Chuck vs A Tabula Rasa

by Ancientgamer

This is an AU story. Chuck Bartowski is gifted in special ways that have kept him isolated from normal life. To add to his feelings of isolation, his gifts come at a price. He wants a normal life. Now, Chuck is a new student at Stanford. He meets a fellow student, Sarah Walker, who has her own issues. Will their lives be anything like normal?

38. Chapter 38 – California Girls

A/N: Since Chuck is out of the hospital and has been given permission to resume his activities with a few temporary modifications, I'm dropping the hour-by-hour notation from this chapter forward and going back to just providing the dates when the scenes take place.

A/N 1.5: Just a note to let everyone know why I've not updated this story since the end of January. I actually had the chapter about three quarters written before the Super Bowl, so no writer's block this time around. Instead, I had a nagging illness that turned out to be a bacterial infection which eventually landed me in the hospital for two weeks. The illness, hospital stay, and the recovery after I was discharged all conspired to keep me off of my computer for (almost) seven weeks (No, not Covid - 3 different negative tests proved that). Computers and computer science are my profession. To say I was going through technology withdrawal would be a gross understatement. Now, I'm back and healthy and able to work on this story once more. I appreciate y'all sticking around.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. I make no money from Chuck. My smart-aleck is still recovering.

---

Chapter 38 – California Girls

Monday May 20

Sarah sat back in her chair and released the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. The paper she'd been toiling over was done. Finished. Finally. She'd written the last part of the assignment, added her conclusions, read the whole thing over – twice, and clicked 'Save'. It wasn't due until Wednesday, so Sarah knew she'd look it over a couple more times before she relented and submitted it. The last paper in her last psychology class. A major milestone. Another box checked off on her to-do list, putting her one step closer to graduating. Sure, she still had to complete her human biology paper. That wasn't due until the following Monday. And the project for her senior seminar was still hanging over her head, like the sword of Damocles, and would be until she turned it in and gave the oral presentation on her results, but that wasn't happening until the end of next week. Yeah, yeah, finals still loomed on the horizon, too, but Sarah wasn't worried about them. Not really. Everything would get done in due time and in the required order. For right now, though, she had other things to concern her and some time available to devote to dealing with that concern.

Namely, a dress. Specifically, a dress for the baseball banquet. More importantly, a dress for the baseball banquet that would knock Chuck's socks off and blow his mind in just the right way so that he remained firmly rooted in the here and now while being entirely consumed by her presence. In short, a dress that would show Chuck Bartowski just who and what he was dealing with. And would be for a very long time to come. A Sarah Walker who was pulling out all the stops to look her absolute best for the love of her life. She couldn't suppress the giggle that bubbled up in her chest when she pictured her Chuck with an adorably stupefied look on his handsome face. Her giggle garnered some attention from her suitemates.

"What are you giggling about, Walker?" Zondra grumped. She was still hashing out her own term paper.

"Nothing," Sarah replied in a sing-song voice, a happy grin on her face. Her three roommates shared a look, rolling their eyes and smirking at each other while collectively shaking their heads.

"You could at least try and tone down your sickeningly sweet attitude, Blondie," Carina complained teasingly. "We're about to go into a diabetic shock ever since you got back to the room."

"Sorry," Sarah shrugged, still smiling. It was clear to her friends that she wasn't sorry at all. The three women shared another look, this time with raised eyebrows. What was going on now, they wondered?

"OK. Are you going to enlighten us about what's causing your extra happy mood or are you going to make us guess? I mean besides being in love with Chuck Bartowski, that is," Amy questioned.

"There's a party!" Sarah answered breathlessly. When the CATS' faces lit up, she held up her hand. "Not just any party, either. Chuck invited me to go with him to the baseball team banquet!" When she told them that, her suitemates' faces fell. "It's this Sunday once the team gets back from their last series against Arizona State. And I need a dress. The party is semi-formal and I want to find a real 'wow' dress to impress Chuck."

"So, are you trying to say, in your own juvenile way, that you want to go shopping for a party dress for Chuckles shindig?" Carina needled her.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying," the blonde admitted with a nod.

"Why didn't you just lead with that then? And save us all from your saccharine overload?" The redhead tried to frown, but the thought of a shopping trip sounded too good for the older woman to generate any real ire at her roommate. Carina's grin kind of gave her away, too.

Sarah replied to her friend in the most adult way she could. She stuck her tongue out at the auburn-haired singer. "Fine. If that's the way you feel, I'll just go looking on my own. I was going to ask you guys to come along. I thought it would be a nice break from all of the schoolwork. Something the four of us could do for fun together. But, if my attitude is too sweet for you to exist in the same airspace, I can accept that. It's your health we're talking about, after all." She pulled an exaggerated pout, trying to look offended. She added a "Hmph!" for good measure.

"Can it, little miss kissy-face," Zondra butted in as she shut off her laptop and grabbed her purse. "We're going shopping to find you a dress and that's that. If you don't want to go along with us, that's OK. We'll just get a dress for you and you can wear it, sight unseen." Carina and Amy followed suit and grabbed their own stuff, preparing to head out of the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Sarah objected, grabbing her purse, as well. "I don't trust you bunch, at all. No way I'm letting you three buy me a dress. I want to wow Chuck, not look like I'm offering my services at the nearest street corner."

"Nice to see you have such faith in us," the brunette deadpanned.

"I know you guys, Z," Sarah eyed the other woman. "I want to look special for Chuck, but not that kind of special."

"Then come along, party girl," Carina waved her arm toward the door, ushering the foursome from the room. "The only thing I ask is that you turn down the Rodgers and Hammerstein I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy shtick. You'll scare away all of the available men in our vicinity. And that just will not do. Not at all."

"I make no promises," Sarah sang as she skipped out of the room.

"Why do I even bother?" the redhead shook her head and twisted her lips to the side.

"I don't know. You'd think you'd have learned by now."

"I must be a slow learner," Carina replied.

"I've known that for a while," Sarah smirked. Her friend had misspoken and given her an opening. "Given that you're an admitted slow learner, I'm not surprised it's taken you this long to figure things out."

"Oh Ho! She got you there, Red," Zondra laughed. Amy was giggling and shaking her head at her friends' antics. She was going to miss this, she thought.

"You're getting pretty smart there, Blondie," Carina squinted and made a finger-gun at Sarah. "Looks like ol' Chuckles has rubbed off on you."

"Not as much as I want him to," Sarah murmured, but her friends heard her just the same.

"Well then, let's see if we can find you a dress that might help do something about this lack of rubbing," the older woman leered.

Sarah nodded with an embarrassed grin. The thoughts running through her mind caused her to blush. The older CATS saw the look on her face and laughed in delight. After a beat or two, she joined them.

---

The CATS had a great afternoon. A little over three hours palling around and running all over Nordstrom's and the Stanford Shopping Center next door. The hunt for the perfect dress had been a success. With four determined women working together, they were able to divide and conquer easier than Sarah had believed possible. They'd even found the perfect shoes and matching clutch bag, thanks to Amy's eagle eye. True, it had taken almost all of their available time that afternoon and they didn't find the dress until the next to last place they'd planned on visiting, but they'd found it nonetheless. When Sarah had modeled it for her friends, she was surprised at their reactions.

"Damn, Blondie. You wearing that dress is getting my blood racing," Carina grinned while she used her hand to fan herself. "And I've seen you with your head in a toilet hurling your guts out from too many hotdogs and beers after that party at the Sigma Nu house."

"Looking good, Sarah," Amy agreed, grinning.

"Curls is gonna love you in that outfit, Sar," Zondra nodded in satisfaction. "Those shoes give you the perfect height. With those extra four inches, you'll be able to stand almost nose-to-nose and look him in the eye and completely blow his mind." She made the explosion gesture with her hands on either side of her head.

"I know," Sarah giggled, blushing looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She couldn't wait for Sunday to arrive, so she could surprise him.

The roommates had finished their shopping spree by treating themselves to some of those tall coffee drinks from Starbucks. The kind that are full of bad things and only a shot or two of coffee. Decadent indulgences to be sure. They kept up the laughter and light attitude throughout their junket, the drive back to the dorm, and the walk down to dinner. In the back of everyone's mind was the certain knowledge that days like these were quickly coming to an end. Graduation loomed, then work or graduate school. The CATS would be coming to an end and each of them felt it acutely. They'd always be friends. Still get together and hang out whenever they could. But the carefree undergraduate days they shared would be a thing of the past. Each woman could see those realizations in the others' eyes and ignored them, by mutual unspoken agreement. As Sarah exited the serving line, she spotted Chuck right away. When he looked in her direction, his face froze in awe. She watched his stunned expression slowly give way to a huge grin then shift again, until his eyes were shining and he was smiling her special smile. Her bittersweet pondering was swept away in an instant. Exchanging Amy for Chuck was a trade she'd make again in a heartbeat. Her cheeks pinked in embarrassment at her mercenary thinking. Sorry, Amy, she thought, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Where have y'all been?" he asked when the foursome reached the table, sliding into their accustomed seats.

"Shopping!" Sarah chirped.

"Oh, well then, I hope y'all had a good time," Chuck smiled.

"We had a blast, Curls," Zondra smirked. "You don't even know."

Chuck gave her a strange look. "I'm sure I don't." Then he turned back to Sarah. "I missed youuuu," he sang. Carina frowned.

"I missed you, toooo," his girlfriend sang back to him, grinning. Carina's frown twisted to the side of her mouth.

"I missed you moreeee," he countered. Carina added a glare to go along with her frown, neither Chuck or Sarah paid any attention.

"I missed you times infinityyyyy," Sarah wrinkled her nose and made a face at him. Finally, they kissed noisily. That was too much for her auburn-haired roommate.

"Stop," Carina demanded. "You sound like a couple of sappy middle school kids. I just threw up a little in my mouth. You two are totally making me nauseous. No kidding," she glared at the grinning pair.

Chuck's face fell. "Are you OK, Carina? Is your stomach upset? Do you need some antacid? I have some in my pack," he said with concern. Sarah saw his eyes twinkle, then he continued. "Are your lips chapped? Your lips look chapped." He reached into his trouser pocket. "Here, you can borrow my ChapStick if you need it." Now he was grinning.

Sarah burst out laughing. The rest of the table soon joined. Carina's frown deepened almost into anger, but then she sighed and snorted, half in amusement and half in disgust. Mostly at herself. They'd gotten her again.

"Bite me, Chuckles," she half grinned, brushing off his hand holding the lip balm and pulling him into a hug. "You're an asshole. I liked you better when you were clueless," the redhead murmured into his ear.

"You don't mean that Carina," Chuck murmured back. "You know you love me." Carina pulled back and gave him a look. "Deep down. Deep down I mean," he amended. "But you still love me."

Carina snorted again and shook her head. "I don't know why, but you're right. I do love you. Especially for what you've done for that blonde idiot next to you."

"Maybe. But I think she's done more for me, if I'm being completely honest," he shrugged.

"Of course, she did, Chuckles. Why would you think anything different?"

"Give me my boyfriend back," Sarah teased, tugging on Chuck's arm and kissing his cheek. Carina smirked and let go. Sarah ate a few bites of her dinner, before looking at the man sitting next to her. "How was your afternoon, sweetie? Were you able to get some work done in your lab? How was practice?" Her peppering him with questions brought smiles to the faces of a number of people around the table. Morgan thought Sarah sounded like a bored housewife in one of those old sitcoms from the 50s and 60s, but he was smart enough not to say that out loud. He valued his life.

"My afternoon was great!" Chuck enthused. "Coach Casey had me doing calisthenics and running for about an hour. Just a little more than an hour, really. It felt really good to be back out there moving again. Working the ol' muscles and all that. I'll add in weight training tomorrow and he'll ramp me up from there, as quickly as he can."

"I'm curious. How's he going to manage ramping you up?"

"Simple really. Tomorrow morning, before weights, I'll give him a report about how I'm feeling. How today's workout affected me. Good or bad. Then, we'll do the planned workout for the day. If I'm sore or anything hurts, beyond normal, that is, he'll modify the scheduled stuff and scale it back a little. So, kind of two steps forward and one step back sort of deal."

"Or, just two steps forward. Forget that step backwards. Or three steps forward, I guess, right?"

"Yup. I like the way you think, Sarah," Chuck grinned.

She grinned back at him and asked, "How about your lab?"

"It was nice. I got to spend a good bit of time there. Coach Casey had me do my workout all at the beginning of the regular practice time after you and I had lunch. Once I was done and he'd signed off, he sent me to the showers. Then I went to the lab and got to work," he grinned, then sighed. "It was great, so great, to get back in there and do something. Finally."

Sarah softly smiled at the relief in his voice. Her eyes were suddenly and unexpectedly misty as she watched the play of emotions on his face. He was still healing. Coming fully back to himself after the trauma of his huge episode. Her Chuck was coming back to her, too, and she would never let him go. She reached out and squeezed his hand, feeling better, more centered from her connection with him.

"Are you going back to the lab after dinner?" she asked, a little concerned that he'd overdo it and try and take on too much too soon.

"Yeah, for a while," he answered. Seeing the look on her face, he added, "I won't stay there late, I promise. It's just that I'm excited to be back working. I'm almost jumping out of my skin."

"Please don't. That would be gross," Carina snarked.

"Don't worry, Carina, I'll keep my skin on. I certainly don't want to gross you out," Chuck responded. "Any more than I have already, that is." Sarah snorted a nasally laugh. Carina just snickered and shook her head again.

"Want me to come with you?" Sarah asked, unable to keep the hopeful note out of her voice.

Chuck squinted at her and pursed his lips. "Hmmm," he said.

"Why the hmmm, babe? Don't you want me to go with you?" Sarah tried hard to sound neutral, but she was curious what he was thinking.

"Of course, I want you to go with me," he confirmed. "I'm just trying to calculate how much work I'll get accomplished after I factor in your distraction level." That comment brought out some amused gasps and chuckles around the table.

"Uh oh," Alex mumbled, shaking her head, her eyes wide.

"My distraction level?" Sarah huffed, pressing her lips together and beginning to glare. "You can be very sure that I won't distract you at all, Chuck Bartowski. In fact, you can count on that." She crossed her arms to accent her point.

"Oh, boy," Amy let out a low whistle.

Chuck could sense something was wrong, but he still wasn't sure what exactly, so he replied truthfully with a soft smile. "Sarah. Sweetie. You still don't get it, do you? You'd have to be all the way on the dark side of the moon to not be a distraction. If you're any closer, you fill my thoughts so completely that I have to focus really hard just to function halfway normally. If I don't focus, I can't form coherent thoughts beyond how amazing and beautiful you are and how much I love you."

Sarah's tiny bit of anger and exaggerated hurt evaporated while she melted. She leaned over and kissed him sweetly. She broke the kiss and hugged him, whispering "Good save, baby" into his ear. He grinned and shrugged, still not sure what had been going on.

There were a number of "Awws" heard from various people.

Alex put her lips next to Morgan's ear, "He could charm her right out of her panties if he wanted to right now."

"Yup," Morgan murmured with a short nod.

"But he has no clue," the brunette whispered back.

"Nope," her boyfriend replied in kind, popping the 'p', with a small shake of his head. "That's Chuck."

Carina made gagging noises while trying not to grin. The sounds caught Chuck's attention.

"I knew you should have borrowed my antacid, Carina," he said disapprovingly.

That got the entire table laughing. Carina threw up her hands in frustration and began to laugh, too.

---

Tuesday May 21

Ellie had called Sarah when the young couple had been walking over to his lab after dinner the previous night. She hadn't wanted to interrupt their time together, so she limited her call to arranging to meet Sarah for coffee at their usual time the following day, today. Anything else could be discussed when the two young women got together. The younger woman was eager to see her friend, so she could tell her about the banquet and the dress the CATS had helped her find. She was curious what the older woman would say.

In the meantime, she was, once again, sitting at a table in Lakeside Dining, waiting for Chuck's arrival. He was late, but it was raining. He'd told her that morning, at breakfast, that he would meet her for lunch. Afterwards, he planned on relaxing for thirty minutes before he had to make his way over to baseball practice. When Sarah had asked him about his morning workout, Chuck had told her that he'd woken up feeling fine and that Coach Casey had been pleased with how he'd handled the weights, so he'd be doing more calisthenics and running during the afternoon. Inside because of the rain, which kind of sucked, but there wasn't much he could do about it. She just hoped that he was really OK, not that she thought he was lying to her. He didn't do that, but that fact didn't prevent her from worrying about him anyway. Looking at her phone one more time, Sarah was about to call him when she saw his tall form exit the serving line and make his way over to her table. His cute smile ignited her own. Her kiss, when he reached the table, was even more welcoming.

"I'd almost given up on you, buster," Sarah frowned. "Cutting into my Chuck time. That will not do." Now, she pulled a pout.

"Sorry, sweetie," Chuck apologized. "I was dropping my pack off in my room, when Coach Graham called me."

"What did he want? Is everything OK?" she asked, not really concerned, since there hadn't been any issues that morning.

"Yeah, nothing is wrong," he shook his head. "But I was wondering what he wanted to talk to me about, too. I'd already gotten the email and the text telling the players that it had rained enough to force them to cancel the game this afternoon against the University of the Pacific. I didn't think he wanted to talk about that."

"So? Tell me what he wanted."

"Coach told me that he'd been talking to Dr. Kurtz and they decided that there was no need for me to travel with the team to Arizona State at the end of the week. Since it's the last series, it's early, on top of everything else. Thursday to Saturday instead of the more normal Friday to Sunday."

"That's great, I guess," Sarah replied, not sure if she should be happy that he was staying here for the weekend or sad for him that he wasn't going to be with his teammates. "How do you feel about it?"

"I kind of have mixed emotions about it, honestly," he shrugged. "I'm not ready to play yet, so I would just be sitting on the bench. … And I could use the time to get more work done in my lab and on my write-ups. The neuro guys want their lab space back, so I lose it at the end of the quarter. I need to be done with my papers and packed up by then. Coach also told me that, even though my injury happened over three weeks ago and I'm healing just fine, he and Kurtz didn't see any reason to push things. Normally, it would be perfectly safe for me to fly at this point, but my old head," he tapped his temple, "makes people think twice about those things."

"Okaaay? Are you upset about that or not?" she prodded.

Chuck grinned and tapped his chin. "Let's see … Hmmm. … I get to stay here and get more work done AND spend more time with my best girl." He looked at her and smirked. "I think I can suffer through it."

"Mmmm. Me too," Sarah purred. "But I better be your only girl, Mr. Science," she added, sending a little stink-eye his way.

"You're my only girlfriend girl, Sarah," he kissed her, "but there are relative girls, like Mom and Ellie. And friend girls, like Amy, Carina, Zondra, and the rest of the Songbirds. Then there are adult friend girls, like Miss Maisie, Gill Barker, Dr. Beckman, Vivian - Mphf … " His voice was muffled by his girlfriend's hand.

"I think I get the picture, babe," she laughed. Changing the subject, she asked, "How was your session with Dr. Dreyfus today?"

"Good. We're making progress. At least, I think I am," he amended. "He's kind of closed mouth about stuff until he has time to look over his notes after each meeting. We'll talk about it tomorrow, as usual." He shrugged.

"That's good, baby. "She pointed at his food. "Now, eat." He nodded and began to enjoy his lunch. "Remember that I'm having coffee with Ellie before dinner this afternoon."

"That ought to be a lot of fun for you both," he commented, between bites. "I need to call her, 'cause I want to see her too, so I can thank her for helping me while I was in the hospital."

"That's very sweet of you, Chuck. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. I sure am grateful for how she helped you." Sarah leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. He grinned back at her, turning back to his food.

---

Because of the inclement weather, Ellie picked up Sarah at the front of Roble Hall. The friends were happy to see each other, exchanging hugs and welcoming smiles.

"How have you been, Sarah?" the older woman asked. She could tell that her companion was excited about something, but about what, she had no idea.

"Pretty good actually," Sarah replied, bouncing her head from side to side. "School stuff is beginning to wind down. Right before you arrived, I was reviewing my last psychology paper for the umpteenth time. It's due tomorrow, but I'm kind of obsessing over it."

Ellie knew her friend was deflecting but she decided to allow her to believe she'd been fooled. Even though she wasn't. "Uh huh," the brunette deadpanned, but Sarah didn't pick up on Ellie's tone of voice.

"Yeah," the singer nodded. "I was also making a lot of progress on my other two final papers … " Her voice trailed off forcing Ellie to glance over at her. Sarah had a small private smile on her face. "But if I'm being honest –"

"Please do," Ellie interrupted. Finally, the med student thought. Sarah snickered.

"As I was saying, before being so rudely interrupted," the blonde smirked. The older woman gasped in mock indignation, but grinned back at her friend. "I've been pretty distracted since yesterday. And it has nothing to do with senioritis."

"Geez, you're boring!" Ellie exclaimed. "Get to the point already," she snarked with a smirk of her own.

"So nice. First Carina and now you," Sarah pretended to pout. "What friends I have."

"Tell. Me."

"I don't know where to start," the young CAT teased.

"Well, you better start somewhere or I'm taking you back to the dorm this instant." Ellie pulled a face and shook her finger at her passenger.

"Fine." Pause. The driver groaned. Sarah relented and a big smile bloomed on her face. "Chuck invited me to go with him to the baseball banquet this Sunday evening!" She giggled.

"Way to go, girl! That should be a lot of fun. Chuck's never been to one of those before."

Sarah was confused. "What? Why not? Didn't those other teams he played on have banquets?"

"Nope. Only the high school teams did that kind of stuff and he didn't play high school, remember? Those summer travel teams would usually have a pool party or a cookout or both, but not a fancy banquet. Or even a crappy banquet in the high school cafeteria. I bet he's stoked. Especially since he's going with you." The brunette pulled into a parking place near Starbucks that wasn't too far from the buildings and their outfit saving awnings. Both women made a run for it, managing to keep their clothes relatively intact.

"I think so. I hope so," Sarah responded once they'd reached the cover of the awning.

"He is. Trust me," Ellie insisted. "What are you wearing? Do you have a dress yet? Or can we go shopping for one?"

Sarah laughed at the eagerness on the other woman's face, but she had to tell her the bad news. "Sorry. The CATS beat you to it. We came over here yesterday and found the entire ensemble. Dress, shoes, and clutch."

"Damn!" The med student grumped. "What did you get?" Sarah gave her the details about her new outfit. Ellie whistled. "You might just blow his mind. I expect pictures of this historic event. He's never seen you all dressed up, has he?"

"Except for seeing videos of the Songbirds performing. Otherwise, no. He's only seen me in person in casual clothes."

"Hoo boy! This is big, Sarah." By now the duo had made a second dash and entered Starbucks and ordered their drinks. All of the places to sit inside were occupied, so they left and quickly entered the covered part of the shopping center just next door. They'd walk while they talked and enjoyed their treats.

"What's even better is I have him all to myself for four days," Sarah chortled.

"What? Why?" Ellie was curious. "Isn't the team going to Tempe this weekend?"

"Yeah, they are, but Chuck isn't going. Graham called him earlier today and told him there was no reason for him to travel. He's still healing and won't play, so why go? He also said that everyone knew he had work to catch up on and that was a better use of his time than sitting around doing nothing. Even if the series is an important one."

"That makes sense," Ellie nodded thoughtfully. Her expression changed and she smiled. Sarah couldn't be completely sure, but her friend looked a little mischievous. "I've got a great idea!"

"What is it?" Sarah asked a little apprehensively.

"One sec," the older woman gave her coffee to Sarah and checked something on her phone before taking her drink back. "Why don't you guys do this? Come over to my place for lunch on Saturday. We can catch the last game on the Stanford sports channel." She tapped her chin and pursed her lips. "Then, after lunch, we can go hang out at the lap pool for a little while. I just checked and the weather is supposed to be sunny and warm. Warm for here, at any rate. The lap pool is heated anyway."

"The lap pool?"

"Yeah, you know. A pool with those black tile lane marks on the bottom. People use it to work out. There's a number of other pools in the complex that are just for splashing around in, but the lap pool is for people who want to exercise."

"Ellie," Sarah's voice went up in a questioning tone. "What is going on in that devious mind of yours?"

"Nothing," Ellie sang, but she appeared to wilt a little under the disbelieving stare being directed her way by her brother's girlfriend. "OK. Fine. Chuck loves you, Sarah. He loves you so much. Everyone can see it whenever you two are anywhere near each other. You, of all people, know this." The blonde smiled shyly and nodded. "You also know what he's concerned about." Another nod. "Tell me you didn't pick out that dress to make his eyes pop and his brain short circuit, even a little bit?" She put her thumb and forefinger next to each other.

"This is true," her friend admitted.

"Of course. Not a shove or even a push. Just a nudge. A nudge in the direction you both want to go, even if he's worried about it, right?" A nod. "OK, so what's wrong with giving him two nudges in the same weekend? Didn't you tell me that you were gently helping him along back in the fall until you finally kissed?"

"I never told you any of the details."

"I know that and I don't need to know them, just that you've already been nudging him along. For your sake and for his. Right?"

"Yeah, I guess, you're right."

"I'm glad we agree. So come over on Saturday and have some fun. You've got a bathing suit up here with you, don't you?"

"Well, sure. Nothing new, but I've got a suit," Sarah shrugged.

"That won't do, sweetie. That won't do at all," Ellie shook her head emphatically. "You have a 'wow' dress. You owe it to yourself to get a 'wow' bathing suit."

"Ellie …" the bemused blonde tried to hold back the Ellie Express. It was a futile gesture.

"Nope. Drink up. We've got a nice bikini to find," Ellie grinned and pointed off in the distance. "To Tommy Bahama, we go!"

Sarah laughed at her friend's enthusiasm and downed the last few sips of her drink in one gulp. "Onward!" she grinned.

Good, Ellie thought. And if Chuck wears his racing suit in that pool to work out, he might not be the only one to have their brains scrambled on Saturday. Somehow, she managed to prevent herself from either grinning or chuckling. She was confident that they'd thank her later, but she didn't want to spend any time thinking about what Devon would say when he heard about what she had maneuvered the couple into doing.

---

Morgan and Chuck got back to their room at almost the same time. Chuck from his lab and Morgan from baseball practice. He found the bearded man standing in the middle of their shared space.

"Hey, Morgs," Chuck greeted his friend when he entered their room. "How was practice after I left?"

Grimes shrugged, "OK, I guess. Indoor practice always seems more like controlled chaos than a real practice, if you ask me." Each of them sat down in their desk chairs to relax. It had been a long day for them both.

"I can't argue with you there," the taller man grinned. "Too many people in a too small space all trying to do different things. Maybe it's chaos, but what choice does the team have?"

"Yeah, you're right. There isn't a whole lot of choice," Morgan nodded. "It's going to come down to the wire. The team needs as much practice as it can get, so we're ready. We gotta win and Oregon State's gotta lose this weekend or we risk falling out of the top sixteen in the national rankings. If we do, it's bye-bye to a guaranteed spot in the tournament, not to mention being a host site for one of the regionals."

"Yup, it's coming down to the last series. We have to hang tough and play through or go home empty handed."

"So true, bro. The beard knows," he grinned. Changing the subject, Morgan continued, "Graham told us that he isn't allowing you to travel with the team. No point since you can't play and you're still on the mend." He tapped his own forehead for emphasis.

"Yeah, he called me before lunch to tell me that," Chuck shrugged. "I'll miss being with y'all, but I'll be able to get more work done."

"And spend more time with your lovely lady," the shorter man smirked.

Chuck couldn't hide his grin. "Yeah, there's that, too." Both men laughed.

"I don't blame you, dude. At. All. If I could stay and spend more time with Alex, I'd do it in a New York minute." Chuck nodded and giggled at the expression on his friend's face. Their conversation turned to speculating on the team's chances of winning the final three games of the regular season. And whether or not Oregon State would win or lose their games against USC. They continued talking until they realized that it was getting close to dinnertime. By mutual agreement, both men made a beeline for the bathroom down the hall to get ready for Alex and Sarah.

Morgan was still busy in the bathroom when Chuck returned to their room. It was almost time for them to head for the dining hall to meet up with their girlfriends. His phone rang and he was surprised to see Ellie's face displayed on the screen. He'd been thinking about calling her, so he readily accepted the call.

"Hey, sis. What's up?"

"Hi, Chuck. I'm calling to find out if you still want to meet me for coffee, for one thing," Ellie replied.

"Sure. What's a good time for you?"

"How about four o'clock tomorrow afternoon? You can come get me at my apartment," his sister offered.

"That works for me. We can grab some coffee and visit and I can be back in time for dinner with Sarah."

"I wouldn't think of interfering with that, little brother," Ellie said, the humor in her voice clear to Chuck's ears.

"Sorry, not sorry," he giggled.

"I should hope not," she chuckled. "Speaking of Sarah, I just dropped her back at your dorm. We had a great time hanging out."

"That's wonderful, El. Truly. I'm glad you like her and you two get along so well."

"Me, too. I really enjoy having a sister. She's a great girl. You really picked a winner." Ellie paused. Chuck wasn't sure if it really wasn't the other way around, Sarah picked him. Either way, they were together.

"What else did you want to talk to me about? Besides setting up a coffee date tomorrow?"

"Well, Sarah and I were talking and we thought it would be fun if you two could come over on Saturday to have lunch with me and Devon. We could hang out and catch the last game on the Stanford broadcast."

"That sounds like fun. Thanks, El," Chuck replied enthusiastically. He couldn't see Ellie pumping her fist in victory over the phone.

"The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm," she added. "You might want to bring a bathing suit. We could spend some time sitting around near the lap pool. Catch some rays." She held her breath.

"That sounds even better, Ellie," Chuck nodded. "Maybe I could get a bit of a workout in. It can't hurt."

"No, it can't," Ellie agreed. "Gotta run. See you tomorrow. Four sharp. Don't be late."

"I won't, I promise," he grinned. They ended the call right before his roommate returned.

Ellie was over the moon. She'd done it. Bottom of the ninth, grand slam homerun! Victory! The brunette knew what Chuck looked like in his racing suits and Sarah had modeled her new bikini earlier when they'd been shopping. It's gonna be dueling bathing suits and exploding brains this Saturday afternoon. The med student could hardly wait.

---

Wednesday May 22

Ellie came out to meet him as soon as Chuck texted her that he'd arrived. She must have been waiting by the door to her apartment, considering how quickly she reached his car. He jumped out of his vehicle and ran around to the passenger side to envelop her in a tight hug. She was a bit surprised, but quickly recovered and returned the hug, in kind.

"To what do I owe your enthusiastic greeting, Chuck?" she grinned when they stepped back.

"Tell you later," he grinned crookedly at her. "For now, get in and we'll be off." He held the passenger door open for his sister while she got in and situated herself.

"Well, OK, Mr. Mysterious," Ellie smirked. He carefully shut her door, then ran back to the driver's side. Sliding in, he secured his seatbelt, cranked the engine and took off.

"Next stop, Starbucks!" Chuck pointed out the windshield with a half silly and half serious expression on his face, humming some theme song that she didn't recognize. His older sister laughed in amusement at his corny carrying on.

The siblings traded news about their week, school, friends, and other tidbits, but Chuck didn't offer any details about what he was holding back. Ellie was getting impatient, even over the very short drive to the caffeine emporium. Her brother found a spot effortlessly and led her in search of their drinks, which he graciously paid for. By the time the two of them secured one of the tables outside the store, Ellie's patience had evaporated.

"So, what are you keeping from me, Chuck? Your enthusiasm, your grin, and your infuriating insistence on not telling me anything. I'm practically suffocating over here," she whined.

"What a drama queen," he shook his head, laughing. Her glare made him laugh even harder.

"Watch what you say, mister. You're not so big that I can't still kick your smart-aleck butt," Ellie pretended to frown, wagging her finger in his face. She knew very well he could easily stop her, but she also knew that he'd never hurt her. Nor she him. Those days were over.

Chuck was chuckling and holding up his hands to stop her from saying any more. "I certainly don't want to be the cause for you suffocating, so I'll tell you." He smirked. Ellie snorted. "Nothing nefarious, I promise. Just something I wanted to say before the craziness of the baseball playoffs begin and I get wrapped up with Sarah and the CATS graduating."

"What. Is. It?" She pressed, enunciating each word clearly.

His smirk died and he looked at her frankly. "I wanted to tell you how very glad I am that you and I have reconnected and gotten so much closer since we came here to school. How happy I am that you found Devon. That you love him and he loves you." He paused, but went on before she could say anything. "To thank you for being Sarah's friend. For helping me when I was … um … having my episode. Then after I woke up, I especially want to thank you for your help the other day. Getting me to understand my feelings for Sarah. She's the most amazing part of this whirlwind of a year, but reconnecting with you is a close second."

"Oh, Chuck …" Ellie's eyes were filled with tears as she raised her hand in front of her mouth, his words overwhelming her.

"Coming here has been a dream come true. Even more than I hoped for, much less expected," he shrugged. "Meeting people. Making friends. Sarah. The Songbirds. Teammates. … Just having more people in my life." Now a small crooked grin. "Meeting Devon and seeing the two of you together. It's all so wonderful."

Ellie leaned closer and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Same for me, Chuck. Same for me. It's been great." She released him and leaned back, picking up her napkin to dab at her eyes. "But, next time, though, give a girl a little warning. You really have a thing for ruining makeup." His sister chuckled.

"Sorry," he shrugged again.

"Apology accepted. I'll also add another thank you back to you as well."

"What's that?"

"Thank you for finding Sarah, so Morgan could meet Alex. I think those two are almost as bad as you and Sarah."

"I hear you," Chuck laughed. "He doesn't even mention you anymore."

"Thank God! That ordeal is finally over," she snorted out a laugh and shook her head thinking back to all of the awkward moments over the years. "Now, hurry up and finish your drink. For some reason I feel the need to get back to my apartment and smooch with my boyfriend." Ellie giggled.

"Should I text him and warn him?"

"Don't you dare! This is going to be a surprise."

"Really?"

Her shoulders slumped but she smirked. "OK, not that much of a surprise."

"I understand. I could use some kisses from my own sweetie, too." It was his turn to chuckle.

His sister beamed. It made her so happy to hear him talk like that about Sarah. She was surprised when he pulled out his phone and opened the texting app.

"You're going to text her that you're coming to kiss her?" Ellie asked with a bemused look on her face.

"No," Chuck grinned. "I'm warning Carina." Ellie looked confused. "We gross her out," he lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.

Ellie barked out a belly laugh. "I just bet you do, little brother!"

He stopped what he was doing and put his phone away. "On second thought, I'm in the mood for more surprises." Ellie laughed harder and he joined her.

---

Saturday May 25

It was just before noon when Chuck knocked on Ellie's apartment door with Sarah by his side. He'd had his early morning workout with one of the staff trainers, Coach Casey being out of town with the rest of the team. The couple had eaten breakfast together, after he'd showered, so he could spare her post-workout Chuck. Afterward, she headed to Green Library and he took off for his lab, both spending focused time getting work done before returning to Roble Hall a little past eleven o'clock.

In their respective rooms, they changed into comfortable hang out clothes before collecting their swimming or tanning gear including swimsuits, towels, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

Her heart beat a little faster when she rolled her new bikini into her towel along with her sunscreen. How would Chuck react when he saw her in that suit? She was eager to find out, if a little nervous. He'd never seen her wearing so little. She really hoped he wouldn't freak out. Biting her lip in thought, Sarah perched her sunglasses on the top of her head and slung her purse over her shoulder. Here goes nothing, she thought.

Chuck dumped all of his stuff into his drawstring net bag with his other swimming practice gear. Stuffing his wallet, phone, and key fob into his pocket, he slid his Oakley sunglasses over his eyes. If he couldn't play baseball, yet, at least he could wear his favorite shades. He chuckled. This was going to be fun, hanging out with Sarah and watching some baseball. After he locked his door, he pulled out his phone and called his girlfriend.

"Hi, sweetie. Ready to go?"

"Hi, yourself. Yup, all set. Where are you parked?"

"In an 'A' space behind the building. Meet me at the back door to the dorm."

"OK, baby, see you soon."

After smiles and kisses sharing their excitement when they met up, they made the short trip over to Ellie's complex and were now waiting for her to open the door. Chuck was getting ready to knock a second time when the door swung open to reveal Devon dressed in boardshorts and a truly awful Hawaiian print shirt.

"Come on in, guys," he grinned, sweeping his hand like a doorman to a ballroom. Straightening up, he looked back over his shoulder. "The family has come to visit, babe!"

"You're a dork!" Ellie called from the kitchen. She emerged, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Sarah!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw the blonde, nodding her approval at the tee-shirt and shorts outfit the younger woman was wearing. "It's so good to see you," the brunette added before the two women hugged.

Chuck and Devon exchanged looks and shrugged simultaneously.

Ellie broke the hug and looked over at her brother sniffing disdainfully. "You're still here?" She flicked her fingers in a dismissive gesture. "That's all. You may go." When Chuck didn't move, she frowned and shrugged. "Still there? Well, come on in. We don't want the outside coming into the inside." Her brother snorted as he stepped out of the way so Devon could close the door, which he did with a chuckle. Ellie sighed, "Come here, you silly, and give your sister a hug." They both laughed while they shared their embrace, Chuck surprising her with an added kiss on her cheek. The pleased look on her face made him smile.

"Come sit down, the game is about to start," Devon said, picking up the TV remote and unmuting the broadcast. "This is a big game, right Chuckster?"

"Yeah. The biggest. Both Stanford and Oregon State split the first two games in their respective series. Winning one and losing one. We need to win and O State needs to lose. If both teams do the same thing, it'll be up to the selection committee. Who knows what they'll do?"

"Who is Oregon State playing?" Ellie asked.

"They're up against USC," he replied. "It's going to be an interesting afternoon."

"Sounds like it," his sister agreed. "Lunch is ready; I'll bring it out." She saw where her guests had put their swimming stuff. "Chuck, take your and Sarah's towels and put them in the bedroom. We need to put the lunch things on the coffee table."

"Will do," Chuck stood to follow her directions.

"Do you need some help, Ellie?" Sarah offered.

"Thanks, but no. Devon is on lunch assistance duty today," the med student said. "C'mon, Devon. I need your strong arms."

"I knew that," he flexed his bicep and grinned at Sarah. She snickered.

Ellie stuck her head out of the kitchen and fussed at him. "No one wanted to see your dumb ol' bicep," she huffed. "Get in here and help carry this stuff." When Devon saluted, Ellie winked at Sarah and they laughed.

Chuck had just taken his seat once more when their hosts came out of the kitchen. Devon was maneuvering a serving tray with four fairly large antipasto salads. Ellie had a smaller tray with napkin-wrapped utensils, salt, pepper, and two dressing boats. She put it down on one side of the coffee table.

"Voila! Antipasto salads for everyone. Plenty of protein for you boys and lots of tasty veggies for us girls. All the regular stuff with some mushrooms and pepperoncini peppers added for something different. Anything you don't like, just pick it out. No harm no foul. One of the boats holds the traditional olive oil and Italian seasoning dressing. The other one is homemade creamy Italian dressing, if you want to give it a try." She helped her boyfriend distribute the oversized salad bowls. Taking the tray, she headed back to the kitchen. "Drinks are on the way. Water and tea. Be back in a sec."

Ellie brought out the water and iced tea pitchers and put them on the dining table, filling glasses to order. A few minutes of passing around the salt and pepper and selecting which dressing to try gave way to contented munching.

"Ellie this is wonderful!" Sarah gushed.

"Yeah, El. It really hits the spot. Perfect for a day like today," Chuck agreed.

"Thank you," the older woman beamed. "What about you, babe?" she asked, looking at Devon.

"Rawr!" Her boyfriend rumbled in his chest, but when he started to smile, she held up her hand.

"No smiling, thank you. No one wants to see your chewed up salad mouth," Ellie scolded. Devon made a whiny animal sound and pouted. She laughed. "Don't worry, I love you anyway. Now hush and let's all watch the game."

Lunch was wonderful, but the baseball game turned out to be nerve-wracking. Arizona State was ahead 2-0 after some clutch hitting in the second inning and a homerun in the fifth. To make matters worse, their pitcher, Boyd Vander Kooi, had effectively silenced the Stanford bats behind eleven strikeouts and no walks while limiting the team to only five hits which didn't result in any runs being scored. The only bright spot came from the reports about the USC – Oregon State game where the Trojans were leading the Beavers 2-0 behind their own solid starting pitching.

Two thirds of the way through the seventh inning Coach Graham went to the bullpen when Erik Miller's pitch count hit 97. The change in pitching threw off the Arizona State hitters enough that they weren't able to generate any hits in their half of the later innings. A second report out of Oregon indicated that game was already in the top of the ninth inning and USC was scoring more runs. It looked like the Trojans would win that game, unless the Beavers could pull off a miracle. It also looked like Stanford was going to lose their game against Arizona State which would negatively impact the team's postseason ranking.

Stanford was coming up to bat in the top of the ninth. Sarah was clutching Chuck's hand in a death grip and chewing on her lower lip nervously. Ellie was doing almost the same thing to Devon's hand. Devon was silent, but his knees were bouncing as the tension mounted. For his part, Chuck couldn't decide if he should jump up and pace the room to work off his excess energy or stay seated, squeezing his girlfriend's hand for support. He did want to wipe his sweaty palms on his shorts, but he knew that Sarah had no intention of letting go of his hand at this point, sweaty or not. Everyone in the apartment was riveted to the television and Big Mike's play-by-play.

"It's the top of the ninth and this is Stanford's last chance to get something going. Anything. They need two runs to go to extra innings and three to put them ahead of the Sun Devils. First up for Stanford is Dave Bice. He's facing relief pitcher Blake Burzell. Burzell handled the Cardinal hitters pretty well last inning. Let's see if Bice has better luck. Burzell looks in, gets the sign, and nods. He goes into his windup and here's the pitch. Bice got a piece of it! But not enough. He popped up and the Arizona State shortstop camped under it for the first out."

A collective groan filled Ellie's apartment.

"Come on guys! Come on!" Chuck implored the TV set.

"Now Bobby Malcolm, the DH, is coming to the plate. He's not had a good afternoon so far, maybe things will be different with a new pitcher. Malcolm digs in and gets ready. Burzell takes the sign. Winds and throws. Malcolm swings! And misses. It's in there for a strike. Now the count's 0-1 (no balls and 1 strike) in the pitcher's favor. He looks for the sign, nods, and goes into his windup. There's the pitch … A hit! Malcolm laced a single into right field! That hit was a thing of beauty. We're still alive. One on base with one out."

"That's the way to do it! Way to go, Bobby!" Chuck cheered.

"Go Stanford! Don't give up!" Sarah added, almost as loudly as her boyfriend.

"Keep it going!" Devon whooped. Ellie didn't say anything, but she was clapping her hands excitedly.

"It's Daniel Shaw's turn in the batter's box. Burzell looks like he's angry at himself for that last pitch. He's glaring as he gets the sign. No nod this time. He winds and throws … Shaw hits a towering fly ball to center field! … Is it? Is it? No! Not long enough! The center field catches the ball just shy of the warning track for the second out. Close but no cigar. Just a long and noisy out. Two down and Stanford's backs are to the wall."

"Damn it!" Sarah yelled angrily.

"Crap!" Chuck complained.

"Oh no!" Ellie exclaimed sadly. "Two out." Her clapping was replaced by wringing hands instead.

"Yeah, we're down to our last out. If something doesn't happen …" Chuck didn't want to complete the sentence, but the other people in the room knew what was at stake.

"Mike Millard steps to the plate. Two out with Malcolm still standing on first. Burzell doesn't look so upset now that he's gotten that second out. He takes the sign. Sets … and throws. A strike! Millard watched a curveball cross the plate on the inside corner. The count is 0-1. The catcher tosses the ball back, then gives the sign. Burzell nods, goes into his motion, and releases the pitch. It hit him! That pitch was too far inside and it hit Millard on the meaty part of his thigh. The Cardinal second baseman drops his bat and calmly trots to first base. Malcolm moves up to second. Now we have two men on with two outs. Millard waves off the trainer indicating that he's alright and that the pitch didn't hurt him. Things are getting interesting. And it looks like the Sun Devil coaches have seen enough. They're going to their bullpen again. It looks like RJ Dabovich is coming in to pitch."

"A new pitcher. New chances," Chuck grinned. "Keep your fingers crossed."

"I need to pee," Sarah declared. "This game has me so nervous I can hardly stand it."

"Me too," Ellie agreed. "You go first. I'll be right behind you."

"Don't worry, you've got time. The new pitcher has to warm up. I'll let you know when they're ready," Chuck said to Sarah's retreating back as she headed for the bathroom. Devon chuckled and shook his head at the ladies' reactions, ignoring his own display of nerves. Sarah was back before the pitcher was ready, but Ellie was still in the bathroom when the game resumed.

"You're going to miss it, babe," Devon called.

"I'm not done yet!" Ellie complained. "Just tell me what happens. I'll be there in a minute, damn it!" Her boyfriend snorted and shook his head again.

"Larkin's up," Chuck yelled.

"That ass? Wonderful, just wonderful," Ellie grumped. She still hadn't forgotten or completely forgiven the shortstop for his treatment of Sarah and her brother back during the Fall, even if Chuck had been more magnanimous and reconciled with his teammate.

"Dabovich's first batter is Bryce Larkin, the Cardinal shortstop. He's had a little success in the game so far, getting one of the early hits even if it didn't amount to anything in the end. Maybe Larkin has some magic left in his bat. Let's hope. The Sun Devil pitcher gets the sign. Checks the runners. Sets and throws. A ball. That was a slider that slid a little too low and wide of the plate. Dabovich gets the ball back from the catcher. The sign … and the pitch. Another ball! That was a four-seam fastball that was belt high but too far outside. Now the count's 2-0 in Larkin's favor. Dabovich needs a strike here or he's in real trouble. That'll be good news for us. The catcher went out to talk with him, but now he's back behind the plate. Dabovich goes to the rosin bag. Now he's ready. Gets the sign. Sets. Looks back at Malcolm on second. Looks in again and throws. A strike! Larkin didn't think so, but the man behind the plate says it was a strike and only his opinion matters. It looked low to me too, but it must have been high enough for the umpire to call it a strike. That makes the count 2-1, still in Larkin's favor. There's the sign. And the pitch … Contact! Larkin got a good piece of that ball! Did he get enough? It's sailing out to left field. Back … Back … Back … Gone! A homerun! It looked like a two-seam fastball that tailed back over the plate and Larkin got enough of it to send it over the left field fence for a three-run homerun. Here comes Malcolm. Now Millard touches home plate. Malcolm and Millard wait to greet Larkin as he stomps on home and high fives his two teammates. More players congratulate him as he reaches the dugout. There you go. It's 3-2 in Stanford's favor. That's more like it."

Ellie had made it back from the bathroom just in time to see Larkin hit the homerun. And to take part in the jumping and cheering celebration that was taking place in her living room. They all were still wound up so they missed seeing Rodger Mason strike out looking to end the inning for Stanford. Everyone calmed down, though, so they could watch the bottom half of the inning. Stanford may be ahead, but they still had to finish the game, so the outcome was still in doubt.

"OK. Stanford has taken the field for the bottom half of the ninth inning. Was it just me or did the players look like they had more pep in their step when they came running out of the dugout this time?"

"Reliever Alex Williams is back on the mound to face the middle of the Sun Devil order. First up is the centerfielder, Hunter Bishop. He's oh for three so far today. Williams takes the sign. Winds and throws. A ball! Too far inside. Bishop even stepped back on that one. Alex has the ball again. Looks in and nods. He goes into his windup and lets it go. Bishop hit it! It's headed for right field. Ebersole hauls it in for the first out. Good stuff. And that's all for Williams. Graham is going to the bullpen and calling on the closer, Jack Little."

"Only two more outs to go," Chuck whispered. "Please. Please."

"Me too, sweetie," Sarah said, squeezing his hand as she shared his uncertain expression. She hoped the baseball gods would smile on Stanford's team today. Chuck wanted this so badly and she wanted this for him, too.

"Little's ready. First batter he'll face is the Arizona State designated hitter, Cole Austin. Little takes the sign. Winds and pitches. A strike! Austin watched that four-seam fastball just slam into the catcher's glove. Now we're cooking with gas. Jack's got the ball again. Takes the sign and goes into his windup. There's the pitch … Another strike! Austin offered at that one, but Little's slider crossed the plate under his bat. That's two strikes now. Little's looking pretty good out there. Let's see what's next. Here's the pitch … a ball. Just missed catching the outside corner of the plate. Almost. Jack looks in again and the catcher puts the sign down. No argument from the pitcher. He winds up and throws it in … another ball. This one was way off the plate. Now the count is 2-2. As soon Little got the ball back he went to the rosin bag then wiped his hand across the front of his jersey. I wonder if that last pitch slipped? Seems like that might be the case. Now that he's dried his fingers, let's see what he'll show us. There's the sign again. He nods and goes through his motion. The pitch … Strike three! Austin swung on it and missed. That was a very nasty curveball and it got the second out. Two down and one more to go."

"This is intense," Sarah commented. "I can hardly stand to watch."

"Now you know why I like being in the dugout with my teammates," Chuck said. "Stuff like this isn't as bad when you're surrounded by the other players and you feel like you're doing something to help win the game. Even if it's only waving a rally cap around. At least you're there and involved."

"I hear that, bro," Devon agreed. "Standing on the sidelines with the team beats sitting up in the stands any day of the week." He glanced over at his girlfriend. "Unless I'm sitting up there with you, babe." Ellie snorted and briefly smirked at his attempt to correct his social faux pas.

They all focused their attention back on the TV. The next batter was the Arizona State shortstop, Alika Williams. He managed to work the count full (3-2) before drawing an uncharacteristic walk from the Cardinal closer.

"Shoot, the tying run is on first. If Jack makes a mistake with this next guy, we could be tied. Or worse," Chuck worried.

"Third baseman, Gage Workman, comes to the plate. He hasn't gotten a hit today and he would, no doubt, love to be the hero for his team. And the spoiler for ours. Let's see what Little has to say about that. There's the first pitch … Strike! Workman swung on that changeup, but he was early. Jack has the ball and gets the sign. He winds up … strides and throws. It's a ball. That slider was a little too low. Now the count's 1-1. And here's the next pitch … a ball again! He tried a curveball, but he bounced it. Gotta get the ball all the way to the plate, son. Now, Little's behind in the count 2-1. He has to get a strike here or he's in trouble and he knows it. Jack has the ball and he's working it in his hands. Now he's going for the rosin bag. Takes a deep breath and steps back on the mound. Looks in for the sign. Checks the runner at first. Sets and throws … a strike! Workman swung on that pitch, but he missed Little's two-seam fastball. It moved late over the plate and just enough so the batter didn't make contact. 2-2 count now and we're down to the wire. Little has the sign. Nods. Sets. Strides and there's the pitch. Strike three! What a beautiful slider! Workman's bat never even left his shoulder. That's it! That's the game! Stanford wins it 3-2 and takes the series two games to one!"

They'd done it! And even better, USC had beaten Oregon State. Chuck stared at the TV in disbelief for just a couple of beats. Then he jumped to his feet, pulling Sarah up after him.

"Woo hoo!" He cheered and laughed. "We're going to the playoffs. Gonna be a host site, too."

Sarah hugged him. "Congratulations, baby! I'm so proud of you and the whole team."

"Well, maybe the team. All I've done is lie around or watch them on TV lately."

"Maybe, but you did your part before you got hurt," she insisted. "Without your victories, the team wouldn't be in this position."

"She's right, Chuck." Ellie chimed in.

"I don't know …," Chuck began.

"Take the win, bro," Devon smiled, clapping him on the back. "Take the win."

Chuck grinned and nodded. Turning back to Sarah, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. Drawing back, his eyes were shining. "We're going to the playoffs," he whispered.

"Yes, you are!" She smiled back at him, hoping that the baseball team had the same success that the Songbirds had already had.

"OK. That was enough excitement for today. It's time for relaxing in the sun," Ellie announced. "Devon, help me clean up while Chuck and Sarah get changed." Turning to the younger couple, she continued, "Use my bedroom and the bathroom to change into your suits. We'll do the same as soon as we take care of this mess."

"We can help, Ellie," Sarah said as she started to clean off the coffee table.

"Leave it," the brunette ordered. "We can deal with this stuff. Go get changed. The sun is calling and we're missing some quality rays. Chop chop." Ellie smiled at the younger woman and waved her hands in the direction of the bedroom and bathroom.

Sarah chuckled and took Chuck's hand to lead him to where their towels were. Chuck changed in the bathroom, while Sarah stayed in the bedroom. When they returned to the living room, Chuck was wearing an old Los Angeles Dodgers tee-shirt over his boardshorts with his net bag slung over his shoulder. Sarah was wearing a demure coverup over her new suit and had put her hair up into a messy bun to keep it off of her neck for easier tanning. Ellie noticed and smiled to herself. This was going to be an interesting afternoon, she thought, before entering her bedroom to get changed.

---

The foursome had opted to walk to the lap pool rather than drive. It was only a relatively short distance from Ellie's apartment. When they arrived at the pool, she was pleased to discover that only a few of the lounge chairs were currently occupied and the pool was almost entirely empty. Ellie checked the position of the sun and snagged four chairs right next to an unoccupied table. She gestured at her boyfriend, who'd been rolling a cooler, full of drinks, behind him during the walk from the apartment.

"Devon, stick the cooler under the table in that bit of shade."

"Sure thing, babe," Devon grinned. "Always good to keep the hydration close at hand."

Ellie paused a second and looked at him, but didn't say a word. She just dropped her beach bag on the table, pulling out her towel and sunscreen once she had done so. Choosing a lounge chair, she spread her towel out on it. Devon tossed his towel on the lounge on the other side of her chosen spot.

Noticing what Ellie had done, Sarah picked the chair next to her so they could chat, leaving the last chair for Chuck.

Before Devon could sit down, Ellie pulled her cover-up over her head and draped it over the back of her lounge chair. Turning to her boyfriend, she smiled sweetly. "Help me with the sunscreen, honey?"

"Your wish is my command, milady," Devon grinned as he sketched a foppish bow.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Prince Charming," she smirked as she sat down on the end of his lounger. "But putting sunscreen on my back just might."

"Works for me," the blond med student laughed, admiring Ellie's green bikini, before getting busy protecting her skin against the afternoon sun.

Ellie had positioned herself carefully, so she saw when Sarah took her own cover-up off. She also observed her brother's reaction, as she had planned.

He had just dropped his net bag next to his chair after pulling out his towel when he turned to see Sarah revealing her new bathing suit.

She had timed it perfectly. He was looking right at her as she removed her outer garment. His eyes widened in surprise at seeing her in something as small as a bikini. It wasn't a daring suit by any stretch, but it was the least amount of clothes that he had ever seen her wearing.

"What do you think of my new bikini, Chuck?" Sarah coyly asked. She bit her lower lip for added effect as she posed for her flustered boyfriend.

Chuck literally didn't know what to do. Or what to say. Or where to look. He took in her entire body before quickly focusing his attention back on her smiling face. It was a bikini all right and it was black. He knew that much, but he kept his attention away from her body in an attempt to curb his embarrassment and limit any physical reaction to how gorgeous she looked. This situation called for some sort of suave response, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what that was, so he opted for being honest about what he was feeling.

"You look amazing, Sarah," he answered. "I've never seen you wearing something … um … like … ah … that … that before," Chuck fumbled. Trying to think of something coherent to say, he added, "Where'd you get it?" Instant regret. Why did I say that? Even I think that sounded lame.

Ellie held in her amusement at her brother's awkwardness. She knew it was deep seated and genuine, not the tongue-tied ramblings of a stereotypical nerd.

Sarah was even more understanding. As pleased as she was at his stunned reaction and his adorably fractured compliments, she wanted him to enjoy seeing her in such outfits, not shy away in embarrassment.

"Ellie and I found it at Tommy Bahama's when we met up the other day for coffee. Isn't it cute?" she asked. The store called the bikini set a pearl halter top paired with side-shirred hipster bottoms, but Sarah knew those details would be lost on Chuck in the best of times, much less when his brain was short-circuiting like it currently was.

"Cute? Yes, it's … ah … cute. Very cute," Chuck agreed, his face getting redder the longer the conversation went on. Cute really wasn't the word he would have used to describe what she was wearing, he thought to himself.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetie. I like it, too," Sarah said. She'd gotten the reaction she'd hoped for, so now it was time to change the subject. "Would you mind helping me put sunscreen on my back, so I don't get burned?" He needed to get used to touching her bare skin and her back was a good place to start. One step at a time.

"Sure … sure, Sarah. I can do that for you," he nodded.

She handed him her sunscreen and took a seat at the end of her own chair, patting the spot behind her where she wanted Chuck to sit. He took a seat where she indicated, before squirting some of the lotion into the palm of his hand. Sarah reached up to untie her top and Chuck froze.

"What are you doing, Sarah? Why are you taking your top off?" he asked in alarm. Ellie giggled and he frowned at her.

"I'm not taking my top off, Chuck," she replied. "I'm just untying the ties so you can spread the sunscreen and rub it in without getting it all over my new suit."

"Oh, right. Sorry," he apologized. By now, he was rubbing the lotion in his hands.

"It's OK. Don't worry about it," Sarah smiled where Ellie could see, but Chuck couldn't. After a long moment, it was her turn to ask a question. "What are you doing, Chuck? Why aren't you putting the sunscreen on? Is there something wrong with the bottle?"

It was Chuck's turn to smile. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just warming the lotion up in my hands. It's something my dad used to do when we were kids so he wasn't putting cold sunscreen on us.

Sarah was touched by the small gesture. It was just another in a long list of ways that Chuck looked out for others. "Thank you, sweetie. That's very thoughtful of you."

Then she felt him touch her shoulders, it was her turn to be surprised. His large warm hands caused little jolts wherever they touched as he gently spread the sunscreen across her upper back and softly rubbed it in. To her dismay, Sarah could feel her body begin to react to the unintentionally sensual contact. She had to tightly shut her eyes and bite her lips in an effort to keep from moaning. She wasn't entirely successful as a few soft moans did escape. Luckily, to her ears, it sounded like she was humming. In any event, Chuck was so focused on his assigned task that he appeared not to notice her discomfort.

But Ellie did. By now, Devon had finished putting sunscreen on her back and she was busy doing the same with the rest of her. Afterwards, she would return the favor to her boyfriend. In the meantime, she was watching her brother and his girlfriend deal with a new experience for the both of them. When she saw Sarah's reaction, she giggled softly. But not softly enough, as Sarah, in her hyperaware state, heard it.

The blonde opened her eyes and looked over at her friend. When she saw the older woman grinning at her, she glared and stuck her tongue out at her before her face melted in embarrassment as she had to bite her lips again to stifle another moan. This was torture. Wonderful, exquisite torture. And he was only touching her back. In broad daylight! In front of his sister and other people! What would it be like … No. NO! Do NOT think about that. It was too much …

"All done!" Chuck declared. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "Your back is all set for some good tanning." She began to retie her bikini top.

"What about her lower back, Chuck?" Ellie asked. "Did you get that part?"

"Uh … no, I didn't. Do you want me to put lotion on that part of your back, too?"

"Of course, she does, Chuck. What good is sunscreen on one part of her back but not the other?" Ellie was having a good time teasing her friend. Sarah's back was still towards Chuck, so she threw another pleading look in the other woman's direction which was promptly ignored. "Just untie the lower tie on her top and she will hold it up to maintain her modesty."

"Are you sure about this, Sarah?" he asked with concern.

After being put in a corner by Ellie's comments, Sarah didn't see any way out of the situation besides allowing Chuck to put sunscreen on the rest of her back. She crossed her arms over her chest to keep her top in place.

"Go ahead and untie the lower tie and put sunscreen there, too, please, Chuck," Sarah sighed in resignation. Chuck was still too addled to pick up on her mood.

The process was repeated including Sarah's struggle to maintain her composure. She was so focused on keeping her cool that her second ordeal was over sooner than she expected. She was both relieved and sorry when he took his hands away. Chuck wiped his hands on his own towel before retying her top and keeping her modesty intact. Reaching over to get his own sunscreen, he got up from behind Sarah and offered the bottle to her. She looked up to see him smiling innocently at her.

"Now do me," he asked, oblivious.

Sarah's face turned crimson and she had to look down in an attempt to hide it.

Ellie and Devon both snickered, but didn't make eye contact with either of their companions. Ellie busied herself with putting lotion on her boyfriend's back, but continued to steal glances out of the corner of her eye.

Sarah scooted back on her chair to the spot Chuck had recently vacated and patted the place in front of her. He sat with his back to her and she began to spread his sunscreen on his back. As soon as she touched him, she felt the jolt of their connection; her fingers beginning to tingle. And she felt her body reacting, this time to her touching him and feeling his muscles move beneath the surface as her fingers glided over his wonderfully broad shoulders. She had to bite her lips again to keep some semblance of control. Since Sarah knew Ellie would be watching, she sent another glare over Chuck's shoulder at the amused look on his sister's face. It was then that she heard Chuck softly humming. At least it sounded like humming to her. Sarah was a little embarrassed, but also very pleased to see that she had such an effect on her boyfriend. They seemed to have the same effect on each other. More steps in the right direction.

For his part, Chuck was struggling, too. Touching Sarah's almost naked back shook him in ways he didn't understand and wasn't prepared for. His fingers had tingled from contact with her flawless skin the entire time he had been covering her with sunscreen. It took an effort to remain quiet so he didn't end up looking, or sounding, like a fool. He'd been able to contain himself while he was putting the sunscreen on Sarah by focusing all of his attention on making sure he was covering her back adequately so she wouldn't get a sunburn. Now, he had nothing to distract him from the delicate touch of her fingers or what that soft touch was doing to him. Their electric connection. His body was reacting no matter what he did to try and prevent it. He wanted her desperately, but the thought also terrified him. His mind drifted back to his recent episode. His struggle with his memories was still fresh and cast a shadow over everything, particularly his desire to be with Sarah. Chuck closed his eyes and tried to think about his research and review what he had to do next on his various write-ups. This was only partially successful, but he was so focused on distracting himself that he failed to notice that he was softly moaning each time Sarah caressed his skin. Regardless of his fears, her touch felt fantastic and his body was responding, even while his brain fought against his feelings.

When she was finished putting the sunscreen on his back, she couldn't resist leaning close to his ear and breathily whispering, "All done, baby." His shiver was all the reward she required.

"Thanks, Sarah," Chuck managed to croak over his shoulder. He returned to his own chair, making sure to keep his back to his sister and Sarah while he did. Sarah blushed once she figured out why, but shared knowing smiles with Ellie.

Everyone spent the next few minutes making sure the places they could reach themselves were sufficiently protected with lotion. The next forty minutes or so was spent basking in the warm rays of the sun and indulging in the cold drinks Devon had lugged over from the apartment. Ellie made sure to remind them to turn over every ten minutes.

By the time he'd had a chance to tan his front and back two times each, Chuck was getting antsy. He looked over at Sarah and his sister. The two women didn't seem to be asleep, but he couldn't be sure. Devon was most definitely out. Chuck could hear his soft snoring from where he was on his lounger. It was time for a little workout, so he sat up and retrieved his net bag from under the chair. He pulled out the stuff he needed then put the bag back where it had been. Then he stood up and began to remove his boardshorts.

Ellie opened her eyes when she heard Chuck's lounge chair scrape on the concrete. When she saw what was happening, she screeched, "Chuck! What are you doing?"

At the sound of Ellie's voice, Sarah's eyes snapped open and she stared at her boyfriend.

"What's wrong?" Chuck wondered. "I'm just getting ready to get in the pool for a little workout. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is, you can't just take your suit off out here in the open," his sister admonished him.

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what Ellie was talking about and what Chuck was doing.

"Relax, El. I've got my racing suit on under here. I can't work out properly in those baggy boardshorts. It's no big deal," Chuck informed her.

That's what you think, little brother, Ellie thought. She'd suspected that he had his other suit underneath his normal suit. She just wanted to be sure that Sarah was awake and focused in Chuck's direction. Tommy Bahama bikini meets tiny racing suit. Dueling bathing suits at about three feet, by the looks of it.

Sarah was most definitely awake and focused on Chuck. Totally focused on Chuck. At what she saw at her eye level. She wanted to look away, but found she couldn't. When his boardshorts fell to the ground and he stepped out of them, she realized that he was only about two feet away from her. Wearing practically nothing. It took an act of will for her not to reach out and touch him. He bent down and picked up the stuff he'd left on his chair before walking over to the nearest lane of the pool. There he went through his workout preparation routine. Once his cap and goggles were in place, he dove in the pool and began to swim. Just as he did, a pretty woman on the other side of the pool gave him a wolf whistle.

Sarah couldn't tell if the woman was a student or faculty or whatever. It didn't matter. "Mine!" she called out. The woman held up her hands in surrender, chuckled, and gave her a thumbs up. Ellie was giggling beside her.

"You better get used to women doing that, Sarah. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I do. I've already seen women giving him the eye."

"You also know that you have nothing to worry about. Chuck only has eyes for you. He's yours and only yours."

"I know that, too. It's just hard, you know? Seeing other women eyeing him or trying to flirt with him like I'm not even there."

"I know what you're saying," Ellie replied, jerking a thumb in her sleeping boyfriend's direction. Sarah nodded. "Just keep that in mind if or when he struggles with seeing guys ogle you or try and hit on you."

"Don't worry about that. I'll be too busy kicking their butts for daring to presume I'd be interested in anyone besides Chuck," Sarah said with determination.

"Anyone with one eye and even a couple of brain cells will see that you two are totally devoted to each other. It's the people who fall below that category that you need to worry about," Ellie responded. Sarah made a grossed-out face and laughed. Then she sobered.

"That was a mean trick you pulled a little while ago, Ellie," she complained.

"What? You mean yelling to make sure you were awake and could get a close-up eyeful of Chuck wearing your favorite outfit?" the brunette med student smirked.

"Ellie, please," Sarah begged. "You know how I feel. It's tough enough being so close to him and not being able to really act on those feelings and show him much he means to me without you teasing me or both of us on top of it."

"You're right, Sarah," Ellie said contritely. "And I'm sorry. I'll try to behave myself in the future. You two are just so damn cute. Chuck was concentrating so hard on putting sunscreen on you, it was like he thought he was going to be given a written test on it afterwards. I really thought you were going to jump him when he was putting that sunscreen on your back. I saw the expression on your face and could hear you humming." Ellie made air quotes when she said 'humming'.

"I almost did, if I'm being honest. If we'd been alone there's no telling what might have happened," Sarah admitted. "Putting sunscreen on him was just as bad. Did you hear him 'humming', too?"

"I did," Ellie said. "You should have seen the look on his face. He was trying his best to remain in control and sit there quietly while you rubbed your hands all over his back."

Sarah blushed, then she grew serious. "I know he's struggling with his fears about being intimate with me. He's told me as much. More than once. We've come so far since last Fall, but I have no idea what to do to help him with this. My hope is Dr. Dreyfus will be able to assuage Chuck's fears enough so we can get closer."

"The fact that you love him and care about him enough to keep being patient and wait on him says a lot," Ellie said. "At least in my book."

"Our time together is so wonderful and we have so much fun that I'm willing to wait," Sarah said. "That doesn't make it easier, though."

"Seeing him in that tiny racing suit from time to time is a pretty good incentive, though, isn't it?" Ellie grinned.

Sarah giggled, blushing again, "I will admit that I was surprised when you yelled and by what I saw, but I'll also admit that I didn't look away when I had the chance."

"No, you didn't," Ellie agreed. Both women laughed.

---

Chuck had spent almost an hour working out in the lap pool. During that time, Ellie and Sarah had moved to sit under the umbrella at their table, along with Devon, once Ellie had woken him up. When Chuck rejoined the group, he'd been wearing his boardshorts again, much to Sarah's relief. The foursome had hung out for a while longer, even taking time to get a bit more sun and do a little swimming, before heading back to the apartment. Ellie had invited Chuck and Sarah to stay for dinner, but they asked for a rain check citing schoolwork that they both needed to get done. She didn't believe them for one second, but knew the day had been a lot for both of them, so she agreed to the postponement. After a round of hugs, the young couple left and drove back to Roble Hall.

They had dinner together after showering off the sunscreen and changing into clean clothes. Their conversation during the meal was subdued, each of them thinking back over the enjoyable, but challenging afternoon. The CATS and their other tablemates noticed their abnormal behavior. When asked if everything was all right, they claimed that the sun had taken more out of them than they realized but otherwise they were fine. No one believed them, but didn't force the issue or tease them about their afternoon together. After dinner, Chuck asked Sarah if she wanted to take a walk around campus and she quickly agreed.

Their walk was almost half over and Chuck hadn't said anything beyond a few neutral comments. Sarah could tell that he was deep in thought. Her own swirling thoughts and emotions kept her silent, as well. She could feel the tension in his hand when she held it. He didn't let on what he was thinking about, but she knew he'd start talking eventually. Sarah wasn't worried about their relationship or how they felt about each other. Something was going on and she thought it was connected to the time they spent hanging out at the pool that afternoon. But what, she had no idea. As they were walking alongside Green Library, Chuck finally began to talk.

"I … uh … I had a good time this afternoon hanging out with Ellie and Awesome. And with you," he began.

"Me too, sweetie. The baseball game was pretty intense, but being by the pool was fun and that lunch Ellie made was yummy."

"Yeah, it was. And you're right about the game. But it turned out in our favor, so that made it a little better."

"Yes, it did," she agreed. Chuck stopped walking. It looked to Sarah like he was blushing. "What's wrong, baby?" He looked away from her. "It's all right. You can tell me anything. Please. Talk to me."

Chuck sighed and nodded. "But what I liked the most was when I was putting the sunscreen on you. Your smooth skin felt amazing. I … um … I really enjoyed touching you … like that."

"I liked when you were touching me, too. Very much," Sarah smiled.

"Really? I thought you were upset. Your back muscles were so tense," Chuck questioned.

"That's because you touching my back was exciting me. Um … you know. Physically," Sarah admitted, blushing.

"Oh. OH! Right. Um … that." Now it was Chuck's turn to blush.

"Yeah. That."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to do that to you. Honest," he apologized.

"I know you weren't, sweetie. Maybe that's why I reacted like I did. You were just being my Chuck," she grinned. "And my Chuck is pretty exciting to me."

"I'm glad," he smiled crookedly.

"Since we're sharing, I'll admit that I really enjoyed putting sunscreen on you, too."

"And I'll admit that I really, really enjoyed you rubbing your hands on my back."

"Were you getting … ah … you know," Sarah asked, tentatively.

Chuck hesitated for a moment. She had been honest with him. Could he be any less honest with her? No. That wouldn't be right or fair, so he nodded. "Yeah, I was," He finally drawled.

"I thought so. Is that why you didn't turn around when you got up from my lounge chair?"

"Yeah, you're pretty exciting to me, too," Chuck admitted sheepishly.

"Don't be embarrassed, baby," Sarah said. "Don't you see? Those feelings and reactions are a good thing."

"How's that?"

"Because you're reacting to me just like I'm reacting to you. I enjoy you touching my back and you enjoy me doing that to you. You enjoy touching me and I enjoy touching you. We excite each other. You know. We turn each other on. Physically. Sexually, I mean. That's normal. And healthy."

"I guess you're right," he admitted.

"Of course, I'm right. Remember, I'm a Human Biology major, too. Not just a Psychology major," Sarah grinned.

Chuck chuckled, but then his face fell. "I'm just not sure I can ever take that last step. I'm just too frightened. My episode is so fresh in my mind. That feeling of being lost and alone. Reliving every stupid or thoughtless thing I've ever done or said. Happy memories being pushed aside by the sad or painful ones. All those hurts. Feeling that it is all real while also knowing at some level that it isn't."

"We found a way to help you come back, though, didn't we?" Sarah said, trying to encourage him.

"You did and I'm so very grateful. But it's not just that. Not really. It's the thought that right at the moment of closest connection with someone. With you. Right at that very moment of deep connection and unbridled joy, it could be snatched away when I spiral back down into the blackness. That's really my greatest fear. It's like a huge wall in front of me that I'm afraid to scale for fear of falling off into the abyss," he confessed, the tears pooling in his eyes and running down his cheeks as she felt him shaking.

Sarah was stunned by what Chuck was telling her. It was so much clearer and sharper edged than what he'd told her up to that point. Particularly since she had just lived through watching him suffer through that episode. She remembered him talking about his fears in the Fall. She also remembered how they were able to overcome each of those fears in turn. They were still overcoming them and that afternoon was proof of it. Sarah didn't know for sure, but she felt in her heart that Chuck would be able to overcome his last, and greatest, fear. He just needed time. And he needed to continue to talk with Dr. Dreyfus. And she needed to be patient. It was very difficult, but he was worth it and she was very determined.

"If you think you're going to scare me off, think again," Sarah said. "I told you I love you and I meant it. We'll figure this out like we've figured everything else out before now. No matter how long it takes. You're mine, Chuck Bartowski, and you better get used to it." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug before kissing him softly. "I love you, baby. No matter what."

Chuck gave her a teary smile. "Thank you, Sarah, for loving me like you do. I love you, too. So much. I promise to work hard on this, so we can have the kind of relationship that we both want."

"It's what we deserve, Chuck. The both of us," Sarah replied, wiping the tears from his cheeks. Then she kissed him again, offering reassurance and comfort. When the kiss ended, Chuck had a thoughtful look on his face. "What are you thinking about now?"

"I'm thinking about something I used to help me deal with girls or the lack of them when I was younger. Something I found when I was at school in Boston and first starting to have romantic and … um … sexual feelings about girls," he said. "As you already know, my dating history was pretty abysmal and my interactions with my older classmates were even worse. Especially while I was in England and close enough in age to the girls, but still too young to successfully act on my feelings."

"What is it?" Sarah's curiosity peaked.

"It's the definition of lovemaking that I found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary."

"OK?"

"Well, the first definition is what you'd expect. Sexual activity, especially copulation," he said, his face beginning to redden.

"Right," she was confused.

"But there was a second definition. And that was 'courtship'," Chuck half smiled. "With my terrible dating history and general rejection by girls, I latched on to that second definition. If you look at courtship as lovemaking then that covers everything a couple does together. Every moment spent together is a form of making love. Of sharing themselves. Being together. Eating together. Talking. Holding hands. Walking. Hugging. Kissing. Just looking into each other's eyes. Sex is only a part of it. I was, am, so afraid of sex, of what might happen, that I was happy to focus on all of the other things that couples do together. Even if I wasn't doing any of it at the time." He paused and cupped her face in his hands. Then he leaned in and gently kissed her. "When you look at it from that perspective, we're making love all of the time. And have been almost since the beginning."

Sarah couldn't believe what he had just told her, but she also couldn't refute anything Chuck had said. He was right. She couldn't deny her desire to be with him, but he was right. Everything they did together was an expression of their feelings. An affirmation of their love for each other. She may have been surprised by what Chuck had said, but there was one thing she did know for certain and she told him.

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard," Sarah said. Then she sweetly kissed him.

---

A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song by The Beach Boys. Perfect song for this chapter.

A/N3: Some people may look askance at the part of this chapter where Chuck doesn't travel with the baseball team to Arizona State. Injured players may or may not travel with their team to away games, depending on the severity of the injury. In Chuck's case, his somewhat unique academic situation played a part, too. At top academic universities, there is precedent for academic requirements preventing a player from traveling with their team, especially if they're not scheduled to play anyway.

A/N4: WillieGarvin is an East Coast guy and he helps me keep my writing grooving along. Thanks for all of your help and advice, my friend. It's very much appreciated.

A/N5: 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. Thank you to everyone who's followed or favorited this story, too. Your support means a lot to me.

A/N6: 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.