A/N: Chuck's gonna Chuck.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

The camera cuts to Sarah Walker in the interview chair. She has a wry smile on her face. "You know how you meet people, and you just know that they have a filter, but then there's someone you meet that you think, this is just who this person is. That's what I thought when I met Chuck." She grinned. "Well, to be honest, when I actually met him, I thought he was a bit of a dag, and I instantly thought how much fun he would be to be around."

She shook her head. "Was I a dipstick. Chuck did have a filter, and after that weekend with him, the filter was gone. He was full on. Full. On." She sighed and chuckled. "And I was not ready. I reckon no one would be."

}o{

The camera cuts to Chuck sitting in the interview chair, grinning. "I love how when she thinks back to our beginnings, she still gets flustered and slips in some of her Australian sayings. It's so adorable."

}o{

Monday had not started out great at all. Normally Monday was read-through day, but Arik's availability was limited this week. He and Tristin were shooting their scene, without a read-through and Arik was very tense. Everyone was there early and of course that was the morning the coffee maker crapped out on craft services.

Sarah was sitting beside Gertrude watching Arik and Tristin. Sarah swore she saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned. She blinked as she noticed Zondra grinning, holding two carriers of drinks, and Chuck holding one, handing out drinks to the crew. Zondra chuckled silently as Sarah turned back to watch the actors in front of her.

A few minutes later, she felt someone lightly tap her on the shoulder, and looked over to see Chuck standing there, a drink in his hand for her. She took it, gave him a look, and tasted it. She gave him an appreciate smile as she tasted the hot tea just the way she liked it. Chuck went over to Gertrude, and handed her a drink as well. He headed off, with Zondra, who was fighting laughter.

"Why the hell is Chuck handing out drinks?" Sarah asked during a reset of the cast.

"Sarah, leave him alone," Gertrude told her. "It's who he is."

"Yeah, but we literally have people to do that," Sarah argued.

"Correct, you have Chuck Bartowski that will do anything to help you," Gertrude reminded her. "He has nothing going on today because of this shooting change. Do you think he's going to stand around and watch other hand out coffee and tea when craft services can keep making it?" Sarah blew out a breath. "It's who he is."

"I know," Sarah admitted. "I know."

}o{

The camera goes back to Sarah sitting in the interview chair. "Fine, he was helping out. I could deal with that. I thought I had made it through the Chuck Bartowski introduction to Chuck." Sarah paused a second. "I was wrong."

}o{

"The thing is, it doesn't matter what anyone says," Sarah heard Arik say as she walked by one of the craft service tables where Chuck, Arik, Zondra, and a cameraman named Jake were standing. "If you wanna be the little spoon, you be the little spoon." Sarah blinked hearing that. Zondra glanced over at Sarah and just grinned.

"I get it, we're men, but it doesn't mean we don't want to be held, protected, and honestly, sometimes it just feels nice," Arik continued. "Don't you agree Chuck?"

"I do," Chuck agreed. Sarah just blinked again. "In fact, I'll tell you, I have been the little spoon many times."

"Don't I know it," Zondra muttered, intentionally loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone looked at her. "You gonna tell the story, or me."

"I was in a bad place," Chuck began.

"It was when he caught Kayla cheating on him," Zondra cut in. "I got a text from Morgan telling me I needed to tag in."

"Wait," Jake said. "Is Morgan a guy or a girl?" He was silent for a moment. "Not that it matters either way."

"He is a guy," Chuck said. "There had been a lot of mint chocolate chip ice cream eaten, there was some Johnny Walker, neither of us had drank, although he had drank a lot of grape soda."

"Are you talking code for wine?" Jake asked.

"No, Morgan drinks grape soda, and after too much…it does funny things to him," Chuck explained. "He's my heterosexual life partner." Sarah blinked a third time, and Zondra nearly lost it seeing that.

"So your…friend?" Jake began and Chuck nodded. "Held you all night and then…she," Jake said, pointing at Zondra. "Came over and held you?" Chuck nodded. "Because you lost your girlfriend?" Chuck nodded again. Jake began to tear up. "Man that's beautiful."

"It is," Arik said, clapping Jake on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Why aren't we allowed to be vulnerable? Why aren't we allowed to be snuggled against? Why can't we be the one to lay our head on their shoulder?"

"We can," Chuck said. "We just have to be with someone who loves us, trusts us, and accepts us for who we are."

"Do you know how hard that is?" Jake asked the group.

"It shouldn't be," Zondra agreed. "So what are you gonna do about it, Jake?"

"I'm gonna go home tonight, and ask my wife if I can be the little spoon," Jake said. "Thanks guys," and with that he left.

"Think she'll cuddle with him?" Arik asked.

"Don't know, I hope so," Chuck told Arik.

Chuck and Arik walked away as Zondra headed in the opposite direction toward Sarah. "How do you feel about being the big spoon?"

"With the right person I think I would enjoy it," Sarah replied. Zondra winked at Sarah and kept walking. "Crikey," Sarah muttered to herself.

}o{

The camera cuts to Sarah sitting in the interveiw chair. "The man lost his dad just over thirty-six hours ago, and instead of pulling into his shell, he goes even more Chuck. It's almost like he knew that not only he had knocked down my walls, but he was on the verge of making sure I could never lift them again where he was concerned." She sat there, and looked a little irritated. A slow smile covered her face. She bounced one shoulder. "Jokes on him. The walls were already shattered."

}o{

Sarah was sitting at a back table, eating lunch when she heard someone clear his throat behind her. She turned around and grinned at Chuck. "May I join you?"

"Absolutely," she told him. Chuck sat down and arranged his silverwear. "You know today you could have gone and done anything you needed about your dad," she said in a low voice.

"It's all taken care of for now," Chuck told her. "If something comes up I'll try and take care of it in the evening." She started to protest when he cut her off. "Sarah, if I need to take care of something and I can't in the evening I will let you know." She nodded and went back to eating.

There was quiet for a moment and she fought off the smile when he spoke. "So, are you a person that wants to eat in silence, because if you do, I will shut up." She never answered, just looked at him, grinning, while taking a bite of green beans. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but I am going to have to take your non-response as that you want to eat in silence."

He started to eat as she began to chuckle. After a few minutes she was laughing out loud. "Chuck, I would love to talk to you, is there anything in particular you'd like to talk about?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it," he said, lying down his fork, making her laugh again. "I know we talked about this some on the podcast, but how did you handle being Polish and being around Australian food and the culture?"

Sarah was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well, a lot of things I learned to cook, since mom and dad taught me, were Polish. And a lot of phrases I learned were from mom and dad, but as I met others in Australia, I picked up that slang as well."

"Interesting," Chuck said, opening his messenger bag and looking inside. He looked back at Sarah and then back at the bag. "So, I'm not sure if I should give this to you or not…"

"Chuckkkk, what did you do?" Sarah asked.

"Zondra did warn you," Chuck said in a sing-song voice pulling out a package from his bag and thrusting it at her.

"Oh my God, Tim Tams!" Sarah exclaimed. "You got me a pressie!" She shut her eyes for a second. "See, I got so excited I slipped and used Australian slang."

"I just want to thank you for being comfortable around me and using it," Chuck told her. Sarah sat there a moment, unable to speak, the words Carina said to her, played through her brain.

He's going to thank you for allowing him to be in that moment.

"Sarah?" Chuck said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Did I do or say something wrong?"

"No," Sarah said softly. "No you didn't. Thank you, Chuck, for letting me be myself."

"My pleasure," Chuck told her. "So is that something that is typical in Australia? Shorting words."

"Yes," Sarah told him. "Like breakfast, we call brekky."

"Huh, interesting," Chuck hummed. "The word breakfast is a strange word already." Sarah tilted her head. "See, breakfast, is literally the first meal you eat a day, no matter what time it is, because the word literally means, you are breaking your fast."

"I didn't know that," Sarah told him. "Huh, I had never really thought about that."

"Then you have supper and dinner. To sup or to dine," Chuck continued.

"Fascinating," Sarah said, unable to stop grinning as she ate her green beans.

"And then lunch…well, it's just out of control. You have the formal luncheon, and may believe lunch is simply a shorter word for luncheon, but in the sixteenth century, lunch meant a thick slice, or hunk."

"Why do you know all of this?" Sarah asked.

"Sometimes when I'm having a bad anxiety attack, that won't quit, I look up words and how we got them, to try and distract my brain. Sometimes it works." Chuck's face grew somber. "Sometimes."

Sarah reached over and placed her hand on top of his. "I mean, you also have learned information to use at a dinner party so that could ease that potential anxiety."

"Eh, then I have anxiety that people think I'm an idiot," Chuck said with a shrug.

"Do you think I think you're an idiot?" Sarah asked.

"No," Chuck replied. She nodded at him. "I think you think I'm a dipstick." Sarah burst out laughing, realizing he had learned that common Australian slang on purpose. She began to correct him when he continued, his voice lowered. "And maybe you do, but I kinda feel like you like me in spite of it, or maybe because of it. Of course I could be wrong." He shrugged.

"You're not wrong," she told him. "I mean, I do like you, but I don't think you're a dipstick, a bit of a dag, but not a dipstick."

"Dag, that's nerd, right?" Chuck asked. She nodded. "Score!" he said, making her laugh. "So, how come you didn't tell me that some of these slang words include my name?" Sarah smiled at him. "I mean, chuck a sickie, or chuck a wobbly?"

Sarah snickered. "I don't see you as one who would call in sick when you're not," Sarah began.

Chuck looked around and leaned in. "If the right video game was being released…" he sat back and spread his hands as if to say what-do-you-do?

Sarah snorted. "And you're really not one to throw a fit," she finished. "That's why I never said anything. Chuck basically means to throw in all of those definitions, and I wouldn't want to throw you."

"And what would you want to do with me?" Chuck asked.

"The exact opposite, keep you near," she blurted out. Chuck broke out into a grin with that.

"You know, before he went….how he went," Chuck began. "Dad would always say someone is aces when they are the best. I think you're aces Sarah Walker."

"Well, in Australian vernacular, we just say ace, so you, Chuck Bartowksi are ace." The two smiled at each other. Sarah started to say something else when Graham walked up, needing to talk about production. Chuck sat there watching and listening, thinking he had gained so much the past few days. Maybe Cole was right. Maybe he needed to listen to his heart.

}o{

The camera cut back to Sarah sitting in the interview chair. "I mean, seriously, what was I supposed to do with all of that?" She sat back and shook her head. "And then…then he doubled down and got serious."

A/N: To any Australian, if I have used a phrase incorrectly, I apologize. I did all the research I could, but I do understand I might have goofed something up.

Next time:

"Hey, I need to ask you something, and it's okay if you say no, okay?"

Sarah nodded, wondering what he was about to ask.

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

She couldn't form words. He was asking her out. She was excited, scared, wanted to scream "YES!" at the top of her lungs, but also be all cool and collective, because she didn't want to appear as eager as she was. He was ready. She was ready to dance she was so happy. He was ready!

Wait….is that what's happening? *shrugs*