This fiction is co-authored by UKChuckster and AuditoreanGhost.

Enjoy!

Chapter V: The Moment of Truth

Dean Beckman's Office

14.50 / 2.50 PM

Chuck and Sarah had ventured to Professor Beckman's office for their scheduled 'debriefing'. Beckman always called her student meetings debriefings, which always made the event seem like an military operation. The Dean ordered them to be there at 2:50pm, since she would be 'coming in hot' from a meeting with some professors at 3pm.

Chuck and Sarah sat awkwardly next to each other. Only 30 minutes ago, Chuck had made a forward reveal about her feelings towards Sarah. He had basically chosen her over Jill Roberts on an impulse. Although yes, Chuck saw Jill as a beautiful woman, she wasn't the girl he was looking for. Jill was definitely an opportunistic girl, just waiting for a 'better' guy to come around. You would have needed to be blind to not notice the 'subtle swap' between this Williams kid and Daniel Shaw. She practically dumped Williams on Monday and was in the sack with Shaw on Friday.

Chuck compared her to the woman sitting in her wheelchair next to him. Sarah was a honest, considerate, kind and most of all a toes-in-the-sand kind of girl. She seemed like a girl who would love to settle down with a guy and never look back. This was a big plus in Chuck's book. He didn't want a girl who would jump ship the moment the waters became because a little rough.

I would date Sarah ten times over before you.

Chuck was still wondering the reason why he had said that, especially in front of Sarah. He had barely known her for a full day, before he already basically confessed his feelings towards her. How would she react? What would she write? These questions were bothering him immensely. They haven't talked much after the 'incident', which made this meeting a little awkward. Or so he thought...

Sarah was thinking about him. Chuck. Her friend, Chuck. She couldn't place the feeling she felt when Chuck made his feelings public. Maybe it was fondness? Love? Sarah quickly declined the second alternative. She couldn't possibly love Chuck... Her mom had told her stories how she met her father. Love at first sight, Emma had told her. Was this that? Did she fall for Chuck the moment she met him? She had imagined her life with Chuck already, when she was asleep last night. Although it was her subconscious speaking, that must have meant something. But what? Was she just denying the fact that she had already fallen for him?

"You would date me over Jill?" she had asked, with a large smiley next to her handwriting.

"Yes."

Sarah had been thinking about such a primitive word for a long time. How could a single 'Yes' make her feel so appreciated and, perhaps, loved. She felt like she belonged there, next to him.

Was she burying her feelings deep inside? She gathered her bravery yet again as she started writing.

"Chuck, why are we being so...?" Sarah wrote, trying to find the word for it. Chuck looked at her, figuring out what she was trying to say. Maybe this situation wasn't so awkward as he thought. Maybe they were both having a hard time with this.

"Why we are acting like strangers?" Chuck suggested. Sarah nodded in response, not trusting herself to look at him more closely.

"Why am I being so shy around him?" She thought, not being able understand her body's reactions.

Chuck had already deduced he would need to grab the proverbial bull by the horns when it came to Sarah. They needed to talk about this.

"Is this about Jill?" Chuck wrote on his pad, showing it to her. Sarah looked at the word, smiling at his nervousness.

I'm not the only person who's nervous it seems, she thought, biting her lower lip before writing again.

"Yeah.." she wrote, glancing upwards toward him. She saw a subtle smile on his face. Maybe he had been dancing around this issue too. "I'm just confused..."

"About what, Sarah?" Chuck wrote before yet again, he tried to break the ice between them. He placed his right hand next to her left hand, not knowing whether he should grab it or not. Sarah looked down at her left arm, spotting his hand next to it. Her eyes lifted up, looking at him. What she saw was a caring guy, who wanted nothing from her... She decided that it was time she took control of something in her life. So, she wrote.

"You.." Sarah wrote, honestly. "You really think that I'm more beautiful than Jill?" She asked, placing the 'easier' question first.

Chuck smiled a bit. "That's true. Would you want to know why?" Chuck wrote, placing the ball back into her court. Sarah gave him a 'you don't say?' look, which caused him to quickly glance down and write. "It's simple, Sarah. You look like an angel."

He thinks that I'm an angel? She stopped, not knowing how she should respond to that. She opted to take the easy way out by asking the second question.

"You don't care whether I'm paralyzed or not? And that I can't speak?" she asked, trying to hide her goofy grin failing miserably. "And Chuck..."

"Yes, Sarah?"

"You're handsome."

"Thanks, Sarah." Chuck wrote as she glanced back at him. "And no. I don't care," Chuck wrote, dropping his left arm on his side.

Sarah thought about her next move for a second. About 35 minutes ago she had practically denied herself the chance to kiss him. That would have been the second-to-best moment to share their first kiss with the best possible being at her doorstep after a wonderful dinner date. She decided that she would need to make that kiss happen. Her left arm touched his right arm, slowly travelling towards his hand. She did something she had wanted to do since they had met... She intertwined their fingers, gazing lovingly at his dark brown eyes.

Chuck's immediate reaction would have been to take his hand off hers, but just this once he stopped before he acted. He could see that Sarah had gone through something, seeing her eyes watered. He looking down at their hands intertwined, he felt something. Their hands fit in perfectly, like they we're meant for each other.

She felt like silk to Chuck. He had not thought about that the earlier times they had touched, but now it was so blatant that he couldn't ignore it. He felt like heaven, revelling in the feeling of holding hands. As Chuck looked back at her, she mouthed "don't let go." Quickly wiping a couple of tears from her face with her right hand, she looked into his wanting look away from him. He gave her a slight squeeze, before mouthing back "I won't." He loved the feeling of holding hands with her. This exact feeling was shared by Sarah.

So strong was their attention to each other that they were oblivious to the fact that Beckman had entered her office. She had arrived as Chuck and Sarah locked in a stalemate after Chuck's last comment. Beckman saw the scene unfold in front of her, and a slight smile spread across her face as she walked next to Sarah, sitting in her large ebony chair.

Sarah thought about letting go of Chuck's hand for the meeting, but she couldn't. She just couldn't let go. She wanted this moment to last, not caring that Beckman was watching.

"Bartowski, Walker," Beckman said as she settled in her dark chair, "you're here for the Europe brief, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck replied, stealing a quick glance at Sarah who was smiling at him. He loved seeing her smiling or laughing for that matter.

"Well, here's the schedule" Beckman said, offering them her notes.

Europe Trip (Preliminary Plan)

- London 4th of December

- Glasgow 7th

- Copenhagen 9th

- Frankfurt 12th

- Bern 14th

- Milan 16th

- Venice 17th

- Firenze 18th

- Rome 19th

Dates are not finalized, the trip might be delayed to the summer. More details in November. Places are allocated evenly between Stanford and Harvard.

"What do you think?" The dean asked, accepting the paper back from Chuck.

Sarah sighed, writing on her pad. "Did my parents tell you why I'm paralyzed?" She asked, grimacing. She couldn't bear the though of seeing Bryce on that trip.

"Yes," she said simply, before closing the distance between them. "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but we've received word from Harvard that Larkin is pleading for a transfer here," Beckman whispered, making Sarah squeeze the living hell out of Chuck's right hand. "And before you freak out, Sarah, we're trying to delay his process as much as possible. We don't want that trouble maker here anymore than you do."

"You've spoken to Professor Graham?" Sarah wrote, giving her a subtle smile.

"Yes, I've talked to Langston. He gave me his iron-guarantee that Larkin isn't going anywhere."

"Thank you," Sarah wrote, as Chuck nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"None needed. You're dismissed," Beckman said, sitting back in her chair.

Chuck and Sarah left the office, heading for their respective rides. Sarah's dad had parked on the eastern end of the college ground, as Mary had opted to visit the library. As Chuck and Sarah stepped out of the main doors, Chuck lowered on his knees.

"I'll see you in the evening?" Chuck wrote on his pad, showing it to her. She smiled at his gesture, writing back.

"Of course, Chuck. I have one question though?" Sarah wrote, glancing up at him giving him a subtle grin. "What should I wear?"

Chuck thought about it for a second before he replied. "You don't have to worry about that Sarah. You'd look great in a trash bag" Chuck wrote to her, giving her a mild blush.

"Thanks, Chuck," Sarah wrote back, as he stood up.

"It's nothing, Sarah," Chuck said, looking down on her.

"Later, Chuck!" Sarah wrote with cat sized letters as Chuck looked back at her walking westward.

"Later, Sarah!" Chuck replied, turning around to look at her.

If he doesn't ask me out tonight, I'll ask him out myself! she thought as she watched him walk away.

Evening with the Bartowski's

1742 hours / 6PM

As the evening approached the edges of Los Angeles, Chuck was in his room preparing for their dinner. Mary had practically forced him to change into a nicer outfit. Ellie had suggested Stephen's old dress shirt and his new dark blue jeans. He pulled the blouse over his head as Ellie knocked on the door.

"Are you decent, brother?" Ellie asked, slowly opening the door. She heard Chuck clocking his belt together, tightening it around his waist.

"Yeah, it's safe" Chuck said, looking for his socks.

Ellie stepped in, sitting on his bed. She was wearing a dark red blouse and black jeans which looked good on her. She had just come back from her second date with that Awesome guy. They had gone to this nice Italian restaurant for dinner. Ellie had definitely enjoyed her time there, the sentiment was probably shared by Awesome too.

As Chuck sat down next to her, Ellie asked. "How was your day at Stanford, Chuck?"

Chuck's mind instantly went back in time, reminding him of the events of the day. Meeting Carina. Talking with Sarah about Bryce. Jill's seduction attempts, and how they were becoming more and more frequent and aggressive. Calling her out for being jealous. And last, but definitely not least, holding hands with Sarah Lisa Walker. He couldn't think of that moment without feeling her hand still holding her silky skin, the vanilla fragrance of her hair, the thought of kissing her that moment.

"It was nothing out of the usual, Sis," Chuck said, failing at hiding the goofy grin on his face. Ellie saw through him in an instant.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Chuck" Ellie said, waving her finger in front of him. "What happened with Sarah? And don't you tell me it's complicated."

"Ahhhhh..." Chuck shrugged, still thinking about a way to get out of this situation. He definitely didn't need to talk things through with Ellie. He saw the interrogator look on her face, which made him to surrender. He then explained the days events until Beckman's office. "We..." Chuck tried, before tumbling on his words, "we held hands," Chuck said, slamming his hands on top his ears. As expected, Ellie squealed so hard that the whole apartment complex could hear her. "Have you asked her out yet?" Ellie asked, being overly excited for her brother. Finally after years of turning Jill down, he had found someone that he could share something with.

"No," Chuck shrugged, pulling his socks on.

"... but you're going to, right?" Ellie asked, giving him the most stern look she could. She didn't want him chickening out of asking her out after that. Holding hands isn't something you do with a guy who you don't like.

"I don't know, Ellie... I'm still - " Chuck tried to say, before Ellie slammed her hand on his mouth, stopping his ramble. She knew that she needed to step in, before his insecurities took control.

"For the love of god, Chuck!" Ellie said with her most agitated voice. "She likes you, don't you get that?!"

"Does she?" He asked, smile creeping up his lips.

Ellie felt like slapping him awake but thankfully she digressed. "You're so dense with women, Chuck. Let's go through what happened all right?" Ellie asked, making clear that the question was a rhetorical one.

"You chose her over Jill, she touched your hand more than once and you held hands for an extended period of time. Would I hold hands with Devon's frat brothers? No. Not because I dislike them, but because I don't like like them," Ellie said, trying to make her point. "Did she say something when you held hands?"

"I think said something like 'Don't let go', I said to her that I wouldn't," Chuck said, this time unprepared for the squeal that came his way.

"Ask her out. If you don't, I'll ask her for you."

The Walker Household

30 minutes earlier..

Sarah was in her wardrobe, trying to find an appropriate outfit. She had thrown some of them on the floor in agitation, trying to find a perfect one. She wanted to impress Chuck with her choice. Sighing, she ventured out of her room, looking for her mother. She found her sitting in the living room.

"Mom?" She wrote, as she sat down next to her on the sofa. "What should I wear for dinner?"

"You're good right now, Sarah" Emma deadpanned.

Sarah looked at herself. Her white jeans and blue strapless top.. Maybe this was truly the outfit she was looking for. She had worn a different outfit to school, so maybe Chuck would be surprised.

"Why are you so worried?" Emma asked, looking down at her. "What happened in Stanford?"

"Chuck and I..."

Her mom turned towards her, looking up at her. "You can tell me, Sarah."

"We held hands, mom," Sarah wrote, her mind still remembering the feeling of his touch. "For, like, twenty minutes." Her mom gave her the most compassionate she could, giving him a nod asking her to continue.

"And you want to impress him, right?" Emma said, mirthfully. She knew exactly what this was. Her daughter was in love, whether she would admit it or not.

"I guess..." Sarah wrote uneasily, wavering.

"Let's go over this, Sarah. You've a crush on him, right?"

"Yes," Sarah wrote, sure about her words.

"...and he has a crush on you?"

"I don't think so..." Sarah said, thinking about that.

"Ahhhh..." Emma sighed, moving her head back and forth. "I saw the look in his eyes when he met you, Sarah. He likes you."

Sarah's lips formed an instant smile as she hear her mother's words. If she thought that Chuck had a crush on her, she wasn't the only one. She had thought about that a couple of times during the day. Well, Chuck had been really nervous around her in the morning.

"How do you know that?" Sarah asked, wanting to know those signs her mom had seen.

"Well, first of all, his face always develops a smile when he sees you... and I think I saw the same look on his face as I saw with your father about..." Emma said, before looking out at Jack, who was working on a banking issue. "25 years ago? I can't remember that anymore, but nonetheless you're going to be golden with him."

"Should I ask him out or should he?" Sarah asked, mirthfully smiling.

"He has an older sister, right?"

"Yep."

"Then I'm sure she'll be having the same conversation with him right now. He'll ask you out tonight."

"I don't know what I would do without you, Mom," Sarah wrote, before hugging her.

"It's no trouble, Sarah" Emma said as she hugged her daughter back, comforting her.

Casa de Bartowski

Current Time

1802 hours / 6.02 PM

Chuck's body stiffened as he heard the doorbell ring, the anxiousness flowing in his veins. The moment of truth had arrived, destiny in it's wake. He could imagine this evening describing the rest of his studying life pretty much single handedly, maybe even his whole life.

He sighed, rising up from his bed. Looking down at Ellie, who was giving him an affirmative nod.

"Aces, Charles," Ellie said, to her visibly nervous brother.

Chuck nodded twice in quick succession, pondering about her sister's words. He walked the long corridor, spotting his parents cleaning the kitchen. His father looked up at him, sensing his nervousness.

'Oh, my little boy is growing up. There's clearly something going on with Jack's daughter and him' Stephen thought, having heard their conversation twenty minutes prior.

Chuck opened the door, the cold autumn wind breaching the main hall of their home.

"Evening, Charles" Jack said, happily. "Now where's my favourite pong player?" He added, as he saw an old friend walk past the kitchen.

"Jack? Is that you?" Stephen asked

"The years have been kind to you, Stephen" Jack said, as he walked past to hug his old friend. "It's so nice to see you again after all these years.."

Stephen hugged him back friendly. After they released each other "Mary?" He asked.

"Yes, darling?" Mary replied from the kitchen.

"Could you get my Bollinger?" He pleaded, leaning his head a bit on the right side.

"Of course, sweetie" Mary replied, heading for their room.

The moment came, as of fate they had tried to avoid it. There she was, sitting in her wheelchair looking like a goddess on earth. Chuck couldn't imagine a more beautiful woman in his wake. Trusting his instincts, he kneeled in front of her as Stephen closed the door.

"You look absolutely breathtaking, Sarah" Chuck wrote to her pad, that was resting on her lap.

Breathtaking? In this? What will he say when I'm wearing a dress then? Sarah thought, seeing the absolute sincerity in his eyes.

"Thanks, Chuck" Sarah wrote back. "Could we go somewhere private? I need to ask you something" Sarah wrote, glancing up at him nervously.

"Yeah, I guess" Chuck wrote, before he walked behind Sarah's wheelchair. He pushed Sarah's wheelchair along to his room. As they arrived at his door, Ellie stopped them.

"Chuck, could you please give me and Sarah a moment in private?" Ellie asked, rhetorically. Chuck nodded and entering his room.

Sarah then followed, Ellie in to her room at the end of the hallway. Ellie sat down in chair, Sarah rolling in front of her.

"I'm Chuck's sister, Ellie" She said introducing herself to Sarah. Sarah quickly deduced that Chuck had told her about them. Them? Were they already an item?

"I just want you to know that Chuck is a little dense with women. So dense, that I couldn't trust him to ask you out.." Ellie said, sighing at the end.

He wants to ask me out too? Sarah thought, a smile creeping up on her lips.

"He wants to ask me out?" Sarah wrote, showing her the text. Ellie's face displayed some confusion but then she remembered Chuck's words about her. "That's great because I want to ask him out too..." Sarah confessed, shyly.

Ellie's face lit up with joy as she saw the look on Sarah's face. If that wasn't love, love doesn't exist.

"Just don't hurt him, Sarah. I don't want a Jill two point oh," Ellie said, as she rose up from her chair.

"I would never hurt him, Ellie" Sarah wrote, in earnest.

After their little moment, Sarah rolled in to Chuck's room as Ellie walked to the kitchen in order to help her mom finish up.

Sarah saw Chuck, relaxing on his bed on his belly, reading a tablature book. She maneuvered herself next to him, sitting up against the headboard. This caused Chuck to sit the same way..

They looked at each other for a moment, drowning in their eyes. Sarah took a deep breath before gathering her strength and courage to write the words she wanted. Chuck had already started writing as her pen touched the path. Chuck and Sarah exchanged their pads, both gasping for breath as they saw the words they had both written.

Would you go on a date with me?

A/N AG Happy holidays people! I'll probably see you after Christmas, I'm going to be very busy with my new wah-pedal. It's a KH95 if someone want's to see that.