I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway.

It turns out that Hard Ass Agent Walker is not that much fun to be around – imagine that. Even her kids now realize that. Can Sarah Bartowski repair the damage?

I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review.

Dream Date

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck Bartowski Senior had a clear weakness. Well, more than one, actually. For one thing, he hated to be called Chuck Bartowski Senior. Not only did it make him feel ninety, he always worried that it would diminish his son. That was the main reason he objected to naming him that. But he promised Sarah before Kate was born that she could be in charge of naming the kids. And she had her heart set on it - but Chuck Junior was not a junior – in anything. He was as impressive of a young man as Chuck could imagine. He could match intellect with anybody. But that really didn't stand out so much. After all, there were a lot of smart people around in the family. But Chuck Junior was also smooth, strong, confident, and good looking – and he was all of those things without an ounce of arrogance. Chuck would have really liked to take credit for that – except he knew that it wasn't true. Oh, they had a great relationship. It was just that Chuck Junior was impressive – all on his own. And frankly, Elise was probably the major mentor influence in his life – especially since Casey was gone. One thing was for sure, Chuck was eagerly looking forward to what his son would make of his life. But that was tomorrow's problem.

Actually one of Chuck's biggest weaknesses was that he could never stand to see Sarah cry. Sarah actually wasn't too big on crying herself. Oh, she got tears in her eyes. That happened now and again. But Chuck could count the times that she was uncontrollably sobbing – like she was now – on one hand. And, while he was still incredibly pissed, that more or less melted away as he watched her sob. So, what's a guy to do? He sat next to her and allowed her to sob into his neck while he put his arms around her. He didn't say anything – words were not necessary. If anything, they would have been a distraction. It was simply Chuck telling Sarah that, no matter how annoyed he was, she was still the center of his universe – the great love of his life. That was one thing she could count on to never, ever change.

Finally Sarah stirred. "I'm very sorry that I punched you," she said. "I was trying to prove a point. I told you that I get crazy in those situations."

Chuck just sighed. "Fine," he said. "But next time you need to prove a point, please warn me first. That hurt."

"He's never going to forgive me," Sarah said.

"Who?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck Junior," Sarah said. "Heather was here when you were in the shower. She is going to break up with him – all because of me."

"Don't worry," Chuck said as he continued to hold her. "This is not your fault. If they are meant to be, they'll figure it out. If she is going to break up with him because of you – then she wasn't the one anyway."

x-x-x-x-x

It was quite possibly the very worst night of Heather's young life. Her formal date with Sparky – the one that she had been dreaming about for two whole days was simply awful – because it was so damn perfect. That much was clear from the moment that he picked her up. In the first place, whatever she thought of Elise, the girl could sure pick out a nice suit. In fact, Sparky was so good looking in that suit that she almost forgot for a moment where she was. She didn't believe that a man could actually look that good. Most all the men that she saw were in uniform. He literally took her breath away.

Then there was the second kick in the head. Why did he have to be so unbelievably sweet? All through dinner, he was making those amazing puppy-dog eyes at her. She knew that she had to tell him – but how could she possibly dump him when he was looking at her like that? Besides that they actually had their first serious conversation. Once they got to talking, they quickly found that they wanted the very same things out of life. It had always been Heather's dream to go to Medical School and open a General Practice. That's why she joined the Army in the first place. And now Sparky was telling her that is exactly what he wanted to do. How could that possibly be? You simply didn't stitch up some random guy on a mission – and discover that he was perfect for you – and them dump him the instant that you discovered that he was perfect. It didn't seem right. So she waited a while. Maybe there would be a better time to deliver the bad news while they were dancing. If he could only be just a little less perfect.

Of course, on the dance floor, things got even worse. Damn him for being so smooth. "I thought you were going to pretend to be a bad dancer," Heather said with a smile as they glided their way through the other couples on the floor. "What will Elise say?"

"Hey," Sparky said with his own laugh. "I'm already dead, right? If Elise doesn't kill me, my mom will. I might as well have some fun dancing. Maybe I'll impress you. Besides, such a beautiful lady deserves the best dancing, right?"

Heather got a little quiet. From anybody else that would have been a line that would have elicited a groan – except that he was clearly being genuine. She was now on the edge of being cruel – and she knew it. The longer she waited, the harder this was going to be. She had to tell him – now – or it was going to be too late. "Thank you," she said softly. "If impressing me was your objective, you've certainly succeeded. But, Sparky, I really need to tell you something."

"Okay," he said. "But just let me say one thing first. Elise was right about something else."

That piqued Heather's curiosity. "What's that?" she asked. "Besides the suit, that is."

"I've been dating the wrong girls," Sparky said softly. "Elise always accused me of picking girls based upon their bra size. I hope she was joking because that isn't true. But I guess I was afraid to date a woman that I had to work for. Elise was absolutely right about that. I just have to say this… you're incredible, Heather. The more I get to know you, the more incredible that I discover that you are. I could really, really fall hard for you. I mean, I'm sorry about all the games – but there it is." That was a hedge – and he knew it. The correct verb wasn't 'could'. He had already fallen – incredibly hard. "Elise let me down," he finally whispered. "She devised a complex plan designed to make you fall in love with me. She didn't say a damn thing about me falling in love with you. That seems like a major oversight in her planning."

The very last thing that Heather wanted or needed at that point was for him to kiss her. So why did she meet him half way? When their lips touched, it was nothing short of magical. It certainly wasn't the first time they had kissed. After all, she spent the night with him last night. They had sex – twice. That alone was a first date first for her. It even broke her own first rule of dating. But nothing last night even came close to the electricity that was now flowing between them. Heather had never felt anything like that in her whole life. All she knew was that she never wanted it to end. She even forgot for an instant that they were still on the dance floor.

Through her fog, Heather suddenly had an epiphany. Elise, damn her to hell, was completely right – about pretty much everything. For Heather, last night was just about casual sex – with a dashing, smooth, good-looking alpha-male type guy. It was okay – even more than okay. Sparky was a great guy. They had a good time. But she would be able to easily move on. There would always be the next alpha-male that would hit on her. It happened all the time. After all, she lived on an Army base. Guys like that were standing in line – quite literally.

But Heather finally realized what was bothering her. It was clear… tonight was at completely another level. Tonight was about beginning to fall in love – with the man who would someday become the father to her children… the one who she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. And thanks to his psycho-mom, she was about to dump this amazing man. Heather had given the sad news to her fair share of men before – but this… This was going to be very, very hard. Why did this night have to be so damn magical? Why did he have to be so perfect? Maybe he was adopted.

"I'm sorry," Sparky said as soon as the long kiss broke. "You wanted to tell me something…"

"Yes," Heather said. "Tell me something, Sparky. Are you following Elise's plan right now – or is this for real?"

Heather could instantly tell by the look on his face that she had said the wrong thing. He looked like a puppy that had just been scolded. And in that very instant… she knew what she had to do.

"I'm very sorry," Sparky said. "I thought that you knew. I was always treating her plan as a joke. Why else would I tell you about it? I would never want to trick you into anything as serious as falling in love. Where is the future in that?"

It's funny how life works. Heather had no intention of falling in love – with anybody. Love was for other people - the ones who could afford it. Sparky just mentioned the future. She always had her future well planned out. Finish her tour in the Army, go to medical school, finish her residency, and open her practice. There was simply no room in that plan for a husband. But as she looked at Sparky on that dance floor, something changed – or at least she now understood. All she could see was his amazing blue eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. It felt heavenly. She desperately needed for him to kiss her again. It was abundantly clear…

Heather Moore's five year plan now needed some serious revision.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah went to dinner alone. Sarah wasn't really up to any company. And honestly, none of the team was all that keen on spending time with her either. Kate had just been by to give her mother a close up look at a major tantrum due to her treatment of her new fiancé this morning. Chuck knew that there wasn't much he could say to cheer her up. So he just held her.

They must have fallen asleep on the couch – because the loud pounding on the door startled them both awake.

"Heather," Sarah said in surprise as she opened the door.

Heather simply pushed past her into the room. "Have you talked to Colonel Blum yet?" she demanded.

"Not yet," Sarah said sadly. "Don't worry. I promise that I will tomorrow morning."

"Don't," Heather said. "I've changed my mind. He's worth fighting for."

Sarah was confused. "Okay," she said. "Who are you going to fight?"

"Anybody you want," Heather said. "I'll fight Elise - or you - or both of you at the same time - or whomever else among your group of psycho-bitch friends you've got to get in our way. The hell with it, bring them all on. He's worth it. As a matter of fact, you got a lucky kick in this morning. Let's go again right now."

"Sweetie," Sarah said with a grin. "I don't want to fight you. I understand that I might look like a psycho-bitch to you. If I was in your shoes, I'd think the same thing. I'm doing it for a reason. Hopefully, you'll be able to see that in time. But believe me - I'm not trying to get in your way. I'll admit that I was pretty surprised to find you in his bed last night – but I'm rooting for you. This morning had nothing to do with you and my son being together – just like tomorrow morning won't. That's between you two."

Heather was still pumped up. "If you're not into being surprised, I'd stay away from his room tonight," she said angrily. "And if we do happen to fight tomorrow…"

Sarah just nodded for her to continue.

"Be prepared to have your ass kicked," Heather said as she left the room and slammed the door behind her.

Chuck could only stand there with his mouth hanging open. "Wow," he said. "What brought that on?" To his amazement, when he looked over at Sarah, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"There is only one thing that could possibly bring an outburst like that on," Sarah said as she started to laugh. "And that's love. I think that you've possibly just got your first glimpse at the girl who realizes that she is in love with your son. And perhaps of your future daughter-in-law."

"Next Thanksgiving should be interesting," Chuck said with his own grin. "Will she have calmed down? Or will she still be wanting to kick your ass?"

x-x-x-x-x

Alex and Katie were sitting cuddling on their own couch. For one thing, they were tired. It had been a long time since either had run ten miles. Kate was actually in a little better condition than Alex – but still… So when the knock came at the door, Kate got up to answer it - slowly.

"Dad," Kate said as she opened the door. He wasn't exactly the last person on earth that she expected – but still… "Come in."

"Alex," Chuck said. "Do you mind if I talk to my daughter alone for a second?"

As soon as Alex closed the bedroom door, Chuck turned to Kate. "I've never been more disappointed in you," he said.

To say that Kate was shocked… was a huge understatement. Dad had never been the disciplinarian. That was always Mom. Kate couldn't remember the last time that Dad had ever said a harsh word to her. He was always the comforting one. So she could already feel the tears filling her eyes. "Dad," she said. "I…"

"I'm not really finished," Chuck interrupted – perhaps a little more harshly than he intended. "Look, we both know that Mom is pretty intense. And she was unreasonable this morning. She intentionally didn't tell you the criteria that she was going to judge you on. And then to drive her point home, she punished you when you fell short. I don't blame you for thinking that wasn't fair."

Kate nodded – through her tears.

"But listen to me for a second," Chuck continued. "Her point this morning was absolutely right. If that situation had been real, you both would be dead. That is too horrible for her to even think about ever allowing to happen. She is trying to get you to see that. And I'll agree - her methods are a little extreme. I was pissed at her too. But she is doing it for one reason – because she loves you. Do you understand?"

Kate just nodded again.

"One more thing," Chuck said. "I'm not sure exactly what details Mom told you in Vegas. But I've seen first hand what she was willing to sacrifice to keep you safe. She's risked her life – and her dignity – so that you could have a normal childhood. I had to physically stop her from jumping on the first plane back from France when she thought that you were in danger. I saw the panic in her face. So you're the very last person in the whole world who should ever raise their voice in anger to her. That will never happen again. Do you understand me?"

Kate just nodded again. At least Chuck thought she nodded. She was shaking so badly that he really couldn't tell. So he opened his arms in invitation – and Kate quickly threw herself into them.

"Mom's scared to death," Chuck said as he gently rubbed her back. "These guys are playing for keeps. Shaw's plan was to make your mom watch everyone that she loved slowly bleed to death in front of her. And he's still out there somewhere. She loves you, Katie, just like I do. She's not willing to see you die without doing everything in her power to make you ready to defend yourself. And Mom only knows one speed. So, for the next few days, she's going to be pretty miserable to be around. She knows how devious our enemies are. She's going to be just as devious in getting you ready. So… you're going to do everything that she says – try your best – and keep telling yourself that she loves you. And when you can picture your hand around her throat – keep it to yourself – just like I will - okay?"

"Yes, sir," Kate said. Her voice was muffled by Chuck's shirt but there could be no mistaking that his point was made.

"Good," Chuck said. "That's all I ask for. I'm sorry that I got harsh with you. Now, while I talk to my future son-in-law, maybe you could go make up with her. She is completely devastated."

x-x-x-x-x

Elise and Joe were just getting ready for bed. After all, there wasn't very much to do on an army base. And any place within fifty miles was filled with twenty-two year old PFC's who would be looking to score with the new hot redhead. So they were surprised by the knock at the door.

"Heather," Elise said as she opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk for a minute?" Heather asked. Then with a glance to Joe she added, "in private?"

Joe could take a hint. "I'll be in bed," he said.

As soon as Joe closed the door, Heather took a deep breath. "I don't know any other way to do this," she said firmly. "So I'm just going to lay some cards on the table. Hopefully, you'll be equally candid."

Elise nodded.

"I'm pretty sure that I don't like you," Heather said. "But I'm also pretty sure that I'm about to fall in love with him. So tell me – what is the real nature of your relationship? Are you a competitor to me – or a potential ally?"

Elise wanted to smile. But she could see by the look on Heather's face that she was not kidding – at all. "I'm just a friend of the family," she finally said.

Heather raised her voice. "Bullshit," she yelled. But then she took a big sigh and calmed herself. "I'm sorry that I took that tone. But with all due respect, don't give me that. I've seen the way that you look at him - the way you held his hand. Please don't insult my intelligence by telling me that you're just friends."

Elise looked at Heather for a long time. "You're right," she finally said. "We're much more than friends. I love Sparky – more than you can possibly imagine. But it's nothing like you're thinking. I held him in the hospital on the day he was born. I helped raise him. I taught him how to swim… and how to throw a curve ball… and how to talk to girls. I'm the one that he comes to talk to when he's really down. I got him through the first time a girl broke his heart. I'm the one who he tells when something great happens to him. I've watched him grow practically overnight from an awkward teenager into – wow – such an unbelievably sweet and special and pretty much perfect man. I couldn't possibly be more proud of him. Indeed, I think of him as my very own. So, yes, I'm incredibly, unbelievably, insanely protective of him. If you're looking for an apology for that – too fucking bad. You can keep looking but you're never going to get one."

Heather jerked her head up – but didn't respond.

"I'm certainly not a competitor to you," Elise continued. "At least not in a romantic sense. Am I an ally? I sure could be. Once I'm sure that you're good for him. And quite frankly, the jury is still out on that. Understand something – the person that takes my place is going to go through me. You're not going to become that person until I'm sure that you're up to it. If that sounds like I'm jealous – okay. Maybe I am a little. I'm really going to miss what I've had with him for the last twenty years. I can promise you one thing - if you ever even think of hurting him, you'll be dealing with me. And what happened in that ring this morning will be child's play compared to it. Tell me, Lieutenant Moore… was that candid enough for you?"

Heather took a deep breath – and tried to blink back the tears. "Yes," she said. "Thank you. It was." At that point Heather's battle with her tears was lost. She was clearly struggling to keep her voice from breaking. "You're right," she said. "He is pretty much perfect. Could you please tell me what do I have to do to convince you that I'm not going to hurt him?"

Elise finally felt the smile come to her face. "You just said that you were about to fall in love with him," she said softly. "When you do fall in love with him, come back and we'll talk."

Heather tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "Okay," she whispered. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? I'm probably not fooling you at all."

Elise's smile turned soft. "No, Heather," she said softly. "You're really not. Is this your first time?"

Heather nodded as she continued wiping the tears from her eyes. "So," she said. "Could we please talk now? I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I could really use a friend."

Now Elise felt her own tears falling down her cheeks. She tried to speak… several times – but no words would come. "Yes, Heather," she was finally able to get out as she embraced her. "We can. I knew that this day would come – but I'm really going to miss him."

They just stood there holding each other for a long moment. Neither one bothered to wipe the tears from their eyes. "I don't see why you have to miss him," Heather finally said. "I'm fine with you being his friend."

"It doesn't work that way," Elise said with the beginnings of a smile. "We will always be friends… but there can only be one person who he first seeks out when he's happy – or sad. From now on, that needs to be you. Don't worry - that's as it should be."

"You said that you held him on the day he was born," Heather sighed wistfully. "Is there any chance that he's adopted?"

x-x-x-x-x