A/N: This one is slower than any I've ever done, but spoiler, you know they're together. So, what now?

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

The camera comes back to the interview area, this time with only Chuck sitting there. "My mind does something weird around Sarah. As much as I'm in awe of her, since that moment on the beach…I do the most unexpected thing. Although, maybe it's not, maybe when I'm nervous I do run on at the mouth and-" The sound of someone clearing their throat off camera makes Chuck stop and look a bit bashful.

"Ahem, anyway," Chuck continues, red on his cheeks. "When I'm around her, I just say things, like the whole Grand Canyon thing. And then…it's so weird. You know how I told you earlier my anxiety is such a bully? Well, with her, it does something really special. It actually leaves me alone when I think she might like me."

"Really?" came the surprised voice of the producer.

"Not always," Chuck admitted. "But, most of the time." He swallowed and shook his head, irritation on his face. "My anxiety says, yeah, she does like me, and cares for me, but what in the hell is she gonna do when I freak out over this and that. What about when she kisses someone on-screen…or a sex scene?"

Chuck is silent for a moment, and then he grins. "But, the thing about the brain is, sometimes, you can fool it, and sometimes, when you have someone that loves you, and is there for you, you can fight it. It's not always easy, but it's worth it." A smile grows across Chuck's face. "It is SO worth it."

}o{

"I-I didn't invite her like that!" Chuck said to Ellie. "I work for her, and I'm sure there's someone in her life-"

"Nope, no one," Sarah chirped.

Chuck stopped talking to Ellie and turned to Sarah. He was stunned, and couldn't hide a bit of what he was feeling on his face. "Are men just stupid or what?" he asked softly, but loud enough for both women to hear. Sarah's eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry, that just came out and-"

"Maybe it's me," Sarah said quickly to stop him from spiraling.

"Pffth," Chuck replied. Ellie was watching awe, but it was like the other two didn't even know she was there. "Maybe it's them and they are jealous of you. The person who will interrupt her busy schedule to help out a little girl that needed someone. The person who thought of someone she didn't know for a part in a movie, but recognized her talent and went to bat for her. The person who went out to a beach to talk to someone she really didn't know…at that time."

"At that time," Sarah parroted, nodding.

"Maybe men are so awestruck by you, men are so taken aback by how absolutely wonderful you are…maybe it's them."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something when the apartment door whisked opened, and Zondra walked in, looking at her phone and typing something. She shut the door behind her and headed to Chuck's kitchen. Sarah turned to Chuck, and eyebrow lifted and amusement on her face. "She's like that," Chuck said with a shrug. "She thinks what's mine is hers. She's kinda like the female Morgan."

"I have the better ass," Zondra replied, never looking up from her phone, while opening the refrigeration door.

"I mean, obviously," Chuck bantered back. "You're going for that low hanging fruit, comparing your ass to Morgan's?"

"You referring to my ass as low hanging fruit?" Zondra asked, putting her phone in her pocket as she pulled a beer out of the fridge.

"I'm not touching that," Chuck muttered, grinning as he watched Sarah chuckling at their shenanigans.

"Again, are you talking about my ass?" Zondra asked as she turned and took in the scene in front of her. She opened the beer, took a pull, and set it on island counter in the kitchen. "Okay, it's obvious I missed something here." She looked at Ellie. "What did I miss?"

"Sarah found out about Chuck's closet, and his real estate investments. He invited her to his place in the Grand Canyon, called men stupid for her being single, and began to list all the reasons why she is wonderful and men are probably intimidated by her," Ellie answered.

Zondra thought for a second, her head bouncing as she did. "That checks out," she said with a nod. "That's who Chuck Bartowski is, Sar. Welcome to the shit show."

"Why are you?" Chuck asked, shaking his head.

"Come on, you know deep down…no, wait, that's too deep." Sarah giggled at that, and Zondra couldn't help the grin. "Yeah, right there, you find me moderately tolerable."

"Yes, Z, I love you," Chuck said sighing, and walking over to his couch and plopping on it. "Is there a reason you have all descended on me to torment me?"

"Why, are we interrupting your brain tormenting you?" Zondra asked, walking over to the far chair and taking a seat. Ellie, not subtly at all, sat in the other seat, leaving the only other place to sit in the living room, next to Chuck, on the couch.

"Yes, I had a good pity party scheduled at 8:45 and now you've just ruined it," he replied. Sarah had come to the edge of the couch, looking unsure of what to do.

"Have a seat, Sar, Ellie and I do this to him once a week or so," Zondra told her.

"Torment me unmercifully?" Chuck offered.

"No, spend time with you, you nitwit," Ellie said, slapping his shoulder. "If we don't, you get so consumed in work…" Ellie trailed off and spread her hands.

"I get that," Sarah said. Chuck looked over at her. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my characters. Even after the scene, I'm thinking of the next one, and how to properly tell the story of the character, the story she deserves."

"It's why you're as good as you are," Chuck told her. "And again, goes back to what I said before Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum started in, I gotta believe a lot of men…that scares the shit out of them."

"I have to be Tweedle Dum," Zondra told Ellie. "You're a freaking brain surgeon."

"Only if you tell us what you've done," Ellie replied.

"Right, the whole point of us being here, you're not on Tik Tok anymore are you?" Zondra asked Chuck. Chuck gave her the flattest look she thought she had ever seen. "Again, that checks out." Zondra blew out a breath, and handed Chuck her phone. "Hit play."

"Oh God," he muttered, seeing who's profile Zondra was on. He watched the video, and had a sad smile on his face. "That was really sweet."

"Look at the comments," Zondra told him.

"It can't be…that…" he trailed off, scrolling through the comments. "Oh my God, this is a disaster."

"I figured out how to fix it," Zondra began.

"Why the hell would I ever give her another chance?" Chuck asked, looking up. He locked eyes with Sarah. "She hurt me. She made my mind think things that were worse than ever, and…." He shook his head, blew out a frustrated breath, and dropped his head. Ellie began to move to physically comfort her brother, but before she could, Sarah had slid over next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, while rubbing the near bicep with her other hand.

"You shouldn't," Sarah told him. "And you know Zondra doesn't want you to do any kind of dating or fake dating with her."

"Absolutely not," Zondra said, watching Chuck and Sarah. She caught Ellie's eye and nearly burst out laughing. Ellie's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets as she kept glancing at Chuck and Sarah and back to Zondra. "We'll have her on the podcast." Chuck lifted his head, gave Sarah a thankful smile, and looked over at Zondra. "She has no want to date you Chuck. By going on the podcast she can talk and you can talk and everyone will see that there is nothing between you."

"I don't know," Chuck began.

"Carina and I will be there with you on the podcast," Zondra reminded her.

"And I'll be there," Ellie added. Chuck looked over at her and gave her a nod of thanks.

"And so will I," Sarah blurted out. Chuck turned back to her, surprised. "I mean…that is…if you want me to."

"You're really busy," he began.

"This is more important," she told him.

"Thank you, I'd like that," he said softly. Everyone sat there a second, quietly for a moment. "I'm sorry that I'm-"

"Do. NOT. Complete that sentence, Chuck," Zondra said. Sarah pulled her arm off of his shoulders, realizing she had it around him for too long to look comforting. It looked more like she wanted to have it around his shoulders…which she did. Chuck was silent as Zondra continued. "We," she said, gesturing to the three people in the room. "Know who you are, and sometimes that bastard in your head gets to you…and it's tough to watch. But know this, Curls. We love you…at least Ellie and I do, like a brother, I don't want to speak for Sarah, but I do know I've known her long enough to know she likes you as a friend and will go to bat for you."

"Zondra is right," Sarah added. Chuck nodded.

"Okay, he wants time alone," Ellie said, slapping her hands on her knees and standing.

"Yeah," Zondra said, standing. "This is where I'm not good enough to hold him as he cries himself to sleep."

"It was one time," Chuck argued, grinning at her.

"He clung soooo tight," Zondra told Sarah.

"I hate you," Chuck muttered. Zondra walked over, leaned down, grabbed his face with both hands, looked him in the eye, and kissed him on the forehead tenderly.

"I've always got you," she said softly.

"I know," Chuck replied, reaching up and pulling her in for a hug as she squealed. "She loves this," Chuck told Sarah, who was laughing uproariously.

"Let me go, nerd!" she yelled, but squeezed him tight, not trying to get away. They let go, Chuck and Sarah stood, and Ellie came over and wrapped Chuck in a hug. Ellie let go, and Chuck turned around, not sure what to do to Sarah. A head nod….high five…hand shake….kiss her until he couldn't smell numbers….what he didn't expect was while his mind was trying to figure out what the right move was, was for her to wrap her arms around him and hug him tight.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Sure," he replied, as they pulled apart.

"If not, call me….or Z-"

"Nope, call Sarah, I'm going to bed," Zondra said, turning and heading toward the door.

"I have a twelve hour shift," Ellie added, following Zondra out.

"They're subtle as a chainsaw to the face," Chuck muttered. Sarah winced at that. He looked down at her. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier, I-"

"That may have been the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me, Chuck," Sarah said, cutting him off. "Thank you. And I think you might be right, men are intimidated about me."

"Have you met you?" Chuck asked softly, making her chuckle.

"Zondra's right, I do find I care about you, and I hope I have the honor of being one of your friends. Not just work friends, but real life friends."

"I can do that," Chuck replied, grinning. "On a serious topic, tomorrow…"

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day so if you need to tap out at some point, just use the word pineapple," Sarah told him.

"What if I sing the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song?" Sarah gave him a strange look. "Oooooooohhhhhhh, who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS!"

Sarah burst out into laughter. "I'm afraid I don't know that one, but whatever. Or just text me the pineapple emoji."

"I promise, I won't if I don't have to," Chuck told her.

She took his hand and squeezed it. "Take care of you, Chuck." She looked him right in the eyes as she said it and it took everything in him not to shiver. "I need to go, Ellie's my ride."

"Yeah, she gets grumpy when she has to wait," Chuck quipped. Sarah chuckled. "See you tomorrow."

"See you, tomorrow…Chuck." And with that, she was going. Chuck walked to the door and looked down the hallway, watching her leave. When she got to the elevator, she turned back, saw him, grinned and waved. Chuck returned the wave. The doors opened, she stepped into the elevator, and hit the ground floor button. The door closed and she nearly collapsed. "Friends….crikey."

}o{

The camera shifts back to Sarah, sitting in the interview chair, mirth on her face. "Friends," she muttered, and then she burst out laughing. "God, what a joke." She shook her head, chuckling. She looked directly into the camera. "One day…one full day with him…" she shook her head. "I was in love," she admitted softly. "I was in love with Chuck Bartowski and I didn't know what to do about it." She chuckles. "Thankfully we both figured it out."

A/N: …..I mean it's me, what did you expect? Next time:

Langston was quiet for a moment. "We both know that's not what I mean." Sarah turned to Langston, shock on her face. "Sarah…"

"Langston, don't," she said softly. "We both know my world would swallow him whole."

"Huh, I didn't hear you say that you weren't interested."

Oh will you look at that, even Langston knows what's up. And don't worry my friends, we haven't forgotten about Cole. He will be dealt with….a lot sooner than you think. Check back next time, same Chuck time, same Chuck channel.