A/N: Daniel, Daniel, Daniel…son….*sigh*
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck
Now, four days later
"You're Dr. Sarah Walker!" the tall man with almost superhero-like features said. She sat in a very fancy, romantic restaurant, waiting on her boyfriend. He was detained, and she was alone, listening to the soft, romantic music, enjoying the ambiance, and feeling just a bit alone.
"I am," Sarah replied, taking a drink of her wine. "However, I don't know who you are."
"I am so sorry," he replied. "I am Daniel Shaw, and I attended one of your sessions a few months back. I found it… just enlightening. I'm an ISTJ."
"Ah," Sarah said, with a knowing smile. "Well, won't you join me for a moment, I'm waiting on someone."
"He stood you up?" Daniel asked.
"He was… detained," Sarah told Daniel.
"Well, I'm not sure why anyone would be detained when you're here waiting for them, but I will count my lucky stars," Daniel said, smiling at her.
Sarah returned the smile. "I'm a little glad he is, if I'm honest." Daniel's grin grew as she gestured to the chair across from her.
}o{
Chuck and Sarah's apartment, four days ago
"Didn't make an honest man out of me," Chuck said, his arm draped over his forehead, with a very naked Sarah Walker draped over him.
"It was one or the other, and you chose this," Sarah reminded him, kissing the underside of his jaw.
"I may have been encouraged to pick this," Chuck added. Sarah pulled away, a hand to her chest feigning shock. He looked up at her, moving his arm from over his head, grinning at her. "If I'm not mistaken, you said 'We can do that whenever you feel, but I'd really like to feel you now, if you know what I mean.'"
"I may have said that," Sarah admitted.
"Oh, you said it, because it made me wonder… did you propose to me?"
"What if I did?" Sarah asked, leaning back down, nibbling at his chin.
"Well, I wouldn't want to leave you wondering, and getting all in a tizzy," Chuck told her.
"Baby, I know the answer if I asked you, and the only one to get in a tizzy is you," she replied, resting her chin on her folded hands, on his chest.
"Really? You think you know what I'd say?"
"If I for-real asked, yes, I do," Sarah said with a shrug. "But I know you, and know if I asked, you feel like you should, so that's why I'm not asking." Chuck was silent. "But let me tell you something: It doesn't matter if I have a ring on or not. I'm not going anywhere. Ever. Do you hear me?"
"I do," Chuck replied. "And I'm not going anywhere either… do you hear me?"
"I do," Sarah replied. They both smiled at each other. "But now you may have to actually call my mom, 'Mom.'"
"According to your sister, I already do," Chuck said with a shrug, making Sarah laugh.
}o{
The next day, Chuck found himself at home, working on a computer for a client, when his phone rang. He looked down at the caller ID, and grinned. "Hello, Teddy," Chuck said, answering the phone.
"Chucky! How are you?" Teddy asked. Chuck forced himself not to grit his teeth.
"I'm good, and you?" Chuck replied.
"I'm great," Teddy said. "Hey, I've heard about the new gal in your life. Your dad says you two are really hitting it off."
"We are," Chuck replied.
"Well, let me do something for you two kids… you know that fancy Italian restaurant in town, that no one can get into? Let me take you two kids out to dinner, on me. I just have one little stipulation."
"What's that?" Chuck asked.
"You and I go to the bar, have a conversation for a few moments, and clear up this misunderstanding you and your dad are having," Teddy said. "After that, I split, and you and your girl have an amazing evening."
"And that's it, huh?" Chuck asked.
"I just think you and I should talk. Whaddaya say?" Teddy asked.
"Sure," Chuck replied. "So, when?"
"Two nights from now," Teddy said.
"Sounds good, text me the time of the reservations and we'll be there," Chuck replied. "See you then, Teddy." With that, Chuck hung up.
Teddy hung up the phone and looked across at Daniel. "So this is a go?"
"I have her dissertation, I know everything there is to know about her. I've got this," Daniel said, smugness dripping off him. "In two nights, I'll have those two split up, and her begging me to stay." Daniel rose from his chair. "Thank your godson for picking a good looking one. This is going to be fun."
Daniel left the office, leaving Teddy by himself. "I almost feel bad." He poured himself a drink. "Ah, who the hell am I kidding. I don't feel bad at all!"
}o{
Now
"So, you're glad your boyfriend isn't here?" Daniel asked, proud of himself for how quickly this had gone the way he wanted. "May I ask why?"
"You may," Sarah replied, grinning.
"Oh, ho!" he said. "I see, okay." Daniel nodded, smiling. "Why are you glad your boyfriend isn't here?"
"Because I want to see how much you learned in my session," Sarah explained. Daniel's smile fell.
"But why wouldn't you want your boyfriend here for that?" Daniel asked.
"Because, while I know that he knows how I can get sometimes, the less he has to see me like that, the better," Sarah explained.
Daniel's smile returned, and he leaned toward Sarah. "And how do you get?"
"I can get mean, Daniel. Very mean," she said, a smile on her face. Daniel's fell, replaced by shock.
}o{
Two days ago
Chuck had told Sarah about the phone call he had received from Teddy, as he finished making dinner. "So, what's your guess?" Sarah asked, after he had finished.
"Sounds like a nice place to seduce someone," Chuck replied. He paused, thinking for a moment. "C3PO, how far is the restaurant from Orion?"
"Two point four three miles, sir," C3PO replied.
"Think he doesn't actually show but instead invites you to Orion to talk?" Sarah asked.
"That would make sense; get me over there, show me some stuff, keep you busy, but why?" Chuck asked.
"Maybe to send someone to seduce me?" Sarah offered. Chuck nodded, impressed.
"Think he hired a gigolo?" Chuck asked. Sarah snorted. "What?"
"Oh, baby, you are so cute," Sarah said, shaking her head. "You do know, in this town, there are people who are professionals at that kind of stuff, for blackmail and other reasons, right?" Chuck looked away. Sarah came over and wrapped her arms around him. "Carina would absolutely… omg…" She let go of Chuck and ran over to her phone, making a call.
"Did I miss something?" Chuck asked.
Sarah held up one finger. "Carina, where are you?" She looked over at Chuck and grinned. "Oh, you are in town, huh? And didn't call me?" She went red. "Yes I am at Chuck's… actually I'm at my and Chuck's apartment. That's right, I don't live with Mom, Dad, and Molly anymore." She looked over at Chuck and then back to the phone. "Carina!" She closed her eyes. "No, Carina, I am not the princess of poundtown."
Chuck barked out a laugh that made her give him a look. "You're more the Queen of my heart."
"Awww," she said, and then she looked at the phone in disgust. "That was just rude, making those retching sounds. Listen, grab Zondra and get over here. I need your help." With that, she ended the call, and began texting.
"So, what is going on?" Chuck asked.
"I'm gathering my people," Sarah said. "I'm bringing in my experts."
"Zondra, Molly, and Carina," Chuck said.
"And Ellie," Sarah added.
"Oh, God," Chuck groused.
}o{
A few hours later, Sarah finished telling the entire story. "Thoughts?"
"This Teddy character sounds like a real dick," Carina said, tapping her lip. "If it were me, I'd get someone that knows his stuff."
"Yeah, someone that understands how important his work is," Ellie added.
"Exactly," Molly said. "Someone that is good looking, is studious, and-"
"Oh, great, and ISTJ," Sarah snorted. All the women turned to look at Sarah. "What?"
"Are you going to nuke him, or set him on fire and make him burn, slowly?" Chuck asked, grinning.
They heard a sniff and turned to Ellie, who had her hand over her chest, fighting tears. "Don't mind me."
"What's wrong," Chuck asked.
"She's just happy to see her brother in love, and believe in it," Molly told him. She glanced at Sarah. "I kinda know how she feels."
Carina jumped up, swiped all the magazines and books off the coffee table onto the floor, and unrolled a piece of paper. "Here's the plan!" she said.
"That's my Millennium Falcon plans!" Chuck yelled, looking over at the tube she had pulled it out of.
"Sorry," Carina said, not looking sorry. "But I've always wanted to do that, I just had no plans to do it with."
"Did we really need her?" Chuck asked Sarah.
"Trust me, Chuckles. I'm going to make this fun," Carina promised.
}o{
Present day, right after Chuck and Sarah are seated at the restaurant
Nice place," Chuck said to Sarah. Not as beautiful as you, but what is?"
"You okay?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah," Chuck replied. "I don't like any of this, because it may hurt dad, but…" He trailed off, shrugging.
"Mr. Bartowski?" the waiter asked. "There is a phone call for you, a Mister Theodore Roark."
"If you'll excuse me," Chuck said, standing. Sarah gave him a smile. He followed the waiter, returning a few minutes later. "Surprise, surprise," Chuck said, taking a seat.
"He wants to meet you at Orion?" Sarah asked. Chuck nodded. "Having second thoughts, doubts?"
"About us, you? None," Chuck told her. "I just… I'm just tired of all of this, Sarah. You know?"
"I do baby," Sarah said. "Now, why don't you go take care of your end, and I'll take care of mine. Then we'll meet back here, eat, and I'll take you home and cuddle the hell out of you."
"Naked cuddling?" Chuck asked.
"Pffth, as if there is any other kind," Sarah told him. He reached over, took her hand and kissed her knuckles. "Don't bloody these."
"I'm gonna make him rue the day he met me," Sarah told him.
"You're making me hot and bothered," Chuck muttered. She laughed as he rose. He winked at her and headed toward the door. Ten seconds later, she saw a tall man walk in, that seemed to be looking for someone. As he glanced at her, she was sure he had found who he was looking for.
}o{
Orion
"Chucky!" Teddy said, meeting him at his office door. "So glad you could come by."
"Glad I could," Chuck replied.
"Listen, let's get down to it," Ted said. "I need you to tell your dad you were wrong, and to back off. You're upsetting him."
"Nope," Chuck replied. "In fact, I think he ought to fire your ass and have you arrested, if that's possible. Which I gotta believe it is."
"You're making a mistake Charles," Teddy said in a low voice.
"No, I'm not," Chuck replied. "Now, please, pull out your phone and text him, or call him or whatever."
"What are you talking about?" Ted asked.
"Your guy you have going after my girlfriend," Chuck told him, looking bored. Teddy's superior demeanor faltered. "Go ahead, tell him to go for it."
"Chuck… you're making a mistake," Ted insisted.
"No, my father made the mistake of trusting you." Ted glared at Chuck, pulled out his phone and sent a text. "You're screwed… actually, no, it's your girlfriend who's screwed." Chuck's shoulders shook from laughter. "Oh, you into that sort of thing?"
"No, it's just you have no clue about people. You figured out one, but others, you have no clue about," Chuck told him. Chuck sat down in a chair. "Have a seat, we may as well get comfy until you find out how bad you missed on this one."
"What if I'm right and you're wrong?" Teddy asked, leering at Chuck. Chuck shook his head, grinning. "You can't know she'll do the right thing."
"I can," Chuck answered. "And I do."
}o{
Now at the restaurant
"Miss Walker," Daniel began.
"It's Doctor," Sarah corrected him. "I earned my PhD, and I'm not going to have some tiny man with an inferiority complex take away what I have earned, just because he doesn't understand or appreciate it."
"Dr. Walker," he tried again.
"See, it's always the same with you ISTJs." She paused. "That stands for introverted, sensing, thinking, and judging, in case you didn't know."
"I knew," Daniel said, getting defensive.
"You are the most common type of personality, contrary to your belief that you are so special," Sarah continued. Daniel cleared his throat and loosened his tie. "You people are always so reserved, yet willful, a rational outlook on life. You compose your actions carefully, and carry them out with methodical purpose." She paused, then looked him dead in the eye. "In other words, you're a boring ass two-by-four."
"Dr. Walker," Daniel tried again, in a strained voice.
"Pumpkin spice thinks you're a basic bitch, Daniel," Sarah continued.
"You think everything has to be orderly, analyze everything… Daniel, for the love of God, you are so basic it is nauseating." She paused and gestured at him. "Look at you: normal conservative clothes. I guarantee there is nothing striped in your closet, and I bet you wouldn't wear a tie with penguins on it." Shaw's eyes widened in horror. "Some people may enjoy that… some people may feel honored by such a man approaching them."
She was silent a moment as he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "I am insulted," Sarah told him. "I have a boyfriend… a mate… a partner, that I love. And that you think you can come in here, talk about my work, and I'd swoon under your spell? That is frankly insulting, and idiotic. It may work on some people who are with someone for right now, or for some other reason, but I assure you this: There is… nothing,you have that I want. Now go."
"But," Shaw began.
"Go!" she said, pointing. Several people turned to look at them. Shaw swallowed, stood, and walked out. Sarah pulled out her phone, grinned, and sent a text.
}o{
Chuck's phone went off, breaking the silence of the two men staring at each other. He smiled, stood, and buttoned his coat. "Just so you know, I'm going to put a twenty-five percent tip on the bill that you're paying."
"Fuck off," Teddy growled.
"Teddy… is that any way to be?" Chuck asked. "You really didn't send a guy to try and seduce Sarah and sleep with her, did you?"
"I did," Teddy seethed. "I'm going to win this. You'll see, Chucky. Your father trusts me, not his son that left him high and dry for a piece of ass."
"Out of curiosity, how much are you making off of all those bad drives?"
"Enough to put me on easy street, and your dad is financing it all," Ted said, glaring at Chuck. "I never should have been the one that went bankrupt. It should have been you and your family that came on your hands and knees to me!"
"Good-bye, Teddy," Chuck said walking out the door. He walked out, got in his car and took a deep breath. "Did you get all of that, C3PO?"
"Every word, sir," C3PO said. "You haven't looked at your text sir."
"Don't need to," Chuck told his assistant. "She sent him packing."
"How do you know?"
"Because I trust her with my heart," Chuck replied, smiling. He started his car, heading back to the restaurant with his girlfriend.
A/N: I KNOW some of you loved that Shaw smackdown. Yes these personality types are real. And again, if you are an ISTJ, please do not take one bit of that personally. Chances are you didn't just try to sleep with someone's significant other for cash. That one was a LOT of fun. Come on back, we have so much more. I don't think I'm gonna get this one finished in the 15 chapters I thought I was….As for the preview, next chapter isn't fluffy. It deals with the fallout of this chapter, it's real. Really real, so I'm sorry, I just couldn't find anything that would make you rush back. So next time, some real, honest conversations. See you soon.