A/N: When last we left our teens, a test was looming. A new day dawns, so let's see how they fare. Welcome to Chapter 4.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.

Chapter 4

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was different about today. It was a Friday morning, like any other, as Chuck made his way through the halls of school. He occasionally got the odd stare as people passed but that was not entirely foreign for him, so he didn't think much of it. However, all through lunch he noticed a few people, here and there, looking his way and whispering to their neighbor. Not in and of itself unfamiliar but he thought he must have something in his hair, on his face, or maybe there was another sign on his back.

He made his way to the restroom to look things over. Glancing in the mirror, twisting side to side to make sure nothing was taped to his back again, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He shrugged and as he stared at himself in the mirror it struck him. The face staring back at him was…. different. There was...just a hint of ...a smile? Hmm. He did feel a little more...uh... "cheery" than usual. Not " run and dance through halls" kind of cheery, but he was, dare he say, in a good mood. Being in a good mood was not completely alien to him, but it was the first time he could ever recall experiencing it at school. Not certain what to make of it, and not wanting to overanalyze it, he made his way to class.

Chuck walked into Mr. Burns' class and started toward his usual seat in the back corner when something gave him pause. He glanced at the front of the class and saw Sarah sitting in the front row as she did everyday. Most people were too afraid to sit in the front row for fear of being a target for Mr. Burns' questions during class. She was visibly nervous, tapping her pencil on the desk at a blurring speed, her left knee bouncing in time, all the while biting her left thumbnail. Without really thinking he found himself quietly sitting down in the desk beside her. She was so lost in thought that she had not noticed. She seemed to be the only one though. Mr. Burns was standing in the front of the class, just in front of Chuck and Sarah, waiting for the rest of the class to shuffle in and be seated. Mr. Burns was staring at Chuck, then looking from side to side and back at Chuck, as if unsure what was happening. Many others in the class gave quizzical looks as they found seats. The entire year so far, Chuck had always sat in the back corner, as far away from others as possible. Seeing him in the front row of all places was a blatant disturbance in the Matrix.

The bell rang and Mr. Burns got everyone's attention, suggesting that they take this time to ask last minute questions before he began to pass out the test. Sarah was pulled from her musings and looked at her surroundings before turning her attention to the teacher. A second later her eyebrows shot up and jaw dropped slightly as she whipped her head to look at Chuck . A look of shock and surprise painted across her face as Chuck returned her gaze with a sheepish smile and a shrug. Sarah managed to close her mouth but still stared at Chuck with a questioning look. Chuck's smile became more confident as he looked into Sarah's deep azure eyes. Subtly pointing at her he whispered, "Hey. You're Sarah Freakin' Walker. You got this!". The look on Chuck's face made no room for argument. It was now Sarah's turn to brandish a sheepish smile as she visibly relaxed and nodded at him in response. Mouthing "Thank you" she looked down at her desk taking in a deep, cleansing breath and then looked up to accept the test from Mr. Burns.

The bell rang as a few stragglers scrambled to scratch down their last desperate attempts for at least partial credit for questions they were woefully unprepared for. All the tests were collected as people began to filter out of the room. Chuck looked at Sarah expectantly as if to say "Well?". Sarah had a sideways smile and shrugged. "I dunno. I think I did OK. " Looking up at Chuck, her expression turned into a full smile. "Chuck. Thank you again for everything. I mean it….I uh. I gotta run and get to my next class. Have a good weekend." She waved as she left the classroom.

Chuck turned to Mr. Burns, now that the classroom was empty. "Um. Mr. Burns?"

"Yeah, Chuck?" the teacher raised an eyebrow while still looking over papers as he set his desk.

"So...I've been working with Sarah...you know...tutoring with her. She has been really stressed about this test. I was wondering….would...would you mind grading her test early? I think she will stress and stew over it all weekend without knowing." Chuck pleaded.

"Hmm. And I suppose you would like to be the one to tell her the results?" Mr. Burns tried to hide the mischievous smile on his face.

"Well….I...uh...I mean….Sure. I just know how determined she is to do well in your class and I just think if she knew one way or the other, it would help her to not freak out about it all weekend. You know?" Chuck was really hoping he could convince his teacher to help him out this one time.

Mr. Burns wrote some notes on the paper he had been staring at and then jotted some things down in his notebook before closing it. With a flat look on his face, he looked at Chuck. "Mr. Bartowski. I cannot share the results of her test with you." Chuck looked at his shoes and visibly slumped where he stood." However….As I have to stay here and grade the rest of these tests before the weekend, I will be unable to deliver this to Ms. Walker. If you would be so kind, could you see that she gets it?" Chuck's head shot up in surprise to see the paper offered by Mr. Burns, who was no longer trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Y-Yes. Uh...absolutely. Thank you, Sir! I'll make sure she gets it." Chuck took the offered pages and left the room like a shot. As he rushed down the hall he peaked at the paper and saw that it was in fact Sarah's test. In red ink written across the top of the page was "97% A" . "YES!" Chuck exclaimed as he jumped and shot his fist in the air in triumph, much to the surprise of those near him in the hall. He wasn't sure where Sarah's last class was or where her locker was, but maybe she had cheer practice and he could catch her there.

Chuck slowed his walk now that his sense of urgency had deflated somewhat and read over the test. He was deep in concentration so he missed the person coming around the corner in a similar distracted state. The two collided into each other, but as the speed was relatively slow, it was more awkward than painful.

Chuck stepped back in surprise and embarrassment, "Mrs. Davis! Oh my God! I'm so, so sorry. Are you ok?" Chuck instinctively reached out and touched her arm as if to steady her. Realizing he was touching a teacher, he shot his hand back as if he'd grasped a curling iron.

Mrs. Davis, the music teacher and choir director shook her head in realization, "Mr. Bartowski!?" she let out a chuckle as a smile spread across her face. "What a fortuitous meeting. I was just heading to choir practice. Say...are you free this period? You haven't forgotten our deal have you, Mr. Bartowski? Perhaps you can join us for the period as say...a trial run? Hmm?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

Chuck, caught off guard, stammered and was unable to come up with any really good reason to object, "Um...well….I...I just….um…". Chuck sighed in defeat. "Alright. I...I can sit in for ONE period. But I don't know if it will work out. With other classes and...and..work, I just don't know if I will have the time." Chuck conceded with apprehension.

"Well, Mr. Bartowski. I'm confident we can come to some arrangement. Come. Let's join the others." she walked into the choir room across the hall. Chuck paused for a moment to take a deep breath and slowly followed her into the room.

Mrs. Davis clapped several times as she entered the room, "OK everybody! Listen up! We have a … guest joining us today. I expect you welcome him into our merry band and help him find his way," the woman exclaimed as she turned to the door waving Chuck into the room. "I trust some of you already know Mr. Bartowski. Please, join the gentleman in the middle and we will begin our warmups," as she motioned to the small collection of guys amid the sea of girls.

"Chuck?" he heard a female voice gasp. He looked in the direction of the voice. Searching through the many faces, his gaze fell upon the sapphire eyes and quizzical face of Sarah Walker. He paused for a moment and gave a shrug and wry smile and headed toward the small group of guys in the center.

As everyone got situated, Chuck put his things away, stowing the test he had been charged with in his bag for safe keeping. Mrs. Davis began playing scales and other warm up exercises to get the choir ready for singing.

"OK. So I've been working on a theme for this year's Spring concert and I think you will all enjoy what I've come up with. 'Music of the Stage and Screen'", she proclaimed and she spread her hands through the air as if brandishing a marquee in the air. Some cheers were heard amongst excited chatter with only a few groans sprinkled throughout.

"Now! I have some songs selected for us. I also have a few that I will put up for a vote, so that you can have some choice in a couple of the songs we sing. There will also be a number of solo opportunities. If you are interested in a solo, come see me after class and we can discuss it. Obviously, not everyone will be able to have a solo, so of those that express an interest, there will be an audition process of sorts. So come up with ideas of solos you might like to sing and we can discuss." she concluded.

Mrs. Davis started passing out sheet music for several of the songs that were not up for debate so that they could start some basic sight reading. She went from section to section, working with the students. Mrs. Davis would call on people individually if she was trying to discern who was struggling in a section. Even when people sang off-key or sang a wrong note, there was no laughter from the students; no judgement. In fact there was great deal of encouragement between the students. There were people from all walks of life, all social groups and cliques in the choir. Chuck marvelled at the sense of support and solidarity between the students. People were lifting each other up so the group as a whole would be successful. Sure there were moments of levity and good natured jabs, but it was never out of malice. It felt much like the relationship he had with his sister. It was almost like this group was a sort of … a family.

When the period ended, the students packed their sheet music away and said their goodbyes to each other. It was unlike any class he had ever been in before. He approached Mrs. Davis with his sheet music in hand, and waited for her to finish her conversation with some other students. Many students were lined up to talk about their solos. Chuck noticed out of the corner of his eye Sarah packing her things but occasionally looking up at him. When she finished packing, she walked over to Chuck.

"Hey. So, when did you decide to join choir? I didn't know you were a singer." Sarah inquired.

"Well, I'm ...I'm not a singer; not really. She is just short of men in choir ….and uh...she ..sort of cornered me … in the theatre a while back and asked me to think about joining after New Years. I...bumped into her (literally) in the hall and she asked me to try it out for one class". Chuck finished with a shrug.

"You're gonna stay in choir, right? The guys could use all the help they can get. They are outnumbered like 4 to 1 with the girls. Plus...I'm sure you'd be great." she trailed off while a shy smile. "Well….think about it, huh?" Sarah asked looking up through her eyelashes.

Chuck was speechless as he looked at Sarah. All he could manage was a nod and a small smile. As Sarah started to leave, Chuck came to his senses, remembering the news he had for her. "S-Sarah!" he choked out. She turned to look and he continued, "Are you uh… do you have um...cheer practice today?" he managed to eke out.

Sarah nodded the affirmative with a quizzical look on her face, "Yeah. Well actually we have a game tonight but we will meet in about half an hour to warm up." she replied.

"OK. Um...c-can I talk with you before you have to start? I can meet you in the gym after I'm done here?" he asked with some apprehension.

She shrugged. "Sure. I'll see you there." she smiled and walked out.

After the line of students died down, Chuck was finally able to speak with Mrs. Davis. The entire time he stood in line, he was fighting an internal battle. Since his first ...encounter...with Mrs. Davis, back in November, he had been dreading this moment. The thought of performing in front of people petrified him. Add to that the thought of being forced into a group of the same people that he spends his entire day dodging in the hallways. Then there was work. Surely the choir would interfere with school work and his jobs. However, after spending a period with Mrs. Davis and the student in choir, he felt most of these previous misgivings were systematically being refuted. Sure he could argue too that work would get in the way, but his work schedule at Ward's was pretty flexible. Obviously now that he knew Sarah was in choir, their tutoring sessions would not interfere. His concerns about the people in choir seemed to be misplaced. In fact, he couldn't remember feeling more welcomed in a group...well...ever really. Surely the fact that Sarah would be in choir as well another check in the "Win" column. So what were his reasons for not being in choir again?

"Mr. Bartowski! Sorry, "Chuck". I'm glad you stuck around. So….are you turning in your sheet music?" Mrs. Davis inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Or is there something I could say that might make you want to stick around? You did a fantastic job today, you know." she said with a smile.

Chuck pondered for a moment to decide what to say. A part of him was ...afraid, terrified really. Yes, afraid of being ridiculed and mocked. Afraid of taking something he loved to do ...something just for himself and then share it with the "world". Afraid that, much like everything else in his life, they would take that away from him too; ruin it. He was so tired of being afraid all the time. In class today though, he didn't feel afraid. He felt ….accepted and safe even.

"Mrs. Davis, I….I think I might like to-" Chuck swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, "I think I might like to stay. If...if that's OK? I'm a uh…. a little embarrassed to admit that the thought of singing in front of people terrifies me. But today, with the kids in class, it….it didn't scare me quite so much. I guess I was expecting them to treat me like…like-" Chuck stopped, his throat tightened and his eyes began to burn as he bit his bottom lip. He averted his eyes to the ground as he tried to clear his throat. He felt a soft hand on his forearm causing him to look up. Mrs. Davis, with tight lips and a sorrowful, knowing look nodded.

"Not here Chuck. In here? In here...we look out for each other. In here we are family," she assured Chuck. She raised her eyebrows questioningly, as if asking if he understood.

All Chuck could do was give a small nod, for fear that trying to speak would make him lose what little control he had. She reassuringly squeezed his forearm before letting go, clapping her hands together and bringing to rest, clasped together in front of her.

"Great. We are thankful to have you join us. I'll see you Monday afternoon." she smiled and patted him on the shoulder as she went back to straightening the room. Chuck left the room and once in the hallway, leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths to compose himself. He then righted himself and headed for the gym.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When Chuck arrived at the gym there were only a few cheerleaders milling around talking. He made his way into the gym and found a spot on the bleachers to sit and wait. He was trying to think of how to break the news to her. He knew she would be excited. Hell, he was excited for her! This would definitely boost her confidence in herself as far as the class went. This realization just gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had been the architect of his own demise. Now that she would have the confidence that she could do this on her own, she would not need him anymore. As quickly as their tutoring sessions had started they would be over. That was the point though, wasn't it? Like training wheels on a bike, they only serve their purpose until you have learned to ride on your own. He let out a deep sigh in resignation.

"Wow. That was a pretty serious sigh", Chuck looked up to see Sarah standing there in her cheerleading uniform with a wry smile on her face. The royal blue in the uniform made her eyes shine, like a character out of Dune.

Chuck returned the smile, "Hey".

"So you said you wanted to talk? Is everything OK?" Sarah inquired with the smile still on her face.

Chuck's face immediately went flat and he cleared his throat. This caused the smile on Sarah's face drop instantly." Sarah, it's about the test. I uh...I wanted to be the one to...to break the news to you before you hear it somewhere else." Chuck pulled the test from his bag, folded over so that the cover was hidden from view. "Sarah, I...I don't think you did as well as you might have hoped," he continued. Chuck could see that Sarah's eyes began to take on a shine and he was about to kick himself. As he handed the test over to her, she gingerly took it from him.

She was desperately trying to muster the courage to open the test, all the while trying to keep from crying in utter disappointment. Just as she was nearing the breaking point, she felt a hand gently take hold of her wrist. As she looked up she could see the expression on Chuck's face change from stoic to a wicked smile. "Sarah...you did better!" as he whispered to her and nodded toward the paper.

Sarah opened the test and immediately saw the grade etched in red across the page... "97% A". Her hand shot up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. The tears that threatened finally began to stream down her face. She dropped the test and brought her other hand to cover her mouth as well, staring at Chuck's chest trying to process what had just happened. She shifted her gaze to meet Chuck's warm, chocolate eyes. After what seemed like an eternity she jumped at Chuck, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug as she release and excited scream.

"Chuck! We did it! We did it! Oh my God! We did it!" Sarah exclaimed as she started jumping up and down and then grabbed Chuck into another hug.

"Whoa. Easy now. Us nerds can be fragile.", Chuck let out as he tried to recover from the hugs. "And besides, 'We' didn't do it, you did, Sarah. That was all you. I told you. You are Sarah Freakin' Walker and you were gonna own that test,"Chuck playfully danced his eyebrows at her.

Sarah shook her head at him as she smirked, "What am I gonna do with you?" she chuckled and took a deep breath trying to compose herself even though it was evident that she was practically vibrating. "Chuck? How can I thank you for everything? Not just the tutoring sessions, but everything. The dinner, the pep talks...just being a good friend. How can I ever thank you?" she practically pleaded.

Chuck was in in shock. First the hugs, which...Wow! But she just called him a … a friend? Chuck finally stammered out, "F-friend? You…you think of me as...as a friend?" Chuck had an astonished yet puzzled look on his face. He would open his mouth to say something and then close it again when no more words would come.

Sarah tilted her head to the side like he had just said the most peculiar thing, "Well, Yeah! Why wouldn't I?" she inquired as if it were perfectly logical.

Chuck noticed that a crowd of Sarah's fellow cheerleaders had formed and were watching them, murmuring to themselves. He began to deflate as reality began to set in, "I'm sure they will be able to give you plenty of reasons.", Chuck nodded toward the group.

Sarah glanced over and back to Chuck but with a stern look on her face, "Chuck. I don't give a damn what they think. If I agreed with them, then we'd all be wrong." she declared matter-of-factly, a smile beginning to creep onto her face. "Chuck I have to get going but this weekend, if you aren't busy, give me a call. Maybe we can hang out or something." she said as she shrugged, clearly smiling.

Chuck could not keep the grin off his face if he wanted to as he nodded, "Sure. I have to work, but I can give you a call. Uh..good luck tonight." Sarah nodded and started to head toward the group. "Oh, Sarah?" Chuck called. As she turned back around to meet his smiling face, he proclaimed "Congratulations!" as he waved goodbye.

A/N: Sooo….all that just happened. TGIF, am I right?

Thanks for following along. The reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.

A special "Thank you!" to and WillieGarvin for their help and support.