A/N: I mean….a blind person could see what's coming.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Sarah came downstairs to find the two of them talking at the desk, like they knew each other. Chuck had his back to her, but the man at the front desk, Skip, saw her and started smacking Chuck's arm to let him know she was there.

"Something wrong?" Sarah asked, walking up to the two.

"No… yes… well… kinda," Chuck replied, giving Skip a look and then turning to Sarah. "There's been an issue in the area with the Internet, and it's not fixed yet," Chuck told her. Skip stood there, worry clearly on his face.

"Is he okay?" Sarah asked.

"Skip?" Chuck asked, looking at him and then back to Sarah. "Yeah, he's fine." Skip fled. Sarah tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Skip doesn't work here, and he's covering for his wife, trying to keep things on the down low."

"It's great he's covering for his wife, but how is it legal?" Sarah asked.

Chuck looked back toward the door Skip had disappeared through. "Let's go back to your room and talk about it," Chuck said, nodding toward the elevator. "Plus I have an idea to fix your Internet problem."

"But I thought you said there was a problem in the entire area," Sarah reminded him.

"There is, but maybe I'm just that good," he replied with a grin. Sarah laughed, and the two of them headed toward the elevator. When they entered the car, Chuck scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, I'm going to tell you something, but I need you to keep this to yourself, okay?" Sarah nodded.

Chuck took a deep breath. "So, Skip's wife is taking the last class she needs for her degree, and the final is tomorrow. Skip is covering her shifts here so she can study. Once his wife gets the degree, she will become the manager of the place, giving her a substantial raise."

"Okay, that's great and all, but… nevermind," Sarah said.

"Skip's employer knows," Chuck told her. "In fact, if I understand correctly, his employer gave him the idea. His wife, Christine, came from a family where her mom never had a job, and when the marriage went bad…" Chuck trailed off.

"She had no way to support herself, nothing to fall back on," Sarah finished for him. Chuck nodded. "Where does he work?"

"He works for Constellation Electronics," Chuck told her. Sarah didn't say anything. She needed to figure out who in the hell the person behind Carmichael Industries was. Whoever created all the shell companies of who owned Constellation Electronics was a genius… that person frustrated the hell out of Sarah. Her inability to figure out who was the CEO was maddening, but the creator of the shell companies was a damn genius.

"That's a very nice thing to do," Sarah said. Her mind was racing, trying to think how to approach the head of Constellation Electronics. It made sense now that Morgan was the gatekeeper to the company. His best friend was Chuck Bartowski, and she was sure Chuck had affected Morgan. Morgan would have to work for someone like that. Someone who would put employees first. She glanced at Chuck, who seemed lost in thought. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about how bad that had to be for Christine's mom," Chuck replied. Sarah reached over and squeezed his bicep, making him look over at her, and giving her a soft smile. The elevator dinged, and the two exited, walking back to her apartment. Chuck began to dig through his bag that he'd brought with him, and after a minute held up a little device, a look of pride on his face.

"What's that?" Sarah asked.

"It's my hotspot," Chuck told her. "I built it myself… I won't bore you with all the details, but I've hardly used it this month, and as long as you don't try to watch movies on it, there should be plenty of data available for you to do your work. Everything here should be fixed tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. After that, you can just give it to me when you see me."

Sarah walked over to him, a grin on her face, and accepted the box. "When I see you?" she asked.

"I mean, if I'm not being too presumptuous," Chuck said with a shrug. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. Nearly a minute had passed before she pulled away. Chuck was having trouble eating air… or ingesting oxygen… breathing! That was it! Breathing!

"I hope I wasn't being too presumptuous with that thank you kiss?" Sarah said, her nose an inch away from his.

"I hope it doesn't upset you that I'm trying to think of ways for you to thank me again," Chuck countered.

"You're doing it again," she said in a low voice that sent a shiver up his spine.

"Perhaps I should go, so you can work," Chuck told her. He leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips. "I hope everything goes well."

"If it does or doesn't, I will see you… You hear me?"

"Loud and clear, ma'am," Chuck told her. He slipped out of her arms and grabbed his bag. Walking over to the door, he turned back to look at her again and then slipped out, closing the door behind himself.

She didn't know how she let him walk out. She knew she needed to for the sake of her job, but she found herself missing him.

And that shook her.

}o{

Sarah gave herself a few minutes, and then she went over to her laptop and started pulling up the files that Carina had given her about Constellation Electronics. It took a few minutes, but she found exactly what she was looking for.

Sarah knew what she needed to do. She needed to find out the identity of the head of Constellation Electronics. She needed to find him, and find out what it was he… or she… wanted. Why were they selling? What was their hope for the company after it left their hands? She couldn't believe what she was thinking, but maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to do her job and be with Chuck. Maybe Graham was right. Maybe she didn't have to break it up.

But was that what the owner of the company wanted? That was the million-dollar question. To determine all of this, she had to find the actual owner. And that's where Carina, and her skills – the woman really should have been a spy – came into play.

Carina had found the weak link. Carina had laid out how to get to Morgan. She already had an appointment, so getting into the front door of the company was no problem. It was getting to Morgan, alone, catching him off guard… that was the key. Carina had found the flaw in their system. Morgan's office associate, Daphne Peralta… half-sister of one Jake Peralta, former New York Police Department detective. Why that was in there, she had no idea.

Daphne like to leave her desk at 9:43 each morning, when the FedEx courier came in. Apparently, he wore very tight shorts, and Daphne enjoyed the view. At 9:40, Morgan always left his office to go down to one of the programmer's offices to play a game known as Street Fighter II Turbo… whatever the hell that was. Daphne would return at approximately 9:48, and Morgan would return to his office at 9:55.

She looked up from the computer and nodded. She had found her window. Now, she just needed to get Morgan alone, and find out the name of this mysterious owner.

She could do this. For the first time in a long time, she felt nerves. She had to do this… for her.

}o{

Morgan walked into his office, studying the papers that he had just picked up from Skip. Of course, Skip had beaten him… again. Skip always chose Ryu and Morgan couldn't help but pick Ken. Skip always won! Morgan was thinking about his meeting in a little bit with Sarah, lost in the reports Skip had given him, when he heard his door slam behind him. Startled, the papers flew from his hand as he turned, and there she stood. She towered over him. She was gorgeous, and she looked like she was on a mission. And she looked like she never failed missions.

"Sarah! You could have killed me!" Morgan said.

"Option is still on the table," she said, walking toward him. "Listen, cards on the table. I like your friend, a lot. A lot, a lot."

"That's a lot," Morgan replied. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he swallowed. "But, what does that have to do with me?" He was praying he didn't let something slip. Devon seemed sure that these two belonged together, but from where he stood…

"I am… was… God, this is hard to say," Sarah began.

"Would you like a seat? Would that make it easier? How about some water?" Morgan offered. Sarah stared at him, befuddlement on her face. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Sarah said, shaking her head. "It's just… I came in here on a mission. I have to close this deal, Morgan. I have to prove to myself I can do this job, and be able to be with Chuck." Morgan's eyes widened. "I know, I know, you don't think I'm worthy of him."

"I didn't say that," Morgan replied. "But, let's be honest, you are… well… you're a little cutthroat, and Chuck… isn't."

"That's true," Sarah said. "But, I have a plan, and I need to talk to the owner of the company. And I know you are working for someone you admire."

"I do," Morgan agreed. "But… maybe talking to him… or her… isn't the right call."

"Is it a her?" Sarah asked. Morgan shook his head. "I'm trusting you, here, Morgan."

"I hear you," Morgan replied. "Why do you need to talk to the owner of the company?"

"Because I have to know why the owner is selling," Sarah began. "I have to know their motivation. I don't know what to offer, if I don't know what the owner wants. It can't be money, because we offered a butt-ton."

"You know, usually a butt-ton is not a very scientific term, but in this instance, it is," Morgan said, nodding. "So you think that by meeting the owner and talking to him… or her," and Sarah tilted her head and gave him a look. "I mean, saying the owner isn't a woman is exactly what I should say if it was a woman, which the owner is not… maybe."

"Where the hell is this going?" Sarah asked.

"Right," Morgan replied, snapping his fingers. "You think by meeting the owner, you can figure out what the owner wants, and meet those wants?" Sarah nodded. "What if the owner doesn't want this company sold off in pieces like you've been known to do?"

"Then that's when I have to listen to what it is the owner wants, and see how I can make it work for my employer," Sarah told him. "I need to see if I can do this… differently, than I ever have before. I need to see… I need to see."

Morgan stood there quietly, thinking. "The person you want to see is on a beach," Morgan finally replied. "The person likes to go there and think when there's a big decision in their life." Morgan wrote the address down on a piece of paper and handed it to Sarah.

She studied it a minute, frowned, typed the address into her phone, and looked up at Morgan, smiling. "I know this place!" she said. "So, you okay if I go, or do we need to have that meeting?"

"Go," Morgan told her. Sarah nodded, and bolted from the room. "Hope I didn't screw up," Morgan muttered to himself. He looked around the room at all the papers that he had scattered.

"This is going to take a while."

}o{

Sarah pulled up to the parking lot, parked the car, and sat there for a second. "I deserved this for scaring the shit out of him," she muttered to herself. She was disappointed for a second, but then… then she couldn't help but smile, as she saw the man she found herself thinking about constantly, walking barefoot in the sand.

It served her right. She had scared Morgan, tried to go over his head, and he had sent her on a wild-goose chase. She really couldn't be mad, could she? She had missed Chuck. It hadn't quite been forty-eight hours since she last saw him, and she had missed him. Morgan had told her talking to the owner might not be the right call.

She grinned and opened the car door. As she got out of the car, she decided she would enjoy the rest of the day, and deal with Morgan Grimes later. First, she needed to see Chuck. "Well played, Morgan, well played," she muttered to herself. "CHUCK!" she called out. Her smile grew as he looked up and saw her.

Today was going to be a good day.

}o{

Several hours later found the two sitting on a bench, eating ice cream, looking at the waves crashing into the shore. She thought about what Morgan had done, and couldn't help but snort laughter.

"What?" Chuck asked.

"Nothing," Sarah said shaking her head. "I am so glad to see you."

"I never asked, how did the deal go?" Chuck asked.

"Your buddy pulled a fast one on me," Sarah said, shaking her head. She was looking out over the water as she said it, never seeing the confusion on Chuck's face. "I have been trying to meet with the head of the company for weeks, and today I thought I was going to, and instead…" She turned to Chuck. "Instead, Morgan sent me on a wild-goose chase to see you." She shrugged. "I have to admit, I'm not as upset as I thought I would be."

Chuck sat there a second, processing everything she had told him. "You… you went to see Morgan today?" Chuck asked.

"Mhmm," Sarah said, taking a bite of her ice cream.

"Sarah, I guess I've never asked," Chuck began. "What exactly is it you do?"

"I'm in acquisitions," she told Chuck. Chuck sat there quietly, not knowing what to say. Sarah misunderstood his silence for confusion as to what she did. "So, I buy companies, and you can either sell them off for profit, or invest in them and grow them." She was silent for a moment. "Before I met you, I would always recommend selling them off."

"Sarah," Chuck tried to begin.

"My whole life has been tearing things apart," Sarah told him. "My whole life has been about upheaval… except when I lived with the Woodcombs." She was silent for a second. "And except when I met you."

"Sarah," Chuck managed to get out. "When you say you went to see Morgan, were you trying to buy Constellation Electronics?"

"Yup," Sarah replied. She saw the look on his face. "But see, that's just the thing. I wanted to see the owner to find out what it was he – or she, but I'm pretty sure it's a he – wants done with the company. I wanted to see, can I be someone who invests into something, and watch it grow and flourish, instead of blowing it up for profit." She studied Chuck. "Chuck, I'm trying to be different, I am."

"Sarah, I'm not mad, I'm not upset. I'm just very confused," Chuck began. Sarah started to speak, but he held up his hand. "See, I didn't know who you were, Sarah. I didn't know what you did."

"Does it matter?" Sarah asked.

"I'm afraid it does, but not in the way you think," Chuck told her. "The past few months, I have seen myself as someone who wants to build the community center I dreamed of. I had moved on from my former job… in spirit."

Sarah sat there, trying to process what he was saying. And that's when it dawned on her. That's when it hit her what had happened.

Chuck looked up at her, and locked eyes with her. "Sarah… Morgan sent you here for a reason."

"No," Sarah said softly. She stood up. "No, Chuck, no."

"Sarah, I'm the owner of Constellation Electronics."

A/N: Next time:

"Tell me you didn't sleep with him," Sarah said, rubbing her head.

"I didn't, because I spiked his drink and made sure he missed his meeting with Martin this morning," Carina told Sarah.

"CARINA! You can't do that!"

"I did, and I did what I had to do to keep my job," Carina said. "I did what had to be done! Don't you get all holier-than-thou on me, after you told me it was get it done or I was fired!" With that, Carina stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sarah, furious, grabbed her bag, and headed for her car for a drive.

Listen, 2022 has been a God AWFUL year for me, which is saying something, so if you think for a MINUTE that I am going to do something stupid next chapter, you've not been paying attention to the four or five stories I've written on this site. Let this breathe for a minute and it will be fine. I pinky swear. Take care of yourself friends. I'll be back soon.