I don't own Chuck

"This screw goes there," Sarah said, handing him a screw, and then pointing at the frame. Chuck looked at it, and then where she was pointing.

"Where?" he asked.

She moved in close and pointed it out to him. He turned to say something and their noses were a few inches apart. She smiled at him, and moved back to her seat. "Is that one of the screws that you didn't use before?"

"Naeiou," he replied as he began to tighten it. "Okay, fine, absolutely it was." He grinned as he heard her giggle. "I mean, it is kinda hidden."

"It is," she said softly. She sat there a second. "A lot of things are hidden that if we don't address will cause what we're building to fall apart." Chuck sat back on his feet, blinked, and let out a low whistle.

"My goodness, Sarah Walker, I was not expecting that level of deepness when putting together this bed."

"Maybe you aren't the only articulate schnook," Sarah replied.

"According to Ellie, neither of us are," Chuck pointed out. He started to screw on a piece over what he was working on.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, jumping to his side, her hand on his, stopping him. "That bracket goes right here."

"Are you sure?" Chuck asked. He looked over at her, and she was giving him an amused look. "I mean, of course you are, it's just….you know what, I didn't put that bracket on, and my ass ended up on the floor." He began to try to put on the bracket. "I don't think I have enough hands," he muttered.

"Here," she said, holding the piece, the two having to be close as he tried to tighten it. She chuckled as she shook her head. "Chuck, we've been closer than this."

"Like in that trunk?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah," she replied, grinning at him. "We have a history of getting a bit emotional and yelly, don't we?"

"Whaaaaa," Chuck said, turning to her, his mouth open, as in shock, but his whole disposition reflecting the humor he was feeling. She gave him a shy smile and gently hip bumped him. "Ma'am, I am trying to put this bracket on correctly."

"It's a damn wonder you didn't kill yourself," she muttered, shaking her head.

"You talking about the bed or the past two years?" She didn't replied. "Sorry."

"No, no. Nothing to be sorry for, I was just thinking how it's probably both." He finished with the bracket, and she moved back to his seat.

He started to work on the next part, when he realized something. "I couldn't help to notice during our conversations that you kept using the word choose, or choice."

"Conversations?" Sarah asked, chuckling.

"Tomato, to-ma-toe," Chuck replied. "I take it from what you said and inferred that you weren't chosen a lot in life."

"My dad choice the life he did over me, Chuck," Sarah said softly. "Damn it, I love him so much, but he has hurt me at every turn and I couldn't do that again. But, I've come to realize that maybe I didn't think about what you have been through. Maybe…maybe I got caught up in me."

"And I was absolutely caught up in me," Chuck replied.

"Don't do that," Sarah said softly. He turned to look at her, and saw the vulnerability on her face. "Don't excuse what I did. We both fucked this up six way from Sunday." Chuck nodded, not knowing what to say. "You know, I know how screwed up I am from what my dad did, and he was around. I can't imagine what you went through."

"I mean, when mom left, I thought, okay, we still have me, Ellie, and Dad," Chuck began. "But Dad….Dad wasn't there. Like physically he was there…some, but mentally…he was gone, Sarah. He was looking for her, and all I wanted was my dad to realize, we were here, his damn kids were right there. Dad provided money, and everything we needed, but…he would disappear for days on end. Ellie would have to sometimes forge notes for me at school."

"God, Chuck," Sarah said, shaking her head.

"When I got to Stanford, it was going to be different," he continued, not able to look her in the eye. "I was going to have friends, I found a girlfriend…and…well…you know how that worked out."

"You do know they're idiots for what they did to you, right?" Sarah asked.

"You do know I never thought I was choosing the Intersect over you, right?" Chuck countered. Sarah twisted her lips to the side.

"You know, and I am not saying this is your fault, at all," she began. "You have this knack…this…I don't know, intuition of knowing what I need to hear even when I don't, and in that moment…when you kissed me…." She trailed off and shook her head.

"Every old fear, every old worry came rushing up?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded. "God," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I get that." There was silence for a few seconds. "Okay, where does that screw go?"

"Really? No wonder this thing fell apart. I thought you were the "King of the Buy More," Nerd." She was grinning at him.

"I am," Chuck replied. "But I am a mere peasant when it come to IKEA it appears," Chuck replied. Sarah snorted, handed him a screw, and pointed to where it went. "I'm surprised the bed didn't fall sooner." Sarah outright laughed at that. "So yes, I chose to be at the Buy More to hide." He looked over at her. "Is that what you did?" She tilted her head, confused. "Did you choose to go to the CIA to get away from it all, or was it, because of call of country like Casey?"

"I never chose to go to the CIA, Chuck."