A/N: After a long absence (sorry about that), we return to our friends as they continue their outing, silly walks included.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 6

"Whoa! Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second. You actually call him... Captain Awesome?" Sarah asked incredulously through her chuckling. Chuck finished taking a sip of his wine, nodding his head as he swallowed, his eyes alight with amusement.

"Oh yeah. You should see the guy. Everything he does is awesome. Rock climbing...whitewater rafting… flossing…." Sarah burst into laughter, falling back in her seat as she shook. Chuck watched her, a pleased smile on his face. Sarah gained control of herself, sighing heavily as her laughter subsided. Noticing the way he looked at her, a certain admiration in his gaze, was beginning to affect her. She'd sat across a table from many men that made their intentions well known through their lecherous glares. Sarah supposed she could see Chuck's intentions as well, though they were wholly different and she found it made a warmth grow inside her; a warmth she wasn't accustomed to.

Clearing her throat, she smiled at him before taking a drink of her own wine. "They both seem really great; Ellie and Devon. I bet you miss them."

Chuck's head bobbed from side to side as he shrugged. "Yeah, I do. I mean, we talk on the phone often enough though, and share messages via text and social media, that sort of thing. The distance between us might be great, but we're never far away. If that makes any sense," Chuck said, rolling his eyes at himself.

"It does. I get what you mean," Sarah assured him, nodding. Using her fork, she pushed the few remaining pieces of pasta around her plate, becoming lost in thought. Aside from Carina, she didn't really have anyone in her life like that; someone she could just pick up the phone and call to just talk.

"You OK?" Chuck asked, tilting his head to try and capture her attention. Sarah looked up from her plate, meeting his gaze. Forcing a smile, she nodded.

"Yeah. I just… I envy you I guess. Having those kinds of strong relationships in your life. I've never really had anything like that," she admitted, glancing away and chuckling at herself. She had told herself that she was going to keep up her walls, put some distance between her and Chuck, but so far she was failing miserably. There was just something about him that made her feel… comfortable. Perhaps it was just as simple as that. Chuck made her feel comfortable, more so than she'd ever felt around anyone.

To his credit, Chuck didn't bombard her with more questions or words of support. He leaned his arms on the table, watching her, presumably waiting for her to continue. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she struggled for a moment before finally letting go. It was as if she released a rope she was hanging on to, the one that kept her tethered to the ground.

"My parents split when I was seven," she began, almost as if it were beyond her control. "My father was basically a large child, so he had none of those pesky things like rules or discipline. So, being a kid, I chose to go with the 'fun' parent," she stated, giving finger quotes. "In hindsight, it was a horrible choice and I must have hurt my mother deeply, but at the time I was too focused on our adventures." Sarah lifted her gaze from the table to meet Chuck's, seeing his reassuring smile and nod of understanding. She smiled in return before dropping her gaze back to the table, unable to look him in the eye as she told her tale.

"My dad and I moved a lot, never staying in one place for long. There was always a new adventure. As I grew older, I learned that those 'adventures' were just cons in disguise. See, my father was a … a grifter, a conman, and by association, so was I. He groomed me to be just like him. I learned all the cons, how to read people and manipulate them, convincing them to give us their money. Some of them weren't nice people and, frankly, deserved what they got, but others… " she trailed off, her jaw clenched and brow furrowed. It was then she felt his hand on her wrist, gently squeezing her reassuringly.

Sarah chanced a glance at Chuck and instead of anger or judgement, she saw sadness in his expression, and it nearly undid her. "God, don't look at me like that," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I don't deserve for you to feel sorry for me."

"Sarah, you were a child," he retorted, holding her wrist firmly. "Children rely on their parents to teach them right from wrong, good from bad. I don't mean any disrespect, but it sounds like he failed you; took advantage of you. Children want their parents to be proud of them, they want to be loved and comforted. It seems like he exploited that to his advantage, coercing you into doing things in the name of making him proud of you. Those are not your sins to bear, Sarah. You are not your father's keeper."

Sarah stared at him dumbfounded, her mouth agape. For most of her life, she'd carried around this burden with her, owning the responsibility of what she'd done in her youth. The shame and self-loathing of it made her keep her story buried, never sharing it with anyone. In one swift motion, Chuck Bartowski claimed to absolve her of that burden.

With tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes, she shook her head. "Chuck, it's… it's not that easy-"

"Who said anything about easy?" he questioned. "Forgiving yourself is never easy, Sarah. In your case though, you're not the one that should be asking for forgiveness."

"But when I got old enough to know better, I still kept doing it, going along with his cons. I could have stopped then, but I didn't," she argued, not giving herself an inch.

"Could you have? It sounds like the only person you had in your life was your father. Where else would you have gone? What's more, if you weren't there to help him, if you didn't stay with him, what would have happened to him?" Chuck challenged, not backing down from his argument.

"I… I don't…"

"You wanted your father to be proud of you and you wanted to make sure that someone had his back, that someone was there for him. That's what a good daughter would do. If you ask me, and you didn't but I'll say it anyway, he didn't deserve you." Chuck spoke with such conviction that Sarah was beginning to believe him. A lifetime of shame and regrets and, with a wave of his hand, Chuck made it all vanish. Maybe not entirely, but Sarah was starting to feel some of that burden lessen already.

"I've never told anyone about my past. I've carried that baggage around with me for so long. For the first time, I actually feel a little … lighter. Thank you," she said just above a whisper, giving him a tight smile while trying to keep her tears at bay.

"You're welcome. And don't you worry. Stick with me kid, and I'll be your very own baggage handler," he stated in a poor attempt at Humphrey Bogart. Sarah couldn't help but snort at his comment.

"That's very sweet of you. Thank you." Chuck just nodded, his cheeks and ears looking a bit flushed.

"What uh… what d'you say we get out of here? I gotta go pick up some stuff for the farm and run some errands for people." Sarah nodded and put her napkin on her plate. Chuck took care of the check and the two stepped back out onto the sidewalk.

Chuck began his silly walk again, causing Sarah to burst into laughter, slapping him on the arm to get him to stop. Chuckling, he walked normally, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked side by side. Chuck pointed out various buildings, sharing bits of local lore that he'd picked up. Sarah noticed that he waved at everyone that passed by, offering them a greeting with the few Italian phrases he knew. Everyone returned the gesture, smiling and waving as well.

They stopped into various specialty shops, picking up items from the eclectic shopping list he'd created. On a few occasions, Sarah opted to spare the shopkeeper from an awkward game of charades with Chuck and translated for him, making their errands move along much more quickly. Sarah found she was enjoying herself immensely, spending the day with Chuck doing these simple, mundane tasks. He was funny, making her laugh more than she could ever recall. Too often, though, it was at his own expense, which she called him out on.

"Why do you keep doing that? Putting yourself down so much?" Chuck looked contrite, shrugging his shoulders as he lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I dunno. I guess it's a defense mechanism. I know I'm a ridiculous person. I'm awkward, nerdy and lacking in all manner of social graces. If I beat people to the punch by putting myself down, then I don't have to hear them say it. It kinda takes the sting out of it a bit. Plus, I heard it enough growing up, I figured it was easier to join them than try to beat them."

"Well, you don't have to do that anymore. At least… not around me. You be as awkward and nerdy around me as you want," she stated, smiling warmly, causing Chuck to snort.

"Well that's a good thing, because I find myself feeling especially awkward and nerdy when I'm around you." Sarah could literally hear his jaw snap shut as the blush crept up his neck and cheeks. She let a giggle escape as butterflies flitted about in her stomach. As an agent who'd been trained in the art of seduction -and how to resist it- she found that Chuck was a master at getting past her defenses. What made it worse was that she knew he wasn't even trying.

After dropping off their bounty at the truck, they drove to the feed store to pick up some supplies for the farm. With the bed of the truck loaded down with bales of hay, bags of feed, a few pieces of lumber and other miscellaneous equipment, they headed out of town, back the way they'd come.

The return trip seemed much shorter, likely due to their continued conversations along the way. They'd talked about everything and nothing and she felt herself growing increasingly more comfortable around Chuck. He told her wacky stories about his life, mostly involving his friend Morgan and their misadventures growing up. Some of the things seemed a bit far-fetched, but she supposed if she related stories of her upbringing, it would sound even more outlandish.

She'd admitted to Chuck some of her past, at least the view of her childhood from thirty-thousand feet. He now knew the broad strokes, which was more than almost anyone else knew. Ordinarily, the thought of exposing herself like that, revealing the secrets of her past, would have sent a spike of fear through her. Some of it, she knew, was due to her spy training, but a large part was shame. She was ashamed of what she'd done, fleecing innocent people at her father's side. Sarah judged herself for it, and she knew others should too. Except, in Chuck's case, he hadn't. In fact, he'd been supportive and understanding, advocating for her innocence in all that had happened. She wasn't wholly certain that he was right, but she had to admit that she felt a sense of relief wash over her, making her feel lighter than she had in over a decade.

The shame she'd felt over her childhood was only eclipsed by the horrific things she'd done since then. As if trying to make atonement for the misdeeds of her youth, she'd committed herself to doing whatever was asked of her in the name of the "greater good". Well, almost everything. There were certain things she refused, and luckily her superiors had not pushed the matter. Giving up little pieces of her soul with every termination was one thing, but she would never give more than that, even if ordered. There had been hints and suggestions, but to that she had held firm and was never challenged on it. Sure, there were plenty of seduction assignments, but those were only the promise of things that would never come. For her marks, there was never a "happy ending".

As a lull in the conversation grew, her mind wandered, wondering if the kindness and understanding that Chuck had shown so far had a limit. Would learning of her previous employment, the red in her ledger, prove to be too overwhelming for the kind-hearted nerd? Could he ever see her as anything other than a monster? Those were waters she was too emotionally drained to try to swim today. Sharing herself was not easy and she was beginning to feel the fatigue. Thankfully, they arrived at Serenity before long.

"Home sweet home," Chuck said with a contented sigh as they entered the hamlet. "Thanks for tagging along with me today. It was infinitely more enjoyable with your company."

"Well, thank you," she said with a blush. "I had a really great time."

"Yeah. Yeah, me too." After a moment's pause Chuck shook himself from his thoughts, straightening in his seat. "Let me drop you off at your place before I make my round of deliveries and take the rest of this stuff to the farm."

"What? No! I'll help you. It's the least I can do. You did buy me lunch after all," she challenged with a wry smile. Chuck opened his mouth to protest, but when he turned to see her expression, she could see him melt.

"I have a suspicion that with that look, nobody could deny you anything." The way he said it so matter-of-factly threw her at first, but the smile that reached his eyes told her that he wasn't upset about it. In fact, she'd swear he was flirting with her. Regardless, it was working. Thankfully, Chuck took mercy on her and filled the growing silence.

"Not that the look is entirely necessary." Now he was definitely flirting with her. "We'll stop by the farm first, then make our rounds on the way back to your villa." Sarah certainly didn't have to fake a smile as she nodded in acknowledgement. Though, keeping the volume of her smile down to reasonable levels was becoming a chore.

After unloading supplies at the farm, and spending a few minutes being slobbered on by Milo, they made their way from house to house, delivering goods that had been requested from town. It almost felt like Christmas, the looks of joy and appreciation on the faces of the villagers. Chuck and Sarah had to respectfully decline the multiple invitations to stay and visit, citing they had other deliveries to make.

Their last stop was the large villa at the top of the hill. When they parked the car and stepped out, Sarah couldn't help but admire the sprawling estate. It had a very similar feel to her own villa, though much more lavish. Momentarily lost in her thoughts, she was startled when the large front doors burst open and children of various ages poured out of the house screaming. They shouted a mixture of "Riccioli!" and "Chuck!" as they charged toward the truck.

Turning around to face them, Chuck's face lit up, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile spread ear to ear. The children crashed into him, like waves breaking on a rocky shore, causing Chuck to stagger slightly with a chuckle.

"Whoa. Whoa. Calm down. It's good to see you too." A small girl, maybe five years old, bounced up and down as she held onto his shirt, speaking to him in accented English.

"What did you bring us? What did you bring us?" Chuck let out a belly laugh, shaking his head in amusement.

"I see how it is. You're only excited to see me when I bring you stuff." Some of the children protested, but the embarrassed smiles showed there might be some truth to that. Regardless, Chuck didn't seem to mind, eating up the attention. Several women stepped out of the house as well, a couple of them Sarah had seen around the hamlet in passing. They looked on with adoring smiles, and Sarah wasn't entirely convinced it was just toward their children.

"OK. OK. I brought you something, but," he exclaimed, raising a finger in the air to get their attention, "I'll give it to your mothers and they can decide if you're well behaved enough to have them." The sighs and groans of disappointment that echoed among the children was rather humorous, causing the adults to chuckle. Chuck turned back to the truck and pulled out one of the packages he'd picked up at the general store. Opening the box, the children gasped at the huge assortment of candies inside. He had to fend off the children's grasping hands, holding the box up out of their reach.

Sarah just stood back, watching the scene unfold. She couldn't keep from smiling if she wanted to. The way the children interacted with Chuck and he with them, it was so endearing. When Chuck handed the box of treats to one of the mothers, the older woman gave him a watery smile and patted his cheek adoringly. Sarah could feel the sting of her own tears threatening. While Chuck may have been an outsider to these people, he had clearly found his way into their hearts. Everyone in the hamlet she'd talked with held him in such high regard, even though they liked to tease him mercilessly. The scene before her was just further proof of how kind and caring Chuck was, and how much these people here loved him for it. It was no wonder he'd been able to so easily slip past her defenses. It was an innate gift he possessed, and he likely had no idea.

After a short while, the crowd of children dispersed, sent off by their mothers to go play or tend to their chores. Once the dust settled, Chuck turned to Sarah with comically wide eyes, blowing out a long breath.

"You were great with them," she said, nodding with her head toward the villa as her arms wrapped around her torso. Chuck cast a glance over his shoulder then shrugged, looking a bit sheepish.

"They're amazing kids. And did you know, each one of them can speak Italian? That's a hard language," he stated, sounding thoroughly impressed. Sarah had to do a double take, not certain she understood.

"Chuck, they're Italian. It's their native-" It was then that she caught his devilish grin showing through, causing her to stop in mid-sentence to groan and smack him on the shoulder. "You're such a nerd," she teased, chuckling at his antics.

Now that they were standing in front of the main villa, which seemed to be shrouded in mystery, it dawned on her that all of those women and children had come out of the house. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she decided to see what she could glean from Chuck.

"So, the villa. Do all of those people live here? I thought the guy that owned my villa owned this one too. What's the story there? Does he live here with all of them?" Sarah detected a slight hesitation, including the bobbing of his Adam's apple.

"Well, that is true. The owner of your villa owns this place too. There's so much space that they allow some of the workers and their families to live here. They also help to take care of the place. In fact, this truck belongs to the owner too. They just leave it here in case it's needed for hamlet business," he confessed, though she suspected there were things he was keeping out of his explanation. Perhaps it wasn't his story to tell. Guilia had been just as evasive when it came to the owner. Maybe the owner was hiding out or part of some sort of organized crime family. Sarah decided that before she started going down that rabbit hole, it was best to just let it go for now.

"You should probably start heading back. It's getting close to dinner time. Let me walk you home?" Chuck asked with a hopeful expression. Smiling, Sarah nodded as the two started the short journey to her villa. Their comfortable conversation from earlier in the day returned, and before long they were laughing and joking. As they stepped into the front lawn of Sarah's villa, she burst out in laughter, shoving Chuck playfully, after a particularly terrible joke that caught her off guard. Stumbling as she giggled, she stopped short in surprise when she reached the steps to the front door.

On the front step was none other than the auburn-haired Carina Miller, standing tall and statuesque as usual. She was wearing a tight black skirt, a flowy, silvery silk blouse, unbuttoned enough to be dangerous, and a pair of dagger-like, black stiletto heels to match. The Cheshire-like smirk on Carina's face as she studied her and Chuck was definitely on brand. She was up to trouble.

"So there you are," Carina purred, looking from Sarah to Chuck. "Taking in some of the local… flavors?" she asked, the innuendo seeping from her tone as she looked Chuck up and down. Sarah quickly composed herself and snorted at the woman's comment, but opted to not dignify it with a response.

"Sorry. We had to run in to town to pick up some things and got a little side tracked as we delivered stuff around the hamlet. Have you been waiting long?" Sarah asked as she stepped up to the other woman.

"A whole fifteen minutes. It was harrowing," she dead-panned. After a moment's pause they both broke into laughter as they hugged one another.

"It's good to see you Red. Thanks for coming."

"It's good to be seen. So… sampling the local cuisine are we?" she asked, gesturing her head toward Chuck, who was standing back, watching the interaction with some hesitancy.

"Oh, sorry. Chuck, this is my friend Carina. Carina, this is Chuck." Chuck stepped up to Carina, extending his hand.

"Wow, it's great to meet you. Welcome to Serenity," he proclaimed, gesturing to the hamlet around them with his free hand. Carina took his offered hand but held it for a moment too long and slid her fingers seductively along his palm as she pulled away.

"American? Interesting. So, Sar, you come all the way to Italy to eat McDonald's?" Carina questioned, glancing at her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Chuck takes care of things around here -"

"I bet he does." With that quip, both women turned when they heard Chuck beginning to cough, choking on his own tongue perhaps.

"Well, it sounds like you two have a lot of… catching up to do. You ladies have a good night. Sarah, thanks again for your help today," he said, giving her a sincere smile as he backed away.

"We'll be sure to give you a call if we have anything you can take care of," Carina called after him, snorting as she watched him trip over a dip in the yard. Sarah smacked her friend on the arm, giving a "tsk" in frustration as she pushed the front door open.

"Will you get inside before you kill that poor man?" Sarh chided jokingly.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Who are you and what have you done with Sarah Walker?" Carina questioned, folding her arms across her chest. Sarah gave her a confused look, her chin against her chest.

"What are you talking about?"

"What the hell was that out there with Chester?"

"Chuck-"

"Like it matters. The question still stands."

"I don't know what you mean. What about him? He's a good guy and we went into town to run some errands," Sarah stated with a shrug.

"I call bullshit," Carina exclaimed, pointing a dagger-like finger at her friend. "I just saw you… giggling. GIGGLING! Since when does Sarah Walker, the 'Ice Queen', giggle?" Sarah opened her mouth to retort but closed it again, averting her gaze.

"Oh. My. God. You didn't?" Carina asked incredulously.

"What?" Sarah retorted, beginning to look agitated.

"You've broken the cardinal rule! You're falling for … him?" Carina questioned with no small amount of distaste in her expression.

"Now, hold on a damn minute! First, I'm not a spy anymore, so that rule doesn't apply. Secondly, I'm not … falling for him," she protested, though the pause in her statement sounded less than convincing. "But if I were, what's wrong with him?" Sarah challenged, going on the defensive. Carina was quiet for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

"We'll come back to the rule in a minute. As for what's wrong with him, he's so…. so… blah. Don't get me wrong, he's cute enough to be a momentary distraction, but come on? He was wearing Converse All Stars and tripping all over himself. I bet he has a velcro wallet and lives in his parent's basement. You can't seriously tell me that geek has you tied up in knots. He couldn't possibly be that good in the sack."

"I wouldn't know about that and I am not tied up in knots, thank you very much. And he's not a geek. He prefers nerd," Sarah admitted, trailing off as she realized how much she was revealing. Carina just stared at her friend, her mouth slightly agape, causing Sarah to continue if only to fill the silence.

"I don't have to pretend around him. I can just be myself. Pfft. Like I even know what that is anymore," Sarah snorted bitterly. "That's what I'm here trying to figure out. He's been really good to talk to and he hasn't pushed. In fact, I've actually…" sighing in resignation, Sarah closed her eyes knowing what was coming, "opened up to him."

"You what?! What did you tell him? About the Company?"

"No. No, not … not that. I kinda talked to him about… before that." Carina let out a low whistle, words escaping her. Beginning to pace the room in contemplation, the heels of her stilettos clicking on the stone floors, Carina held her chin with one hand, the other arm wrapped around her torso. The silence between them became too much, forcing Sarah to speak.

"Well... say something." After another moment of silence, Carina turned to face her friend, brow furrowed.

"I'm not offended that you talked to him about it, and not to me… or Zondra." Sarah started to speak up but Carina waved her off. "I get it. I get it. We aren't… sharers like that. It's how we compartmentalize. It's how we were trained. But... him? How much do you know about this guy? Can you really trust him? After Br-"

"Don't! Just… don't," Sarah warned, giving her friend the icy glare befitting her professional moniker.

"Sorry," Carina said with a wince, realizing she was entering dangerous territory. "I'm not saying this Chip guy is like-"

"Chuck," Sarah enunciated, hoping Carina would finally get the name right, "… is nothing like him. Nothing!" Sarah declared adamantly.

"Ok. Ok. I hear you. From what I've seen of him already, I can tell that much is true. Still… I'm just worried that you're opening up to this stranger too soon, trying to force this… this rediscovery or … absolution or whatever it is you've got going on here," she stated, gesturing around them. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again," Carina confessed, giving Sarah a pleading look, very uncharacteristic of her ordinarily brazen friend.

Sighing, Sarah nodded, conceding her friend's point. "I hear what you're saying, Red. I do. Believe me, I tried to keep up those walls, to hide myself away from him. I really tried, but it's no use. He just… he has this way of making me feel... "

"Horny?" Carina interjected, her tongue between her teeth, quite amused with herself. Leave it to Carina to try and break the seriousness of the moment. Sarah rolled her eyes at the comment, shaking her head as she tried to hide her grin.

"No...well...no. No, he makes me feel … safe, comfortable. I know he's not going to judge me - and he hasn't. He's the kindest, most decent guy I've ever met, and I have no idea what I'm doing," she rushed out, running her hands through her hair. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is too soon to be sharing myself with someone like this. Someone I barely know. It's crazy… I'm crazy. What was I thinking? I'm-"

"Whoa! Hold the phone. Geez," Carina jumped in, grabbing Sarah by the shoulders. "You're spiraling. You don't spiral. I've never seen you like this." Sarah took a cleansing breath, blowing it out slowly, before nodding to her friend. "Ok… let me ask you something. Something I wouldn't normally ask, but humor me. Does he make you happy?" Carina stared into her eyes, trying to gauge her reaction. After a moment, a smile slowly grew across Sarah's face as she nodded.

"Yes," she stated simply. Carina let out a sigh of resignation, dropping her hands to her sides.

"Well, shit. Alright. Tell me about this… 'Chuck'. But I'm gonna need some wine for this," she confessed, stalking off to the kitchen, Sarah chuckling as she followed.

A/N2: Carina's here. Can they call the hamlet Serenity anymore? I'm sure she'll behave, right?

Sorry for the long hiatus as I dealt with real life. I wouldn't say things are back to normal, but I at least hope I will be able to get back to writing on my various stories.

For those that have made it this far, thanks for sticking around. I love hearing from you and your impressions of the story. Feel free to leave a review or PM, or both. While it's not a requirement, it definitely adds encouragement for us writers.

Thanks for reading,

JW