A/N: ….I wrote a date…and it takes place over this chapter and the next….I know I usually tease one and don't write one, so I hope you can forgive me for mixing it up this time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Chuck watched Molly and Sarah leave Burton Consultants from his car. He could tell they were both excited, because neither noticed the Nerd Herder on the sidewalk. He waited until they drove off before he got out of the car and headed inside.

"Charlie?" Jack said, as the younger man entered the building. "You just missed Sarah."

"Actually, I was waiting for her to leave," Chuck admitted. "I wanted to talk to you, about what happened."

"You changed your mind?" Jack asked, straightening up, a grin on his face.

"No," Chuck replied. "If anything, that stunt you pulled reinforced what I realized… thanks to your daughter, I might add."

"Stunt?" Jack asked.

"Stunt," Chuck replied. "You manipulated the situation in there, to try and get what you wanted."

"Whoa, Charlie, wait," Jack said, his hands up. "I did, but not in the way you think." Chuck paused, then motioned for Jack to go ahead. "I didn't do it so you two wouldn't date."

"Okay," Chuck said. "But you admit you manipulated Sarah and I?"

"Absolutely," Jack replied. "I don't want two people who are just starting to work together, who are just beginning to date each other, working for me." Jack was silent a moment. "Especially when one of those people is my daughter." Chuck stood there. "Charlie, I'd be biased."

"No matter what happened, it would be the guy's fault, and not your daughter's," Chuck said, displaying his understanding the situation. Jack nodded. "I mean, who could blame you?"

Jack grinned at him. "I hate not working with you, but personally, I think you made the right choice."

"It dawned on me, as I was talking to her, what working for you would mean," Chuck said. He stuck his hands into his pockets, and straightened. "While it would have been a better situation for me than the one I'm currently in, it would still result in my being controlled by someone else."

"It would," Jack admitted, nodding. "I wish there was a way we could work with you, and you get to be your own boss." Chuck grinned, and Jack smirked. "I know an I have an idea grin, and that, sir, is an I have an idea grin'."

"Shall we step into your office?" Chuck asked. Jack motioned for him to enter, and the two went inside.

}o{

Chuck left fifteen minutes later, giving C3PO orders on what to do next as he slid behind the wheel of his car. He drove straight to the Buy More, parked the herder, locked it, and walked inside.

"Charles!" Lester yelled at him as he walked in.

"I'm not working," Chuck said, walking past him.

"Charles, I know you're off, but you are the Orion specialist," Lester said. Chuck stopped, and turned to Lester, a smile on his face and joy in his heart.

"Lester, I'm not working. As in, here. As in, I am not an employee," Chuck told him. Lester's mouth dropped. Chuck walked into Big Mike's office, handing him the keys to the herder. Big Mike simply stood, shook Chuck's hand, and thanked him.

Chuck headed to the back and cleared out his locker. As he started to walk out, Morgan caught him.

"Big Mike told me to take you home."

"Thanks, Buddy," Chuck said.

"I'm gonna miss you here, but… I get it," Morgan said. "Going to work for your dad again, huh?"

"Nope," Chuck replied, getting in the passenger side of the car.

"Oh, found someone else to work for, huh?" Morgan said. "Nice."

"Yeah… me," Chuck replied, grinning, as they drove away.

}o{

Chuck went inside his apartment, telling C3PO he could quit blocking his location. He was standing in front of his closet, trying to decide which shirt to wear, when he heard a knock on the door. He glanced over to the clock.

"Half an hour… that sounds about right," he muttered. He walked to the front door and opened it. "Hi, dad," he said. "Want to come in?"

Chuck stepped back, and headed back to his room. "I have plans, so if you need to talk, we'll have to do it in my bedroom."

"Charles, this is important," Stephen said. "I need your attention."

"Dad, I have plans," Chuck reiterated, glancing at him. "If you want some long drawn out discussion, I can do that tomorrow, maybe." He looked up, grinned, and then back to his dad. "I may have some paperwork to do tomorrow."

"I think working for Burton Consultants is a bad idea," Stephen told him.

"At this time, I agree," Chuck told him.

"Oh," Stephen replied, surprised. "I also think you are wasting your time at the Buy More."

"As do I," Chuck said, pulling out a shirt, holding it up against his chest, and then turning to his dad. "This one, or the darker purple? Hannah said the purple looked good on me."

"Uh…." Stephen began. "I always liked that purple one."

"Me too, good choice," Chuck said, smiling at his dad.

"So, you're jobless?" Stephen asked, confused.

"Not exactly," Chuck replied. "In fact, no. No, I am not," Chuck said, turning to his dad, giving him a smile. "There it is." He pulled out the shirt and showed it to his dad.

"Blue jeans and black Chuck's?" Stephen asked. Chuck nodded. "It's Sarah, isn't it?" Chuck just grinned at Stephen. "And you're not working at Burton Consultants?"

"I am not working at Burton Consultants," Chuck replied. "Now-"

"Come back," Stephen began.

"Dad, no," Chuck told him, calmly, nicely, but with no hesitation in his voice. "This has really nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me. I need to do what I need, and what I need is not Orion Industries. Not now, and probably not ever… not the way you're currently set up."

"Chuck," Stephen began again.

"Dad, I have to shower, and shave. I know you want to talk, but I do not have time. I'm sorry."

"You have to give me a chance," Stephen said as Chuck walked past him. Chuck stopped, and turned to face his father.

"I did," Chuck told him. "And you wouldn't listen. Now, we can talk later this week. I'm going to the bathroom, and locking the door." With that he turned, leaving Stephen standing in his bedroom.

}o{

He left the bathroom, headed into his bedroom, and changed. He walked into the living room, seeing Stephen standing there looking at Chuck's Tron poster. "Dad," Chuck began softly, making Stephen turn.

"You look good, son," Stephen said with a smile. "I hope you have a good time tonight. I hope you find your joy." Chuck stood there, stunned. "I truly mean that. I-I am not the best at giving advice, that is emotion-based. Point me to a computer, or a formula, or something like that." He paused, looking over at the TV on its stand. "Take this TV for example; I can tell you how to make a picture perfect on it."

"Dad," Chuck said softly.

Stephen shook his head, waving him off. "I'm not trying to give you excuses, I'm trying to explain. We are very similar." Stephen paused. "And we are extremely different." Chuck nodded. "I love you."

"I know you do," Chuck told him. Stephen opened his arms. "Really? A hug?"

"Your mother insists that we are huggers," Stephen said. Chuck grinned as he hugged his father. "Be you, and if she's right, you'll know."

"And you say you can't do words," Chuck told him, giving him a squeeze. Chuck let him go, and Stephen gave him an embarrassed smile. "I need to get going."

"Right," Stephen said, heading to the door. He paused, and turned. "I like Sarah, a lot. I think she likes you."

"I hope so," Chuck replied, with a grin. "Otherwise I turned down a job for one date."

"Son," Stephen said, with a look on his face. He shook his head at Chuck. "Don't change, son, regardless of how much someone tries to. Even when it's your father."

"I figure you were just testing me," Chuck told him, following him out the door.

"You're being too kind," Stephen said, as Chuck closed the door.

}o{

Chuck pulled up to the address Sarah had texted him, and she nearly dove into the car as he slowed down. "Please, go," Sarah said, irritation and embarrassment on her face. Chuck nodded, and took off. Was the look because of him? Did she change her mind? Was there too much pressure?

"I can't kill Molly, can I?" she asked, as he was getting lost in his thoughts.

"Wha?" Chuck asked, not prepared for the question.

"When I first told her about our date tonight, she was really excited and started helping me. I don't do a lot of dating, like 'going out' dates." Sarah's eyes widened at her admission.

"I get it," Chuck said. "We talked about it, you working so hard toward your degree."

"Yeah," Sarah replied, obviously relived. "I mean, it's not like I haven't been on dates, like I'm… a nun, or something."

"She tried to get you out of the habit?" Chuck asked, his lips twitching. He looked over at her, and she was staring at him. "Sounded so much funnier in my head," he muttered. She made a laughing sound in her throat, and her stern look broke. Chuck joined her in relieved laughter.

"That was absolutely awful," Sarah told him. "Anyway… you know what, let's focus on us having a good time, and forget my sister."

Chuck was silent for a moment. "We can do that," Chuck said. "But, if you would like to talk about what she did, I won't judge you for it." They drove in silence for a minute.

"She dumped a box of condoms in my purse," she said softly. Chuck's lips twitched and he felt Sarah turn and look at him. He could feel the embarrassment leave her and the amusement fill her.

"A. Whole. Damn. Box." She opened up her purse, dug around for a second, and pulled out two. "Apparently, I missed some."

"She's something," Chuck muttered, making Sarah bark out a laugh. "I mean, you two don't seem that much alike, personality-wise."

"I open up around people I know; my sister, on the other hand, has no off switch," Sarah replied with a shrug. "As I left, she said my getting laid would be the best thing for the whole family."

"Jeez, no pressure, huh?" Chuck replied. It then dawned on him what he had said. "Wait," he continued, before either of them could become too embarrassed. "I'm not suggesting…" he trailed off. "This is one of those situations where no matter what I say, I'm just gonna make it worse, aren't I?"

"Yup!" Sarah chirped, making them both laugh.

"Master Chuck, urgent 911 from Master Morgan," C3PO's voice said through the speakers. "He says it's a food emergency." Chuck sighed.

"Go ahead," Sarah told him.

"Uh," Chuck began.

"Master Chuck, I do believe Master Morgan has some relevant information about the restaurant you are planning to frequent this evening," C3PO informed him.

"Put him through," Chuck said. They heard the phone connect. "What's up Morgs?"

"Your choice of restaurant is out for tonight, Chuckster," Morgan's voice said over the speakers of the car. "Seems Jeff was still quite sick from the mystery crisper event the other day, became ill, and crashed his van through the window of the restaurant." Chuck groaned. "Apparently, he opened the door, fell out, threw up on the floor, and then said, 'Special delivery'."

"Oh, God," Sarah said. "Is he alright?"

"Wait, is that your date?" Morgan asked. Chuck opened his mouth, but Morgan had hurried on. "I apologize for ruining your evening like this."

"It's okay," Sarah replied.

"But, there's good news," Morgan continued. "It seems Jeff's van had been leaking fumes, and with Jeff sleeping in it, he was getting carbon monoxide poisoning every night."

"Jesus," Sarah said, her eyes wide. "This is good news?

"It does help to explain some of his… excentricities," Chuck nodded.

"How do you feel about sizzling shrimp?" Morgan asked.

"Morgan, she's not ready," Chuck told her.

"Italian?" Morgan asked. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

}o{

The two entered the restaurant, and they both stopped and stared at the cakes and cheesecakes presented in the case in front of them. "Is that pumpkin cheesecake?" Chuck asked, awe in his voice.

"Oh, you're one of those," Sarah replied, giving him a grin.

"What can I say, I'm quite basic… and I do enjoy pumpkin anything," he replied, making her giggle.

"Do you eat it while wearing your crocs?" Sarah teased.

"No," Chuck responded flatly, making her laugh. They were led to a table away from everyone in the back of the room. "Uh, I wasn't going for quite this intimate."

"Too intimate for you, Chuck?" Sarah asked.

Chuck gave her a long look. "I'm willing to let you find out whatever you want about me to complete your study of my parents' company," he said softly. She held his gaze, a soft smile on her face. "What I'm saying is, you're the one who's gonna have to get into my head, my heart. And I don't want to overwhelm you with the nerdiness, and insanity, that is Chuck Bartowski."

"What if I want to be overwhelmed?" she asked, and then her eyes widened as she realized what she had implied. Chuck gave her a warm smile. "You know what, I said it, and I'm just gonna leave it right there."

"Right there?" Chuck asked, pointing at the middle of the table. She stuck her tongue out at him, took his hand, and moved it a little to the left.

"There," she said. "I don't want it between us… just recognize it's there."

"Wow, take out a brainy doctor, and this is what I get," Chuck said.

"Is this why you never dated any of Ellie's coworkers?" Sarah asked.

Chuck was silent for a second. "No, they didn't like who I really was," Chuck replied. "You've heard my parents and sister tell you all the ways I've been miserable, and what I wanted to do. If you listened to everyone in my family and you still want to go on a date with me…" he trailed off, not sure what to say.

Her hand took his, making his eyebrows raise. "You stood up for yourself. And Chuck? I admire that." Surprise covered his face. "I think some of the times in my life that I was most miserable was when I did what everyone else thought I should. When I did what I wanted I was happiest. Lonely, but happy."

"And when you did what others thought you should, but had someone?" Chuck asked.

"Unhappy… and lonely," Sarah said with a shrug. "Being with someone doesn't mean you're not lonely."

"God," Chuck said, looking relieved. "I feel that. I feel that so much." He worked his jaw as if to ask something, but stopped. Sarah gave him a shy smile.

"I feel happy and not lonely tonight," she told him. A smile began to grow across his face, making his nose scrunch, and that's when the waiter showed up.

"Sorry," she said, quickly handing them menus and waters. "My little boy has been sick, and I had to call him so he would go to sleep."

"It's fine," Chuck said. "Are you okay?"

"I am, thanks," she said. "Now, what about drinks?"

They gave their drink order and Sarah glanced at Chuck. "Trust me?" she asked, a grin on her face. He nodded. "Can he get a piece of pumpkin cheesecake?"

"Okkkaaay," the waitress said.

"Now, not later," Sarah said. "He's had a big week, and I think he needs to celebrate his successes."

"Oh, new job?" the waitress asked.

"Not exactly," Sarah replied, giving Chuck a look. He shrugged and she looked back at the waitress. "He quit a job that was stifling him, and he's going forward."

"And taking you out on a date? Wow!" the waitress replied.

"And, that's why I'm paying," Sarah told the waitress. Chuck started to object. "You don't have a job, and I do," she told him. Chuck held his hands up.

"You two are weird," the waitress said, earning a chuckle from both. "But a good weird, you know? And you work. How long have you been together?" Sarah and Chuck shared a look. "Oh my God, this is your first date?" Chuck began to chuckle. The waitress nodded. "I'll be back with your breadsticks, and your pumpkin cheesecake."

"She approves," Chuck said to Sarah.

"She's not the only one," Sarah replied, and winced. "Jesus, Sarah."

"I need to admit something to you, before we go any further," Chuck said. Sarah nodded. "Two things: First, I love that you just sometimes say what's on your mind without a filter."

"Well, it's me… I get caught up in stuff, and don't take that half-second to think," Sarah admitted.

"Reading your research, I think that maybe you do that because you've already thought about something," Chuck told her. Sarah twisted her lips.

"And second, I do have a job."

"You do?" Sarah asked. "But Dad said you quit the Buy More."

"I did," Chuck told her. "I am creating my own computer company, and I have a client."

"That's wonderful," Sarah told him. "Seriously, that's perfect for you. You get to be your own boss, and you get to do those things you want to do; talk to people, work with people, and help them make the best decisions for their situation."

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it. I can hire out to companies and do what your dad suggested… you know, be an interpreter. And I can be honest? To do what's best for a client, because me being brought back will be about me being honest," Chuck said, getting a little excited.

"Oh, that's perfect for you," Sarah said, getting caught up in the excitement. "Think about it: Instead of selling them something they don't need, you can sell them what they actually doneed, saving them money. And when they realize how much they saved, talking to other businesses, they'll realize what they have in you. Word of mouth is so important in this field… not that I'm implying you're doing this because of a business model." Horror covered her face.

"I didn't think that at all," Chuck assured her. "It is an amazing by-product of not being an asshat."

Sarah laughed, as the waitress brought the drinks and cheesecake. The two ordered, and the waitress left. Sarah watched Chuck eyeing his cheesecake.

"Damn, I wish someone would look at me that way," she teased.

Chuck looked up at her. "You want me to look at you like I would devour you?" he asked in a low voice? She felt herself licking her dry lips.

"There is no good way to answer that question," she said, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Okay," Chuck said, a little surprised. "I try my best to never look at a person like that – because it feels a little disrespectful – but I can't believe no one has ever looked at you like that."

Sarah quietly reached over, picked up a bread stick, and dipped it in marinara sauce. She held it just above the container, and looked at Chuck.

"Maybe I should have said I wish a certain person would look at me like that." Chuck blinked.

She placed her empty hand under the breadstick as she brought it to her mouth, preventing any drippage of marinara. Taking a bite, a low moan left her throat before she could stop herself.

"Sooooooo, you're talking about the breadstick?" Chuck asked, making her laugh. He let her chew a little and stop laughing before he lifted his glass. "To us," he said. She picked hers up. "May we find happiness in both our professional and personal lives, whatever that looks like."

She clinked her glass against his and took a drink, never breaking his gaze. "Chuck… what if those two things intersect?"

"Well," Chuck said, grinning, "that would be interesting, wouldn't it?"

"How would two people handle it?" Sarah asked, putting her glass down and leaning towards him a little. "I mean, Dad obviously put the kibosh on us working together-"

"Actually, he didn't. He put the kibosh on us working and dating while working in the same company," Chuck told her.

She sat there for a second, and then it dawned on her. A slow smile covered her face. "So, you're saying I'm going to see you in the morning?"

"Exactly," Chuck replied. It was at that moment it dawned on them both the implied innuendo of what they had said. Chuck picked up his glass of water and took a drink, as Sarah turned away, her face red. He took a bite of his pie, trying to get his brain away from… that. He made a slight moan after taking the bite.

"Really," she said, snickering at the absolute insanity of the situation. "I mean if we tried we couldn't say stuff that sounded more innuendo-filled."

Chuck grinned. "So, you're saying you're jealous of my reaction to the pie?"

"I was wrong," Sarah said, dropping her head into her hands, laughing. She looked up at him. "What does it say, that this is probably the best date I've ever had?"

"Whatever it's saying, it's saying the same thing about me," Chuck told her. He shrugged. "I'm messy, Sarah, so welcome to my messy life."

"I can handle messy," Sarah said. Chuck gave her a look, and she just shook her head.

A/N: This is why I never write dates…wait, it's not over? Oh my.

What, you're still here? You want to see a sneak peek of next time you say? FINE!

Sarah took a bite of her ice cream, a grin on her face. "You think of me as your girl?" she asked, clearly enjoying herself.

"I do not," Chuck said. "I think if I was honest, part of me wishes you were, even if you have a deep dark past as a serial killer. A cannibal clown. An ex-CIA assassin sent to watch me because of computer secrets I downloaded from a friend on my birthday."

"You watch too much TV," Sarah said, taking another bite.

"You laugh, but that show would be amazing," Chuck responded.

*Sips tea* Come back next time!