A/N: Been a couple of chapters of backstory, so it's time to get back to this trainwreck of Chuck and Sarah. Yes I'm having fun with this. Again, I am pulling things from all sorts of things. Have I pulled a tibit or two from YS's backstory, yes, but I have also pulled quite a few things from other people not mentioned in this story to create Sarah's backstory. What I'm saying is, if it's not on paper…or your screen, please don't assume something did or did not happen. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Zondra is still laughing in the interview chair. She sobers, and smiles, chuckling. "Okay, sorry, just…whew. Once they met in his office, they were done. There was no one else. Now…did it take them a minute to figure it out…uh, YEAH!" Zondra laughs for a second. "But once they met…I remember Lou and I just standing there watching Chuck…oh, God." Zondra begins to laugh. "What happened next was so funny, sweet, and just…them."

The camera cuts to Chuck. The producer speaks. "Can you tell us about Kayla?"

Chuck is silent for a moment.

}o{

Three years ago

"Are you sure?" Chuck asked Zondra. "I mean, she's Instagram and TikTok famous, why would she want to date me?"

"Have you ever considered that maybe she finds you attractive and funny, and just a good guy?" Zondra replied. Chuck gave her a flat look.

}o{

Chuck is sitting in the interview chair. "I'm not mad at Kayla, I'm not hurt by Kayla. I just assumed some things about our relationship. I was the one she was always posting videos about. I was the one she was always in public with. We were together for eighteen months…" Chuck shakes his head. "I mean, let's be honest, Sarah and I both kinda buried ourselves in our work and then both were a little shocked to find out the people we thought we were exclusive with weren't exclusive with us."

}o{

Zondra is sitting in the interview chair. The producer speaks. "What did you think when you saw the TMZ report of Kayla and Pete Davidson?"

Zondra closes her eyes, and rubs her forehead like she is having a migraine. "I had to find Chuck ASAP."

}o{

Chuck is sitting in the chair. The producer speaks. "Did you feel like you should make a podcast, or rap song, or anything about the situation?"

Chuck barked a laugh. "No," Chuck said, shaking his head. "I was at the office when the TMZ report came out. It was late. I had been working on finalizing a new show, and I was scrolling through twitter. I had literally just seen it, when my office door burst open, and there stood Z." Chuck was silent a moment. "She took one look at my face and came over to hug me."

}o{

The scene cuts to Sarah being in the interview chair. The producer speaks. "We've been talking to Chuck about Kayla, any background you'd like to add on Cole?"

Sarah sits there a second. "I met him while I was in London shooting 24. We hit it off, and at the time, he was…" Sarah shakes her head, a rue smile on her face. "He was probably exactly what I was looking for at the time, if I'm honest. He was living in a different country, I was working non-stop, and he was….convenient. I think if I am honest with myself, I'm not mad at Cole for what he did, I'm mad at myself for not realizing that I was just as much, or maybe, more at fault at what happened."

Sarah shifted in her chair. "I said I wanted Mr. Right, but I wanted Mr. Right on my terms, so I didn't want Mr. Right. I wanted Mr. Right-Now-To-Be-On-Call-When-I-Wanted-Him." Sarah is silent for a second. "And that wasn't fair to Cole."

Sarah grins at the camera. "And I don't know if I truly understood that until I met Chuck and realized what Mr. Right looked like."

The producer speaks. "So you realized that when you met Chuck?"

Sarah begins to laugh. "I'm sorry," she says after a second. "I mean, yes, I realized it. Did I understand what to do with it?" She begins to laugh again.

}o{

Chuck turned around and saw the two women watching him. "Did I say something stupid?"

"No, Chuck," Zondra said, smiling at him. "You said nothing stupid. Can you help her with the production staff? I know you've been…dabbling in it, and you are one of the best radio producers in the business."

Chuck was silent for a moment. "If this is big, you could make a ton of money, Zondra."

"I don't care about that…I mean, I do, but it's not why I'm doing it," Zondra told him. "This project means so much for her, and she won't say why, but it does. Yeah, I was known for The Finder, but she put me on the map, Chuck. All of my success is because of her..and you."

"And part of our success is because of her," Chuck told Zondra. He was quiet, thinking. "I guess I should have gotten her number and find out when to meet her-"

"Hey," Zondra said, stepping forward and putting both hands on his shoulders. "I already have all of that info. I know you. I didn't want you overwhelmed."

"Thank you," Chuck replied. "I think I'm just the correct amount of whelmed. Not over, not under."

"Get out of here, you goof," Zondra told him. Chuck gave her a look. "Today, you were taking Ellie out to lunch?"

"Oh, God! Ellie!" Chuck said, rushing over to grab his bad. Lou grabbed his keys from his desk as he searched his bag for them. "Thank you!" he said as he took them from her. He kissed her on the head.

"I'm telling HR," Lou joked.

"You are HR," Chuck reminded her. Lou snorted. Chuck squeezed Zondra, kissed her on the cheek and tore out of the room.

"You know what he's going to do," Lou told Zondra. Zondra nodded.

"She offered me a lot of money, Lou. I'm afraid her hands are going to be tied financially."

"You could turn it down," Lou told Zondra. Zondra gave her a flat look. "That would be weird, you not getting hired because you were offered too much."

"I know," Zondra replied. "I wish she'd of asked me what I was thinking before she just told me. For whatever reason Sarah thinks I'm the key to our show."

"Didn't have the heart to tell her?" Lou kidded.

Zondra shook her head. "Lou, I've known her for a while, and this…this is big, and she believes I'm it. What she doesn't know, is my success, it's just as much him as me, and I'm going to need him there. Now how the hell that will work given she's got her own production company…"

"Oh, I already know," Lou said with a shrug. Zondra turned to her, wide-eyed. "He's going to be a special consultant, get her to hire his proteges, and get the grants he would have gotten to lower costs."

"Then his TV production company goes up in smoke," Zondra said, as it all dawned on her. "We've got to-"

"Do nothing," Lou said, grabbing Zondra's arm before Zondra ran after Chuck or called him. "You saw that look in his eye, he's going to do what he's going to do."

"Damn it," Zondra swore. "This is not what I wanted to happen." Zondra was silent for a moment. "Today she told me to protect him because this business will eat him up."

"My two cents, let him do what he's going to do," Lou told her. "If you're on the show with him, you can keep an eye on him." Zondra nodded. "He'll make sure you get to have your dream, and Sarah's."

"Yeah, but are we costing him his?" Zondra asked.

"Make sure he gets to keep his," Lou told her.

}o{

The next morning found Chuck at the studio he was told to be at. Credentials were waiting for him, and as he was led to a stage. He looked around, excited. Zondra was on stage acting with some guy Chuck didn't recognize. Sarah was off to the side along with another man watching them.

"You, Bartowski?" The guy yelled. Chuck pointed to himself. "Yeah, you?"

"Yes, that's me, I'm Bartowski…I am. Who are you?"

"Langston Graham," he barked. "Take that audio board."

"Audio board?" Chuck said, confused. That wasn't what he thought he was being hired for, and he was sure there was something union-wise…the tall man was glaring at him, and Chuck slid into the seat before anything else was said. Sarah hadn't even seemed to notice him.

Chuck looked at the board, and was surprised at the similarities to the one he had at work. Chuck got lost in the scene and making sure he was doing his job properly. The scene finished, Sarah thanked the man that was acting with Zondra and he left.

"You did good," came a deep voice behind him, and Chuck spun, seeing Langston Graham. "Sorry about that, but sometimes shit blows up and I needed to see what you can do. I'm the Executive Producer, but if I'm honest, I'm more a Line Producer."

"So you're the guy in charge of the budget?" Chuck asked. Langston nodded, a grimace on his face. "What if I can help with that?" Langston gave him a speculative look. Chuck reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Graham.

"What is this?" Graham asked. "Is this…" he looked up at Chuck. "What is this?"

"It's a grant," Chuck told Graham. "As you know the city is trying to increase the hiring of minorities. You already have a very diversified group assembled, I have a few people I have been working with on my show, and I was preparing to submit the grant to start my own production company. All I have to do is change a few things, and we can submit it for Paussie Productions. I can't guarantee we'll get it but…"

"Why would you do that?" Graham asked. Chuck looked past Graham at the two women on the stage.

"One of those women is my best friend, the other…the other helped a little girl when she didn't have to. One of those women helped me in some of my worst situations, the other, has given me a shot to spread my wings and see if I can do this." Graham gave Chuck a long look. "And, I don't need to be a spy to figure out that this is very important to Sarah for some reason that I don't understand, and I don't have to, but if I'm going to be a part of this, then I am all in. The only thing I ask is the two women I'm working with to become producers get hired."

Graham stared at Chuck. "Walker," he yelled, never taking his eyes off of Chuck. Sarah turned to Graham. "I think we found the executive producer we needed." Graham held his hand out and Chuck shook it. "Welcome aboard," he said to Chuck.

"Thank you," Chuck told him. "I'll rewrite this, give to you to proofread and then submit it." Graham nodded and walked off. Chuck turned toward Zondra and Sarah who were both beaming. Chuck watched Sarah, and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Welcome to the family, Chuck," Sarah said. With that, she turned and headed to her office. Zondra watched Sarah turned away, and then slowly spun toward Chuck, grinning.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Zondra told him. "So, let me show you where your office is."

"I have an office already? But what if Graham didn't like me?"

Zondra laughed. "Chuck, he really had no choice."

"Oh," Chuck muttered, a little disappointed.

"But he did, so….that's what counts, come on."

A/N: Huh…Chuck being Chuck…next time:

"What's wrong?" Kayla asked.

"What's wrong, Zondra," Sarah parroted. The door pushed open with no knock this time. Sarah turned and her face went stony. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

"Nicholas Quinn sent me, said you need a leading man, and here I am."

"Good God," Graham muttered.

"Quinn isn't saying…" Sarah began.

Cole gave her a half smirk. "Looks like it. We're back together."

*in sarcastic flat voice* Oh, no, David. It's angst, whatever shall me do….*rolls eyes* It's me, it's some drama, it's fine. Trust me. It's fine…right?