A/N: So good news and bad news. I have this chapter and the next back from beta. The one after that is at beta. Now the bad. I have some tests coming up and that will probably slow up things, quite a bit. 2020 hates me. That's all I'll say. And yes, to all you readers, I mixed the names of Peter and Mary Jane Parker with Tony Stark. What can I say, I'm a nerd. Ch 12.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Chuck stared at the freshly-signed papers in front of him. "Having second thoughts?" he heard a voice ask. He looked up at Zondra, and handed her the papers. "Wasn't talking about these," she amended.

"What then?" Chuck asked. She gave him a look, and Chuck had to admit she was a little scary when she wanted to be. "Oh, you mean Barry, and before him, Tony?"

"Tony?" Zondra asked. "You mean Sarah's ex-boyfriend?"

"I guess," Chuck replied. "It seems it's a tradition for Sarah's ex-boyfriend to warn the current boyfriend that her job will always come first." He sat there, looking irritated, staring out into the room, not looking at Zondra.

Zondra sat down beside him, not sure what to say. "Maybe if you say what you're thinking, and get it out there, you can deal with it," she offered.

"It just pisses me off," Chuck said. Zondra's heart sank… she had been so sure. "These guys… they act like they know her, when they didn't even bother to get to know her, or her work." Zondra stared at him. Chuck turned to Zondra. "Everything I heard Barry say, and everything I heard Sarah say to me about him, sounded like, 'me, me, me.'"

Zondra was speechless.

"He obviously doesn't care about her now, because not once did he ask if she was happy. Not once did he ask about her career, or anything like that. It was all about him."

"Yep," Zondra agreed, Chuck looking over at her. "Barry is good-looking, and so is Sarah, and he thought they'd look good, together. He never mistreated her or anything like that, but he thought she should always be there at his beck and call."

"She's a person, not some damn property," Chuck said, shaking his head.

"Some people see relationships that way. You must have seen it in your life," Zondra said.

Chuck nodded, still irritated. "I have. I don't like it, but I have."

"Then don't be that way to Sarah… as if you could," Zondra told him, a soft smile on her face. "I've got stuff to do-"

"Thank you, Zondra, for looking out for her," Chuck said. "Not that she can't look out for herself, but sometimes people need people in their corner." Zondra smiled at him, nodded, stood, and headed toward her presentation. As she walked away, she wondered if there was any chance there was anyone else in the world like Chuck Bartowski.

}o{

"He what?!" Sarah hissed, making several in the room look up at her. Zondra looked at the crowd of people, smiling at them, as Sarah rubbed her forehead, a Barry-induced headache coming on.

"I need you to get control of yourself," Zondra said in a sing-song sotto voce, all the while smiling at the room full of people that were in breakout groups.

"I'm fine, I'm just… that son of a bitch," she muttered.

"Interesting," Zondra said, grinning at her friend.

"What, Zondra? What is so interesting?" Sarah asked. "That my ex-boyfriend is causing trouble for one of the best guys that I ever met?"

"Interesting that you're not asking how Chuck is," Zondra pointed out. Sarah's eyes widened. "What?"

"I assumed the way we talked the other night he would understand that I do choose him over work," she began. "I thought he knew that, but if that bastard has-"

"Whoa, blondie," Zondra said. "Take it down a notch. That's exactly what he thinks, but…" she trailed off. Zondra looked around the room then back to her friend. "You need to quit assuming with people. You're bad about that," she said, with a wince. "You think everyone thinks the way you do, but people aren't numbers. They don't take facts as facts. Sometimes they need a little reassurance."

"You're right," Sarah said, nodding. "I need to do some damage control." She smiled at Zondra. "Tonight, we take him out with us."

"Sarah… is he ready for that?"

"Oh," Sarah replied, understanding dawning on her face. "Not dancing, no. Laser tag." Zondra gave her a look, while Sarah smiled.

}o{

"So how are we doing this tonight?" Carina asked. Chuck looked around, the three women suited up like this was not their first rodeo. "You okay there, Curls?"

"I feel like I'm about to get initiated into a very exclusive club," Chuck admitted. "You three have done this before."

"One night we wanted to go dancing, but the club was closed down for some reason," Carina began.

"There was a sex dungeon in the basement," Zondra reminded her. Chuck's eyes widened, as he looked at Sarah. "What, you don't believe me?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… how do you know it was a sex dungeon?" Chuck asked. "Or maybe I don't want to know."

"It was all over the campus newspaper, and gossip," Sarah told him. "As far as I know, only one of us was ever in there." Zondra and Sarah both looked at Carina.

"I was only there after they shut it down. I was curious… for my research," Carina said.

"Personal," Zondra muttered under her breath.

"Anyway," Sarah said, getting the story back on track. "We found laser tag, and some guys started making fun of us." She looked at her two friends, who began smiling. "We smoked their ass."

"Awesome," Chuck said.

"Okay, since he's in love with you…" Carina began.

"Uh," Chuck said, but wasn't sure if he should disagree or not.

"…Curls is with you," Carina continued, side-eyeing him. "Rules are simple: Get rid of everyone else, and then one winner to rule them all."

"She just made a Lord of the Rings reference," Chuck said, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, Orlando Bloom can get it!" Carina said. Chuck nodded, understanding. "Let's go Z," Carina said, leaving the two of them alone.

"So, about Barry," Sarah began.

"Sarah, I couldn't care less about Barry," Chuck told her. He was surprised when she moved up close to him.

"I care about what you think, and I don't want you thinking I don't care about you. Because I do. I'm glad you're here, Chuck. Before you, I wouldn't have cared if my boyfriend was here. In fact, I would have been annoyed. But with you… Chuck, I'm in it to win it," she said with a grin. She reached up, grabbed his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

Chuck had closed his eyes, savoring it, when he felt his chest throb, accompanied by an unmistakable sound. He pulled away, shocked. "And let that be your first lesson tonight; when it comes to laser tag, and you, I will do whatever it takes to win. Now sit, you can play the second match." She was smiling at him, and as she started to walk away, she winked at him. "Chuck, you mean the world to me."

"But laser tag means more," Chuck replied.

"Chuck," she said softly. "Priorities, baby, priorities." With that she was gone.

"I am so screwed," Chuck said, a happy smile on his face.

}o{

The ride home was quiet, no one said anything.

"So, I'm not invited back?" Chuck asked quietly.

"How the hell did you take us all out?!" Carina asked from the front passenger seat. "No, seriously… how?"

"What can I say, I'm a nerd," Chuck replied, shrugging.

"C3PO," Sarah said, turning to him. "You used C3PO. You used him to figure out where we were, and the best place to position yourself to shoot us." Chuck didn't say anything… his grin was enough.

"You're not the only one in it to win it," Chuck told her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "And I'm not just talking about laser tag."

"He is telling the truth Mistress Sarah," C3PO said. "I can feel his heart rate, and while elevated and excited, he is not lying."

"C3PO," Chuck said in a hoarse voice. "Please power down."

Everyone in the car laughed but Chuck.

}o{

They all got on the elevator. Chuck and Sarah moved to the back, Carina and Zondra standing in front of them. "Please, no making out as long as I'm in here," Zondra pleaded.

"I have been nothing but professional," Chuck protested.

"Oh, it wasn't you I was talking to, Chuck," Zondra said, turning and flashing him a smile. "Do I need to send a wake-up call in the morning?"

"No, C3PO will wake me up, and I'm not that heavy of a sleeper," Chuck replied. Zondra just stared at him, and Carina snorted. "Oh. You were making an innuendo." He turned to Sarah. "She implied we would be… uh… we would…" he trailed off.

"Coitus," C3PO offered.

"Thank you C3PO," Chuck said, sighing.

"It's also known as carnal knowledge, cohabitation, copulation, intercourse, intimacy, lovemaking, marital relations, mating, nookie, relations, screwing, sexual congress-"

"Does that involve all fifty states?" Carina asked Zondra.

"-Sexual intercourse, sexual union, sleeping together, and sleeping with," C3PO finished. Chuck couldn't speak, and he was bright red.

"C3PO," Sarah said. "Perhaps you should power down."

"Very good, Mistress Sarah," C3PO replied. "If you were not aware, Master Chuck has given you the same permissions as he has."

"I bet he has," Carina said. Sarah pressed her lips together, and didn't say a word. The doors to the elevators opened. "Well, you two have fun tonight."

"Fat chance of that," Zondra said, laughing, as she exited the elevator with Carina. The doors slid shut.

"Sarah, you missed your floor," Chuck told her.

"I'm on the same floor as you," she told him. "I'm actually right across the hallway."

"Right… across… the hallway?" he asked. She nodded. They walked to their doors, and then turned toward each other. "Well… goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said, opening her door. She stood there a minute, and walked in. Chuck turned, opened his door, and walked in. Shutting the door, he began to bang his head against it.

}o{

He took a shower, then changed into comfortable clothes. Grabbing his room key, he walked across the hallway, took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Sarah opened the door, having just showered herself. "I'm the worst boyfriend in the world," he said before she could say anything. "I offered you a foot rub, and I forgot all about it. I'm sorry."

A grin crossed her face. "Well," she began.

"Hey," Zondra said, getting off the elevator. "We've got a real problem."

"Tell me about it," Chuck muttered, making Sarah snort.

}o{

"So, these three just quit, huh?" Chuck asked. He blew out a frustrated breath. "I don't have hard drives to fix these," he muttered to himself. He looked at the three Orion computers, and shook his head. "Okay, what is each one of these for?"

"That one is used to check people in," Zondra began.

"We could use a tablet for that," Chuck said. "I have mine in my room."

"We could get by without it," Zondra told him. "Almost everyone who was registered to come is here. If someone showed up, we could send them in here to check in, but at this point…"

"Okay, that helps," Chuck admitted. "My laptop can run everything back here. What's that one?"

"That's the biggest problem," Zondra said. "That's got our program for selling merch."

Chuck gave her a look. "Inventory?"

"No, it's what the Buy More set up to run credit cards," Zondra told him. Chuck's eyes widened. "What?"

"Let's get you into this decade," Chuck said, pulling out his phone. He showed her the app store, where she could download a payment-taking app. "If I had known ahead of time, we could have contacted the company, and had them send a card reader."

"What the hell was I paying them for?" Zondra asked.

"Apparently, the bare minimum… and I do mean bare," Chuck told her.

"I really wish you wouldn't make bare jokes right now," Sarah said to Chuck.

"I can see about getting these fixed when I get back home," Chuck told Zondra. "I know the boss." Zondra snorted. "This is getting out of hand," he muttered. "What the hell is dad doing?"

"So, what do we do tonight?" Zondra asked.

"I think we go to bed," Chuck began.

"Separately," Zondra said, chuckling at the look Chuck gave her.

"And meet back here early," Chuck finished, mock glaring at her. "I'll bring my laptop and get everything set up."

"How early?" Sarah asked.

"An hour earlier than normal," Chuck told them.

"Is that all?" Zondra asked, a little surprised.

"If I know him, he's getting here an hour before that, to get things set up while we're out of his way," Sarah told Zondra.

"Used to doing things alone, huh?" Zondra asked. Chuck ignored her, unhooking cables from the fried computer. "And because of my interruption, he's gonna have to do it again." He closed his eyes, trying to ignore her words. "If he pulls any harder on that-"

Chuck gave up, and walked away.

"I'm sorry!" she called after Chuck.

"You are mean," Sarah said. "And you like him."

"I do. He's good for you," Zondra told Sarah. "Tomorrow night… you've got your work cut out for you."

"No pressure," Sarah muttered.

}o{

Chuck was sitting there, half asleep. Between what was said between him and Sarah last night, his mind trying to figure out why the Orion computers kept failing, and needing to be up early to have everything ready to go for testing, he had barely slept. Sarah had brought him coffee before anyone else had gotten there, and while it had helped, they were in the first session after lunch, and he felt himself nodding

He felt the light touch of her hand on his shoulder nearest the empty seat beside him, and felt her sit. Another coffee appeared before him, and he drank, trying to fight off the sleep that was beginning to overtake him.

"You better wake up, Bud," she said softly where only he could hear her. "You owe me some foot rubs tonight."

"My fingers stand at the ready, my dear," Chuck replied. He was too tired to be nervous, or let his mind do what it normally did. "Hey, last night… that was awkward as hell, and I take the responsibility for it."

"Nope," Sarah replied. "That was shared responsibility. That's the way this thing with us works."

"This... thing?" Chuck asked, giving her an amused smile.

"Relationship," Sarah told him. She was silent a moment. "So, Zondra and I were talking about these messed up computers."

"The shipping on them is gonna be sort of stupid," Chuck muttered. "I can fix them, but they are not going to fit in my carry-on."

"Zondra suggested we rent a car, and drive back," Sarah said, not looking at Chuck. She kept her eyes on the presentation in front of her.

"That's not a bad idea," Chuck agreed.

"I called my dad, and asked him what he thought about you and I taking a couple of extra days, given what all has happened," Sarah continued.

"Couple of days?" Chuck asked, figuring he was tired and was missing something, or had misheard her.

"Yeah, I've always wanted to take the Pacific Coast Highway, and this is the side you should do it from if you're going to drive it," Sarah told him. "I thought we might stop along the way, and get a room for one or two nights. Kind of sightsee."

Chuck was silent. He loved the idea, but there was something he heard that he needed to clarify. "Uh, I'm sleep deprived, but again, you usually say what you mean."

"I do," Sarah said, turning to him and holding his gaze.

"Just to be clear, I heard you say room," Chuck told her. She was silent. "Not rooms."

"It would be rooms, if we stayed two nights," Sarah said, a smirk beginning to grow.

"So, to save money, we're sharing a room?" Chuck asked. Sarah shook her head. "Oh, two double beds?" Sarah shook her head again. "So, same bed." Sarah nodded.

Now, Chuck was silent.

"Unless you don't want to," Sarah said softly.

"IdoIdoIdoIdoIdo," he said quickly, making her snort. She ducked her head, in case anyone turned back to look at them. He didn't say anything. He turned back to the laptop, but his left hand reached over and took her right. They sat there, while the presentation continued.

}o{

"He is asleep on his feet," Zondra said, the four of them eating away from the rest of the conference, needing a break from all they had been through. Tonight was completely free, and many different small groups had broken out to go explore the city.

"I'm taking him to bed, as soon as he finishes eating," Sarah told Zondra and Carina.

"Not like that," Chuck quickly spoke up. "I owe her a foot massage."

"Make her shower first," Carina told him. "She's been in those heels all day, and you know her feet are funky."

"They are not," Sarah retorted. "But," she added, giving Carina a glare. "I will, because that is just good manners."

"That, and you hope he makes you dirty afterward," Carina replied. Chuck nearly choked on the bite of food he had taken. Sarah patted Chuck's back, and shot Carina a STOP IT look.

"Take him to bed, Sarah," Zondra told her. "He's out on his feet."

"I'm fine," Chuck argued. "I'm getting my second wind."

"Chuck, you are exhausted," Zondra told him.

"Come on, Chuck," Sarah said, helping him to his feet. They went to the elevator and waited for the car.

"I'm okay, seriously… And I-I meant what I said, I owe you a foot massage." Sarah gave him a grin. "I do."

"Well, I'm not turning one down, especially with someone who uses his fingers for a living," Sarah told him. Chuck turned to her, and pulled her in close. He stopped when his lips were an inch from hers.

"You just remember that when I have you moaning later, okay?" The doors opened, and Chuck stepped into the elevator. He held out his hand to stop the door from closing, as Sarah tried to gather her wits about her. After a moment, she joined him, and kept giving him a look as the elevator rose to their floor.

}o{

Sarah stood in front of the mirror, a smile on her face, and love in her heart. She had finally accepted what she was feeling. When Peter had said no one existed that she had described, she never thought once about telling Chuck's story. She thought it would take processing, she thought it would take time, but when she realized it, everything fell into place.

Chuck had no idea how much she was in it to win it. She was in love, and she had never felt this way about anyone. Rationally, she knew that there were certain chemical reactions taking place inside of her. But for the first time in her life, she knew how she felt, she knew who made her feel that way. And she wanted that feeling. She was greedy for it. And Chuck made her feel alive.

She would take this at whatever speed he wanted, whatever level of physicality he wanted, but when he was comfortable, she was going to insist on a few things. She grinned, as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. "You deserve this," she said softly. Nodding, opened the bathroom door, and stepped out.

She was in her normal sleeping clothes. Nothing especially provocative or sexy, but she felt excitement. She looked at her bed, and the excitement didn't wane as she had feared it might. If anything, her heart soared. There he was, on her bed, asleep, mouth open, a bit of drool hanging off the side.

She smiled, got him under the covers, pulled back her side, climbed in, and put her head on his shoulder. As she drifted off to sleep, she realized she felt as content as she ever had in her entire life.

A/N: Huh…a lot of feelings in that room. What? You're still here…oh…finnnneeeeee

Chuck looked over at Sarah. "Do I have anything to be embarrassed about?"

"Not. One. Thing." She said, bitting her toast as she finished speaking. She chewed slowly while grinning at him.

"So a one time thing and got it out of your system?" Carina asked, prodding.

"I don't think so," Sarah said, turning to Chuck. "Are you interested in sleeping with me again?"

"Absolutely," Chuck replied, bitting a piece of bacon. "I found it to be a truly enjoyable experience."

Huh, it's like they're getting back at Carina and Zondra. It's like they're communicating…huh. Reviews, PMs, yada yada. Take care of yourselves, seriously. Just take care of yourselves, mentally and physically. Hopefully I'll see you soon. David