A/N: When last we left the diner, Chuck was getting himself into some hot water with the help of Sarah's father. Let's get back to it and see how it unfolds.

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I had some horrific neck and shoulder pain for a couple weeks that made it impossible to focus on pretty much anything. Thanks to those of you that reached out. It means a lot. I'm not 100% but I'm feeling much better. At least better enough that I was able to get this chapter finished. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 16

"Chuck? No. No. Oh my God, Chuck. What... what have you done?" Sarah slumped down in an adjacent chair, looking scared and forlorn.

'Look, Sarah. I can explain-" he began but was cut off.

"No Chuck, Dad already explained it to me. How… how could you get involved in something like this? On top of that, how could you not tell me about it?" The hurt look on her face nearly broke him.

"Sarah, I'm truly sorry for keeping this from you. Your dad didn't want you to know-"

"Well, now. Let's not get caught up in the details. What's important is that Charlie here came through, right?" Jack interrupted.

"Didn't want me to know what, Dad?" Her cold, icy stare was back, making both Chuck and Jack shiver.

"Now, Darlin, there's no point in dwellin' on-"

"Daaaad!" she growled, her brow furrowed and nostrils flared. Jack sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"I didn't want you to know that I was … that I was broke. Tapped out. That I needed to come groveling back to my own daughter for help. You happy now? Charlie here took pity on me and agreed to help me. Darlin, he made me promise to tell you, to come clean about it… and I would have. I was… I was just ashamed." Jack, for his part, looked ashamed. He couldn't even look his daughter in the eye as he confessed. He would have never admitted to any kind of weakness. This was a side of her father she had never seen before. Something had changed him somehow. She knew most of his tells and she saw none of them. He seemed to be telling her the truth.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to believe anymore. Now Chuck, I believe that he thought he was doing the right thing. That he believed he was helping you, helping you to save face. That's who he is and what he does. But you, Dad… how can I believe anything that comes out of your mouth? All my life it's just been one lie after another." Sarah sighed, standing up, pacing in front of the booth that Chuck was in.

"Could you just let me explain, please?" Chuck pleaded. He leaned toward Sarah so he could talk in more hushed tones. Jack moved in so he could hear as well. "This guy, Wes Copeland, he's not a nice guy. But I found his accounts and what country he's been living in. I was able to get back all of the money he took. But, I couldn't just give it back to people directly. That would raise too much suspicion. So I invested the money and any 'dividends', i.e. extra money I procured, into an established mutual fund, but I couldn't use your name, for obvious reasons. So instead I invested it under Sarah's name." He looked between the two to gauge whether they were following.

"You did what?!" they replied in unison.

"Just hear me out. The fund you're invested in is The Orion Growth Fund, managed by The Orion Group." Sarah's eyes immediately grew wide at hearing the name. She now knew that Chuck was up to something. She knew he would never do anything to jeopardize her, but knowing that he was using the Orion Group, she was sure he had a plan. "Now, there's a very steep penalty for withdrawing the money from this particular fund, but it does pay good dividends. I knew that you could use a source of income, so I worked it out that they'll take a portion of the dividend and re-invest it back into the fund. The remainder will be paid out to Sarah, who can in turn give it to you. It's not an enormous amount but it should hopefully cover your expenses." Sarah's initial look of confusion had shifted to one of curiosity, maybe even disbelief.

"Exactly how much are we talking here?" Jack interjected, his brow furrowed.

"Well, you'll get about nine percent per year, which should work out to about... one-hundred thousand dollars, give or take." Chuck tilted his head from side to side as he worked out the math in his head.

"One-hundred…" Jack paused, his mouth agape. "Wait. Wait. Wait. So you're tellin' me that I'm gonna get paid a hundred grand a year to do…. nothin'?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, actually… Sarah will get paid a hundred grand a year for doing… 'nothin'." Chuck smirked. "You'll get paid whatever Sarah deems appropriate. So if I were you, I'd keep her in your good graces." Sarah was just standing there, dumbfounded. Staring at Chuck, she could only blink as her mind was working to wrap her head around all that had happened.

"Darlin…. Darlin!… Sarah!" Jack bellowed, finally pulling Sarah from her thoughts. She looked at him quizzically, as it was not often he ever called her Sarah. "Don't you think it's about time you had a little discussion with the schn- uh- Charlie here?" Jack nodded toward Chuck, a knowing look on his face. She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she started to bite her lower lip. She closed her eyes for a moment and nodded. Opening her eyes, she looked down at Chuck, who seemed apprehensive, concerned even.

"Chuck, we need to talk. Get your jacket." She gave no further explanation. She went to her office to collect her own jacket and then left out the front door, with Chuck trying to keep up. He followed her to her car, where he got into the passenger seat without a word. The phrase 'we need to talk' was rarely a good thing. He knew that he had taken a huge gamble not telling Sarah the truth right away, but he hoped that she could forgive him for it. It was at the insistence of her father after all. Things were not looking good though, so he opted to keep his mouth shut for fear of just making it worse.

She drove wordlessly out of town and down a lonely country road. The trip had taken roughly five minutes, the benefits of being in a small town in rural America. She pulled off into a gravel parking lot that had a sign for a nature preserve. Sarah parked and got out, slowly walking toward the well worn trail. Chuck got out and scrambled to join her, walking beside her without saying a word. After a few minutes of walking, they came to a boardwalk in the woods that overlooked a ravine. It was eerily quiet except for the light breeze rustling the dead leaves. Sarah leaned on the railing looking over the edge, deep in thought.

"Chuck, there are things about me, about my past, that you don't know. Things that I've hidden because… well, I'm not proud of them." She swallowed thickly, trying to muster the courage to continue. "I've been afraid. Afraid that once you learn these things, that it'll change the way you see me. The way you feel about me." She could no longer keep the tears from falling, taking in a ragged breath. "I've been so terrified. I just finally found you and I'm so afraid that I could lose you." She closed her eyes tightly, a large trail of tears pouring down her cheeks.

"Sarah, whatever it is, it won't change the way I feel about you." He spoke softly, trying to set her at ease. Instead she pushed off from the railing, shaking her head, pacing.

"You can't know that, Chuck. How can you say that when you don't even know the kinds of things I've done," she cried out, her back to him. They were silent for a moment before Chuck continued.

"I know, because I love you … Sam…" There was a loud gasp as Sarah clasped her hand over her mouth, whirling around to face him. With shock and terror on her face, she shook her head.

"No. No. How… how did..?" She began sobbing, her whole body shaking, her knees nearly gave way. Chuck couldn't help himself and closed the distance between them, wrapping her in his arms. She sobbed into his chest, clenching his jacket in her fists, still shaking her head, mumbling 'How'. After a minute, Chuck slowly backed away, holding her shoulders as he leaned down to try to capture her gaze. She couldn't look at him. Somehow he knew at least something of her past, a name she'd hoped to forget. What else did he know? Why was he still standing here if he knew even half of what she'd done?

"Sarah, or Sam, it doesn't matter. I know who you are. I also know some of the things that you had to do with your dad... for your dad." Her eyes grew wide with fear as she lifted her gaze to search his face. "I read files on you and Jack." She turned to look away but he took her by the chin and pulled her back to look at him. "If anything, I might even love you more because of it. For all you had to go through, you still became the strong, amazing woman that's standing in front of me. I want to make this very clear… there is … NOTHING … you could do or say that would ever make me stop loving you. Do you understand? That's what unconditional love means, Sarah." The tears were still rolling down her cheeks but she was able to hold his gaze, finding comfort there. She slowly began to nod her head in understanding. She buried her face in his neck, wrapping him in a tight hug. They stood there holding each other for a few minutes until she pushed away, wiping at her cheeks.

"But… I don't… I don't understand… if you knew who my dad was, that he was a conman, then why did you go through with it?" She was pleading for an answer, trying to make sense about why this good, upstanding man would steal money for a conman.

"Well, you see that's the thing…" He cleared his throat giving himself time to choose his words. "I was a little paranoid when he showed up at the diner and I saw your reaction to him. I got concerned so I had a 'friend' look him up for me. There was nothing in the law enforcement databases, so naturally that was a huge red flag. Then, when he presented his plan to me, I wanted to make sure what I was getting into, so I looked into your father's past. That's when I found pictures of you and the name 'Sam'. I'm sure not all of the cons you guys pulled are in those files, but there were enough. Then I looked into his recent exploits and found out where he'd been. He was right when he said he wasn't able to come to see you any sooner. He spent the last three and a half years in federal prison."

"What?" Sarah's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Yeah. He was caught in a money laundering scam with some very nasty people. Once the FBI and DEA had him in custody, they let him know who he was really doing business with. Based on the reports I read, I don't think your dad really knew, so when he discovered the types of people he'd been helping, he cooperated with the authorities to bring them down. He helped to put some very bad people away. In exchange, they only gave him three and a half years. However, they seized all of his assets, so he wasn't lying when he said he was broke." Chuck gave a half smile and shrugged. Sarah stepped away, pacing the small section of boardwalk they were on. Running her hands through her hair, she sighed.

"Ok. Let me see if I got this straight. He really is broke. Then he comes here looking to hit me up for money, since Mom left me the diner. He sees that I'm broke too, or so he believes. He then sees you as an easy mark and sets his hooks in you to do his bidding for this con. That about sum it up?" She turned to him, her arms hugging her body. Her tone was flat with a hint of frustration.

"Well… almost. I mean, all of that is true, though I wasn't aware he hit you up for money. What I told you and Jack about the money I 'recovered', that wasn't entirely accurate." Chuck winced, looking sheepishly at her. She raised an eyebrow and stood a little straighter. Chuck sighed in resignation and continued.

"I actually did give all the money back. However, since he wasn't one of the actual investors, there was no money to give back to him. So… I fronted my own money to put in the fund." Chuck winced, closing one eye, waiting for the onslaught. He was not disappointed.

"You did what?!" Sarah barked, her eyes full of disbelief and anger. "You… you knew he was conning you and instead of stealing the money, you actually gave him the money out of your own pocket? Why? Why the hell would you do that?" Sarah was now very animated as she paced, throwing her hands in the air. When she finished, she was standing inches away from him, glaring right into his face. Instead of recoiling as he wanted to, he stood up straight and returned her gaze.

"I did it for you," he exclaimed a little more forcefully than he intended. She didn't seem to expect that response as she stepped back, a shocked and bewildered look on her face. He slumped, schooling his features and taking a cleansing breath.

"You remember when I said that you owe it to yourself to give him a chance? I wanted you to have that chance. He wouldn't stay here and free load off you. I suspect he's too proud for that. I also assumed that if I gave him a lump sum of money, he'd leave, not wanting to cause you more heartache. So I needed to come up with a way to give him an extra incentive to stay and work things out. So, I gave him a steady income. The dividend payments from the investment should be more than enough for him to live a comfortable life. And since you would be the one handling his money, he would be reliant on you. He'd have to stick around if he wanted that money. I know it… it sounds like paying him off to stay. That's not what I was hoping for. I was just hoping that he'd no longer have to be on this endless pursuit of money. That maybe he could be comfortable to stay in one place, to not have to run, since nobody is after him. I wanted you to have every opportunity to have a relationship with your father. Opportunities that I'll never have." Chuck had to look away, staring down at his hands, which were fidgeting with his jacket's zipper. He didn't want to see the disapproving look on her face that would inevitably be there.

"So… what you're telling me is… that you conned 'The' Jack Burton?" The amusement in her voice certainly took him by surprise, and he lifted his gaze to look at her. She started to straighten his jacket, a smirk on her face.

"I uh… I guess so... I didn't think about it that way…" Chuck wasn't sure how to take her comment. He thought she'd be beyond furious with him, but she was almost smiling. He decided to keep his mouth shut and let her do the talking.

"People always seem to underestimate you, Chuck. Including me. I'm sorry for that. I… I don't like that you put your own money up for this, and not a small amount, I assume. But I understand your reasons. It came from a place of love, and I can't be too mad about that." She paused for a moment, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Don't… don't take this the wrong way, but you're sure that the guy you took that money from, the money you returned, he can't trace this back to you? You're not going to get into any trouble, are you?" She asked sheepishly. Chuck snorted at the question.

"No. We'll have nothing to worry about from him. See… it just so happens that one of the guys he stiffed was a member of a Russian organized crime group. I may have sent this Copeland clown some pictures of himself outside his hotel with the not-so-subtle threat that these mobsters could learn of his whereabouts. I suspect that he'll be plenty busy looking over his shoulder for the foreseeable future." He chuckled, smirking, feeling rather proud of himself.

"You didn't?!" She asked in disbelief. "You sent the Russian mob this guy's location?"

"Oh, no. No, no, no. But he doesn't know that." Chuck winked at her and she burst into laughter.

"Oh my God. Remind me never to get on your bad side." She wrapped her arms around him, continuing to laugh into his chest. As the laughter subsided, she let out a long sigh.

"Sarah, the thought of that is inconceivable. There is nothing you could ever do to get on my bad side. I think it's a physical impossibility." Chuck gave her a wry smile and she just rolled her eyes at him good naturedly and gave a small smile in return. She sobered slightly, resting her forehead on his chest before continuing.

"So… you're not angry with me?" She asked shyly, not lifting her head to look at him.

"Angry with you? Why would I be angry with you?" He asked incredulously.

"Well, for keeping my past from you. All the conning, stealing and lying I did. That...that doesn't bother you?"

"Well, yeah it bothers me. Not so much that you did it, but that you were pushed into doing it. You were just a kid for God's sake. If I'm angry with anyone, it's Jack. He's the one that put you up to those con jobs. I understand why you did it. He's family, and there's a lot that people will do for family. Even things they know are wrong. I'm certainly no saint, but I know there are very few things I wouldn't do for you." He kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

"I love you. You know that, right? I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm sure glad I did it." Sarah hugged him tighter, kissing him on his chest where her head rested.

"I know you do. I hope by now you know that I love you more than anything. Do you forgive me for keeping Jack's secret from you? I really hated doing it. It just eats away at me to keep things from you." She let out a 'tsk' and shook her head.

"Chuck, there's nothing to forgive. I understand why you did it and that my father put you up to it. If you need to hear it, I forgive you, but only if you forgive me. Deal?" She turned her head to look up at him through her lashes, a contented smile on her face. He gave her a toothy grin in response.

"Deal… I'm gonna kiss you now… if that's alright?" She nodded, her grin turning a bit mischievous, standing on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. They held each other, kissing in the crisp afternoon breeze, with only nature as their witness.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It had been about two weeks since Chuck and Sarah had their little talk and things had been going great. He continued to help at the diner, but the need for his 'services' seemed to lessen more and more. Chuck sat in 'his booth' with his hands poised over the keyboard of his laptop, his focus having been pulled away from his work. He found himself people watching. Normally, his people watching was largely limited to Sarah. Today though, he found himself taking it all in. All of the interactions between the patrons, the neighborly exchanges, the gossip. This was more than just a place to come and eat, it was the cultural and political hub of the community. Chuck could overhear a dozen different conversations from where he was seated. They ranged from 'who's sleeping with who' to proposed property zoning changes to whose dish was most popular at the church potluck. People came to Emma's as much for the sense of community, of belonging, as they did for the great food.

As he continued to watch, he could easily see that the catalyst that brought the community and food together was Sarah. He stared in awe as she effortlessly floated from table to table, her face alight with her signature smile. Everyone loved her, and why shouldn't they? She was a friend to everyone that came through those doors, greeting them with a smile, welcoming them as if they were old friends. For many of them, that was the case, but he reminisced back to the days when he first started coming here, sitting in this very seat. She had treated him in much the same way, called him 'Sweetie'. The memory brought a smile to his face, lost in his thoughts. He was pulled back to reality by the sound of her voice at a table nearby. She was inquiring about the customer's family, how 'Emily and the grandkids' were doing. None of it seemed forced, like she was 'putting on a happy face' just for the sake of the customer. She genuinely enjoyed what she did and the bonds she had with the town's people that frequented her diner.

There was many a night that Chuck would pull Sarah's feet into his lap and massage away the pain of being on her feet for so many hours a day. She would only occasionally complain of her sore feet, but never of the job. She never seemed to loath going to work, despite the early morning hours and long days. She would happily share the stories she heard throughout the day or comment about how she saw 'so and so' and how their family was doing. He could see how much she really loved what she did. What may have started out as simply trying to hold onto her mother's dream, seemingly through it all, had slowly become a part of her, becoming her dream as well.

"That's a pretty big smile. Whatcha thinkin' about?" Sarah asked as she slid into the opposite side of the booth. She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. Her beaming smile warmed him all over. With a smirk, he mimicked her posture, placing his chin in his hands.

"You, obviously," he answered, bouncing his eyebrows.

"Good answer. Now, are you gonna tell me what you were really thinking about?" It was her turn to smirk and Chuck let out a small chuckle.

"In all honesty, I really was thinking about you. Watching you work. You look… really happy." Chuck's smile turned softer, more sincere, as he stared into her eyes. She reciprocated with a warm smile of her own.

"I am really happy. I've got you after all." She reached a hand across the table to take one of his.

"Well, you make me happy too, but I mean … more than that. More than just us. Watching you work here, talking with everyone, laughing. You just look… happy. Like… like this is where you're meant to be." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Sarah's expression changed, becoming more serious, reflective.

"I… I dunno. I guess I never thought that much about it. I mean, I do like it here. The people, the folks I work with. It's like a big happy family. I've grown up with all these people. As a little kid, I sat at that counter when my mom worked here as a waitress. Everyone knew me. It was like … like everybody here were aunts and uncles. Then I went away with Dad for a while, as you know. When I came back, it was like… like I never left. They all treated me the same, like I was family. When Mom got remarried, her and Will, Molly's dad, bought the place. Since then I've worked here in some capacity. Filling salt and pepper shakers, sweeping or doing dishes until I was old enough to start helping out as a waitress. I helped as much as I could when Mom had Molly. It was like the whole town stopped in to congratulate us on the new addition. I guess… I guess this place means a lot more to me than I thought. It's like… well.. It's like a very smart, tall, dark and handsome man once said. 'It's like home'." She was getting a bit misty-eyed talking about it, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

"Can I get a refill on my coffee over here, whenever you're done makin' googly eyes with him?" The request came from a nearby table, the smirk evident in the customer's joking tone. Sarah and Chuck both snorted, but Sarah didn't move or release his hand.

"Ernie, you just keep your shirt on. I'll be there when I'm damn good and ready. You've already had two cups and you know what Marjorie would say." The older man laughed at their banter, waving her off in good humor.

"I suppose I should get back at it. The natives are getting restless," Sarah commented as she started to get up from the table. Chuck held tight to her hand, though, causing her to pause.

"Sarah, I love you. If you're happy, I'm happy." He pulled her hand to his lips giving it a soft kiss. A broad smile broke out across her face, causing her eyes to sparkle. She slid out of the booth and came around the table to Chuck's side, still holding his hand. She pressed a warm, soft kiss to his lips, lingering for just a moment.

"I am happy, and that's in no small part because of you." She rubbed her thumb across his lower lip, removing some lip gloss that got transferred. "I gotta go. I'll stop back in a little while. You should get back to work too..." she gestured at his laptop with a knowing smile, "... instead of checking me out." She gave him a devilish smile and a wink as she slowly released his hand, sauntering away. The glance over her shoulder back at him was so incredibly sexy, he actually gulped, feeling a bit warm under the collar.

After watching her walk away for another moment, admiring the view, he shook himself out of his trance and turned back to his laptop. He signed back in and was faced with his project plan for the new language learning software. The same one he had asked Sarah to head up. She had yet to bring up the topic, and he said he wouldn't pressure her with it. After the realizations he had today, well for some time now, he knew that her heart would never be in this. Sure she was very qualified, but this place was where she wanted to be, where she belonged. Switching over to his email program, the dozens of unanswered emails greeted him. He sighed in frustration, mostly with himself. He had always devoted most of his time to his company, answering emails at all hours of the day and night, always working, never taking time for himself. His employees had grown to expect that level of accessibility and now that his attentions were split, he felt like things were slipping.

Chuck had started his trek around the country as a way of trying to divorce himself from his work, even if only for a short time. He'd been burning his candle at both ends and something had to give. What started as a labor of love had grown so much that he could no longer do the things that he really enjoyed. Instead of being involved in the creative process, he was spending more and more time just managing the company. Sure, he had staff to help with much of that, and they did a fantastic job, but still, that was where he was needed most of the time. The old saying 'be careful what you wish for' certainly seemed appropriate here. In college he had dreamed of doing just what he had achieved. He had wanted to create a software company, one that really made a difference. As proud as he was of the things he and his company had created, he didn't feel as fulfilled in his job as he'd hoped. His company was incredibly successful and, in turn, he had become ridiculously wealthy. He had far more money than his modest lifestyle would ever require. Still, he felt torn between his need to be with Sarah and obligation to his company and employees. He'd already spent far too much time away from the office. He'd have to go back soon, at least for a little while, and the prospect gave him a knot in his stomach.

Scrolling through his Inbox, one email stood out. A message from Phil Spencer, a powerful man in the industry and a friend he had come to know from conferences and conventions. The message wasn't addressed to Chuck specifically, but was a response to an ongoing email thread he was included on. The wheels in Chuck's head began turning. He glanced at Sarah, who was laughing with some customers at a table on the other side of the diner. He locked the screen on his laptop and grabbed his jacket. Chuck headed out through the front door and started to walk down the sidewalk, pulling out his phone. He thumbed through his contacts and, after finding who he was looking for, placed the call.

"Hey Phil. It's Chuck… Yeah. Good. Good. How're Beth and the kids?... Oh, that's great. Glad to hear it… Right. Right. Yeah. So… you uh… you got a minute to talk shop? Yeah. I uh… I may have an idea you might be interested in."

A/N2: Hmmmm. What sort of idea, I wonder? … Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than usual. I'm sure I'll make up for it in the next chapters. Thanks for reading. I appreciate any and all reviews, PMs, etc. I enjoy hearing what you think and what works and what might not.