than not actually, it's easy to judge, especially when you're not the one in the middle of a situation. I know some people have their own preconceived notions of me. Whether it's that I'm a spoiled rich girl who got ahead because of my last name, or that I'm a ruthless businesswoman who only cares about the bottom line. And when it comes to the company, I know some people see my family's company as this evil conglomerate that just wants to get its hand in everything. Maybe as a step towards world domination," Sarah laughed.

"Oh, comes with the territory I guess. Have a bit too much money and everyone and their mother says you're the next Rothschild... Not that that's what I think."

"My point is; my family's company is so much more than that. It's the result of generations of hard work and investment."

Chuck hummed thoughtfully and listened as Sarah explained the history of her family's company, its current work and the plans she and her family had, not only for its advancement but to give back. He found listening to her to be enrapturing. Eventually, the conversation swerved to Chuck's family and he told her how he came to work at the Aquarium. Sarah found that the more she listened to him speak and tell stories of his friends and family, the more she liked him. So, maybe he wasn't the royal jerk she pegged him as originally. She was glad to be wrong on that front, more glad than she had ever been that a first impression had been wrong.

Sarah told Chuck that her mother was one of the board members of the hospital and that she was unable to make it tonight, so Sarah had come in her place. Chuck explained that Devon worked at the hospital and had invited Chuck, declaring that it would be an awesome night.

Sarah snorted, "Wait, you call him 'Captain Awesome'?"

Chuck laughed heartily, sipping his drink. "Everything he does is awesome! Climbing mountains, jumping out of planes, skiing, parachuting...flossing!"

"You're funny Chuck," Sarah smiled.

"I'm a funny guy,"

"Which is good, cause I am not funny."

Chuck bumped her shoulder playfully. "Is that your big secret? Cause I've been standing here trying to figure out what's wrong with you."

Sarah shrugged. "Oh plenty! Believe me. Results will vary depending on if you ask my sister, my best friends or my exes," she said in jest.

"I was thinking either you're a cannibal or you're not that funny. And I gotta be honest, I was rooting for cannibal cause I've never met one."

"Uh, not a cannibal! Better luck with the next blonde business woman you meet."

"Aw shucks, I'm pretty sure any business woman I meet after you won't hold a candle to you, blonde or not."

Sarah bowed her head and smiled.

"Was that too much?" Chuck asked, fidgeting with the lapels of his tuxedo.

Sarah stared him full in the eyes, her eyes sparkling. "No, no. It was sweet."

"Sweet?" Chuck sounded mortified. "Gee, thanks for making me feel like I'm eight."

Sarah laughed, breaking any tension or awkwardness that might have developed. She stepped closer to him and brushed her lips over his right cheek. Chuck momentarily forgot how to breathe. When she pulled away, she smiled bashfully at Chuck, watching as he moved his hand to touch the spot where her lips were moments ago. "I like you, Chuck," Sarah admitted.

"I like you too," Chuck said softly. He grabbed Sarah's hands and squeezed them gently.

"Well that's good. Because if we're gonna be spending time together, I think we should at least be able to tolerate each other,"

"Oh, I think I can more than tolerate you," Chuck laughed.

"Mhm, well I'm glad I agreed to come out here with you," Sarah stated.

Chuck nodded in agreement. He didn't think their conversation would have gone the way that it did. He thought that maybe he would have apologised and she would have turned on her heel and left. But she hadn't and he found that he enjoyed every moment in her presence. If she was a planet in orbit, then he wanted to be in her force field.

"And since we're at least more civil to each other now, can I just say that you are breathtakingly beautiful tonight." And boy, did she ever. From the moment he had set his eyes on her at the bar, he had been struck by how beautiful she looked. It had taken all of his willpower not to be a bumbling fool then, after all, he had wanted to speak to her. But now, with the heavier conversation out of the way, and bygones being bygones, he thought he could properly express how beautiful she looked. Seeing her now, under the moon light brought out even more of her beauty, if that was possible. Her dress, a silver one which fell just above her knees, was spaghetti strapped and embellished with full crystal beads and rhinestones. The colour shimmered beautifully under the moonlight. Sarah was exquisite.

"Thank you, Chuck." Sarah beamed at him. "You look quite suave yourself in that tux."

Chuck blushed when he saw Sarah's eyes trailing the entire length of his frame. Purposefully, she hummed in appreciation, leaving no doubt that she enjoyed the way he filled out his tuxedo. Some women liked men in uniform, but Sarah Walker loved a man in a well-tailored suit, and Chuck Bartowski certainly wore his well. "Ah, thank you," Chuck smiled crookedly.

"We've been out here for a while now, do you wanna head back inside? My sister might send out a search party for me."

"Yes, let's go," Sarah agreed. Chuck offered her his arm and she gladly accepted it, snuggling a bit into his side. Chuck tired not to outwardly show how affected he was by the close proximity. Her scent was intoxicating. "Perhaps I can meet Ellie and Captain Awesome?"

"Of course!" Chuck agreed. He was sure that the moment he stepped back into the main room with Sarah on his arm, his sister would sense that he had found a female companion and would not be far in finding him.

As they stepped back into the ballroom, they heard the band began to play.

"I do believe this is the Lambada," Sarah said. "Would you care to indulge me with a dance?"

She didn't have to ask him twice!

---

~/0\~

---

Sarah and Chuck had exchanged numbers and during one of their first text messages, Chuck offered to show Sarah around the Aquarium. They'd checked their schedules and agreed on the date and time that would suit them best. On the agreed date, Chuck met Sarah in the car park. The first stop on the 'Chuck Bartowski Tour' was the gift shop.

"Hey Morgan, I'd like you to meet Sarah Walker. Sarah Walker, meet my best friend and the Aquarium's Gift Shop Manager, Morgan Grimes," Chuck gestured in turn to each person.

"I didn't think people still named their kids 'Morgan'" Sarah commented.

"Carnival freaks found him in a dumpster," Chuck explained.

"But they raised me as one of their own," Morgan smiled dreamily at Sarah.

"It's lovely to meet you Morgan," Sarah Smiled.

Morgan took her hand and kissed it. "Enchante," He bowed flamboyantly.

Chuck groaned at the scene. "Dial it back a bit will ya buddy?"

Morgan grinned and straightened, "It's a pleasure Sarah. I've heard so much about you."

"Oh?" Sarah quirked her brow. "Good things I hope?"

"But of course," Morgan winked.

"So, Morgan, I actually want to get some stuff for my sister. She's really into marine life. Is it okay if I look around?"

"Sure, sure. If you need me for anything, just holler and I'll come right over."

"Thanks Morgan," Sarah smiled. She touched Chuck's arm as she passed, making her way towards the aisle with the books.

"Holy crap dude!" Morgan yelled when Sarah was out of earshot. "She's freaking beautiful!"

"Morg, could you keep it down?"

"Chuck! Dudeeeeee! Stop the press!" Morgan continued excitedly, "she's Vicki Vale."

"Vicki Vale. Vicki Vale. Vic-a-Vic-a-Vale," Chuck rapped.

"Ahem," Sarah said behind him.

"Gah! Sarah," Chuck spun on his heels. "How long have you been behind me?"

"Oh, not long. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"No, no. That's um, that's from Batman."

"And that makes it better?" Sarah challenged, her eyes twinkling.

Chuck tugged on the collar of his shirt. "Did uh, did you need our help?"

"Yes, actually. Morgan, could you recommend something for me?"

Morgan jumped at the chance to assist and led Sarah down various aisles. Eventually, she settled on a few items for her sister. As he rung up her purchases, Morgan mentioned the Centre's volunteer programme. "Maybe your sister would be interested."

"Good thinking Morg," Chuck complemented. "How old is she?"

"Molly's sixteen."

"That's great, we have a volunteer programme with lots of the high schools in the area. Your sister can complete some of her volunteer hours here."

"Are you sure? I don't want it to look as if we pulled any strings to get her in."

"Nonsense." Chuck smiled kindly. "I'll take you over to meet Alex and sort everything out."

After they bid Morgan goodbye, Chuck led Sarah over to the Administration building. They first popped in to say hi to Mary and then went down to Alex's office. Chuck described Alex and the one who helped his mother to keep the gears turning. From setting up meetings with potential donors, co-ordinating with neighbouring facilities, planning rescue operations, running their volunteer and internship programmes, Alex had a hand in it all. Alex happily informed Sarah that the volunteer application could be filled out online. Once all was in order, including the upload of her parental consent form and her application was reviewed, Molly would be able to begin the following week.

Sarah graciously thanked Alex and told her that she would be seeing her around.

The next stop on the tour was Ellie and his father. Given the day and the time, Chuck knew that Ellie would be with their father in his lab, reviewing brain scans of some of their residents. On their way there, Chuck explained to Sarah that when they were younger, their father told them that there was nothing broken in the world which they couldn't fix together and that as a result of that, he and Ellie tried to assist each other in their respective fields to whatever extent they could. Furthermore, he, his sister and father often worked together, each bringing a different perspective or approach to the situation which almost always bode well.

After the introductions, Stephen and Ellie showed Sarah around the lab, offering explanations as to what the different machines did. Stephen then offered to show Sarah some of the new software he and Chuck were working on.

When Sarah excused herself to go to the bathroom, his family members turned to him.

"I see why you'd like her, Chuck," Stephen commented.

"Time out. Who said anything about me liking her?"

"So you don't like her?" Ellie challenged.

Chuck looked down at his feet. "I do. I think she's great. But I guess I am somewhat weary of liking her too much. I mean with her being one of the main persons at Walker Corp. I don't wanna do anything that could put the Centre in a bad position."

"I'm sure you're both professional enough not to let any personal relations affect the relationship between the Centre and Walker Corp. And if things do progress to the point where that's a live issue, then I think you and Sarah can work it out," Ellie said.

"Son, she's delightful. Ellie told your mom and I how you were stuck like glue at the hospital gala."

Chuck rolled his eyes at his sister. "You just had to blab your mouth, didn't you?" He said teasingly.

Ellie stuck her tongue out at him. "Deal with it!"

"Aces Charles," Stephen began.

"You're Aces," Ellie finished.

---

~/0\~

---

"Hello," said Sarah gently. "I'm Sarah."

Chuck hung back, curious to observe Sarah's interaction with the turtles.

"It's nice to meet you. Do you like it in there?" Sarah continued. "Are you happy? I swam with sea turtles once when I was in Barbados. I quite liked it. I know this pool doesn't compare to the ocean," Sarah mused. "But the plus side is that you don't have to worry about eating plastic or poachers. And I'm sure the people here try their best to make you comfortable and keep you healthy."

"Indeed we do," Chuck grinned, walking up to her.

Sarah jumped. "Chuck!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. And I'm sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation."

Sarah's cheeks reddened. "I was just um introducing myself."

"I talk to them too," Chuck smiled in an effort to cast away any discomfort. "I thought you talking to them was adorable."

"They're beautiful," Sarah breathed, turning her attention back to the turtles flipping in the pool.

"Indeed. The bigger one is Tortellini. We call her 'Tort' for short. She's our largest juvenile and that little gal is Jess," Chuck explained, pointing at each turtle in turn.

"How long have they been here?"

"Tort has been here for almost two years," Chuck said. Sarah listened intently as Chuck relayed the green sea turtle's story. She'd been found floating offshore in Bakersville County and after a review of her swimming behaviour, was deemed "non-releasable" due to her buoyancy disorder. "She needed a permanent home and we had the room, so we thought why not."

"Jess on the other hand has been here for about three months. She was found floating and was transferred here since she had a number of tumours, the one on her left eye having been of the most immediate concern. Ellie and her team were able to remove them surgically following more diagnostics."

"Is she "non-releasable too?"

"Ah, we're still keeping an eye on her before that conclusion can be made. Before, because of her floating behaviours, we had to have her in the kiddie pool to help achieve good breaths. But she's since improved and is able to stay in deep water all day, so that's why she graduated to this pool with Tortellini. We're hoping Tort takes her under her wings, so to speak."

"Takes her under her flippers," Sarah quipped.

Chuck laughed. "Yes, that is more apt."

"It's sad that they can't return to their natural habitat. But if anyone had to look after them, then I'm glad it's you."

"Thank you, Sarah. That means a lot, " Chuck smiled. "Would you like to see our resident dolphin, Winter?"

"I'd love to."

"Great," Chuck said, "let's get you a wetsuit and we'll get in the water."

"I'm sorry, in the water?" Sarah made a nervous little noise at the prospect.

Chuck laughed, "That's kinda where she lives."

"Right," Sarah laughed at that. "Of course."

"We should have a new wetsuit in your size in the locker room," Chuck said, starting to lead Sarah to the employee locker room.

"If I'd known I would be swimming with a dolphin today, I would have packed my own."

"You're welcome to bring your own and store it here for next time."

"Thanks, Chuck."

They found Sarah a wetsuit with short sleeves and which cut off at the knees and then separated to go to the male and female locker room. Chuck was out of the male locker room first and he whistled as he waited for Sarah. he didn't have to wait for her too long.

"Ready?" Sarah called.

Chuck stopped mid-whistle, his jaw dropping. Then he remembered that his mother raised him with manners and he blushed, snapping his mouth shut. He tried not to stare at the sight of Sarah. She was killing him in this wet suit. "Um, um yeah," he stammered. "Follow me." At least if he was in front, he would not have to worry too much about seeing her shapely form in the wetsuit. Small victories.

They reached the pool and find Winter swimming around under the watchful eye of her Animal Care Specialist, Sawyer. They slipped into the water.

"Hey Sawyer," Chuck greeted. "I'd like you to meet Sarah Walker." He then gestured to Sarah, "Sarah, this is Sawyer, one of our Animal Care Specialists."

"It's a pleasure to meet your Ms. Walker. We heard that your company will be partnering with us. I think we can achieve great things with your company's support. Thank you so much."

Sarah shook his hands. "It's nice to meet you too. And believe me, we at Walker Corp. are happy to assist in any way we can."

"I assume you're here for Winter. I was just about to run through some routines with her."

By this time, the bottle nose dolphin was already swimming around them. "Come on Winter. Let's show Chuck and our new friend Sarah what you can do."

Winter makes a clicking noise and did a series of flips. Sarah watched the twelve-year-old dolphin with big astonished eyes. She was magnificent.

"Alright Winter, do you wanna come a little close, maybe say hi to Chuck and Sarah?"

Winter clicked again and swam right into Chuck's lap, flipping over and bumping him with her nose. Chuck rubbed her underside lovingly. "Hey girl, you're getting so big."

"Ms. Walker, you can touch her if you wish," Sawyer said.

Sarah reached out slowly and brushed her fingertips across the dolphin's skin. "She's so soft."

"Hello Winter," Sarah introduced herself, "I'm Sarah. You're very clever," Sarah continued, stroking her fingers over the dolphin's skin.

Chuck and Sarah stayed in the pool for half hour longer, watching as Winter darted back and forth across the pool, occasionally playing with the targets as instructed by Sawyer. As she watched Winter, swim around the pool and interact with her care giver and Chuck, Sarah smiled fondly and thought they definitely made the right choice.

---

~/0\~

---

The next two weeks flew in a blur. Sarah continued to visit the Centre and her friendship with Chuck blossomed. They talked about any and everything, the romantic undercurrent between them continued to grow stronger. They talked about their hobbies. Chuck learned that Sarah wasn't really a music person, and he promised to rectify that, making her numerous playlists on Spotify, Sarah learned that Chuck could not surf and she promised to teach him.

They talked about travelling. Sarah learned that Chuck longed to visit the Eiffel Tower. She admitted that while she had been to Paris before, she'd never really stopped to take in the sights and confessed that she wouldn't mind going there again with someone special.

They talked about their friends. Chuck told Sarah the story of Morgan taking Ellie's pillow to their junior prom and Sarah in turn told him about her lawyer friend Zondra and her super model friend's Carina's hijinks throughout high school and their early adulthood.

During that time, Walker Corp. had agreed to fully fund the Centre's new manatee rehabilitation centre to help with the influx of manatees in critical need.

The Centre had been assisting in rescuing, releasing, and tracking and monitoring wild manatees around the world for over two decades. Due to recent tide crises and changes on the coasts which were projected to cause capacity shortages in manatee rehab centres throughout the country, particularly during the winter season, the Burbank Centre believed that it needed to add rehabilitation facilities.

While this was the main project, Walker Corp. also pledged funding to the Centre. Mary and her team had oversight on how and where the money would be spent but would provide quarterly reports to Walker Corp.

---

/\

It was Monday. The sun was shining brightly, the birds were chirping, the animals at the Centre were doing well. Objectively, it was a nice day, but Chuck felt glum. Why? Because it was five days since he'd last seen Sarah. The last time he'd seen her was when they grabbed lunch and she informed him that she would be travelling for business.

"Hey baby brother," Ellie greeted him.

"Oh, hi El," Chuck mumbled.

"Wow, that's the greeting I get nowadays?" Ellie teased. She took a seat at the picnic table. "What's wrong?"

Chuck huffed. "Nothing." He played with his food, moving a piece of lettuce from one side of the container to another.

"You miss Sarah, don't you?"

Chuck opened his mouth, ready to deny it, but instead, he nodded miserably. "I can't get her out of my head. I became so accustomed to seeing her during the week, even in this short space of time, that now, going two weeks without seeing her, it feels as though my world has been tilted off its axis." Chuck sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know I sound intense, but I just miss her."

"I think that's normal when you like someone. So long as it's not manifesting in unhealthy ways."

"I just wish she were here."

"Have you talked to her at all since she's been in…where is she again?"

"Abu Dhabi," Chuck supplied. "Half way around the world. And yes, barely. She texted me to say she got in safely, but we haven't really talked much since then. A few quick messages here and there, but nothing of substance."

"Well, I guess that means that when she comes back, she will have a lot to share with you," Ellie encouraged.

"I guess," Chuck shrugged noncommittally.

---

~/0\~

Chuck was on his way to see Morgan at the gift shop when he saw Sarah's car in the parking lot. He did a double take. Maybe someone else had driven it and had come to collect Molly? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Turning in that direction, he saw Sarah walking towards him.

Her hair was curled and flowed in the wind, looking almost as if she had a wind machine following her. She was wearing an off-white cowl neck shirt, a tan jacket and blue skinny jeans. Her skin was sun-kissed and Chuck thought she looked more beautiful than when he last saw her, as if that were possible.

"Hi, Chuck," Sarah greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Chuck felt like he was on cloud nine.

"Hi Sarah. Welcome back," Chuck smiled, squeezing her arm. "We missed you around these parts," Chuck stated.

"Good to be missed. I missed you all too."

"I thought you weren't back until tomorrow."

"Are you not happy to see me?" Sarah pouted.

"Of- of course!" Chuck stammered.

"Things wrapped up earlier and I was feeling a bit homesick, so I decided to fly home early," Sarah explained. "I would have texted you when I got in last night, but I wanted to surprise you."

"And surprise me you did. It's really good to see you, Sarah," Chuck said emotionally. "How was your trip?"

"Good, good. Pretty successful," Sarah said. "I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much while I was away."

Chuck waved her off. "Pftt, it's cool. I get it. You had a lot of meetings and stuff, besides, you were in a completely different time zone. I cannot reasonably grudge you for not being able to text a nobody like me."

Sarah frowned. "You know you're not a nobody to me, Chuck."

He stared at her, his eyes searching. Sarah hoped he found sincerity and truth in them. She thought he did, as he stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. She leaned in to close the distance between them and slipped her eyes shut.

"Yo, Sarah, I'm ready to go!" Molly came bustling out of the front door. Sarah's eyes snapped open. "Oops, didn't mean to interrupt you two," Molly apologised.

Chuck let go of Sarah's hands and stepped back. "It's fine Molly. Sarah and I were just catching up on her trip."

"Cool, cool," Molly said, looking anywhere but at Chuck and Sarah.

"I'll walk you ladies to the car," Chuck offered.

"Um, yeah. Thanks Chuck. I have some souvenirs from my trip that I'd like you to pass along to the others."

The walk to the car was short. Molly immediately tossed her bag into the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat, plugging in her earphones to give the adults some privacy.

Chuck stood beside Sarah's door, as she reached for the bag of souvenirs from the backseat.

"Here you are. There are some chocolates and other stuff in there,"

"Thanks, I'll be sure to let everyone know you sent them."

"I um, I also brought you something especially. It's in the green bag. I saw it an immediately thought of you."

"Wow, thank you, Sarah," Chuck hugged her with his free arm.

Sarah revelled in the feeling of his embrace. "You're welcome."

"I'll see you next week," Chuck said when they pulled away.

"For sure," Sarah agreed and climbed into her seat. Chuck wished them safe travels and watched as they pulled out of the car park.

"Sarah and Chuck, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Molly sang as her sister pulled out of the car park.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "What are you? Twelve?"

Molly laughed and stuck her tongue out at her sister. "You two were making googly eyes at each other. I bet if I wasn't there, you would have been making out, like this," Molly said, and began making exaggerated kissy faces.

"You're silly!" Sarah laughed. "Chuck and I aren't like that."

"Sureeeeeeeeeeeeee," Moly drawled, "If I looked at my male friends the way you looked at Chuck, I'm sure Mom would be reminding me of 'The Talk'."

"Oh? And how is it that I look at Chuck?" Sarah pressed.

"Like you wanna jump his bones!" Molly giggled.

"First of all, not to sound like Mom and Dad, but you better not be jumping anyone's bones."

"Yeah, yeah Sar. We have no worries there."

"Good."

"But don't try to make this about me. We're not done talking about you and Chuck."

"There is no 'me and Chuck'."

"Ouuu, maybe not. But I bet you want there to be. And I can see why. Chuck's cute and he's nice. Tell me what twenty-something year old wouldn't wanna snatch him off the market?"

"I'm serious," Sarah huffed, sparing a glance at her sister when the traffic light turned red. "We're friends."

Molly hummed. "Whatever floats your boat."

They stopped for frozen yoghurt and Sarah was glad Molly had dropped the topic of Chuck, being too focused texting her friends. For the rest of the drive though, Sarah's mind continued to work in over drive. Did Chuck like her like that?

It had been almost a month since they'd admitted to liking each other at the hospital gala, but nothing, at least romantically had happened. Was there someone else? From checking his social media, there did not appear to be. Or maybe Chuck was one of those guys who didn't post his significant other on social media. Had she misread the situation so completely? But the kiss? And how he'd reacted. No. This will they/ won't they was going to drive her crazy.

---

/\

Chuck decided to call it an early night. He and Morgan had planned to have a Call of Duty marathon, but he just wasn't in the mood. Morgan understood and decided to spend the night with Alex instead.

After completing his night time routine, Chuck dove under the covers and scrolled through his Instagram feed. About five minutes into scrolling, his phone pinged, indicating a new message from Sarah. Their conversation flowed easily and Chuck felt his tiredness was somewhat abated as he spoke to her.

Chuck took a deep breath. He could do this, couldn't he? Yes, yes he could. Steeling his nerves, he decided to type. [Do you wanna grab a drink with me tomorrow?]

He waited anxiously for Sarah's reply. WhatsApp still showed that she was online. Had she read his message but didn't know how to let him down easy? Five minutes passed and Chuck felt the dread increasing in his stomach. He considered deleting the message, but two blue ticks were now showing, confirming that she had in fact read the message. Chuck sighed and muted his message notifications before tossing the phone aside. He took the pillow on the other side of his bed and held it over his face, screaming his frustration into it. Once he was done, Chuck put the pillow back and turned on his side and began counting sheep in an effort to fall asleep.

When he awoke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, Chuck idly checked his phone. His heart leapt in his throat when he was that there was a message from Sarah. Taking some cleansing breaths, he went into WhatsApp and clicked on the message. [So sorry Chuck. My grandma called. Yes, I would like that :D]

His chest felt immensely lighter. She said yes!

---

~/0\~

---

[Code Red] Sarah sent the text to her group chat. She played with her fingers as she waited for her friends to reply, her mind racing.

Within less than two minutes (but it had felt longer to her), her phone vibrated and Zondra's and Carina's faces flashed across the screen, signalling an incoming video call.

"Are you two busy? Cause I'm freaking out and the clock is ticking and-"

"Calm down, Walker," Zondra held her hand up. 'What's going on?"

Sarah puffed her cheeks and then released the breath. "I need your help. I'm supposed to be going out tonight. But I don't have an outfit and I can't seem to find the right one. And I don't know how to style my hair or how I should do my makeup. And I'm not sure about my overall look. I think I wanna look put-together, but not too put-together, but I don't wanna look like I just threw anything on. And I want to look interested, but not desperate. Hot, but not too hot."

"Hold up, time the fuck out!" Carina yelled. "You're going out? Like out, out?"

"With a guy?" Zondra sought further clarification.

"And in a non-business type of way?" Carina prodded.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Chuck asked me out," she offered as an explanation.

"Chuck? Who's Chuck?" Carina asked, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Turtle Boy," Zondra supplied. Sarah rolled her eyes at the nickname.

"Ah, right, right. The one with the luscious curls."

"Yeah, the one that Sar said she definitely was not interested in," Zondra smirked.

Sarah felt her skin flush.

"Yeah Blondie, those were your words. So how are you now going out with him?"

"He asked me if I'd like to grab a drink. Is that a date? Does it sound like he asked me out on a date?"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there Blondie!" Carina said, cutting off her friend's rambling. "Where are you going?"

"He said he knows this nice Mexican restaurant called El Compadre."

Zondra hummed. "Yeah, I've been there. It's nice."

"Like a first date nice?" Carina asked.

"Yeah, it passes for a first date or for a friend hangout spot," Zondra shrugged.

"Gah," Sarah groaned, "so you're saying that this might not even be a date?"

"Chill your tits, Sarah! All I said was that it worked for friends or dates."

"What time are you supposed to be ready?" Carina asked.

"Chuck said he'll pick me up at 7."

"Fuck Blondie. And you only call us now?"

"I've been in meetings all day," Sarah huffed.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Carina waved her off. "I'm about to pull out of the car park at work. Z, do you need me to pick you up from work?"

"Yeah, my car's still at the shop, so that'd be great. Lemme just pack some files that the DA wants me to review and I'll be ready by the time you get here."

"Great," Carina smiled. "We'll be there in half hour max, Blondie."

Sarah ended the call and took a deep breath. Reinforcements were on their way. She'd be fine. She just had to keep from freaking out.

/\

"Soooooooooooo," Zondra drawled. Sarah looked at her friend's reflection in the mirror, watching as she tried to feign nonchalance. "Chuck?"

"What about him?"

Carina emerged from Sarah's walk-in closet then. "What do you mean what about him?" She laid out four different outfits on the bed and then turned to her friends, her hands on her hips.

"Yeah Sar," Zondra agreed, frowning as she styled Sarah's hair into a half up, half down style. "Do you like him?"

Sarah shrugged. "I guess."

"You guess? Come on Sarah. Based on your story about the first time you met, we wouldn't think that you'd want to go out with him."

"I know," Sarah sighed. "I get it. Our first interaction left a lot to be desired. But the more time I spent with him..."

"What do you mean the more time you spent with him?" Zondra jumped in. She was so shocked that she accidentally tugged Sarah's ponytail too hard, causing her to wince.

"Yea, spill, girl!" Carina commanded.

"Well, um you remember I went to that hospital gala a couple of weeks ago when my mom couldn't make it?" Her friends nodded, Carina making exaggerated motions for her to carry on. "Well, we talked, and he apologised and I guess we were kinda cool with each other since then."

Zondra nodded thoughtfully. "So, he's no longer an asshole."

Sarah shook her head. "No, no, far from it actually."

"How interesting," Carina mused. "Seems you're a lot more than 'cool'. In fact, I'd even go as far to say you have the hots for this guy, if your reaction to him asking you out is any indication."

"Anyways," Sarah shrugged, "as you know, the company partnered with the Aquarium to build their new manatee rehabilitation facility."

"And?"

"And I've been spending some time there. Getting a first-hand look at the work that goes on."

"And just how much time have you been spending with Turtle Boy?" Carina asked.

Sarah blushed. "A couple of hours after work...two or three days a week maybe."

"Damn Sarah! And we're now finding this out?"

Zondra hummed in agreement with Carina. She picked up the curling iron and began curling Sarah's hair into soft ringlets. "I mean, to be fair, I have been caught up with that big human trafficking case, and Carina you've been focused on getting ready for New York Fashion Week."

"Yeah, well, point taken," Carina grumbled.

"We haven't had time to catch up lately. Maybe we can do something next weekend if you aren't busy," Sarah suggested.

Carina smiled. "Sure, if you aren't too busy sucking face with Chucky boy!'

The three friends laughed.

"So, what's Chuck like?" Zondra asked.

"He's smart. He's funny. He makes me laugh. He's kind. He's...amazing," Sarah trailed off, a dreamy look on her face.

Zondra and Carina shared a look, noting how enamoured their friend appeared to be. They hoped Chuck would be good to and for her. "Wow, he sounds like a keeper," Zondra commented.

"Yeah. I think he might be," Sarah admitted.

/\

"Girls, sorry but I can't… I can't wear this."

"Blondie, this skirt is the hottest thing this season. You know I had to fight a Romanian supermodel to make sure I got the extra one. Gosh she was such a bitch. I almost fought her on the runway too."

"Is this the first time you've tried it on, Walker?" Zondra asked.

Carina had brought one for her too and she'd worn hers a night on the town.

Sarah looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah," she shrugged. "Of course I looked at it when Carina gifted it and I loved it then...I just don't think it's right for me, now that I actually have it on."

"You trashing my fashion sense, Walker? That skirt goes perfectly with that shirt!"

"Carina, I love you and I think you have great fashion sense...But I don't think I can wear it tonight."

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"It shows so much leg."

"So? You have great legs, Sar. This skirt shows them off." Carina shrugged.

"Shows them off a bit too much, I think," Sarah retorted.

"Turtle Boy will think you're some blonde leggy Valkyrie. Big deal."

"Maybe we can leave it for when we go clubbing?" Zondra suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Sarah said absentmindedly. She was already reaching behind her to unzip the back of the skirt.

Carina groaned. They were on outfit number three.

Outfit number was a figure hugging red dress with a plunging neckline and cut-outs along the side. Sarah had shot it down by saying it was too sexy. Outfit number two was black skinny jeans, a black and beige top and knee high black boots. While Sarah liked it, she stated that she preferred not to wear black tonight, having worn a number of black suits to work during the week. So, it wasn't a complete reject, but was on standby in case Sarah didn't like any of the other options.

Outfit three, which was Carina's favourite, was a sexy number. The brown faux leather skirt contrasted beautifully against Sarah's porcelain skin, and, paired with the cream coloured V-neck body suit and nude block heels, Carina thought Sarah was a knockout. That too, was now in the rejected pile.

Carina wanted Sarah to be in an outfit that she loved, not one that was just 'okay'. And so, she hoped that it would be outfit four.

"Fineeeee," she relented. "I'm sure Turtle Boy would appreciate it if you model it for him privately," Carina snickered.

Sarah blushed and threw the skirt at her friend's head. "You're incorrigible."

Zondra snorted at her friends' antics. "Okay, Walker. Try on the last outfit and see if it suits your fancy. Remember we still have to finish your makeup and it's already 6:30."

Thankfully, Carina had had the foresight not to complete Sarah's makeup before the outfit was selected. She had contoured, baked and reverse contoured Sarah's face to perfection, enhancing her already stunning features. The only thing she had to do now was apply the eyeshadow and that would be based on whatever outfit her friend ended up deciding on.

"Alright," Sarah agreed and slipped into the salmon dress that Zondra handed to her. "Zip me up, Z?"

Zondra did and then spun her friend to look in the full length mirror. "So, what do you think? Is this a winner?"

Sarah hummed thoughtfully and then turned from side to side, seeing the outfit at numerous angles. "I think so," she smiled brightly.

"You look beautiful," Zondra said softly.

"Mhmm," Carina agreed. "Chuck won't know what hit him!"

Sarah blushed. "Thanks."

"I wasn't sold on this outfit before. But now that I see it on you, I really like it. It's fun. Flirty." Carina nodded her head appreciatively. "And, Chuck can easily run his hands up your thighs," she finished with a salacious wink.

"He's not...that's not...gah, you are infuriating!"

"Alright, sit down let me finish your eye makeup," Carina commanded. "Z, put on her jewellery, will you?"

"Aye, yay Captain," Zondra saluted.

While Carina applied the eyeshadow in an expertly done cut crease, Zondra clasped Sarah's gold necklace around her neck and her watch around her wrist. She then bent down to hook Sarah's heels around her feet.

"You guys make me feel like I'm Cinderella getting ready to go to the ball," Sarah commented.

By five minutes to seven, Sarah was ready. Carina insisted on taking a few pictures of her now that her look was completed.

Sarah's phone vibrated and she checked it, noting she had a new message from Chuck. "Chuck said he's on his way up."

Carina walked over to her with her gold clutch. "Here, I packed your bag for you."

Sarah ruffled through it. It held her smaller purse which she used when she wasn't carrying a big bag, her compact power, lip stick and lip gloss, a pack of tissue and…condoms? "Carina, what the hell?' She threw the condoms at her friend.

"Hey, hey now! He might not be prepared. I just wanna make sure that you are."

"I don't plan on having sex tonight," Sarah said firmly.

"To be fair," Zondra began, "you might not plan on it, but it could happen. Five condoms are a bit much, but maybe just take two. Just in case."

"Just in case," Sarah agreed, taking the two packs.

"We're just looking out for you," Carina said softly.

"I know," Sarah nodded and squeezed her friend's hands. "But what if I misread the situation? What if he doesn't think it's a date? What if he doesn't even like me like that?"

"Sarah, Sarah, breathe," Zondra said kindly. "Everything will be fine."

"But what if-"

A knock on the door cut off her negative train of thought.

"I'll get it," Carina offered.

"Okay, Sar. Deep breaths. You've got this. And even if it doesn't go well, we'll be here for you, okay? There's no pressure. Just see what the night brings. And if the date bombs and you need us to extract you, then just send a 411 text and we'll get you out."

"Thanks, Z,"

"Can I help you?" Carina looked the man at the door up and down.

"Hi, um, I'm looking for Sarah," Chuck stated. When Carina's hard gaze didn't soften, he quickly rambled on. "Sarah Walker? Blonde. Five foot, nine..."

"Carina, stop messing with Chuck and invite him in," Sarah called from inside the apartment.

Grumbling, Carina opened the door wider, allowing Chuck to step in. It was his first time in Sarah's apartment and he found himself taking in her décor, the family pictures that hung on the walls and that were framed on the counters, the books and DVDs on her shelf...yes, that's where his interest was until he saw Sarah walking towards him. She was a vision and he was awestruck.

She was a vision. Her dress- a salmon satin-esque one with ruching on the sides was beautiful. Salmon had never been his favourite colour but now, it was at the top of the list. He'd never seen Sarah's hair in a half up and half down style but he thought this might be his new favourite. And her eyes...he thinks he could get lost in them forever.

He could feel his mouth go dry and suddenly his hands felt sweaty. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I don't think I have enough words to properly convey just how stunning you look."

"Thank you Chuck. You sure do know how to compliment a girl," she sent a dazzling smile his way. "You look really handsome," Sarah commented, stepping closer to Chuck.

Sure, she'd seen him in his wet suit and she had an idea of his build. But seeing him as he was dressed now- in an olive green button down which hugged his biceps in all the right ways, and a pair of skinny jeans which made him look like a talllllll glass of water that she would like to drink and his hair slightly cropped which she suddenly had the desire to run her fingers though- it was almost too much.

She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and she was tempted to kiss him full on the lips. But she didn't, instead, choosing to step away and look and Chuck appreciatively once more.

Carina cleared her throat. The way these two were looking at each other, she wondered whether they were going to make it to dinner or whether they'd just put the condoms in Sarah's purse to use right now.

A flush grew on her cheeks as her eyes danced brightly. Sarah caught her lower lip in her teeth and tore her gaze from Chuck.

"These are my friends, Carina and Zondra," Sarah introduced them.

"I've heard so much about you," Chuck smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you." They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"Would you mind putting these in a vase for me?" Sarah handed the flowers to Zondra.

"No problem. You guys should get going."

"Yes, we should," Chuck agreed. "It was nice meeting you," he told Zondra and Carina.

"Likewise, Chuckles," Carina smiled.

"Yes, same here, Chuck. Travel safely."

Chuck and Sarah conveyed their thanks and, with one last wave, they were out the door.

"Well?" Carina turned to Zondra for assessment.

"Not bad, not bad at all."

"He's tall, dark and handsome. Who knew Walker had such good taste?"

Zondra looked around Sarah's apartment. The living room and kitchen themselves weren't dirty, but she knew they had left clothes on her bed and makeup spread on her vanity. "Maybe we should tidy up a bit for Sarah before we leave? You know, just in case she doesn't come home alone tonight?"

/\

They had a great time. They ate, they danced...Boy, did they dance. Between the feel of Sarah's dress and her exposed skin beneath his fingers, Chuck was sure his eyes rolled back in his head a couple of times in the club.

There was a heat between them, a fire that had been ebbing and flowing the entire night. When Chuck walked Sarah to her door and she shyly asked him if he wanted to come in, there was no hesitation in his response. As soon as the door was locked behind them, Chuck kissed her, pouring all the desire he felt into it.

Minutes later, they found themselves in her bed, panting and looking at each other with heated gazes. Chuck's hands pushed her dress up her legs, causing Sarah's body to feel like it's on fire and when he left a trail of kisses on her now exposed legs and on her inner thighs, Sarah thought, maybe Carina was on to something when she commented on the dress. Chuck growled at her not to move as he went to fetch his condom from his wallet. He was highly annoyed when he found a piece of paper with 'IOU; written instead. She laughed and pulled a couple from the box Carina had left on her night stand. Chuck smiled at her then, in an almost predatory way and Sarah mused that in this case, she did not mind being the prey. As she spread her legs, Sarah's last coherent thought, was yes, she was glad she picked this dress.

/\

Sarah stretched lithely in her bed, her right hand seeking the body of the man whose arms she had fallen asleep in sometime in the early morning. Instead, she was met with cooling sheets. Frowning, Sarah sat up and propped against the headboard. She couldn't hear the shower running, nor was there any noise coming from the kitchen suggesting he was making breakfast. No, in the glaring silence of her apartment, Sarah realised that Chuck Bartowski was gone.

Maybe he left a note.

She looked around at her bedside table but there was no note there. She checked her phone, but the only messages there were from Carina and Zondra asking for details on the date and from her mother inviting her to a family movie night later in the evening.

Maybe he had been kidnapped. Sarah shook her head. This was not the beginning of a TV show. This was real life.

Sarah felt her heart drop and her stomach churn. Had she misjudged Chuck Bartowski? Was last night just a "wam, bam, thank you ma'am?" Or had he not enjoyed it as much as she had and couldn't bear to face her in the morning's light? Sighing, stood from her bed and grabbed her robe, throwing it on and tying it on her way to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Sarah stared at her reflection in the mirror. Oh, how the person looking back at her was completely different from the one who stood there mere hours ago. The Sarah of a couple hours ago had been giddy, her eyes wild with excitement and desire as she hastily removed her makeup and washed her face at the bathroom sink before she rushed to rejoin Chuck Bartowski and continue their activities well into the night.

But now, here she stood, with a crease in her forehead and a frown on her face as she thought about Chuck Bartowski and the way she'd woken up this morning. What was she thinking? Jumping into bed with him just like that? She banged her head lightly against the mirror, willing her mind to go blank. Taking some cleansing breaths, Sarah brushed her teeth and then began her morning facial routine, washing her face with her toner and serum.

When she noticed the hickey on her neck, she tried not to recall exactly how it got there. She tried in vain and she whimpered as memories of last night flashed in her memory. "I need a cold shower," Sarah mumbled.

Sarah dropped her robe and stepped into the glass shower, turning the water on at the maximum level. The water was cold and stung as it her body but it didn't compare to the sting in her heart. Her shower was cut short by the incessant knocking on her door. At first, she wasn't sure if it was someone at the door or the thumping of her heartbeat in her ears, but then, she had lowered the stream of the water and was able to hear the thumping clearly. After quickly rinsing her body, Sarah grabbed her towel and made her way to the front door.

Looking through the peep hole, she paused briefly before opening the door.

"Chuck?" Sarah blinked at the man standing before her.

"Hey, um, can I come in?"

Sarah nodded and stepped aside. Once he was inside, Sarah closed the door behind her, almost in a daze. She watched him as he went into the kitchen and set down a drinks container and two brown bags on the counter. "Chuck?" She called again.

"Is something wrong, Sarah?" He looked concerned as he walked over to her, placing a comforting hand on her forearm.

"You...you," Sarah stammered.

Chuck was becoming anxious now. "What? Did I do something wrong? Please talk to me Sarah."

"You came back?"

"Of course I came back!" Chuck laughed. Nervousness then overtook him. "Should I not have? Did you not want me to? Cause I can go..."

Sarah shook her head vigorously. "No, no, please don't go," she said softly.

"I went to get us breakfast," Chuck explained, jerking his thumb in the direction of the food he'd placed on the counter. "I was going to make you breakfast but I didn't want to use your kitchen or go through your cupboards without your permission, so I just nipped down to the coffee shop two blocks down."

Tears sprang to her eyes, "I thought that you'd left," Sarah admitted. "I thought that maybe you realised that what happened between us was a mistake or that it wasn't good."

Sarah was looking down now and Chuck tilted her face so that he was looking directly into her eyes when he spoke. He hoped she would see the sincerity in the words he spoke next. "Sarah, last night, you drove me insane in the best possible way. And far from considering it a mistake, I'd very much like to have repeat performances of it."

Sarah chuckled wetly. "You mean the sex?"

"Well, yes," Chuck began, "but it's not just about the sex when it comes to you. I want it all. I want the nights where we dress up and go out to restaurants or dancing or clubbing. I want the nights where we stay in and cuddle and watch a movie...I want it all...with you."

"Exclusively?' Sarah asked, her voice hopeful.

"Exclusively!" Chuck confirmed.

And, just like that, in that moment, Sarah found that she was hungrier for Chuck Bartowski than she was for the pastries he'd brought. That was what microwaves and toaster ovens were for, right?

---

~/0\~

---

Chuck was sitting on the couch in Sarah's office. He was reading a comic to pass the time as he waited on Sarah to finish her analysis of the company's finances for the quarter. They were supposed to be going for tacos after work. He glanced over at Sarah. She was biting her lip as she read the document in her hands, but it didn't look as though she was concentrating on it. Her mind seemed elsewhere. He walked over to her. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Sarah nearly jumped, having not noticed that he'd gotten up from the couch and was now standing above her. She shook her head and straightened her spine, before bookmarking the page she was at. "I'm good. Maybe just a bit tired, you know?" She'd been re-reading the same page for the last five minutes and the words were just jumbling together. Maybe she needed a break.

Chuck squeezed her shoulder. "Maybe I should take you home then? We can do Taco Tuesdays another night."

Sarah shook her head. "I just need a break."

"Yes, all work and no breaks make Sarah a dull girl."

"Do you...wanna take a break with me?" Sarah asked suggestively. She pushed back her chair and stood in front of her boyfriend. Wordlessly, she shoved him lightly, so that he was now sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Sarahhh?"

"Chuck," Sarah bent down and hummed into his ear. She then left a diagonal trail of kisses from his right ear to the corner of his mouth. She watched with satisfaction as Chuck's Adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

"I thought you said you were tired."

"Tired of reading," Sarah clarified. "I'd much rather get busy with you."

"We can't do this here," Chuck whimpered.

"Why not?" Sarah asked before she pulled his shirt collar to the side so that she could lick his collar bone.

Chuck groaned and ran his hands up and down Sarah's thighs. "We're in your office."

"Mhmm, I know that," Sarah giggled, nipping at his ear.

"Someone could come in," Chuck said.

"They've all gone home. It's not unusual for me to be the last one here. You know that."

Sarah pressed her body closer to him, enjoying the friction caused by the front of their bodies being pressed against each other.

"You're serious about this?"

Sarah bit her lip and nodded.

Chuck pushed his hand up her skirt. His fingers drew lazy circles on her thighs and Sarah murmured before slinging her arms around his neck. "As you wish!"

Chuck's reluctance seemed to vanish and he reached for her, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt. In any other moment, Sarah would probably have been impressed by how considerate he was being, but right now, she just wanted the shirt off of her. For all she cared, he could forget about the buttons and rip the shirt open. She reached down to help him with the buttons, anxious to feel Chuck's hands all over her body. They managed to undo all the buttons and Sarah slipped out of the shirt, tossing it to the floor. As soon as she did so, Chuck unclasped her bra, letting that fall to the floor too. What followed next was a trail of kisses, mixed with sucking, squeezing and caressing that made Sarah's eyes roll in her head. She grabbed Chuck's curls and pulled his head up so that he was looking at her and then kissed him hard.

He broke the kiss first and Sarah pulled his brown sweater over his head, her hands then searching the expanse of his chest. They leaned in to capture each other's lips again and Sarah felt herself becoming breathless. As nice as it was though, she needed more, and she let Chuck know it. Her fingertips danced over his belt buckle momentarily. She cast her gaze to Chuck and she was sure the desire in his eyes was similarly ablaze in her own. Grinning, she undid the buckle and slipped Chuck's jeans and his boxers down to his ankles. Chuck in turn bunched her skirt around her waist and slid her underwear down her legs.

"Sit down," Sarah panted and pointed to her office chair. After what followed, Sarah didn't think she'd be able to look at her chair the same ever again!

/\

Her skirt was still bunched up around her waist. Chuck's pants and boxers were no longer around his ankles but were now in the pile with her underwear and shirt.

The chair had been abandoned and rolled into a corner as they found themselves in a different position. Sarah was now bent over her desk, the report and whatever stationery she usually kept there had long been scattered on the floor. The mahogany of her desk was a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't mind, not when Chuck was sending her body in a frenzy.

"Chuck," Sarah moaned.

His voice came breathless above her. "Oh my gosh, Sarah."

She felt like she was climbing higher and higher. Her body was ablaze with passion and she knew Chuck's was too. She didn't know if she could ever have enough of him.

"Best break ever?" Chuck asked five minutes later when they managed to catch their breath.

"Besttttt break ever!" Sarah enthused. She was sated. She was blissfully happy.

Chuck had barely just finished putting on his boxers and she her bra when they heard a knock on Sarah's door. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Sarah, honey. I- holy shit!" Emma turned her back sharply on the scene in her daughter's office.

"Mom!" Sarah screeched and hastily pulled down her skirt.

"Mom?" Chuck mouthed to Sarah, his eyes wide. He hurriedly threw on his shirt and his jeans.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked as she worked on buttoning her shirt.

"Is it safe for me to turn around, or should I keep talking in the direction of the door?"

"You can turn around Mom."

"Your father mentioned that he forgot a report that he wanted to review tonight. Since he was picking up Molly from football practice, I offered to grab it for him," Emma explained. "I'd ask you what you were doing here. But I think the proper question would be who?"

Chuck's ears turned red.

"Mom!" Sarah cried in horror.

Emma smiled. "So, am I getting an introduction or not?"

"Mom, this is my boyfriend, Chuck Bartowski. Chuck, this is my mom, Emma Walker."

Chuck gave a tentative wave. "It's um...it's ah, nice to meet you Mrs. Walker."

Emma hummed. "I can't say I don't wish it was under different circumstances. I mean, there are certain things a mother doesn't want to see, ever!"

"We thought we were the only ones here," Sarah supplied meekly.

"I see," Emma said. "Well, I guess I'll be going now. I'll have to pick up some brain bleach on my way home to forget what I just saw."

Chuck groaned. This was embarrassing. Although he supposed they should be glad that Emma hadn't come in five minutes earlier.

"Chuck, I hope I'll be seeing you around...fully clothed of course."

"Of course Mrs. Walker," Chuck nodded timidly.

"Oh and Sarah dear, your panties are in the corner," Emma said as she walked through the door briskly.

Sarah turned to Chuck. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Do your thing."

"Mom!" Sarah yelled, causing Emma to stop her trek to the elevators.

Emma turned and looked at her daughter. "Yes dear?"

Sarah sighed. "Mom, I'm really sorry."

"Sarah, you're a grown woman. What you do and with whom is your business. But when it's done in an office, in the family's company, then maybe you should exercise a bit more caution, mhm?"

Sarah winced. "I know. I know, I wasn't thinking."

"You were, just not with your brain," Emma stated. "What if security had been making a random check? Or what if one of the other employees had forgotten something and came back?"

Sarah looked at the floor and played with her fingers. "I'm not saying this to make you feel ashamed of what you and Chuck did. I'd never want you to be ashamed of your sexuality. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know."

"I get it. I know what it's like to crave someone's body, to feel like you'll explode if you don't get the release you seek. I was young and in love once."

Sarah ignored her mother's allusion to her sexcapades, focusing instead on the last part of her statement. "In..in love?" Sarah stammered, looking at her mother with wide eyes. 'I don't know... Chuck doesn't...I don't think we..."

"Now, now dear, that's a conversation for another day," Emma said gently. "Just think things through a bit more, okay? Maybe next time lock the door. Even if you're sure you're the last person."

"I will Mom. Thanks."

"You're welcome, baby." Emma smiled. "I'd kiss you on your cheek but I'm not sure what bodily fluids might have been there in the last hour or so."

"Moommmm!" Sarah groaned. "Don't be so crass."

"Not that I'm judging if you and that fine young man in there are kinky. You gotta do whatever rocks your boat." Emma laughed.

"Mom!" Sarah cried, mortified.

"Alright, I'm done." Emma put up her hands placatingly. "I'll see you later. Text me when you get in so I know you're safe."

"Will do, Mom."

"Bye honey. I love you."

"I love you too," Sarah waved at her mother as the elevator doors closed.

When Sarah returned to her office, she found that Chuck had reorganised her desk and was sitting at the edge of it. "I um, I wiped down the desk and the chair with some Lysol wipes from your bathroom."

"Thanks," Sarah said as she began packing her bag.

"I'm really, really, sorry. I'd never want to embarrass you like that."

"Chuck, it's okay. Mom and I talked. It's fine. You don't need to apologise. I'm the one who had the whole idea to have sex in my office. It could have been worse," Sarah said.

"Yeah," he agreed, "she could've come in when I had you...well you know," Chuck trailed off awkwardly.

"When you had me bent over my desk and moaning your name?" Sarah suggested.

"Yes, yes. Exactly," Chuck stammered.

"Oh, I love it when you get all flustered," Sarah quipped.

And I love you Chuck thought. Wait? What? He'd have to process that one later.

"How am I to look your mother in the eyes on Sunday when I come over for dinner?" Jack had noted how Sarah was smiling at her phone lately and attributed it to there being a new beau in her life. He had commented to Sarah that he must have been some schnook to have captured her heart. Sarah had blushed and Jack had insisted that the schnook be invited to dinner on Sunday. "She saw me in my boxers! And you- she saw you in a bra and your skirt around your waist when you were sans underwear!"

"Well, in my case, it's not like she hasn't seen my lady bits before," Sarah shrugged.

Chuck narrowed his eyes, "Come on, I'm serious here. I want your parents to like me and I don't want dinner to be awkward."

"How bout we cross that bridge when we get to it? Besides, I think it's in all of our interest that we act like it never happened. Mom probably agrees."

"If you're sure..." Chuck trailed off, his voice still uncertain.

"I am," she smiled and kissed him softly.

Chuck pulled her panties out of his pocket. "I believe these are yours."

Sarah looked at the black lacy garment in his hand and smirked. "No use putting them back on when they're gonna come off the second we reach your apartment. Now, let's get out of here."

---

~/0\~

---

Chuck and Sarah sat atop a blanket on the sand, watching as the sun rose. Chuck laced his fingers with hers, his thumb idly tracing patterns along the flesh of her hand.

Chuck felt his heart swell as he looked into Sarah's stunning blue eyes. "I love you,' he breathed.

Sarah's eyes widened. She pushed her forehead against Chuck's, angling it so that they were staring into each other's eyes. "Oh, Chuck," she mumbled before gently pressing her lips against his.

Chuck wondered whether he'd said those three important words too soon. Maybe their relationship was still too young, too fresh. No, ever since the words had entered his subconscious that day in her office, he had mulled over them, evaluating and re-evaluating his feelings for her. He was certain his thoughts and emotions weren't solely driven by lust. No, he felt it with every fibre of his being. He loved Sarah Walker. Completely. Wholeheartedly. He was sure of it.

"I love you Sarah," Chuck said. "And one more time, because it feels so good to finally say it. I love you Sarah Walker."

Even if she couldn't or didn't want to say it back, he had to let her know.

Her heart was ready to burst. He loved her. She knew she loved him. She'd known it for a little while now. After the dinner when Chuck had officially met her parents, she had resisted the urge to go home with Chuck, choosing instead to stay back and talk to her mother. 'How do you know when you're in love?' she'd asked her mother. Emma had smiled and indicated that she was expecting the question. After talking with her mother, she knew: she loved Chuck Bartowski. What she felt for him was so much more than what she felt in her previous relationships. This was real love.

Sarah blinked back her tears and placed her hand on Chuck's cheek, stroking the skin there. "Chuck," she began, her voice thick with emotion, "before I met you, I didn't have the best track record with guys. I thought maybe I was just unlucky in love."

After her high school sweetheart, turned university boyfriend cheated on her with her roommate at university (in her own bed!), Sarah had been rocked to her core. For the first few weeks in the aftermath, she was devastated. Her grades began to slip and she withdrew from many of the activities she was involved in on campus. It was harrowing, but, with the help of her friends and family, she'd managed to pull herself together. Bryce Larkin had been her first serious boyfriend since graduating university. He was good looking and he was smart, but ultimately, Sarah realised that he was selfish and treated her more like arm candy than his partner.

Then there had been Daniel Shaw. They met at a conference where he was presenting on behalf of Palmer Technologies Inc., a company founded by his maternal grandfather, Ray Palmer. They had bonded over their love for their families' companies and their mutual desire to take their companies further. But Sarah found that beyond that, they didn't have much in common. In fact, it was almost as though Daniel had no personality at all.

Chuck Bartowski was so much more than she could have ever imagined. "These past few months with you have been amazing. I fell for you somewhere between talking to you on the balcony at the hospital gala and before you let me swim with Winter. I love you too."

Chuck pulled her into his lap and gently grabbed her face, crashing his lips into hers. They kissed for several moments. Sarah brushed her fingers through Chuck's curls and parted her lips, deepening the kiss. The world slipped away around them. It was just Chuck and Sarah- two people in love with each other.

---

~/0\~

---

"There you are," Sarah called as she came up behind Chuck. "What are you doing here?"

Tonight they would be cutting the ribbon, signalling the official opening of the Manatee Rehabilitation Centre. To celebrate, they were having a banquet.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are we here and not with our friends and family drinking champagne and eating shrimp?"

Chuck took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I was just thinking."

Sarah stepped closer to Chuck and kissed him. As she was pulling away, he placed his hands on both sides of her face, pulling her in to another kiss. When the kiss broke, Sarah smiled at him. "I sensed that maybe you'd ramble. I thought a kiss would help."

Chuck chuckled. "Thanks, babe."

"What's going on in that head of yours?'

"I realised today that we met in this very spot fourteen months ago."

"A lot has happened since then," Sarah smiled kindly. She looked around the space, marvelling at how the Aquarium looked with the new renovations. There was now a tunnel which allowed visitors to see the marine life above. It was mesmerizing. "I've been to so many places, but I don't think I've ever been to a place as beautiful as the Aquarium is at night."

"I have, every day. Every morning I wake up and I look at you. The way we brush our teeth tandem style. When we watch TV together, any time. whenever always. whenever. anything, anytime. whenever I look at you, it's the most beautiful place I've ever been," Chuck said. "I feel like I should be some marine biologist right now. You know the guy who swims with sharks in exotic locations."

"I didn't fall in love with a globe-trotting marine biologist, I fell in love with you."

"Sarah, I'm gonna ask you a question now. Please don't freak out."

"I won't," Sarah assured him.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Chuck began, "You kicking ass in the boardroom and me swimming among marine life and tinkering in the lab. Doing whatever makes us happy. But more importantly, I just wanna be with you." Chuck bent down on one knee. "Sarah, will you marry me?"

She answered his question with a kiss.

---

A/N: And that's a wrap! I really enjoyed writing this one and I hope you enjoyed reading too.

I wasn't too sure about the first scene as I've never really written Chuck as a jerk. Nonetheless, I hope Sarah not letting him off the hook and the subsequent scenes showing his true character balanced everything out.

The Burbank Aquarium and Science Centre is, for the most part, based on the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the animals mentioned in this story are based on its residents. I have no affiliation with the CMA but its site is insightful and it seems as though they do good work.

I remain open to prompts.

Until next time, take care.

xoxoxo

Barbadiangirl

November 6, 2021