A/N: First things first…I have to apologize to everyone who's taken the time to review and I haven't shown my appreciation…I'm really, really, really, really, really, thankful for your time and ideas…every review just makes me want to continue with this…and I like hearing your thoughts on my lunacy…I do have more on the way…hopefully CVABFTP is next up…I have a bunch of pages written out(more than three, if you must ask) and I'm hoping to get a chapter out for you soon…now, this will be a short ramble…don't own Chuck or make money doing this…I just have a great time(especially when people tell me how much they're enjoying a story…hint, hint…review)…also, despite the sometimes glaring need for one, I continue to be beta free…I said it before and I'll say it again…I'm having fun…thanks for the nudge, Jim…hopefully everyone keeps oldest man in their thoughts(an prayers, if that applies)…he's fighting and I really hope he wins. JT

Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 14

Chuck opened his eyes to find motes of dust dancing in the shaft of sunlight that was streaming through the window to his right. The unfamiliar weight on his chest made him look downwards and he smiled when he recognized the person who's warm breath was tickling him as it blew gently across his chest hair. A quick glance at the alarm clock that was sitting on the end table to his left reminded him that, no matter how great the previous night had been, he had to be at work in less than half an hour.

Moving gently, he eased himself out from under Sarah and then slid his pillow into her arms, hoping he wouldn't wake her. He watched and waited while she pulled the substitute to her chest and sniffed at it, evidently finding enough of his scent there to allow her to keep sleeping. Trying to move as quietly as possible, he picked up his overnight bag and made his way to the bathroom, planning on a quick shower before leaving for work.

After closing the bathroom door, Chuck rushed through a fast, cold shower and was dressed and ready to leave in less than fifteen minutes. He paused at the front door and, after grabbing a note pad and a pen, scribbled a quick note. Returning to the bed, he saw that Sarah still had an arm wrapped around the pillow, pulling it tight to her chest. Scrawling a quick invitation for lunch and/or dinner, he placed the note on the end table and was about to leave when he heard Sarah moan his name. Glancing down, he was expecting to see her beautiful blue eyes looking at him but was surprised to find them closed. Puzzled, he looked a little closer and couldn't believe it when he realized that one of the her arms, that had been around the pillow, was now under the sheets and obviously adding to her early morning pleasure.

He stood transfixed as Sarah rolled onto her back and moaned his name again while the motion of the hand, not holding the pillow to her, became even more pronounced. Torn between ripping his clothes back off so he could crawl back into bed and rushing downstairs to find a cab so he could get to work on time, he kicked himself in the mental ass, took a quick mental snapshot and then made his way out of her room while he tried to think of anything else besides the masturbating angel, who'd been moaning his name, he'd just left.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sarah's eyes snapped open and she rolled to her side, intending to reach an arm out and pull Chuck to her. Instead of finding the man who'd spent the better part of the night doing more for her than any man had done in a long time, she found her arm around a pillow and the other side of the bed empty and cold. Shaking her head in disbelief, she scanned the room quickly and frowned when she noted the open bathroom door and the empty chair where Chuck's overnight bag had been sitting. Rolling out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom and took note of the damp towel left hanging on the curtain rod.

"God damn it!" she said to the empty room, not believing that Chuck had left without saying a word, especially after the night they'd spent together. Crossing the room to the kitchen counter, she snatched her phone from the charger and hit the speed dial, planning on ripping a certain curly headed nerd a new one when he answered her call. After her call went to voice mail, she slammed the phone down and made her way back to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower and then, once she'd gotten dressed, finding Chuck Bartowski and letting him know just how much she didn't like the way she was feeling.

Steeping into the shower, Sarah closed her eyes as the hot water cascaded down her body. After shampooing her hair, she grabbed her body wash and worked up a lather as she used her hands to try and wash away the memories of Chuck's hands on her body. Losing herself to thoughts of the night before, she soon found herself imagining having company in the shower and before she realized what was happening, she felt her knees buckle as she came

'What the hell?' she asked herself before reaching a hand out and cranking the shower handle all the way to the right and taking a deep breath when the cold water slammed into her. As she shook the pleasured haze from her mind, she finished her now cold shower, promising herself that she'd soon find out just who the hell Chuck Bartowski thought he was. She wasn't a conceited person but nobody had ever 'just left' after spending the night with her. Sure, she asked men to leave and she'd been the 'leaver' several times but she'd never been left and she didn't like the feeling…not one bit.

As she toweled herself dry, Sarah started imagining everything she'd say to Chuck once she caught up with him. She still couldn't believe that he'd just left because that didn't seem like something he'd do. True, she'd not known him that long, but she never expected him to act like that. Once she'd finished getting dressed and applied a small amount of make-up, she grabbed her purse and her headed for the door, remembering at the last moment that her phone was still sitting on the kitchenette counter. Three quick steps brought her to the counter and she snatched up the phone, ready to throw it into her purse. Not sure why, she paused and then hit the speed dial.

"Good morning, beautiful" Chuck's voice came through the speaker, "just wake up?"

"Don't good morning me, asshole! Just figured you do the old 'tag and release'?" Sarah almost yelled into the phone as soon as she'd heard his voice. "What, did you figure that since I'm an agent and you've seen my history, it'd be alright to just have a night of fun and then take off? Did you just figure I was a whore and didn't deserve at least a goodbye? "I didn't check, did you leave some money on the dresser for me? Well, got nothing to say?" Sarah finished her outburst when she noticed that something was making it difficult to see.

"Note. End table." Chuck said and then disconnected the call.

Sarah was shaking with anger and when she heard the dial tone, she almost hurled her phone at the wall but chose instead to hit the speed dial again. She wasn't about to let him have the last word. She couldn't believe it when the call went straight to voice mail without even ringing. With a growl, she flung the phone at the far wall, getting no satisfaction when it shattered from the impact, pieces falling onto the bed and end table.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she remembered Chuck had mentioned 'end table' before he hung up on her and she walked across the room to get a closer look. Seeing the folded piece of paper with her name written on it, she sat down on the bed's edge and slowly reached out her hand, afraid to actually touch the note, afraid of what she might read. Taking a steadying breath, she picked up the note and slowly opened it.

Sarah,

Last night was wonderful. I almost woke you this morning but you looked so peaceful and I just knew that if I did, I wouldn't be able to go to work. I'm sure there must be a law against someone looking so beautiful in the morning.

If you don't have plans, how about lunch? Or dinner? I'll be waiting for your call. Have a great day. Chuck

After re-reading the note three times, Sarah carefully refolded the note and held it to her chest as she lay back on the bed, wondering what had come over her. Ever since she'd met Chuck Bartowski, she'd been at odds with herself, unsure just what she was feeling and why it was causing her to act the way she'd been acting. She told herself that if her phone wasn't smashed into hundreds of pieces, she'd call Director Graham and ask to be re-assigned, hopefully somewhere far away. Something was very wrong and she just had no idea what it was.

Sitting back up, she told herself to throw away the note, wipe her face and then go out and buy a new phone so she can make 'the' call. Minutes pass and she finds herself at the door, her purse in one hand and the shattered pieces of her phone, in a plastic baggie, in her other hand. She looks into the wastebasket at her feet, expecting to see the wadded up note and is surprised when she doesn't find it there. 'What the hell?' she asks herself and then realizes that she's placed the note in her pocket and she can't remember why. Promising to throw it away later, she opens the door and steps into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Things seem to blur and before she's aware of it, Sarah finds herself walking through the front doors of the Burbank Buymore. She can hardly remember driving there and doesn't understand why she's still clutching the plastic baggie that contains the remnants of her shattered phone in one hand and a paper bag from Lou's deli in the other. Her feet seem to act on their own and she soon finds herself standing at the NerdHerd counter, looking for the only nerd that she is sure can help her.

Three different 'Nerds' ask if they can help and give her odd looks when she refuses to answer, simply shaking her head and looking around for Chuck. Looking up, she watches him walk through the door marked 'employees only' and begin making his way towards her. She wasn't surprised when he didn't smile at her and promised herself to change that, as soon as she could.

"May I help you, miss?" Chuck asked her as soon as he'd taken his place behind the counter.

"I really hope so. You see, this crazy woman broke into my room this morning and smashed my phone" she answered as she held up the plastic baggie.

"You don't say. Well, that's not something you hear everyday."

"Believe me, I was shocked. She grabbed my phone, called this incredibly sweet guy and said some really terrible things and then threw the phone against the wall" Sarah said as she watched Chuck's face as he listened to her story, hoping that he might offer a hint of a smile. Not seeing what she was hoping for, she continued on. "And then she went to Lou's Deli and had the owner make her a special 'I'm sorry I was such a horrible bitch' sandwich because she thought you might be hungry"

"Wow, that must be some sandwich" he replied, a faint smile starting to show. "And she has perfect timing because I was just about to take my lunch break. Perhaps you might like to join me and tell me how the rest of your morning was?"

"Are you sure?" she asked and after seeing him nod his head, she leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"Really? In the shower? Well, before I left…" he said as he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"I was? Really?" Sarah asked, surprised when she felt herself begin to blush.

"Yes ma'am" he answered with a wink as he picked up the plastic bag and peered intently at the contents. "We carry this particular model and if the crazy woman didn't damage the SIM card, I should be able to have a new phone, with all of your old info, ready to go in just a few minutes". Reaching out, he tapped the 'Nerd' next to him on the shoulder which caused the man to jump. Chuck knew that Lester had been ignoring Sarah's presence, hoping she'd not notice him.

"Lester, I need you to take care of this" Chuck said as he held out the bag.

"Chuck, please…" Sarah said with a wink, "…there's all of those photos on there, you know, the 'special' ones I let you take last night. Do you really think he should be looking at those?"

"You're absolutely right, Sarah" he responded as he snatched the bag back from Lester's grasp and struggled to keep a straight face when he saw the look of disappointment on Lester's face as he whimpered. "I'll take care of this, after I get back from my lunch break".

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Chuck sat quietly while Sarah drove, the smell of the sandwich from Lou's slowly filling the interior of the Porsche. Within five minutes, Sarah had found a Qwikeemart and after buying them both a cold drink, she'd pulled her car into a small neighborhood park. Once they'd made their way to a shaded picnic table, she sat down across from Chuck and waited until he'd taken the first bite from his sandwich before saying a word.

"Chuck, I'm so very sorry about this morning. You didn't deserve that and I hope you will forgive me."

Chuck paused and then slowly put down the sandwich in his hands. "Sarah, did you honestly believe any of the things that you said? Do you really believe that I could feel that way?"

"Honestly? No, no I don't. I think you're an incredibly sweet guy and I honestly don't know what came over me this morning. Last night was the most amazing night I've had in…well, in forever and when I didn't see you this morning, it just pissed me off because I thought that it didn't mean anything to you."

"Sarah, of course last night was special. That's why I left the note…"

"Which I didn't find until after I'd made that call and said all of those horrible, horrible things."

"…and I thought about waking you to tell you but when I was about to leave, that's when I noticed you were…"

"I was what? Oh, that. That's what you were talking about earlier. I was…"

"…and you moaned my name while you were and it took all of my will power to go to work because, I just knew that if I'd stayed, I never would've gone into work at all."

"Chuck, when I woke up this morning, I felt better than I've felt in a long time, and it wasn't just because of the amazing sex last night…and it was amazing! When I first realized that you'd left, I wondered if I'd done something wrong. While I was taking my shower, my mind wandered and the next thing I knew, my knees were buckling after I'd been thinking of you and rubbed my way to an awesome orgasm. That was when I started to get upset, because I couldn't believe that you'd invaded my thoughts to such a degree and you'd just left, without a word."

"I did leave a note, Sarah"

"I know" Sarah said as she reached her hand into a back pocket and pulled out the note. "Chuck, I know you've read my file and you know what I've done but what the files don't say is that it meant nothing to me, not on a personal level. Even when I was with Bryce, it really was never more than a release. But last night…last night was the first time I felt connected to another human being…and when I realized that this morning, it scared me. I think that's why I got so mad at you for leaving."

"I'm so sorry Sarah…"

"Chuck, you don't have anything to be sorry about. You were wonderful and I was horrible to you and I just hope you'll forgive me for that phone call."

"Well, maybe…if you'll show me those photos I took last night. I seem to have forgotten all about them" he said with a wink.

"Well, Mr. Bartowski, maybe you can come by my place later and show me how to use the camera feature on my new phone" she replied with a smile, feeling better thanks to the smile on Chuck's face. "You should finish your sandwich because I've heard that 'photo shoots' can get very energetic and you might need to fuel up."

"Yes ma'am."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Sarah dropped Chuck off at the front door of the Buymore and Chuck walked inside, feeling very good about life in general. He'd promised Sarah he'd call her as soon as he'd taken care of her phone and she'd laughed before using the tips of her fingers to tap his forehead.

"And I'll answer your call with my what?" she'd asked with a smirk.

"Touché, Sarah."

"How about I just pick you up when your shift is over and give you a lift home?"

"That sounds great. I'll see you around eight?"

"Yes you will…and Chuck? I really am sorry about the way I acted earlier.'

"Sarah, You really don't have to apologize for doing that…"

"But it was a horrible thing to say to you."

"Oh that. I thought you were talking about…" Chuck finished with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a smile which earned him a slap on the arm.

"Go to work, Chuck. Before I'm forced to kidnap you and spend the rest of the afternoon 'apologizing', ok?"

"You got it, Sarah" he said as he levered himself out of the car. Having closed the door, he turned and walked towards the front doors of the Buymore. Just before walking in, he paused and turned back, planning to offer a wave and was shocked to see that Sarah Walker had pulled up her t-shirt and was flashing him as she offered her own version of the eyebrow dance. Before he could formulate a response, she'd dropped her shirt and sped away, leaving a shocked, and very happy, Chuck Bartowski staring after her.

Once inside he'd found Lester and Jeff standing side by side with a glazed look, theirs mouths hanging open. Standing behind them, catching him by surprise, was Major John Casey. He was wearing the green and khaki that made up the uniform of the Buymore sales staff and Chuck did a double take before stepping around the two dazed morons and continuing towards the Nerdherd counter. He felt Casey fall into step beside him and he decided he'd wait until the big man spoke first.

"Any reason why Walker's showing her tits to the moron twins? Or was that meant for you and they're just collateral damage?" Casey finally asked when he and Chuck had reached the counter and they'd both turned back to look, finding that the two men hadn't moved an inch, seemingly frozen to the spot.

"Uh, yeah…I'll go with the collateral damage answer" he replied before reaching under the counter and pulling out the plastic baggie that contained the remains of Sarah's phone. "So, Major Casey, did you get fired and this was the first job you could find?"

"Very funny, moron. No, they offered Walker and I our choice, sell appliances to yuppie scum or play slap and tickle with Burbank's favorite idiot. We just couldn't decide so we flipped a coin…Walker lost!" he said with a snort before walking away.

"Yeah, yeah" Chuck mumbled under his breath and then caught sight of his revenge as he stood in front of Jeff and Lester, waving his hand in front of their faces. "Morgan" he called and smiled when his old friend snapped to attention in front of him.

"What up, Chuck?" the short, bearded man asked.

"Morgan, buddy, Big Mike just hired a new salesman and I need you to drop some science on him. I want you to spend as much time as you can, helping John Casey become a great salesman. Big Mike said that John might be a little slow so make sure that you explain everything to him at least twice."

"You got it, Chuck. I'll get right on it" he said before turning around and launching himself after the big man.

"You do that, lil' buddy" Chuck said with a smile before turning his attention back to Sarah's phone. He needed to make sure that her new phone was in perfect working order before she showed up because he was really hoping she hadn't been kidding about the 'photo shoot'.

A/N: Your reviews are greatly appreciated…they really are.