I really want to thank everyone for the support, reviews, and the positive messages I've received. It really makes it so much easier to write when I know that at least some people enjoy what I post. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

No longer self beta'd! Thanks to the amazing DynamiteBaowneh for the beta, fixing all my terrible, awful, no good mistakes.

All reviews, good or bad, are appreciated.

I don't own Chuck, but I sure wish I did.

Chuck vs The Rich Girl

Chapter 5: Serenity

Monday September 26th

Today was the first day at work since Bryce had left. Chuck had put great effort into avoiding him, only running into him once. Chuck and Sarah were walking out on their way to lunch whilst at the same time Bryce was just coming back from his lunch break. Upon seeing the couple he tried to say hello, but both Chuck and Sarah ignored him, walking out the front door of Walker Corp. He and Bryce made eye contact, and the pain in Bryce's eyes hurt Chuck. Sure, he wasn't ready to forgive him, but that didn't make Chuck any less empathetic to his feelings. He understood that people make mistakes, but sometimes the pain is too much to let go.

Now Bryce was gone, work was supposed to get easier, or so Chuck thought. That was before he learned that David Washington, the President of Walker Corp's Los Angeles division was coming into the Burbank offices to do annual performance reviews. Roark Industries, the company that Chuck worked at previously, contracted a specialist to do performance reviews. However, David Washington liked to personally conduct his performance reviews, and because of that a lot was made from these interviews.

Sarah's interview was basically a formality. As the CEO's daughter, she had a lot of job security; short of not showing up she was not going to get fired. This didn't mean that she wasn't doing a good job, in fact she was one of the most hardworking people at the Burbank branch. It didn't change the fact that she was the CEO's daughter, and her performance review did not hold much meaning.

Chuck learned about the performance review on Friday. It was now Monday morning, the day of the actual review, and he was extremely anxious. Sarah, who having spent most nights staying at Chuck's apartment, noticed his nerves as they were getting ready for work.

"You're gonna do great today. Trust me, I know David and he's gonna love you." Sarah said. David was a pretty great boss, and honestly reminded her of a 40 year old version of Chuck. She knew there was absolutely no chance that he wouldn't nail this performance review, she just needed to instill the confidence in him.

"You're probably right, but it doesn't make me any less nervous." Chuck replied.

Sarah reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "I promise, you will do great. You are amazing, and everyone around you knows it. David will too."

Chuck gave Sarah his signature Bartowski smile. "How'd I get so lucky?" He asked. He really was astonished at how amazing she was, and she seemed to outdo herself every single day.

"It wasn't luck." Sarah said, giving him a quick kiss.

"I really don't think you realize how amazing you are."

"Well isn't that ironic."

"What does that mean?" Chuck wondered. He really didn't consider himself that amazing. Sure, he would consider himself a good employe and a good boyfriend, but nothing compared to Sarah.

"You really don't get it, do you? You are so amazing at everything you do. The software you are working on at work is almost a month ahead of schedule, almost exclusively because of you. But that's just work. Two weeks ago, when I thought the worst because of Bryce's return, you did the most amazing thing you could have ever done, you told me you loved me, and that nothing in the past mattered. It was the most perfect thing anybody has ever said to me. You brought me from the worst place possible, afraid that my relationship might be over to… to a happiness I can't even describe. The words you said were literally perfect, but you just said what was in your heart. That's how amazing you are Chuck. I just wish you would see yourself in the same light that I do."

Chuck was stunned by her declaration. He could see the honesty in her eyes, she truly believed the world of him. Hearing those words coming out of Sarah's mouth eased some of the nerves he was having. If a girl like Sarah could think so highly of him, maybe it was time he thought a little more highly of himself.

"I love you." It was the only thing Chuck could say, and even it didn't feel good enough. The feelings he had couldn't be put into words, not even close. So instead of talking and rambling like he normally did, he decided to show his feelings through action. He held on to her like the world was ending all around them. When they finally had to leave for work, he never let go of her hand, not until they got to Sarah's office. He kissed her goodbye and walked to his desk with an intense burning in his heart he never knew could exist. He certainly wasn't nervous about his meeting with David anymore.

But eventually the time came for his performance review and some of the nerves came back. He knew he was going to do well, if Sarah believed in him he could do anything, but it didn't make all the anxiety go away. He really wanted to impress David, at the very least not give him a bad impression. The first impression is the most important, so he couldn't screw this up. Chuck took a deep breath and walked into the conference room where the interviews were being held.

"Chuck Bartowski?" David asked. Chuck could only nod as a response. "Nice to finally meet you, i've heard a lot about you. I'm David Washington." He reached out his hand out for Chuck, who shook it.

"Nice to meet you too." Chuck said timidly. David noticed that Chuck was nervous, and was a little surprised. He assumed that Chuck was the one who asked Sarah to get him hired, or something to that effect, so it wouldn't make much sense for him to be nervous about a performance review.

"Relax, this is basically a formality. Sarah wouldn't be very happy if we fired the guy she demanded we hire, especially after he's been doing such a great job." David noticed the look of confusion on Chuck's face, which surprised him.

"What? Sarah demanded that you hire me?" Chuck asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I thought maybe you asked her to do it, but I guess that's not the case. You were most likely going to be hired anyway considering how much the interviewer liked you, but Sarah asking for it was the icing on the cake. It's not a good idea to refuse something from the CEO's daughter."

Chuck was silent, thinking about what David had told him. His first thoughts were those of confusion. Sarah demanded that I was hired? Why would she do that? I was hired before we ran into each other at the bar, so she had me hired after our run in at Walker Corp. Did she like me enough based on our three minute conversation to use her power as the CEO's daughter to have me hired? Next, his anxieties and lack of confidence overtook his thoughts. Did she think I wasn't good enough to get the job on my own? Eventually, Chuck snapped out of his thoughts.

"I had no idea Sarah had me hired. I definitely didn't ask to be hired by her. I would never do that." He finally said, a lot calmer than he expected. He spent the rest of the interview barely cognizant, still thinking about the information that David had told him. He was a little angry that he got the job on false pretenses, but mainly he was confused. Sarah, before they even started dating, got him his job, and he didn't really understand why. It was a big risk for her to take, on someone she had talked to for less than five minutes. He really needed to have a talk with Sarah.

Chuck spent the rest of the day thinking about what David had told him, thinking about what to say to Sarah. He was irrationally angry about it, and he knew his anger was irrational. It made him feel like she didn't think he was capable enough to get the job by himself, even though he knew that thought was ridiculous. Sarah didn't even really know him then, and if anything it was just a safety net, but it still made him feel inadequate.

He was silent the whole drive home to his apartment, which was unusual. Sarah could tell something was bothering him. They planned on having a quiet evening in, just watching movies and being together, but she could tell something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" She asked when they finally entered his apartment.

"What? Nothing's wrong." He lied, trying to delay their conversation. He knew his anger and insecurities would flood out, ruining the night, and possibly more.

"I can tell when something is bothering you Chuck. You can talk to me."

"Fine. David told me that you demanded I was hired. Is that true?"

Sarah stood there in silence for a minute. "Yes it is." She finally whispered. She knew he would be upset, feeling like everything he had done for the past month was a lie. It was justified, but if she had to do it again she would. These last two months have been the best of her life, and she would do it again in a heartbeat.

"Why?"

"I felt a connection to you almost instantly. Those five minutes at Walker Corp, it was like talking to somebody I had known my entire life. I haven't felt that close to anybody in my entire life, and I had only known you for five minutes. I had to do whatever it took to get you close to me, because I couldn't let that opportunity go to waste. I had spent every minute before that day scared to take a chance, and I realized at that moment that I had to take a risk to find true happiness. So I called David and told him to hire you, and it was the best decision I ever made."

Chuck knew exactly what she meant. He felt the same exact way during their run in, and was glad she felt the same way too. He was starting to understand why she did what she did, but he still had to ask. "Did you think I wasn't good enough to get the job on my own? Do you think i'm not good enough?"

Sarah just laughed at that thought. "Chuck, did you completely forget about our conversation this morning. Babe, I think you are amazing. You can do whatever you wanted. I didn't tell David to hire you because I didn't think you could get the job, I did it because if for whatever reason you didn't get the job, I wouldn't have you in my life, and I wasn't going to let that happen."

Chuck knew she was right, that she only did it because it was a guarantee. He was doing great at his job, yet no other company wanted to hire him. Chances are he might not have gotten the job at Walker Corp without her, and he should be grateful. If she didn't get him that job, he wouldn't have gone to that bar to celebrate, so chances are they wouldn't have started dating. For that, he was extremely happy that she did what she did, because the alternative was awful. He couldn't even imagine life without Sarah.

"I'm sorry for letting my insecurities take a hold of me like that, I was just scared that you didn't believe in me." He admitted.

"I promise there is nothing you could do that would stop me from believing in you. Now let's sit on the couch together and watch the movie you picked up."

And that's exactly what they did. Chuck had picked up Serenity for them to watch, confident that Sarah would enjoy it. It was kind of hard for her to pay attention to the movie with all the making out they were doing, but the parts that she did watch she liked.

Chuck was happy at how quickly she had calmed him down earlier. He was being irrational, and she once again proved to him how amazing she was. He didn't really understand how she saw so much in him, but he wasn't complaining. The only time he ever felt as amazing as Sarah described him as was when she was around him. By himself he felt average, but with her around he felt unstoppable. He was starting to realize that she was his rock, the thing that kept him going, and that life without her would be awful. He wanted to spend every second of every day at her side, and he realized what he needed to do.

"Do you want to move in with me?"

Chuck knew it was really early in their relationship for such a big step, but it didn't matter to him. He realized that he wanted to spend every day at her side, and that her moving in was the best way for that to happen. He was scared that she wouldn't think the same way, but it was time to take a risk, like the risk that Sarah took when she got him the job at Walker Corp. He knew that she might say no, seeing as it was too soon, and he would understand if she did. They had only been dating for two months and it was really early in their relationship for such a step, but he was confident that she would say yes. He was crazy about her, and it was pretty obvious that she was just as crazy about him.

Sarah was surprised when he asked her to move in with him. It seemed a little early in their relationship to make such a step, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. They spent almost every night together, either at her place or his, and she loved it. She craved his presence more and more everyday. She realized that she couldn't say no, because she really wanted to do it. Part of her was scared that such a big move this early could hurt their relationship, but another part of her was confident that it wouldn't hurt them, because they already loved spending all of their time together.

"Okay." Sarah finally said, making Chuck flash that megawatt smile of his.

"Do you want to move into my place, your place, or find a new apartment together?" He asked. He knew that money wasn't as issue for her, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"I think we should find a new place together. No offense, but living with Morgan is not something I really want to do. Plus, with my money, we could live almost anywhere we wanted." Sarah liked Morgan, but not enough to live under the same roof as him.

Chuck laughed at the thought of Sarah and Morgan living together. "Okay, let's do it. We can start looking at places after work tomorrow. Just give me a price range and i'll find us some places."

"Chuck, you don't have to act like I have a price range. I have a lot of money, you got to get used to it." Sarah said. She thought it was cute how Chuck acted in regards to her money, but she would rather him be realistic about it. Jack Walker was one of the richest men in the world, rivaling Bill Gates, and she had access to that fortune. She was rich, and she loved spending that money on Chuck, primarily when it came to dates. She wasn't a big gift giver, usually because she didn't know what to give people, but she would spend money other ways. She didn't even think about the money she was spending, it was just paper to her.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want you to think i'm only with you for your money or something like that." Chuck admitted.

"You gotta understand that money doesn't really mean anything to me. I'm okay with paying for everything because it doesn't matter to me, all that matters is spending time with you."

"It's just a lot to get used to. I grew up without money, working two jobs to get into Stanford. I just don't know what it's like to not have to think about money." It was a new experience for Chuck, being with somebody as wealthy as Sarah. He spent his whole childhood worrying about money, and now he was with somebody who had enough money for a lifetime. It was hard for him to turn that part of his brain off.

Sarah suddenly felt guilty. She had forgotten about Chuck's childhood, growing up without parents and having to worry about money. She couldn't expect him to stop thinking about money so easily with the way he grew up. "I'm sorry you grew up like that. It must have been hard. With me around, you don't have to worry about money anymore." Sarah said with a smile.

Chuck just smiled, like he did every time she smiled. "Have I told you that I love you today?"

"Nope." She lied. He said it multiple times today, but any excuse for him to say it again was good for her. She loved it when he said he loved her, it made her heart flutter every time.

"Well let me correct that. I love you." Chuck said.

"I love you too."

I think I've done a poor job explaining a couple things about Sarah.

#1 She's rich, but not like regular rich, like filthy rich. Jack Walker in this story is basically Bill Gates, so Sarah has that much money at her disposal. I've spent the first 4 chapters of this story barely mentioning her money, even though the story is named Chuck vs The Rich Girl. Hopefully this chapter is the start of her money actually playing some part in the story.

#2 She's a lot different from cannon Sarah, especially when it comes to relationships, but for good reason. People's characters are built upon experience, and in cannon Sarah's time at the CIA really shaped her character. Without that, she would be a lot different. Definitely more normal, better at relationships, a little less afraid to take risks. Sarah from cannon was afraid to feel, afraid to fall in love, but the Sarah in my story is basically the opposite. She got someone a job she barely knew because she yearned to fall in love.

Hopefully you guys understand some of the decisions she makes, from being so eager to move in to Chuck to basically saying she would pay for an apartment by herself. I wish I was an experienced enough writer where I didn't feel like I had to explain things like this, but alas i'm not quite there yet.

Once again, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed.