A/N: Just a short note about the story calendar and dates for the rest of the current school year in this story. I used 2019 for dates and days of the week back when I started writing the story last summer. We're getting into Winter and Spring quarters with their associated acapella competitions and baseball season. There were no seasons to speak of in the spring of 2020 to use for inspiration, so I'm going back to using the 2019 calendar for the upcoming quarters. Since I've never fixed the actual year for the story it really doesn't matter, beyond my obsession with telling y'all things in these A/Ns.

Disclaimer: Tree sex, bush sex, flower sex, grass sex. No, not me, you perverts. Pollen season. Pollen season on steroids. Pollen season from now until everything dies next fall. That's when mold season starts. Had the final nasal surgery post-op visit less than one week before the unbridled plant orgy commenced. Clear sinuses are able to breathe in so much more pollen. Oh, cruel fate. The mosquitos arrived behind a cloud of pollen like troops storming the Normandy beaches. The battle was over before it began. They took their spoils. Consequently, I don't own Chuck and I make no money from Chuck. How many of you read this disclaimer just because I used the word 'sex' four times in the first sentence?

Chapter 22 – Do You Know the Way to San Jose

January 5

Sarah knocked on the apartment door. She had followed Ellie's directions, but it was a relief when the older woman answered the door, just the same. This was the second time that day she was going to be eating with Chuck. A last bit of care-free fun before Winter Quarter started on Monday.

They'd had lunch together when he'd led their caravan of cars returning to Stanford to Falafel's Drive-In on Stevens Creek Boulevard in San Jose, after meeting up with them in the parking lot of the Burbank Buy More where Morgan had worked when he was in high school. Chuck had seen the restaurant on a TV show some time ago and had frequented it over the years when his family had been in the area. He and Morgan had made more than one trek there in the fall and he wanted Sarah to experience it as soon as he found out that she had never been there in the four years she'd been in school at Palo Alto. Chuck treated his friends to a selection of falafel, gyro, and kifta kabab sandwiches on pitas for everyone to share. Sarah took his advice and ordered a fresh banana shake to drink. It doubled as a dessert. She was going to enjoy having a foodie for a boyfriend. With some caution, though.

"I better be careful around you, Chuck, or I'm gonna weigh a ton," Sarah had teased him.

"Particularly if you can't run because you're tripping over pinecones all of the time," Chuck had grinned back at her. Her mouth had fallen open in surprise. Her Chuck was teasing her and being playful. Morgan, Carina, and Zondra had laughed at her, enjoying the interplay between the new couple. She'd thrown her napkin at him and joined in their laughter. She loved that he was getting more comfortable in their relationship with each passing day.

"This place is pretty good. We're definitely coming back here and getting some of their other stuff," she'd commented, thinking about being on a leisurely drive with Chuck around the southern bay area and stopping off for a relaxing and tasty meal. He had nodded and voiced his agreement, happy to be spending as much time as possible with his new girlfriend(!) and experiencing his first romantic relationship. When lunch was over, they'd shared a lingering kiss that left them both a bit breathless, before everybody returned to their respective cars to complete the journey back to Stanford.

On the final leg of the drive back to school, Sarah had occupied herself with her favorite pastime, thinking about her Chuck. As she thought over all their times together, from their just-completed lunch all the way back to the afternoon she'd first met him, their date, the hugs, hand-holding, and the amazing kisses, a realization had struck her out of nowhere. Chuck hadn't told her the whole story! Sarah had reviewed everything he'd told her during his revelations and everything he'd said since that day. Something was missing. With such an amazing and heartbreaking story, so much to process, it had taken her brain until just then to realize his story didn't add up, even though she'd spent so much time thinking about him. There was time missing that he hadn't told her about. If he graduated from college, the first time, when he was twelve and then spent three years in Boston and two in England, that only added up to seventeen. Not eighteen. What had he been doing during the year before he came to Stanford? Had he mentioned something, in passing, and she had just forgotten about it? No, no she didn't think so. Hmmm. She didn't think he was hiding anything from her, at least not like he had been doing when they first met. Sarah wasn't mad. Not really. Just curious. His life was so busy and he was involved in so many different things, it was hard to keep it all straight. For her, not for him, obviously, she grinned to herself. So, what had he been doing in that 'lost year'? That thought was foremost in her mind as she navigated the Stanford campus before finding a parking spot close to Roble Hall and next to the spaces claimed by her two suitemates.

Chuck, with his 'A' level pass, was able to park right beside the dorm. By the time the CATS had hauled their suitcases up to their room, he and Morgan had completed their own trek up to their floor. At lunch, Chuck had told Sarah that they were having a small freezer delivered that afternoon and that they needed to be there to accept the delivery, so she wasn't concerned about him not being around right at that moment, even though she wanted to talk to him about what she'd realized at the end of her drive. She knew that he needed the freezer to hold the cold packs that he'd need to use to ice his arm during the baseball season. Sarah had already returned the cold pack that Chuck had given to her to ice her sprained ankle back in the fall.

About the time that Amy showed up, the other CATS had been almost done with their unpacking. The friends had greeted one another and been catching up when Sarah's phone buzzed with an incoming call from Ellie. She'd stepped into her and Carina's room while her three friends were in the opposite bedroom gossiping.

"Hi Ellie. What's up?" Sarah had asked.

"What's up is I'm inviting you to dinner. Can you make it this evening?" the older brunette had replied.

"Is Chuck going to be there?" she had wondered.

"Oh, yeah. He's going to be there. I just got off of the phone with him. In fact, it was his idea to invite you. He would have called you himself, but the guys with his new freezer got there just as we got on the phone. We had to cut the call short and I volunteered to call you since he was going to be busy for a bit with the delivery guys," Ellie had rambled. "So? Can you make it?"

"Sure, Ellie. I'd love to have dinner with you and Chuck," Sarah had said happily.

"And Devon, too. Of course," Ellie had chuckled.

"Of course," Sarah had laughed.

"Great," Ellie had sounded pleased. "Let me give you the directions."

"Oh, I can't just come over with Chuck?"

"Well, you could, but he told me that he had a couple of things that he needed to take a look at before he showed up. I think that it had to do with his laboratory. Is that a problem?" Ellie had asked tentatively.

"No. No problem. I guess," Sarah had pouted. "We'll have to ride together another time," she'd shrugged. "What time do you want me there?"

"How does 6:30 sound?"

"It sounds great. So, how do I get to your place?" Sarah had responded. Ellie proceeded to give her directions to her apartment. "Thanks, Ellie. It won't be difficult to find. I've been over in your complex a few times over the years. I'm looking forward to it. See you soon," Sarah had said. After ending the call, she'd blown out a breath. This was it, the first dinner with her boyfriend's family. Part of it, at least. Even though she already knew, and liked Ellie, it was still a milestone in her and Chuck's new relationship.

Now, Ellie was ushering Sarah into her apartment with a hug. Devon rose from the couch and gathered her into a hug of his own.

"Hiya, Sarah. How was your break?" Devon asked, smiling.

"Hey, Devon. It was busy and sort of sucky because I had that never ending cold that was going around, but it ended on a high note. So, all in all, it was a pretty great vacation," Sarah grinned when Devon offered her his hand for a high-five.

Ellie leaned in and whispered, "We'll go for coffee and you can tell me all about it. I'm so happy for you two." Sarah smiled, her cheeks reddening slightly.

"Speaking of two, have you seen Chuck? Is he here yet? I didn't see his car outside when I was parking," Sarah questioned. Ellie grinned.

Before Ellie could answer, Chuck stuck his head out of the kitchen, "Was someone asking about me?" he grinned crookedly.

"Chuck!" Sarah hurried over to her newly-minted boyfriend and gave him a very warm kiss which he returned in kind. Ellie and Devon shared huge smiles, but the older woman couldn't contain her delighted squeal. The high-pitched noise caused Sarah to pull back in mock confusion.

"What was that?" the younger woman said, looking around with eyes widened in wonder.

"Oh, that's just Ellie. For some reason she lets out loud squeals at random times and we don't know why," Chuck snarked. "Even the best medical minds are baffled."

Ellie stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Hush, you. I'm allowed to be happy for you. For both of you," she smiled.

"Well, if you're so happy for us then stop interrupting!" Sarah grinned before turning back and going in for another kiss. Ellie gasped and giggled.

"Awesome!" Devon laughed.

Breaking their kiss, Sarah asked, "What are you doing in the kitchen, sweetie?"

"Sweetie?" Chuck asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, sweetie," she confirmed. "That's OK, isn't it?"

"It's wonderful," Chuck smiled softly. "I've never been anyone's sweetie before." Sarah's own smile threatened to break her jaw, it was so wide.

"Gag me," Ellie teased, grinning.

"Pfft to you, too, sis," Chuck laughed. "I like being Sarah's sweetie. As if you don't talk to Devon like that."

"He's got you there, babe," Devon agreed, laughing at Ellie affronted pout.

"You never answered my question, though. What are you doing in the kitchen?" Sarah asked, again.

"I'm making dinner for us," her boyfriend announced.

"You? You told me that Ellie is a good cook, but you're cooking tonight?" she asked. "What are you making?"

"Cedar plank Salmon with mushroom rice pilaf and haricots verts (French green beans). We'll start with a simple green salad. For dessert, Ellie made fresh raspberry sorbet with fruit we'd had frozen at home. She brought some with her when she came back up," Chuck rattled off the menu with aplomb. Sarah was more than a little surprised.

"How do you know how to cook all of that, Chuck? That's not Cornish pasties. Did Mr. Barker's wife teach you how to do all of that, too?" she couldn't keep the surprise from showing when she spoke.

"To be honest, I've got something else to tell you," Chuck grinned sheepishly. "I never got around to telling you back on your birthday, but I figured you'd realize I'd left stuff out and you'd call me on it. But you never did," he shrugged.

"Does this have something to do with that missing year?" Sarah wondered.

Chuck's eyes widened. "It could be. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that I figured out that your story doesn't add up," Sarah shrugged. Chuck's eyes got even bigger. "The schools and times you told us about only take you up to age seventeen. That means a year is missing before you came to Stanford."

"She's got you there, little brother," Ellie laughed.

Chuck just beamed. "Yeah, I guess you're right, El. My girlfriend really is a genius," he shook his head in amusement. Sarah just snorted.

"Didn't take a genius to figure that out. It's not rocket science," she faux grumped. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing last year?"

"What indeed?" Chuck teased. Sarah's mouth fell open. He was teasing her again. Warmth spread through her chest, but she had to take a stand.

"Charles Irving Bartowski! If you don't tell me right now, you're going to regret it," Sarah glared and giggled at him, a little embarrassed at her outburst.

"She's a smart one," Ellie stage whispered to Devon. "I didn't even have to teach her that trick." Devon wisely kept quiet. Chuck stuck out his tongue at his sister before turning back to his impatient girlfriend.

"Sarah, I spent the last year before Stanford going to culinary school at the Culinary Institute of Los Angeles. I wanted to surprise you, that's why I hadn't mentioned anything before now," Chuck said proudly. "And that's why I got Ellie to invite you over here tonight, so I could surprise you with dinner and tell you about it. So, … um … Surprise!"

"You're a trained chef?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I am and I've got the associates degree to prove it. The program only lasts a year," he told her. "After all of the schools I'd been in and being away for so long, I needed a break before I started here. I was getting a little burned out. I've always liked to cook. It relaxes me, so I figured, why not?" she shrugged.

"Why not, he says!" Sarah shook her head. "My boyfriend is smart. He invents stuff that he sells from his own company. He's a top athlete. And he's a trained chef," she threw her hands in the air and laughed. "Wait until the CATS get a load of this!" Sarah snorted and shook her head again. Chuck nodded his head and bounced his shoulder.

"Quite the guy, my little brother," Ellie beamed. She didn't notice the glint in Sarah's eye.

"And he's a hot stud who kisses me senseless," she grinned wickedly. Chuck's face reddened, but he grinned happily. Hot stud?! That was another first, not that he minded. He thought he knew what that meant.

"We kiss each other senseless, actually," he said as he continued to grin. Sarah's face pinked prettily at his pronouncement, surprised at his boldness. Things were looking up, most definitely.

"OK. TMI! T. M. I. No need for that," Ellie said, making a grossed-out face.

Devon burst out laughing, "Awesome! Way to go, Chuckster." He shared another high-five with Sarah, whose laughter joined his own.

"I'd best get back in the kitchen and make sure I don't mess up dinner," Chuck said as he ducked out of sight.

"Holy shit," Sarah breathed, raising her eyebrows to Ellie, who gave her a tight close-lipped smile while nodding her head in acknowledgement. Yeah, that was her brother, full of surprises. When Sarah tried to follow Chuck back into the kitchen, he gently shooed her out, so she visited with Ellie and Devon while Chuck finished preparing their meal.

"We missed you guys coming to our New Year's Eve party, but Chuck told me that you'd already come back up here," she said.

"Yeah, I came back early. I was missing Devon something fierce and we couldn't work it out for him to come down to Burbank, so what else could I do? We spent all last week together, here in the apartment. Besides, there were some wild med school parties planned for New Year's," Ellie confessed.

"Were they fun?" Sarah smiled.

"Well, we didn't start feeling normal until, like, last Friday, so I don't know if you could call them actually fun," the older woman admitted. Sarah couldn't stop herself from giggling.

"Babe, you don't exactly remember much about the parties, do you?" Devon teased. Ellie pouted, shaking her head sheepishly.

"So, too much fun then," Sarah laughed. She was glad that she remembered every second of her New Year's Eve and would for the rest of her life.

They were talking about their respective family's holiday traditions when Chuck came out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready, before going back into the room to begin bringing out the already plated food. First, for the ladies and, then, for Devon and himself. Pitchers of water and tea were on the table for them to choose from. Everyone took their seats, marveling at the meal before them.

"Chuck, this smells heavenly," Sarah gushed.

"I hope it tastes as good as it smells," he replied.

"Sarah's right, bro," Devon nodded. "This looks great!" Ellie reached over and patted her brother's arm.

"Well, don't everyone just sit there looking at it," Chuck admonished them. "Dig in!"

Sarah took a bite of the salmon and couldn't help moaning just a little, causing her dinner companions to smile at her. "Oh, Chuck this salmon is divine. How did you cook it?"

"I marinated the salmon in a mixture of vegetable oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, and garlic for about an hour. That's how long the cedar planks were soaking in water, too. I put the salmon on the planks and then the planks on a baking sheet and cooked them in a preheated oven for about twenty minutes, while I checked them to make sure they were cooking properly. Pretty simple really," Chuck shrugged.

"Uh huh, simple," Sarah grinned and shook her head. Ellie just beamed at her younger brother. Atta boy, Chuck. Way to sweep her off of her feet, she thought to herself.

More praise followed for the side dishes and salad, causing Chuck to blush. All he'd wanted to do was cook a nice meal for his sister and her boyfriend to repay her for all of the meals she'd made for him during the fall. That and make a nice 'welcome back to school' meal for his new girlfriend. Sarah grinned at him before taking a sip of water. She then leaned over and kissed him lightly on his lips. He couldn't help but smile goofily at her. Grown-up kissing was still new to him, but he enjoyed every aspect of kissing Sarah Walker.

"This meal is wonderful, sweetie," Sarah cooed. "Thank you so much for making it for me … um … us." Ellie giggled.

"You better cut that out or I'll have to ask you to get a room," Ellie teased. "There's only one bedroom in this apartment, so you can forget about using that one." She winked at Sarah, who blushed. Chuck just looked at her, aghast. He might not be very experienced, but even he knew what his sister was alluding to.

"Come on, El! We're nowhere near that," Chuck frowned. "Give us a break." Ellie caught Sarah's eye and saw agreement there, so she bit back the retort she'd been planning, smiling and shaking her head instead. She really was more interested in helping her brother than teasing him, anyway.

The rest of dinner proceeded without any hiccups, through their sorbet. After Chuck and Devon had cleared the table and washed the pots and pans and loaded the dishwasher with the plates and utensils, everyone adjourned to the living room for coffee. While they were talking about the upcoming quarter, Sarah came to another realization.

"You baked my birthday cake, didn't you?" she blurted to Chuck.

He grinned crookedly at her, before admitting, "Yeah, I did make your cake."

"I thought you said that Ellie helped you," Sarah scolded him. Not allowing him to reply, she turned to his sister. "I thought you told me that you helped him with baking the cake."

"I did help. In a way. I gave him access to my kitchen and my pans and mixer," Ellie shrugged and grinned. Chuck bounced his eyebrows and made a funny face.

"Oh, you two!" Sarah shook her head, exasperated. "Bartowskis helping each other to keep secrets. What am I going to do with you?"

"Hopefully not the same things," Ellie smirked. Devon burst out laughing. Sarah blushed. Chuck wasn't sure, so he just looked confused.

Sarah had had the best time at dinner. Being with Chuck and hanging out with Ellie and Devon was so much fun. The idea that she could look forward to many repeat performances over the next three years filled her with happiness. After Chuck's birthday cake revelation and Ellie's teasing, they'd had a great time just being together and talking. Openly wondering about the upcoming school quarter and talking about her acapella competition season and Chuck's looming baseball season. She and Chuck had decided to head back to the dorm just after 9 o'clock. They were a bit tired from their long drive earlier that day. Although they hadn't said anything, they had both been looking forward to taking their first walk around campus as boyfriend and girlfriend, before calling it a night.

Now, they were doing just that, once they met up after parking their cars. Walking around campus, following their normal route, hand-in-hand, stopping every so often to hug. And kiss. Definitely kiss. Deliciously kiss. Kiss, kiss, kiss. Sarah knew that she had never been so happy in her life. It took an effort to stop herself from giggling like a lunatic from sheer unadulterated joy bubbling within her. If anyone had tried to tell her last summer where she'd be at the beginning of winter quarter and who she'd be with and what she'd be doing and thinking about, she'd have laughed in their face. Then tried to have them committed. And, yet, here she was. The world had never felt so right to her. They were both bundled up against the cold evening weather, but had forgone wearing gloves, preferring to hold hands and share their warmth and their electric spark.

They'd arrived at Dohrmann Grove and 'their' bench. Chuck stopped walking and tugged on Sarah's hand. She smiled and stepped up to him. He put their clasped hands around her waist, against her lower back, before leaning in to kiss her again. She smiled as their lips met, her eyes fluttering closed. Without thinking, she lifted her free hand to cup his cheek. The touch of her cold fingers on his warm skin caused him to gasp into their kiss which made Sarah giggle.

"Sorry," she breathed against his lips.

"S'alright," he grinned, keeping his lips on hers. Their mouths opened as their kiss deepened.

Not wanting to stop kissing him, Sarah tried to maneuver them off of the sidewalk toward their bench. She'd almost succeeded in getting them to their destination, still lip locked, when Chuck tripped over an exposed tree root causing them to bite each other's tongues. Breaking the kiss, Chuck looked at her with hurt surprise.

"Ow! Tha Huths!" he lisped, trying to talk with his injured tongue sticking out.

Sarah's own tongue was stinging where they'd both bitten it, but she couldn't help smiling a little at his antics. She tugged on his hand to direct him the last bit of the way to their bench. Once there, they sat down together. Pulling her phone out of her purse, she turned it on and pointed its flashlight app toward Chuck's face trying to get enough light to see if his tongue was bleeding. Not seeing any blood caused her to relax and release the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"I don't see any blood, so it doesn't look like we broke the surface of your tongue. No lasting damage, but still painful," Sarah smiled apologetically.

"Thancth," Chuck grinned. When she rolled her eyes playfully, he gestured to her phone. "Thanks for checking. Let me check you out now," he said without any lisp. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Check me out, huh, Chuck?" she smirked. "Pretty bold there, Mr. Science."

Chuck's eyes narrowed in thought and he frowned in confusion. "Did I say something wrong? Should a boyfriend not offer to look at his girlfriend's tongue to see if she'd damaged it and was bleeding?"

It was Sarah's turn to look confused, then her eyes widened in surprised realization. He didn't understand the double meaning of 'check you out'. He didn't get the sexual connotation, reminding her, again, that he'd led a very sheltered and isolated life. She had to be careful here and explain it to him at some point. But, first, she did want him to check to make sure she wasn't bleeding. She didn't taste anything coppery, but it paid to make sure. "Of course, it's OK for you to see if my tongue is hurt, Chuck. I was only teasing." He gave her a quizzical look. "I'll explain later, but please look at my tongue first." Chuck nodded and took her phone, directing the flashlight at her like in imitation of her previous actions.

"I don't see any cuts or blood anywhere, Sarah. It looks like we were both lucky, but my tongue does hurt a bit. I'm guessing that yours does too."

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" Sarah teased, smirking. The shy crooked grin he wore made her chuckle. They both leaned in to help each other 'make it better'. When their lips touched, they sighed almost in unison at the tender, soft warmth each was experiencing.

He was such a good kisser, she thought. A natural. Or was it because she was kissing him or was it because he was kissing her? Nope, they were kissing each other. If he was this good now, what would he be like once they'd been together longer? Sarah almost swooned at the thought, both at his potential skill and the kissing they'd be doing to get him that experience. To be honest, she wasn't all that certain about her own skill at kissing, but based on his reactions, Chuck seemed to be enjoying what she was doing to and with him. A fire bloomed in her belly and she opened her mouth, using her tongue to gently open his lips. Her tongue softly caressed his. When he gently returned her caress, she couldn't suppress her moan.

Chuck opened himself to Sarah completely without reservation. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he drew her closer. Chuck loved kissing Sarah. Loved it. He didn't even resent not kissing more girls when he was younger before Sarah for a number of reasons. Most importantly, he absolutely knew kissing Sarah Walker was infinitely better than kissing anyone else. The feel of her oh so soft lips. The taste of her. The way her tongue caressed his mouth. He tried to kiss her the way she was kissing him. She seemed to be enjoying it, as far as he could tell from his very limited experience kissing her for less than a week and for only a small fraction of that time. He was so happy he'd taken that chance on New Year's Eve. Putting aside his fears. Stopping his overanalysis and taking a leap of faith into, what had been, the unknown. Kissing her and telling her part of what he was feeling. At least the part of his feelings that he thought he understood a little. Every time they were together, he felt giddy. When they kissed, he felt like he had a bubble inside that wanted to burst out of him. Heck, when they did anything, including standing near each other. It was more than happiness. Was it love? He had no idea. He didn't even know how to figure out what it was. All he knew is he'd been feeling that way more and more since the moment he'd met Sarah. It took an act of will not to burst out laughing at the sheer exuberant feeling. He thought about her a lot of the time. Every time he did, she came to the front of his mind and the endless movie faded and muted itself somewhat. The more time they spent together, the more Chuck was able to get lost in the moment and just be with Sarah, his burdens momentarily put aside. Still in control, but not, at the same time. He felt almost lighter than air whenever he so much as caught sight of her in the distance.

The shared need to breathe eventually forced them to pause their reciprocal ministering to each other's injured tongues. They didn't pull too far apart since Chuck had his arms around Sarah's shoulders and she had hers around his back, rubbing it softly as her blue eyes gazed into his gentle brown ones. He simply took her breath away. If she had loved him before the Christmas break, she loved him more now. They were together. Wonderfully together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Finally. He was still awkward and a little hesitant, but Sarah could tell that he was growing more comfortable and relaxed with her each moment they were together. Part of him was still the unsure boy she'd met back in October, but he was so much more. She was learning new things about the man he was constantly. Big things and small. And he was discovering things about her, as well. How was he dealing with all of it? Processing it?

"What's going on in that amazing brain of yours? Underneath those wonderful curls of mine?" Sarah asked, tilting her head slightly to give him a questioning look.

"Your curls?" Chuck grinned.

"Possession is nine tenths of the law, so yes, my curls," she gave him a cheeky grin of her own.

"Last time I looked in the mirror, I possessed those curls on my head," he responded. She loved it when he got all lawyer-y and she giggled. She didn't use to be a giggler, but she sure was now. Was she ever.

"Yes, but when I run my fingers through those curls and grab hold like this," Sarah pulled her arms from around Chuck's back, running her fingers through his hair, instead, before gently grabbing two handfuls and giving him a light kiss on his lips, causing him to hum softly, "then I possess them and they're mine."

"OK, I got it. You like your hair on my head," Chuck grinned and tried to shrug, but Sarah having her hands tangled in his hair restricted his movement, so the shrug was more of a wiggle.

"I do," she confirmed, "So, what's going on in there?"

"I wish I could show you what goes on inside my brain. I try to explain it, but I don't have the words to do the job adequately. It's like I'm trying to describe the color blue to a blind woman. No offense. Please don't be mad."

"None taken and I'm not mad", Sarah said.

"You are in my thoughts constantly, Sarah. I might get lost a little sometimes … OK, a lot of times," he twisted his lips to the side and she smirked, "but, I don't lose control entirely. My sense of being in the present. Here and now. The thoughts of you kind of takeover or I zoom in on them. My movie sort of fades into the background in a way. That's a pretty poor explanation, but it's the best I can do for the moment," Chuck shrugged apologetically. "Before you ask, no, that's never happened before. Then again, I've never had a girl in my life before, let alone a woman as wonderful as you." It was his turn to lightly kiss her as she blushed at his praise.

"I think I understand what you're telling me," Sarah said, "At least, a little. And, remember, I think you're pretty wonderful, too."

"Sarah, you're amazing and you make me feel amazing. I don't understand everything that I'm feeling, but I'm so glad I stumbled into your practice back in October."

"Oh, me too," she purred before leaning in to start kissing him again.

During their walk back to the dorm, Sarah tried to explain to Chuck why she had teased him about checking her out.

"Chuck, when I was teasing you before, when you said you wanted to 'check me out'?" she began.

"I remember," he nodded.

"Well, the phrase 'check you out' has another meaning besides how you were using it."

"What else does it mean?" he wondered.

"People say 'check you out' when they are talking about looking with interest at someone who they find attractive," she explained. "Like the first time you ate dinner with us, I could have said 'Jill is totally checking you out, meaning she was interested in you and looking you over."

Chuck's eyes widened with concern. "Oh Sarah, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to imply that at all. I've heard people say that over the years and I'd always assumed it meant a number of things but never something like … ah … that. I would never look at you in an unseemly way. Checking you out or otherwise. Please forgive me." Sarah couldn't help smiling a little. She didn't doubt his sincerity at all, but she realized that she needed to reassure him and put some things in context.

"Chuck, first off, I know that you would never do anything that was in any way demeaning to me. Or anyone else, for that matter. Saying 'check you out' isn't bad in and of itself. Even actually looking at someone so that you are 'checking them out' isn't a bad thing. It all depends on the context and the intent of the person doing the looking. If you were leering or rude when you said 'check you out' or when you physically check someone out, that wouldn't be good. But looking at someone with affection or appreciation can be a good thing. Understand?"

"I think so," he replied doubtfully.

"OK, let's see if this works," Sarah said. Chuck shrugged. "Chuck, I like you. I like you a lot. I like spending time with you. I like holding your hand. And hugging you. Cuddling with you on our bench. And I really like kissing you."

Chuck was smiling. "I like all of those things, too, Sarah."

"I know, sweetie. And I'm glad you do." Am I ever, she thought to herself. "I enjoy looking at you. I like looking at you when we're talking. When we're walking. Eating together. Just all of the time." Chuck nodded his understanding. "I also enjoy looking at you when we're not close to each other. For example, when you're on the other side of the room like you were sometimes at the New Year's Eve party. Or when you're coming out of the Lakeside dining serving line and walking over to our table. I like watching you at those times, too. OK?"

"Sure, Sarah. OK."

"Well, those times when I'm looking at you across a room or walking up to our table at dinner could be called 'checking you out'. I like you and I like looking at you. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"No, I guess there isn't. Is it OK if I say that all of the stuff you just told me, I enjoy about you, too? I guess enjoy checking you out."

"That's part of what being boyfriend and girlfriend, a couple, is all about," she smiled softly while Chuck got a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I will say that I'm going to be in trouble and it's going to cost me a lot of money."

"Trouble? Why? What's going to cost you money?"

"Well, now that I've checked you out, I'm never going to return you to the library. The overdue fees will cost me a fortune," Chuck teased giving her a silly smile.

"Oh, you! You're such a goof!" Sarah laughed, shaking her head. It amazed her how he could go from being so intelligent, skilled, and capable to an innocent to a silly goof in the blink of an eye. One thing was for sure and that was that Chuck Bartowski kept her on her toes. She didn't have a problem with that at all.

"WHAT!?" Carina screeched.

Sarah had just entered the suite after saying her goodbyes to Chuck and sending him on his way, but not before they'd kissed each other soundly. She felt his absence immediately, missing him as soon as they parted, the ache she felt in her chest had already become familiar. She felt it every time they were apart. It got worse the further away he was and the longer they were apart. She'd sighed, a mixture of happiness and longing. The elder CATS had tried to tease her about being a lovestruck schoolgirl, but had been frustrated when she had instantly agreed with them. It wasn't any fun to tease someone when they wouldn't argue the point, so they'd switched tactics to trying to get Sarah to dish on her dinner and walk with her new boyfriend. Sarah had repaid them by telling them about Chuck's culinary training and impressive skills.

"Do you mean to tell us that Curls is a trained chef? The tall hat, the white jacket, the whole bit?" Zondra asked incredulously.

"Yup," Sarah grinned, popping the 'p' in her reply.

"I don't believe it," Amy shook her head in amazed wonder.

"It's not fair," Carina groused. "Blondie stumbles across a random guy. He's a stuttering nerd freshman or so we think, by day. By night, he's a rich, good looking, genius PhD student who fills out a speedo in all the right places. And he can COOK! Not to mention being one of the sweetest guys ever to walk the planet, who treats you like a queen. You've got to be kidding me!" The auburn-haired beauty threw her hands in the air in frustration and, then, pointed at the younger blonde. "First time out of the chute and Sweet Polly Purebred here wins the PowerBall Lottery! How did you get so lucky?"

"Clean living," Sarah smirked at her irate roommate. She knew Carina was happy for her and was just putting on a show.

"That leaves you out, Red. So out," Zondra needled.

"Bite me, Z," Carina grumped, but grinned, before turning back toward Sarah. "Please tell me that he's a bad kisser. Tell me that he licks your face and slobbers all over you when he's trying to French kiss you."

Sarah laughed, "You know that isn't true, Red. You were there on New Year's Eve and you saw us kissing. I know you did. He's a wonderful kisser. He makes me feel fantastic."

"Damn it, you're right," the older member of CATS frowned and tried one last time. "Halitosis. He has halitosis. Please tell me he has halitosis and you gag when you're forced to kiss him. Blondie, please. Give me something." She couldn't stop herself from starting to grin again.

"Nope," Sarah laughed and shook her head. "He tastes delicious," she said dreamily. "Sorry to disappoint you guys. No halitosis and no poor skills." Sarah stuck out her lower lip and shook her head again. "Chuck's a wonderful kisser and he tastes divine. It's great. He's great. Just think, it's only been a week. How skilled will Chuck be once we've been together for a while and spent a lot more time with each other? How much more skilled will I be?" She gave her friends a wide-eyed innocent look.

"Oh, now you're just being mean," Carina snarked laughing. Amy and Zondra joined in. "You know I was only teasing." Sarah nodded her understanding. "You're a wonderful girl and he's a wonderful guy. You two deserve each other. Truly." The younger woman started blushing. "I do claim dibs on your firstborn, though. I figure I can't lose with the offspring of your two gene pools mixing. Male or female, doesn't matter. I need me some of that speedo-wearing chef kissing skills."

Sarah threw her head back and laughed. "First off, Ewww. Second, no way you're getting our offspring, not that that's anywhere on even the farthest horizon, you'd ruin them."

"You've got me there, Blondie," Carina laughed. All four women burst out laughing while the red-head pulled Sarah into a tight hug.

If he's that good a kisser after just one week to make Blondie react like that, Carina thought, what will he be like in a few months. She shivered, a little jealous. I don't want to think about Chuckles in bed. I guess it's mean to hope that he suffers from premature ejaculation. Who am I trying to kid? If tall, dark, and nerdy kisses her that well and can cook, I'm sure that he can butter her biscuit just fine. Damn it. And he doesn't have a brother. Only a sister and she's taken. Maybe he has cousins.

January 9

Sarah looked around at the assembled girls in Helman Hall. It had been a long fall quarter, but the disparate individuals who'd first entered the hall last September had become a cohesive group. It was a good thing, because the start of their competition season was only a few weeks away. Dr. Beckman sat off to the side in one of the desks, below where Chuck had studied in the fall, and allowed Sarah to run the meeting unimpeded.

"Welcome back, everyone. Hopefully, you've been able to get settled and any issues with classes worked out by now," Sarah began. There were nods around the room. "Does anyone have any outstanding issues?" Heads shaking no, so she continued. "Great. The competition season starts in a few weeks and we need to be ready. The ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella) competitions don't start until February 23, but we've got a couple of 'friendly'," Sarah made air quotes with her hands, "competitions before then to sort of get warmed up for the real thing. The first of those is on January 26 and the second one is two weeks later on February 9. And that is only two weeks before the ICCA regional quarterfinal competition is scheduled for our group. We're in group three, by the way."

"What happens after the regional quarterfinals? Do we do any more friendlies or just the semis?" Beca asked.

"Let's focus on the friendlies and the quarterfinals, for now. But to answer your question, Beca, if we get past the quarters, the semifinals are in late March up in Salem, Oregon. The finals are all the way in New York City on April 27. We can get there, but we'll have our work cut out for us. We won't have time for any friendly competitions after the first two. There are a lot of very good acapella groups that we have to get through to win that trophy at finals. A lot of hard work, too." Sarah looked from girl to girl to make sure they'd understood the message she was sending them. "OK, to that end, I think that it's a good idea for us to perform something we're already familiar with for the first friendly. That way we don't have to take the time to learn something new, only polish it up." She looked down at her notes. "Secondly, we'll be able to spend the extra time learning and polishing a new routine for the second friendly and work on the routine we want for the quarterfinals. The real stuff."

"We have to do something different every time?" Cynthia Rose asked. "That's a lot to learn and perfect."

"You're right, it is," Sarah nodded. Some frowns. "Look, we talked about this last fall. This isn't news to anyone. I know we had a bit of a struggle to get our feet under us."

"Some of us more than others," Carina snarked. Giggles around the room. Sarah wanted to glare at her friend, but bowed her head in acknowledgement, instead.

"Ha! Pfft! Yes, thanks, Carina. Some of us did have more trouble staying on their feet last fall." She smirked at the older CATS member. "I'm glad you mentioned it, because that is the routine that I want us to do for the first friendly. The same routine we performed during Homecoming Weekend, the mash-up of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" and "I'm Gonna Be (500)" right down to me being on crutches like back then. I've gotten permission to borrow a set of crutches from the Vaden Health Center, as long as I bring them back ASAP after the performance. We know that routine, so it shouldn't take us very long to get it knocked back into shape. Yes, we were rough when we first started in the fall, but we really came together by the end of the quarter. Getting that routine ready should be a piece of cake."

"What are you planning for the second friendly, Sarah?" Aubrey wanted to know.

"Glad you asked." Sarah smiled. "The CATS have been talking and we think a mash-up of "I Wish You Loved Me" by Tynisha Keli and "Wishin' and Hopin'" by Dusty Springfield could be pretty cool. Blending the new with the old." Some of the girls' eyes widened in surprise. Sarah turned to Beca. "Do you think you could work on those songs to figure out a good arrangement that would work in a mash-up, Beca?"

Beca looked a little stunned. Sarah was showing a lot of confidence in her to give her this opportunity. "Sure. Sure, Sarah. I'll get on it tonight after I finish studying. Thanks!" The younger Songbird wore a tentative smile, but the other underclass girls were beaming.

Sarah smiled. "That's not all." Beca's smile faltered. "We want you to work on some of your remixes, too. We'd like to have one ready for the quarters or the semis. Really knock their socks off. Show everybody what we can do." She nodded. "And make the ChoirBoyz look foolish for a change," she smirked.

'Hell yeah', 'Damn straight', 'About damn time' could be heard from the assembled singers.

"I can do that, Sarah. We'll make 'em wish they'd never messed with us," Beca nodded her head, smirking defiantly. Even Dr. Beckman's face wore a fierce expression.

"Fan-damn-tastic, you guys. Let's get to work," Sarah commanded. As the girls started to arrange themselves into the start positions for the homecoming mash-up, she remembered something else. "One more thing," she started and the girls all stopped to listen, "On Friday we're taking our practice time to go buy our outfits for the friendly. Special outfits aren't absolutely required for the friendlies, but Dr. Beckman thinks we need to send a message to everyone and I agree."

"What are we going to be wearing?" Chloe wondered.

"Knee high black boots, black jeans, white tank tops, and black leather jackets," Sarah answered. "Pay a little homage to Nancy Sinatra. Some real independent girl-power attitude. How does that sound?"

"That sounds kick ass!" Lilly said, startling the rest of the group with her loud enthusiasm. Girls started to laugh.

"OK then," Sarah laughed to herself. "Let's get ready to kick some ass!"

Chuck took another look around his laboratory and sighed. He was tired, but satisfied. Even with the head start he'd gotten on getting the lab organized at the end of Fall Quarter, it had taken him three more full days, between weightlifting and baseball practice, to get things set up completely. That was the easy part.

Now, he had to get going on his research. Even though the powers-that-be had cleared out and given him the equivalent of two full lab rooms, displacing a good number of other graduate students, which did make him feel guilty, it was still a tight fit getting his various projects into the space. He had had to squeeze in a desk where he could sit and do some of the research for his history projects along with his programming. And a couch, long enough for him, where he could crash when he needed a break. Looking around, he ran his eyes over the various setups for each of his projects, including the ones he was doing for himself and more potential CIB patents, one of which might not be too far from completion, even now. He was going to be busy, very busy, but he was beginning the home stretch. Finally done with classes and seminars, he was on his own, except for periodic meetings with his advisors. And the dean and president. Chuck couldn't do much to keep them and their interest in his efforts at bay. Otherwise, his fate was in his own hands and he relished both the opportunity and the freedom it afforded him. Working at his own pace on his own projects. Working on his future and fulfilling his dreams. An image of Sarah suddenly filled his mind. Sarah! Chuck wanted her to see this. See his place. Well, his place for the time being anyway. He'd have to ask her to come see it tomorrow when they took their after-dinner walk. His phone started ringing just then, playing "Hit Me with Your Best Shot". That ringtone meant Sarah! Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He was thinking about her, after all. Pulling it out of his pocket, he answered.

"Hi, sweetie!" he chirped.

"I'm sweetie now?" Sarah teased.

"Sure. Why not?" Chuck smiled even though she couldn't see him. "You call me that. Can't I call you that, too?"

"Of course, you can. I was only teasing." Sarah 'tsked' over the phone.

"I'm glad. After all, it's better than being called a Pepper, isn't it?" More teasing.

"Oh, I don't know. I like Dr. Pepper. I wouldn't mind being a Pepper."

"OK, so I'll do that. No more sweetie, I'll call you Pepper," he said and she could hear his smirk over the phone.

"Don't you dare, you goof! I like being your sweetie. Sweetie is just fine," she laughed.

"Are you sure? You don't like Pepper? How about Sweetie Pepper?" He tried. "No, wait! I've got it. Sweet Pepper," he hummed to himself. "Sweet Pepper Sarah or Sarah Sweet Pepper. They kind of have a ring to them, don't they?"

"Stoopp!" Sarah whined, laughing. "I'll never be able to show my face in public if you call me that. Carina will tease me to death over that nickname. Do me a favor and stick with sweetie," she said, begging a little.

"I will never embarrass you, if I can help it, Sarah," Chuck replied, suddenly serious. "Sweetie it is."

"Thank you," she said shyly, shaking her head at her phone because of his silliness and his seriousness.

"So, what's up? You didn't call me just to make me call you Sweet Pepper, did you?" he was teasing again. Sarah snorted.

"No. I was calling to find out if you had reached a stopping point. If you have, I was wondering if you would like to join me at Late Night at Lakeside for a snack?" She suddenly remembered that he was on a training table now. "Can you do that now that you're on the training table?"

"Not only have I reached a stopping point, but I'm done. Everything is set up. Ready to go," he reported proudly.

"Oh, Chuck that's great!" Sarah gushed a little.

"I'll be able to get to work first thing in the morning. I'm just too tired now. It's been a long day. A long three days," he said, the exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Are you too tired to meet me for a snack?"

"I'm never too tired to spend time with you, Sarah," Chuck said firmly. She was glad he couldn't see the silly grin she had on her face at that moment. "I'm sure that I can find a snack that won't have me breaking the training table."

"Goody!" Sarah giggled, feeling very much like a lovesick schoolgirl and not caring one bit. "Come back this way and I'll meet you there."

"I'm locking up right now," he said as he turned the key in the lock and set the code on the keypad. "Do you want me to show you my lab now that it's all set up? We can do that tomorrow, after dinner, if you're free for a walk."

"I'd love to see it. Of course, I want to walk with you. We're both so busy, I'll take any moments I get with you, Chuck," she said softly.

"Me too, Sarah. Me too," he hummed. "Maybe we can spend some time together after our snack. Maybe even kiss a little. Maybe a lot," Chuck said hopefully.

"There's no maybe about it. I like how you think, Mr. Science," Sarah purred over the phone and into his ear. He shivered.

A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song by Dionne Warwick.

A/N3: Falafel's Drive-In is a real place in San Jose, California. I remember the sandwiches being good and so were the freshly made banana milk shakes. And, yes, they do call it kifta kabab on their menu and website.

A/N4: The Culinary Institute of Los Angeles really does have a one-year program in Culinary Arts.

A/N5: Sweet Polly Purebred was a character in the Underdog cartoon show in the mid-1960s.

A/N6: WillieGarvin, WillieGarvin, WillieGarvin. International Man of Mystery. And a man full of sound advice and beta reading skills. Without his help I'd just be one of those guys yelling and shaking his fist at the TV over something or another. Now, with his help, I only do that part of the time. The rest of the time I'm ranting and raving about Chuck.

A/N7: Thank you for reading. Please drop me a PM or leave a review. Let me know what you think. For those of you who have left reviews or PMs previously, thank you. I appreciate each and every one of them.

A/N8: If you enjoy Chuck fan fiction here on the fanfic site, go over to Facebook and join the Chuck Fanfiction group that's there. You'll find nice folks who share your interest in our favorite spy couple. You are not alone.