A/N: Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter. Some were a bit worried about this new ability Chuck demonstrated. All I'll say is that neither of them will abuse that ability, but will also use it sparingly because it could give them away.

Thanks, as always, to Captainrick944 for the beta.

This chapter is a rewrite of ""Chuck Versus the Break-Up," the third episode of Season 2.


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Chapter 14: Hazed


Sarah lay in bed cursing Bryce Larkin. His presence, always unwelcome now, had not only spoiled their evening out but had also ruined their sleep. It seemed that he had that effect on Chuck Bartowski.

Despite the fantastic sex the two of them had before going to sleep, Chuck had been restless all night. It had woken Sarah. Sometimes she loved 'seeing' his dreams, but not tonight. These were not happy dreams. In every one of them, she left Chuck to go off with Bryce. The one of Chuck walking on them having sex disturbed her the most. She'd woken him from that one. He was sobbing in his sleep, and it had taken quite a while for her to bring him out of it. She found that she was crying as well after that one. Bryce Larkin was lucky not to be anywhere near her at that point, or he wouldn't be alive now.

Chuck eventually went to sleep with his head resting on her breasts. There was nothing sexual about it, just her comforting the man she loved.

She couldn't get back to sleep. She had to do something about this and was wracking her brain to find what that was.

She knew that it was his in-built insecurities causing this. That had started with his parents both leaving him, but the double blow from Bryce and Jill at Stanford had made it so much worse. Sarah herself being with Bryce before she met Chuck clearly added to it. Overlayed on top of all that was that he hadn't made anything of himself after college. He felt inadequate in his career, in his attractiveness, and even in his sexual abilities. The latter galled her. He knew how she felt about him. She was sharing all of that, but he still doubted himself.

There was one thing she was going to tackle. One of his thoughts before going back to sleep after that last nightmare haunted her. He tried to suppress it, but she'd seen it. He was convincing himself that she only enjoyed sex with him because of their mind link. He thought that it was her experiencing sex from both their perspectives that made it the best for her, and if they lost that, she would leave him instantly, probably going back to Bryce. That upset her so much. She loved him. Even if they stopped having any sex, she still would, and she planned to stay with him forever. She had managed not to sob as he lay on her, but the tears still came. She knew exactly what she was going to do to start dispelling this concept from his head. She looked over at the alarm clock. She would wake him in five minutes for that.

She hoped Bryce's mission would be a quick one and he would soon be gone because his presence was a constant thorn in Chuck's side and fueled those insecurities that she wanted to remove. How to ensure they were kept at bay was a challenge because they were part of him, really.

Well, first step. She kissed his head and softly said, "Chuck, my love, You need to wake up."

It was telling that he did wake quickly. He was obviously sleeping lightly. "What is it?" he asked.

"I want to talk to you, my love," she said as she caressed his face.

He lifted his head off her. She felt the loss. He read that in her mind, which made him smile. He supported his head as he faced her. "I'm all ears… and thoughts."

She chuckled at that, but this was a serious topic, so she schooled her face and her thoughts. "Your insecurities stopped you from sleeping last night," she started.

He looked down, avoiding her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sarah."

She shifted. If he was going to look down, he was going to have to look at her naked body, which she knew pleased him, but she pulled his chin up so that he had to look at her face. "I don't care about my loss of sleep, Chuck. I want to tackle these insecurities."

"I am a mass of them, Sarah. Take them away, and there won't be anything left!"

His self-deprecation was another thing to tackle. "That's crap, and you know it!" She didn't mean to snap and got herself under control again. "Sorry, Chuck. I think you are amazing in so many ways, but believing in yourself is certainly not one of them."

He laughed a bit at that.

"I saw your dreams of me leaving with Bryce, which upset me. I would have to be dragged away, or I would need to be dead before I would ever leave you. You are my everything, Chuck." She couldn't stop the tears forming as she said this. She never wanted to be apart from him.

He brushed the tears from her cheeks. "I know, Sarah. I feel the same."

She continued, "The dream about me having sex with Bryce upset me the most, but the thought that you tried to suppress was even worse. The mind link does make our lovemaking unbelievably great, but sex with you would still be great without it. I want to prove that."

He had been looking horrified at what she had seen and was wondering if he could suppress his dreams somehow, which was ridiculous as you have no control when asleep. However, her final words took him by surprise. "How?" he asked.

She knew he could have read it in her thoughts but was wanting to hear it. She smiled at him. "Simple. I will block out your thoughts. That way, my pleasure will just come from what I experience." She held his gaze and added, "What you do to me, Chuck."

She saw that the thought excited him. "You have to be totally in control, Chuck, and no projecting your thoughts or commands. Just make love to me… as you." She was getting excited at the thought.

He leaned over and wrapped his lips around her left nipple. She gasped, not expecting that. He pushed her gently onto her back as he continued. She put her barriers up as his thoughts started creeping into her head. She loved what he thought of her body, but that wasn't appropriate right now. The sensation of what he was doing was wonderful in itself.

As he trailed kisses down her body, she knew that what he was about to do might make her lose control of that barrier, but she wasn't going to stop him.

She gasped as he reached his destination. 'God, he is so good at this!'

He brought her to a wonderful climax before sliding up her body again. He captured her mouth and kissed her deeply. She responded breathlessly. He normally gave her time to get her breath back, but he was on a mission here.

Focusing on their passionate kissing allowed her body to recover, though. Then, He eased in. She gasped. It was wonderful! She climaxed twice before he did.

As he rolled off her, she just lay there in a euphoric haze. Somehow she had managed to block his thoughts out throughout. She was definitely right about it being the best she had ever experienced other than when the link was established. If fact, there was something new and exciting about it. "Wow! I can tell you that nothing with Bryce was as good as that!"

He smiled. "I read those thoughts, Sarah. Thank you."

She chuckled. "I didn't do anything! That was all you, Chuck."

She rolled over to look at him. "Not reading your mind meant that everything was a thrill, as I didn't know what you were going to do."

He grinned at that. She 'saw' that he enjoyed knowing her thoughts. She caressed his face. "You should try it. It is amazing."

"Now?" he asked.

She hadn't expected that. But It excited her again. "Please!"

He smiled and asked, "Both of us blocking?"

"Yep," she replied. "Different position, though." She showed him what she meant. It wasn't long before they both were gasping and then they finished together. It was fantastic.

They lay next to each other after that. She was holding his hand tightly. "Something to add to our repertoire, Chuck."

He lay there amazed at how wonderful it had been. "I knew that making love to you would be amazing, but just got so wrapped up in how it was so different for us with the link."

"That is fantastic, Chuck, but we don't need it." She looked at him. "Do you believe me now?"

"I do, Sarah. I will still feel inadequate around Bryce, but not about this. I love you so much, Sarah."

She rolled onto him. "I love you too, Chuck. Not just for the best sex ever, but I do love that," she teased.

He chuckled and pulled her down for a more tender kiss that expressed how they felt about each other.


As they sat to eat breakfast together, Ellie complained about being woken by the two of them.

"You know I've had years of that from you two," Chuck pointed out.

Sarah was embarrassed, though. It just confirmed the need to find a place of their own when they had time.

Now, the two of them were in Castle with Casey, waiting for the briefing from the general.

"Any idea where Bryce is?" Chuck asked.

Neither agent did, but Casey looked at Sarah. "He probably wants a roll in the hay with you."

"Not happening," she coldly replied.

Beckman appeared on the monitor. "There's a new mission. The Fulcrum threat is far worse than it originally appeared. We've learned one of their agents stole an encrypted microchip containing top-secret information out of the DNI. The information on the chip contained highly classified intelligence. A refresh for the new Intersect."

Sarah asked the question on all their minds, "Is there anything on that chip that could compromise our cover?"

Beckman replied, "Unfortunately, yes. Agent Larkin has learned that Fulcrum hired Von Hayes, a wealthy software magnet, to decrypt the chip and deliver the encoded information back to them. Mr. Hayes is throwing a lavish party at his Bel Air estate this evening. The finest dining, music, and food. Your job will be to pose as a married couple and steal back the chip."

Chuck smiled. "See? This is what I'm talking about, General. Finally, a mission I can sink my teeth into. Dust off the tux, polish up the dancing shoes..."

Beckman cut him off. "No, Chuck. This mission is going to require a real spy."

'Oh, shit!' Sarah thought, knowing what that meant.

Chuck knew exactly who Beckman meant, too, and sure enough, the door at the top of the stairs opened and Bryce walked in. "Sorry I'm late. L.A. traffic's still the worst."

Beckman continued, "Bryce will be posing as Sarah's husband. Chuck, you'll be posing as a waiter. Try and flash on and identify the Fulcrum agent."

Bryce sat beside Sarah and slipped a wedding ring onto her finger. "Well, Mrs. Anderson…"

Sarah just glared at him. This was not the ring she wanted on that finger. Fortunately, Chuck read that in her mind. 'That reminds me. I need to get to some jewelry stores,' he thought.

She smiled at him for saying and thought, 'Yes!' That made Chuck's eyes light up as much as hers and left Bryce confused at what was going on.

As soon as the briefing ended, however, Sarah walked out as her mood had soured again.

"Catch you upstairs," Bryce called out.

Sarah muttered something which they didn't hear. Chuck read her mind, though. He had to stop himself from laughing. 'Not if I catch you with one of my knives first.'

Chuck knew this had upset his girlfriend. It ought to have upset him, but he was slipping into 'protect Sarah' mode. Her comment made him think, though.

"So, Chuck. Done any waitering before?" Bryce asked.

Chuck looked at the person he used to see as his nemesis. He read the guy's mind. Bryce actually thought this was acceptable small talk. Chuck also saw his desire for Sarah and how he was trying to think of a way to entice her away from Chuck. "Not much," Chuck replied. "Not needed where Sarah and I spend our evenings. There's not much call for it in bed."

He knew it was petty, but Bryce just triggered that in him. Casey's snort of approval made him feel better. Bryce just sat with his confused expression. He really couldn't see how Sarah would prefer to be with Chuck. \however, it did make him more determined to separate them. He planned to do that at the party.

Chuck really didn't want Bryce doing anything, so it firmed up his mind.

"Heading back to the Buy More?" Casey asked.

"In a bit," Chuck replied, but he followed the older man up the stairs.

"You know Walker's not interested in him anymore, don't you?" Casey asked as they walked through the freezer.

"I do," Chuck replied. "But thanks for the reminder."

Sarah wasn't in the yogurt shop, but Chuck knew where she would be.

He slipped into the passenger seat of the Porsche.

Sarah was fuming. "I hate him!"

"I'm thinking of taking him out of the running for the mission," Chuck told her.

Her head whipped around, and she read his mind. A huge smile grew on her face. "Would she do it?"

"She hates him more than you do," he replied.

"Can we get her to do it quickly enough?"

He grinned. "Already called her. It seems you want to talk to her about something."

She grinned. "Well, you did promise to go ring hunting."

That caught him by surprise, and he almost choked. "Would you?"

She placed her palm on his cheek. "I was serious downstairs. I would say that." She should feel nervous about this, but she wasn't. She was absolutely sure about wanting this.

He frowned. "Not sure I have enough money to buy you a ring that's good enough."

She leaned over and kissed him. "I don't need a ring. I just need you."

He loved this woman. "She'll be here soon. Might be worth calling Bryce up to the Orange Orange to meet his destiny."

She laughed and got out of the car.


Bryce almost immediately started talking to her and obviously wanting things to be how they used to be between them. She was making sure they stayed on opposite sides of the counter.

"The company really knows how to put you into a cute outfit," he said.

She was focused on cleaning the surfaces. "We're not undercover yet, Bryce."

He took the bait perfectly and leaned across the counter. Sarah had noticed who was approaching the yogurt shop, so this was perfect. "Well, you can't be too careful. You never know who's watching, Mrs. Anderson."

She glared at him, knowing that would be visible to the woman who would soon be entering. "Just to remind you about the Andersons, this is just a cover, nothing else," she hissed at him quietly enough that only he would hear, just as the door opened.

He leaned further and reached for her, wanting to change her mind with a kiss. She slapped his hand away just as the person behind approached the counter. "Get off me, Bryce!" she snapped.

"Bryce?" the woman gasped.

He turned around and faced a surprised Ellie Bartowski whose features morphed into a mixture of anger and hatred. Before he could react, she punched him in the face, and he fell to the ground. She followed it with a kick to his balls that was so hard that even Sarah winced.

The furious Bartowski stamped on his lower leg and Sarah heard a crack. "That's for what you did to my brother!"

After another kick, this time to his face, she added, "And that's for assaulting my friend."

Sarah rushed around to stop her friend from doing any more. She wrapped her arms around Ellie and hugged her. "Thank you, Ellie, but I don't want you getting into trouble."

Ellie came out of her fierce protector mode and realized what she'd done. Her hands covered her mouth. "Oh my God, Sarah!"

Sarah read her mind and said, "He won't report you. He's too proud to admit a woman beat him up."

Ellie stared at her. "How do you know him?"

Sarah blushed. She had to admit this. "He used to be my boyfriend."

Ellie looked shocked. "Does Chuck know?"

Sarah knew she needed to remove the recordings of this morning, but she also needed to reassure the woman who would become her sister-in-law soon.

She took the brunette over to one of the tables and sat her down, sitting opposite her.

"Chuck knows. We've talked about it."

"Are you over him?" Ellie asked, pointing at the prone man.

"Totally, and I'm totally in love with your brother. In fact, that was what I wanted to talk to you about."

Ellie frowned. "What?"

"Chuck proposed to me earlier, and I said yes. We just don't have a ring."

Ellie's eyes lit up, and her hands covered her mouth again. Sarah could see she was hyperventilating. "Breathe, Ellie. I don't want to lose you before you become my sister-in-law."

Ellie got up and rushed around the table. She pulled Sarah up and hugged her. "Oh my God, Sarah! I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you both!"

Sarah could feel Ellie's tears on her bare shoulder. She just hugged her, feeling tears of her own forming. "I can hardly believe it myself. I love him so much, Ellie."

Ellie pulled away. "We have to celebrate."

"Well, Chuck and I are going to a fancy function and dancing tonight, so maybe tomorrow night?"

Ellie looked at her. "Are you taking him dancing?"

Sarah nodded. "I can't wait, Ellie. I love dancing!" That was absolutely true.

"Let's call an ambulance for the man we discovered outside." Ellie, in a combination of protector and doctor modes, was strong. Sarah was impressed.

Sarah made sure there was nothing to incriminate her friend on him before the ambulance arrived.

"You shouldn't have moved him," the man said.

"He was by the bins round the back. I couldn't leave him there, so I dragged him in here," Sarah replied.

"And when I arrived, I called," Ellie said, sticking to what they had decided to say.

Sarah was impressed at how Ellie lied so easily. "I'll follow and make sure he's okay," the brunette told her.

Sarah knew that probably meant keeping him sedated. She nodded, and after all had left, she called Chuck to help with the recordings.


Beckman was angry that Bryce had apparently been attacked by three drunks and was no longer able to attend the function. However, she accepted it. "You are still going to need to flash, Chuck, just now while also being the husband."

He loved the idea of being Sarah's husband, and she shared that delight.

"Charles Carmichael," he told the general. He reached for Sarah's hand, which was still wearing that ring.

"And Sarah Carmichael." She added.

"Very well. Casey, you'll still be in the van."

Casey nodded.

"We'll be fine, General," Sarah tried to reassure her.

"You better be."

After Beckman abruptly ended the call, Chuck said, "And good luck to you all!"

"She never says that, Moron," Casey growled as he walked past.


Sarah dressed in front of Chuck, but he still caught his breath when she had the dress on.

She smiled. "You've seen me in fancy clothes before, Chuck."

"But you look so gorgeous in that salmon-colored dress, Sarah."

She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "I hoped you'd like it."

"Would you have worn that with Bryce?" He regretted asking as soon as it was out of his mouth. Her stormy eyes were scary.

"Probably, but I would still have been wearing it for you." Her mood lightened as she reached to do up his bow tie. "And for you to remove later."

"I don't want to go anymore," he quipped.

She gave him a kiss. "Just think about taking it off me as we pretend to be newlyweds."

"Will this be during mission sex?" he asked.

Her eyes definitely sparkled at the thought. "Don't tempt me, Chuck!"

Ellie had arrived home before they started to get ready. Bryce had been exactly like Sarah predicted. Ellie had sent Devon in to check on him when he woke.

She chuckled. "Apparently, he said, 'I don't know if it was three or four of them, but they overwhelmed me.' I'm quite proud that I was as much as three or four men."

Bryce had been released from the hospital and struggled down into Castle. Before they left, Beckman had changed the plan again. Now Bryce would be in the van, and Casey would go in to be a waiter. Casey didn't mind. "Might get some action," he said to Chuck later in the Buy More.

All in all, everyone seemed happy, apart from Bryce, who didn't seem to want to talk at all. The other three were happy with that, too.


The two of them were standing, sipping champagne, and eating crudities when the host appeared.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome!" Von Hayes said. "As you all know, today is my birthday." People clapped. "Thank you. I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm rich, handsome, an extraordinarily gifted lover…." That got the laugh he was hoping for. "… but, most importantly, I know how to throw one hell of a party. So, let's get it on, people!"

Casey was wandering around topping up drinks but couldn't really do much else.

'Did you get anything from Von Hayes,' Sarah asked Chuck as the music started.

'No. Not about the Fulcrum agent or where he has the information.'

'Guess we'll have to do that search, then,' she replied.

Chuck needed to concentrate on his dancing but did give her a throw-away comment. 'But no sex, right?'

She ignored that. It didn't deserve a reply. Besides, she was desperately trying not to think about it!

Their dance was the Lambada, known as the forbidden dance. Chuck was glad that his girlfriend had taught him this one, but also that he could read her mind to know what she would be doing.

Both were enjoying the dance but really just wanted to strip each other and have that sex he'd suggested. However, they tried to stay focused.

"Any security behind you?" he asked.

"No."

'I love dancing with you, Sarah,' Chuck thought. 'You're such a great dancer.'

She was loving the dance and was so glad it was with Chuck. 'You're pretty good too now, but you just want to get this dress off, don't you?'

'God, yes!' he replied.

She smiled. 'You will later,' she reminded him. She lifted her leg up his side. She wished that was now.

Sarah didn't need to say the next bit as she would have done with Bryce, another benefit of her partner. 'The cameras on the east and west walls cross for about two seconds.'

He looked. 'That's their blind spot?'

'Yeah,' she replied.

'Can we make it in time?'

'Sure. Follow my lead after we finish dancing.'

Then, she kissed him. He'd been getting so turned on, he responded instantly, his PDA aversion completely forgotten.

'Yes! Keep kissing me! Everyone will expect us to go and have sex.'

'That's what I want to do, Sarah!' he told her honestly.

'God, me too!'

Casey had offered Von Hayes a drink, but the man spotted someone coming toward him and got up to walk away from them. "Think I might have found the Fulcrum agent," Casey told the others.

Sarah steered their dance over near where Von Hayes was going.

The woman caught up with Von Hayes and stopped him. The couple couldn't hear the conversation but did catch the thoughts.

'I need my microchip,' the woman thought. 'I will take it tonight whether he gives it willingly or not.'

Hayes thought about the microchip and where he had it stashed.

That was one of the things Chuck and Sarah needed to know.

'So sorry that we won't have sex in one of his private rooms,' Chuck thought.

'We have our own private room that we'll get to faster now,' she thought back.

The pair they had been 'reading' was walking off to go somewhere away from the rest. "Casey, we couldn't see the woman's face, but Von Hayes has the microchip in his keyring. Don't let him get away."

"Following," Casey replied.

"You need to identify the woman," Bryce told them. They planned to do that but somehow, having Bryce order them like that irritated both of them.

Chuck and Sarah followed but kept kissing to guarantee everyone guessed what was going to happen.

Once out of sight, they separated, and Sarah pulled a gun out of her handbag.

"I'm coming too," Chuck said.

"You don't have to, Chuck," she replied.

"I have to identify the woman," he said. He also thought, 'And I'm not letting you out of my sight.'

She knew she couldn't stop him until she learned how to command, so she just said, "Stay behind me."

Sarah peeked around a corner and saw Von Hayes open a door and let the woman walk through. Another man followed them in before the door closed.

Casey emerged from a room a small way down the corridor. He looked their way and nodded to them. They all hastened to the door. Casey slipped a small microphone under it.

The woman's voice came through. "You promised us the decrypted chip two weeks ago, and instead, you're throwing a party!" Chuck and Sarah both flashed on the woman's voice. She was indeed working for Fulcrum and was an assassin. Neither got her name, though.

Casey listened to Von Hayes reply, "I have to do that to avoid scrutiny."

The assassin wasn't interested in Von Hayes' story. "Have you decrypted the information on the chip?"

"Yes, yes, it's all finished. The, um, question is, where's my fee?"

"Forget the 15 million," she replied, and they all heard a muffled gunshot.

Von Hayes cried out, "Oh, my God!" The shot was obviously aimed at his man.

The woman spoke again, "I think I'll just take my chip."

"I- It's in my vault," he stuttered.

"I think one of you should look there," said Bryce.

"No! It's not there!" Chuck said.

Bryce growled, "You're not a spy, Chuck. Leave this to the professionals."

"No. You're wrong, Bryce," Sarah almost spat out.

Casey chuckled.

Both Chuck and Sarah read the minds in the room, thinking they would go to the vault. Von Hayes was guiding her to the door.

"Get back. They're coming out," Sarah hissed.

When the two walked out of the door, Von Hayes was walking in front, and the woman had a gun pressed to his back. Suddenly, the gun was shot out of her hand. Almost instantly, there was a blade at her throat.

Chuck was impressed with his two colleagues, but Von Hayes just took it as an opportunity to run.

Fortunately, Chuck had read his mind and tackled him before he got far.

"What's happening?" Bryce shouted in their ears.

Casey walked over to Chuck and Von Hayes. Chuck handed him the car keys. "The man you dissed has gotten the chip," Casey replied. "Good work, Carmichael."

"We're bringing these two out," Sarah told Bryce.

As they started walking across the parking lot. With Sarah and the woman in front, a black sedan pulled out, accelerating hard toward Sarah. Chuck reacted instantly and commanded the driver, 'Swerve to the right!' The sedan swerved and hit the assassin rather than Sarah.

Although shocked by what happened, Sarah aimed her gun at the driver, who was pulling out a gun of his own. She shot him, and he slumped forward with a hole between his eyes.

Chuck sensed Bryce's thought. Bryce saw Sarah nearly get killed but didn't think anything of it. Chuck, on the other hand, slumped to the ground. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, the love of his life would have been hurt. He looked at the assassin, who was now mostly under the sedan. She wasn't moving and had no thoughts. She was dead. That could have been Sarah. "Oh god!" he said.

Then, he had Sarah kneeling in front of him. 'You saved me, Chuck!'

He looked at her. 'I'll always try.'

"I've called a clean-up crew," Bryce told them.

Casey had already dragged Von Hayes off to his Crown Vic and driven away by this point.

Chuck and Sarah just embraced.


When they got home, Ellie and Devon had already gone to bed.

Sarah grinned at Chuck when they heard the two of them. "I see what you mean!"

"Want to compete?" he asked.

"Do I ever!" she replied.

He swept her off her feet and carried her to their room.

As she had suggested earlier, getting her out of that dress was a highlight, and what they did afterward did compete for noise levels.


Beckman had received their reports, including one from Chuck this time. Chuck knew his would match Sarah's and had read Casey's thoughts about his own. He didn't bother reading Bryce's thoughts. His report would probably beef up his role in this.

Beckman's office appeared on the monitor in Castle. The four sat up slightly, even Bryce.

"I've read your reports," the general said. "Yours doesn't match the others, Agent Larkin."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other knowingly.

Beckman continued, "I do know that Mr. Bartowski and Agent Walker don't like you much, but their reports do not indicate that, just what they and Casey did."

"The one in the van is often undervalued," Bryce pointed out.

"From what I can see, your contribution, other than trying to divert them from the right course of action, was just to order a clean-up crew."

Chuck and Sarah shot glances at Casey. He just looked at the general and ignored the others.

Bryce started to bluster. "I don't want to hear it!" Beckman snapped at him. "You are dismissed, Agent Larkin."

He huffed, then stood and struggled up the stairs with his bad leg. When he'd gone, Beckman looked at Chuck. "I'm sorry to have dismissed your abilities, Chuck."

It was weird hearing apologies from her, and Chuck found it uncomfortable. "I only contributed what you expected, General."

"And identified the microchip before going on Larkin's wild goose chase," Casey said.

"Indeed," the general said. "Well done, team." She ended the call.


As they walked out of the Orange Orange, the sky was clear of clouds, and the sun beat down on them. As neither of them was due to work that day, Chuck looked at his girlfriend. "Beach or jewelry shopping?"

Her eyes lit up. "We'll select it together?"

"I wouldn't dream of deciding what you should wear. I may be a good judge of person, but not of jewelry."

"I thought you couldn't afford it?" she said.

"Turns out I have back pay from the government."

"Let's go shopping!" she said eagerly.

"I'm glad. I'm not sure I could cope with seeing you in another bikini," he joked.

She smiled. "After this trip, you will be seeing me in a whole lot less than that."

He had to kiss her after that, didn't he?


A/N: So, Bryce beaten up by the normally gentle doctor, clueless in the van, and really of no help at all. You might have guessed I'm not a fan of his.

Hope you enjoyed this.