This fiction is co-authored by UKChuckster and AuditoreanGhost.

Enjoy!

Chapter VI: The First Date

The Walker Household. Saturday, 10am.

Sarah woke up to the eloquent fragrance of chocolate invading her senses. She cringed at the sunlight that filled her room, almost blinding her. She definitely needed to take her stuff to the other room; the one that the Sun couldn't reach. Opening her eyes, she saw her mother sitting on her bed, smiling at her.

"Good morning, sweetie" Emma whispered to her knowing full-well that her daughter was not a morning person. "It's time to get up.." She added, gently shaking her awake.

"Mom..." Sarah wrote on her pad, groggy. "What time is it?" She wrote again with her right hand as her left hand rubbed her eyes as she turned to look at her night-table. She then spotted a chocolate bar on her night stand. White chocolate. "Who brought me chocolate?" She added to her pad.

"Miranda was here a couple of hours ago. She wanted to give you this herself but you were fast asleep so..." Emma replied, thinking about her. She had turned up at 6am, wearing her workout outfit. She had told Emma that she had jogged with Michael nearby, so they stopped by.

Sarah rose up from the bed, wearing her dark blue pyjamas. "Did she tell you when I'm supposed to be there?" She slowly got into her wheelchair, as her mom stood up to help her.

"She spoke something about noon, I think" Emma, replied as she pushed Sarah along to the bathroom.

Sarah then sighed. "Mom.."She wrote, looking down at her lap, sad. "It's a gaming night.. What am I supposed to wear?"

Emma laughed a bit, before replying as she opened the bathroom door. "Hmm..." She thought audibly. "I'll think of something while you shower, all right?" Sarah nodded calmly, as she rolled herself to the bathroom. "I'll pack your bikini just in case..." she whispered to herself. That Lawson girl had said something about a sauna.

As Sarah rolled into the bathroom, the only thing she could think about was. Chuck... She thought, remembering their talk yesterday evening.

"So, Chuck." Sarah wrote, smiling at him. "Any secrets I should know about?" She asked, while resting in his hands. She was resting her head on his shoulder as they both sat on the sofa. Their parents were so focused on their 'good old times' that they didn't even notice them.

"Well, I think you deserve to know that Jill and I danced at the school dance..." He wrote on his pad, sensing Sarah stiffen.

"She danced with my boyfriend" Sarah wrote, on the pad. She had an angry look on her face, which Chuck couldn't comprehend.

Chuck wrote back to her. "Your boyfriend?"

Sarah furrowed her eyebrows as she read his words. "Yes, Chuck. My boyfriend." She wrote, determined to call him that. Chuck's face was so priceless that Sarah couldn't hold herself together. She laughed.

"I'm kidding, Chuck," Sarah said, giggling.

Chuck chuckled a bit, before writing his answer. "You're funny, Ms. Walker," he said, rubbing her cheek with his hand. "My beautiful girlfriend," he whispered to her ear. Sarah fluttered at his touch and the words, she looked up at him. She gave him her widest smile, flashing her flawless whites.

"Did something happen when you danced with Jill?" Sarah asked, when she finally looked down at her pad.

"She tried to kiss me," Chuck confessed remembering Jill's disappointed face, when he blatantly refused to kiss her. "I didn't do it."

Sarah smiled at him. "So, if I kiss you after our date..." Sarah thought, biting her lip nervously. I'm going to be the first girl he kissed, she added in her mind. Chuck saw Sarah's thoughts slipping away from their current conversation, but decided to let it slide. No need for intentional drama here, besides he liked that dreamy look on her face.

And I are going on a date, Sarah finished her thought. Her heart rate had elevated slightly at the thought of kissing him. She'd never thought about doing that after the accident. She remembered the times before the accident when a hefty amount of frat boys were trying to 'score her'. Those blatant innuendos, unnecessary bumping into each other and the always necessary 'babe' at the end of every single conversation she had with them.

Sarah grabbed the conditioner and squeezed it hard as memories started flowing in. This time she remembered the time when she first met Tommy. He held himself in so high regard that he wouldn't take nothing but the best. Survival of the fittest. He used that term very often. Very often out of context. And the time when he tried to pick me up in Harvard. He had bought a wheelchair and pretended to be a mute trying to come down to 'my level', which irritated me. Nobody would try to do that without an ulterior motive. Chuck? she thought, interrupting the memory tour. What if Chuck would do that? How would I react? I think that it would be nice but... I don't know... Sarah thought, before being interrupted by knocks on the door.

"Walker!" A familiar voice said through the door. "I heard that you're going on a date with that Chuck fellow?"

Sarah giggled at her friends voice, knowing that she couldn't escape her barrage of questions this time. Ahh, Carina and her endless 'You need to get laid comments'.

She then heard her mother's voice. "Carina, have you forgotten something we talked about?" Emma said, the sound originating from the kitchen. After her mother's sneaky remark Sarah heard something that roughly resembled a grunt.

"No, Mrs. Walker I have not forgotten" Carina mumbled, defeated. Sarah's laughter added insult to injury.

"So Carina, what are you going to do on your first weekend on the coast?" Emma asked as she opened the oven door, retrieving a batch of baguette from it.

"I think I'll go to the beach with my little cousin, Adrianne. Her parents practically demanded me to spend my first weekend there" Carina confessed, mostly due to the fact that she had known Sarah's mother for a long time. They had formed a very friendly relationship after Sarah's accident.

"You could take her to the movies? That new Stealing Harvard was a nice laugh," Emma said, taking a large knife from the kitchenette.

"I think that a 16-year-old teenager wouldn't much care for a comedy. Especially when she has a boyfriend."

Emma looked at her, seeing the mischievous grin developing on Carina's face. "Don't tell me you're thinking about..."

Carina flashed her pearly whites in a mannerly fashion. "I wouldn't do that, who do you think I am, Emma?" She said, winking to her.

"Ahh, Carina. Someday you'll find a guy you're going to settle down with.." Emma said, with a sense of sarcasm in her voice.

Carina looked intently at Sarah's mother who had basically rendered her speechless. She could sometimes make such a stopping comment that she would need to think about her life. She had been partying since High School, but it was starting to feel a bit old. Maybe she was turning into a 'movie-night with my boyfriend on saturday night' type of girl. "Maybe someday," she said with equal parts confidence and disbelief.

The Lawson's. Saturday, noon.

Chuck and Michael were setting up their computers on the long maple table on the second floor of Miranda's home. Her parent's were currently on a flight to Rome, so she had asked permission to host a gaming night.

"Sweetie?" Miranda's firm voice came from downstairs.

"Yes, Miri?" Michael sang out at her general direction, down the stairs.

"Did we get a PC for Sarah too?" she asked.

"Chuck's hooking it up now. Don't worry!" Michael replied to her.

Three knocks came upon the door as Miranda returned to the kitchen. She was instantly knocked out of her day dreams involving her boyfriend. She grunted so softly that you couldn't hear her, but the exact emotion was there. She approached the door and saw a certain beautiful blonde sitting in her wheelchair. Miranda silently thanked 'the guy upstairs' for the fact that her dad had used a wheelchair about 10 years ago. Thanks to that fact, they had built the porch to be easily accessible. Miranda then opened the door, only to squeal from joy.

Sarah had definitely stepped up her game for this evening. She was wearing a slightly tight white tank top and white jeans, but the most beautiful part of her clothing... Miranda loved the navy blue blouse with a plunging neckline that reached just under her chest.

"Hi, Miranda!" Sarah showed her the pad, only to be pushed outside by her. Miranda pushed her outside in such a hurry that she nearly pushed her down the steps. Thankfully, Sarah had had her right hand tightly wrapped around the handle. Using her stronger hand, she converted the diagonal force into a vertical one, rolling herself on the spot right from the door.

"Michael? I'm going to get some wood for the sauna!" Miranda shouted at him, after she gave Sarah a wink. Sarah instantly knew that something is either wrong or her outfit was great.

"Thanks, honey!" Michael replied to her, innocently. "Can I give you a kiss as a reward when you come back?"

"Of course," Miranda quipped back out of instinct, as she closed the door. She then sat on the chair facing the door, on Sarah's left side. "Sarah..." She said, gasping for breath. "You look absolutely breathtaking" She said, looking her up and down. "What brand of make-up are you using, Sarah? I need to get your set!" Miranda said, almost squealing.

Sarah turned to the most primitive way of providing a negative answer, as she shook her head. "Actually Miranda, I'm not wearing any make-up right now."

"Let me guess, Chuck told you that he dislikes women who use makeup so extensively that there's nothing natural about them."

"Yep," Sarah wrote on her pad, giving Miranda a mischievous grin. "You know, one time when I really stepped up my game three days before graduation day. Smoky eyes, that sort of thing. The guys practically drooled over me, asking me out on a date every single minute. Then the next day, I went without any make up and..." Sarah wrote, leaving the sentence open-ended for a reason.

"...they didn't even notice you anymore, right?" She asked, receiving a nod in confirmation from Sarah.

"Yeah, they didn't. It warms my heart to know that Chuck likes my looks as they are" Sarah wrote, as Miranda opened the door.

As Sarah strolled in, she gasped. She had never seen such a welcoming entry hall to a home before. The dark wooden floor felt so homey and elegant. She then looked on her right to see the two person wide staircase, with a framed photograph on the wall. As Miranda noticed Sarah's gaze upon the picture, she kneeled next to her.

"That's from 5 years ago, when Michael and I invited our families for lunch. Then we dropped the bomb that we were dating. On the left, you see Michael's parents, Emily and Mark. And there's my parents, Henry and Hannah Lawson"

"And I guess that's you and Michael in the middle?" Sarah wrote, looking at a familiar face, but his hair. Was Michael an orange afro guy back in high school? "What's with Michael's hair?"

Miranda snorted a bit, before she gazed lovingly at the photo. "Michael used to comb his hair to an afro back in high school. When he and I started dating however, he decided to adopt a more 'Raikkonen style' hair. His words not mine."

"He looks cutem" Sarah wrote, making Miranda blush a bit. My sentiments exactly, she thought, as she kneeled before Sarah.

"Now Sarah, I need you to promise me something" Miranda whispered, with a devious grin. "I dare you to kiss Chuck!" She said, playfully.

Sarah giggled a bit. "That won't be a problem, Miri. Shall we?" She wrote, motioning for the wheelchair lift.

"Yeah, I'll set you up" Miranda said, as she walked to the lift, disconnecting the cord from the metal bar. "Now, it works like this. Does your wheelchair have a 'grab bar' on your back?" Sarah's hands travelled to the back of her wheelchair as she checked for a bar, which she found. She nodded, making Miranda quickly estimate her length. "Go ahead, try it."

Sarah attached her central bar to the lift, which instantly lit up as it recognized the metal bar. Sarah looked on the small tv-screen that started calculating some things, before she heard a lock disengage behind her.

"I'll be back in a minute. I just need to make some cocoa. You want some?" Miranda asked, as she looked at the tv-screen which had a slowly filling bar.

"Yeah, thanks Miri," Sarah wrote, barely having enough time to show her the text before the electric engine behind her engaged and started pulling her up the spiral chairs.

Sarah knocked on the large double doors, that separated her from the gaming room and most importantly, Chuck.

"Coming!" She heard Michael's voice ring out of the room. Thankfully Michael opened the left door, which saved Sarah from being pushed back from the door. "Hi Sarah! It's nice to see you" He said, as he kneeled down to hug her.

I think that there's a person who's going to be happy to see you" Michael responded, looking at Chuck who was under the PC-table connecting some chords.

"Charles, your girlfriend's here!" Michael called teasingly, alerting Chuck to her presence. He rolled from beneath table using his board, smiling at her. Chuck got up on his feet and walked to Sarah. Kneeling before her, he gave her his signature smile

"Morning, Sarah" Chuck said to her, pulling his pad from his right pocket.

"Morning, Chuck.." Sarah said opening her arms, inviting Chuck to hug her, which he did without another thought.

"You look beautiful," Chuck whispered to her ear, as they hugged each other close. Sarah's heart fluttered at his sincere compliments, never finding even an ounce of deception in his voice. Sarah's mood was only tainted by the fact that their hug was partial at best. Only their necks could touch, leaving her feeling alone. She made a mental note to snuggle with him tonight.

"Thanks, Chuck. What are we going to do today?"

"I thought that we could go for some coffee since Morgan and Alex are going to be late."

"Are you asking me on a sub-date?" Sarah asked, a mirthful smile coming on her figure. "I would love to get a cup of coffee with you," Sarah wrote, already heading for the door.

As Chuck and Sarah descended the stairs, Miranda was working in the kitchen. "Chuck! Your package just came in! I unpacked it for you, it's in the entrance hallway!"

"Thanks, Miranda. Sarah and I are going to get some coffee at Lou's, any requests?"

"I'll make you a list..." She said, writing on a paper slide. "Thank god, I remember your favourites." she mumbled, as she handed the note to Chuck.

As Sarah disengaged the lock on her wheelchair, she spotted a familiar looking thing in the hallway, with Chuck sitting on it. Her mouth formed an O, as Chuck only smiled as he rolled around in his new wheelchair.

"Ahh..." Chuck said, anxious. "I thought that I could..." Chuck tried to say, before he was interrupted by Sarah, who had just rammed his wheelchair. She settled on his right side, looking at him.

"Charles, who gave you the idea of buying a wheelchair?" Sarah wrote, holding a serious face. The fact that she had thought about this very exact thing about three hours ago made this situation funny for her.

"I... I..." Chuck stumbled on his words, not sure if this could go well or not. Her heart fluttered as she realized that Chuck was not Tommy. Chuck sincerely meant nothing wrong, that was for certain.

"Sarah?" He asked, getting her attention. "I'm sorry."

Sarah couldn't take it any longer, his apology was definitely a deal-breaker. She started writing on her pad.

"Chuck, it's okay. It's more than okay actually..." Sarah wrote, closing the distance between them. She hugged his right side, placing her head on his shoulder.

"It's just that the last time somebody did this, he wanted to get into my pants.."

"That Delgado kid?" Chuck asked, only to see Sarah's eyebrow arch. "Your mom talked about him yesterday"

"Yeah, exactly. He pretended to be paralyzed, to gain my favour, but you're different. You're just curious about it." Sarah wrote to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Sarah, as much as I would enjoy snuggling with you, I would love to take you on that date"

"Only if you promise to read the remainder of the book we read later today?"

"Of course, Sarah. Now let's roll?" Chuck proposed, motioning for the door. Sarah burst out laughing when he crashed into the door frame, tipping himself forwards out of the wheelchair.

"Maybe it's best if you practice a bit more before using it outside," she laughed, as Chuck narrowed his eyes at her playfully.

Lou's Deli, 20 minutes later.

Chuck entered a small roadside cafe slash sandwich hut just three miles from the local Buy More. Chivalrously, he held the door open for Sarah, who thanked him with a giant smile.

Unbeknownst to Chuck, the owner of the store Lou had already spotted him and Sarah for that matter.

"Chuck!" Lou said, jumping over the counter. "Who's this?"

"Lou, I'd like you to meet Sarah Walker," Chuck said, with pride before he wrote on his pad to Sarah, "And this is Lou. She's one of my old elementary school friends."

"It's nice to meet you, Sarah," Lou said, offering her hand. Sarah shook her hand, not knowing how she should respond. She could write on her pad, but Lou seemed to expect a verbal answer.

"Ahh, Lou," Chuck said, saving Sarah from embarrassment. "Remember when I told you about a girl I had an obvious crush on?"

Lou instantly remembered her talk with Miranda about her. She just didn't realize that the woman who stole Chuck's heart was standing before her.

"Wait, you're the girl that stole Chuck's heart?"

"Not yet, I guess. We're on our first date :)" Sarah wrote to her, recognizing that Chuck had yet again made her feel more and more welcome.

"A date?" Lou asked, earning a nod from Sarah. "You decided to go on your first date in my shop?" She asked rhetorically, before turning her head back at her cook. "Wesley! I need to specials and a two large sodas on the double."

"Of course!" Wesley responded quickly at his bosses words.

"Follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski," Lou said playfully, making Sarah giggle.

"Our finest table," Lou offered, motioning for the table. It was slightly elevated, with a large window opening to the street. What made the seat even more romantic was the single red rose, with two white ones next to it.

"Thanks, Lou!" Chuck called, as she walked away to the kitchen.

Chuck and Sarah enjoyed their light-minded banter at the table, as the silent establishment started filling with people. Lou had brought them their specials or as she called them the 'Roxanne', referring to an old song by the Police.

"So Chuck, how am I doing?" Sarah asked, resting her chin in her hands which were propped up on the table.

"As my date? You're doing absolutely perfectly," Chuck responded, looking at her deep blue eyes.

"Thanks Chuck," Sarah wrote as she giggled, leaving Chuck a little confused. "It's just funny. I never imagined going on a date, especially in a homey place like this."

"I never imagined going on a date either, Sarah. Especially not with a girl as beautiful as you," he wrote back, honest earning him a smile in return.

"Neither did I. With a guy as handsome as you," Sarah wrote.

"Did you like it?" Lou asked, carefully as the couple's gaze diverted to her.

"The Roxanne was great, Lou. Thank you!" Chuck said, sincerely, "but I think that we need to get going, so," Chuck said, reaching for his wallet.

"Don't worry about it, Chuck. It's on the house" Lou smiled, her hands behind her back. "I'm just happy for you two."

"Really? Lou - "

"I insisted, Chuck," she replied, pushing his wallet back towards him.

"Thanks Lou," Chuck said, as he helped Sarah into her wheelchair. Sarah enjoyed the brief moment that she was in the air, in Chuck's arms.

"No problem, Chuck," Lou said, opening the door for them, "I hope that you'll visit again?"

"That we're sure about, Lou. We'll definitely come back" Chuck said, resting his hand on Sarah's back.

"Me too" Sarah wrote, with cat-sized letters.

"Thanks guys, you're so sweet!" Lou called out after them as they turned around roll back to the Lawson's. Lou sighed as she ventured back into her establishment. 'A perfect couple' She thought, as she closed the door behind her.

The Lawson Household

14.32 Hours

As Chuck and Sarah rolled back to the yard at the Lawson's, they saw Morgan's car parked in front of the garage. They even heard his voice emanate from the second floor.

Before Chuck's hand reached for the door knob, Sarah interrupted him. She wrote on her pad.

"I thought that our first date was great, Chuck. I want to know something: Do you see an another one in the future?"

"Why do you even ask, Sarah? I thought that was a given," Chuck gave her his widest Bartowski signature smile.

"Thanks, Chuck..." Sarah said, giving him a smile in reply. "And just so you know: I like you a lot, Chuck" Sarah wrote, to her surprise. She didn't even blush or look away from him. Maybe it was due to the fact that sentence was coming from her heart.

"And I like you at lot too, Sarah" Chuck confessed, honest. He then motioned for the door. "Ready for your first gaming night, girlfriend?" Chuck said, adding the girlfriend part intentionally. Sarah gave him a subtle grin, before writing back.

"Of course I am, Chuck"

A/N Well, we're back after 2 weeks of silence. 60 reviews, 40 followers, 20 favourites... Thanks guys!

Yours, AG