A/N: Alrighty. Well, that got a WAY bigger response than I was expecting. Everyone's support and optimism for this story is really amazing. I just hope that it lives up to your expectations. In either case, I'd like to hear about it when you're done with the chapter, so please leave a note.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 2

"Miss Walker, Ms. Beckman, please, have a seat. They'll be with you shortly. Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, espresso, latte, chai tea, water -"

"Water. Water will be fine, thank you," Diane interrupted, undoubtedly saving them from an exhaustive list of offerings. The overly chipper young blonde woman left, returning shortly with two blue, glass bottles of water. She quickly made herself scarce just as two others walked into the room. The first was a silver-haired, older man that carried himself like someone out of an Ian Fleming novel. That suave, debonair air about him, the wry smile he brandished, Sarah figured this had to be …

"Roan," Diane stated in a flat, professional tone. She stood and extended her hand.

"Diane! So lovely to see you." He took her hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a soft kiss to the back of her hand. "And Miss Walker," he turned releasing Diane's hand and extending his toward Sarah. "Looking lovely as ever. Your reputation precedes you." Sarah shook his hand but pulled away before he attempted to kiss her hand as well.

"As does yours Mr. Montgomery." Her tone was no nonsense but not gruff. His wry smile only broadened as he nodded.

"Please let me introduce the show's producer -"

"Z?" Sarah interjected, looking thoroughly surprised. She remained rooted in place, mouth agape, as the young woman rounded Roan. The two hugged, practically squealing. When they pulled away, Sarah held on to her shoulders. "I can't believe you're here. I thought you were working out of New York?"

"I was for a few years, then they asked me to produce this show. I didn't know it was going to feature you until this morning. They're playing this all pretty close to the vest. You're a huge star and people are gonna flip their lids on the reveal."

"Wow. It's so great to see you. Carina's in town too. We have to do lunch." The clearing of throats pulled them from their reverie. "Right. Sorry. Diane, this is Zondra Rizzo. We were roommates in college." Sarah stepped aside and gestured to Zondra.

"Small world it seems. Nice to meet you, Zondra." The older woman shook her hand and they all took seats around the conference table.

"Let's get right down to it, shall we?" Roan began. "Miss Walker, I understand you have some misgivings about the show. Diane here has indicated that you have concerns about the … 'intentions' of the show. Let me be perfectly clear, last season's director was a pig. They selected the most desperate and depraved contestants, ensuring that sex and drama would become the prevailing theme. I won't allow this to be some studio sanctioned breeding program. While I'm certainly no prude, I am a romantic at heart. I truly believe that viewers want to see a love story, a happily ever after. Especially in this day and age, I think it's more important than ever. That being said, I will not dissuade you from pursuing… extracurricular activities on your dates if that's what you choose. You're an adult after all. I just ask that you show some decorum. I suspect that many an impressionable young girl, or boy, will be watching this show as well. We won't be including any footage of that sort for this show."

"Understood. That won't be a problem, I assure you. I have absolutely no intentions of engaging in a physical relationship with anyone during this show," Sarah replied indignantly.

"Good. Glad to hear it. Regardless of your intentions, as long as it doesn't compromise the show, I'll stay out of your personal affairs. Now, to my next point, this show is just as much about finding you a suitable companion as it is showing the world who you truly are, as I think Diane would agree. People know you through your movies or the tabloid rags, but they don't know 'Sarah Walker' the person. So that's what I'd like to give them. They don't want a touched-up facsimile of what the studio thinks you should be, but the real you. People want to know your favorite food, what music you listen to or an embarrassing story from your childhood. They don't need to hear some drummed-up cover story made up by the studio. They want you, unfiltered, and that's what I'd like to give them." He paused for a moment to judge the demeanor of the ladies across the table. He could see that Sarah was concerned, her brow starting to furrow.

"Obviously, there are things that can remain private. We certainly don't want to reveal too much, exposing you to the more unsavory sorts out there. To that end, there will always be security on set and around you while out in public." This seemed to set Sarah at ease somewhat, her expression relaxing.

"Don't worry Sarah. I'll be there every step of the way, overseeing production. I'll have your best interests at heart, as I'm sure Roan will as well. The crap they pulled last season, when Brian Anderson was the celebrity, won't fly here. As we all know, a male celebrity can whore around all he wants and he's a hero for it. A female celebrity does it and her career is doomed to T&A B-movies. We want to help bolster your career, not ruin it. So, we're having to come up with some unique ideas for group dates and challenges. Maybe we can brainstorm over lunch?" Zondra looked between Sarah and Diane. The actress and her agent shared a quick glance and nodded in unison.

"Great! Now that's settled, a bit about the contestants. This premise was lost last season, but the whole idea is to use 'regular' guys, the kind you wouldn't normally interact with. Obviously, they will have to be nice looking gentlemen, ages twenty-three to thirty-two. As progressive as we try to be, viewers still want to see attractive people who are relatively close in age to you. The audition process is finishing up this week and we'll make our final selections. It'll be held here in LA, so Miss Rizzo and I will be part of the interview process. Especially for those candidates we feel… stand out." Before Roan could continue, the blonde assistant entered the conference room carrying a martini, walking it over to Roan.

"Oh, Brianna. You are a peach! What would I do without you?" His charm was so thick you could practically see it in the air. 'Brianna' must have stepped into its path as she blushed and giggled at his praise. She backed out of the room, keeping her eyes on Roan the entire time. "Now… where was I?"

"The contestants," Zondra interrupted, failing to hide the exasperation in her voice. "We'll be looking for people with interesting jobs or stories. Things that make for good TV. People love a rags to riches story or the exploits of an everyday hero. Unfortunately, neither of you can see or know the identities of the contestants prior to taping." Zondra gave a pointed look at Sarah." I know how much you hate surprises, but you're just gonna have to deal with it," she declared, smirking at her friend. Sarah rolled her eyes good naturedly, shaking her head. Diane and Roan both shared a look, smiling at the ease banter between the younger women.

"And to be clear, there is no expectation that I have any type of physical relationship with the contestants, or anyone else for that matter?" Sarah asked, her determined gaze making it clear this wasn't really a question.

"Absolutely not!" Roan and Diane exclaimed in unison. The two chuckled, sharing a glance. Roan cleared his throat and continued. "You're free to make your own choices in that regard, of course, but we won't push you to do anything you're not comfortable with. If, in the course of interacting with the contestants, you decide to say… hold hands, give a simple hug or kiss, if the camera is rolling it will be fair game. However, as I said previously, anything beyond that is right out. I want to set expectations upfront so there are no surprises later. I know it goes against what you may be accustomed to in this industry, but this show is really all about your happiness. Am I right?" He glanced around the room to gauge Zondra and Diane's expressions, who both seemed to be in agreement.

"Alright then. Well, if there aren't any more questions," Zondra began, "how about Sarah and I talk over lunch about our ideas for the show's elimination format and the group events. Diane, would you like to join us?"

"No!" she hurried out but quickly corrected herself. "No, thank you. I already have … plans for lunch. You two enjoy. You have my number if you need anything." The four rose from their seats and exchanged handshakes again. As Sarah and Zondra walked out of the conference room, they exchanged a glance then peeked over their shoulders. Roan and Diane were trying awfully hard to appear to not have any interest in each other, but it was so painfully obvious. The two friends rolled their eyes at one another, beginning to snicker once they were far enough down the hall.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was now Thursday afternoon and Chuck was cursing himself. How could he have been foolish enough to agree to this. He'd been standing in line for nearly forty-five minutes so far. He'd stopped at a table where he signed in and was given a name tag which also included a number below the name. He assumed this was a way of uniquely identifying auditions, although he was reasonably certain there would be no other 'Chuck Bartowski' to be confused with. The line had inched forward at a glacial pace, all the while he was forced to listen to the conversations of all the others auditioning.

Looking around, it was the easiest game of 'Which one of these was not like the other?' ever devised. Nearly every man in line looked like he could grace the cover of Men's Health or GQ magazine. They were all handsome, well-built young men, sporting a confidence he could only dream of. He supposed if he looked like any of them, he'd feel that sort of confidence too. It was just as he had pictured it would be. This was the demographic that this show would undoubtedly be looking for. He watched as each man was ushered through a door labeled "Quiet - Recording". There was a red light outside the door that would light up shortly after an auditionee entered. He assumed there was another exit to the room since he never saw anyone come back out. In his boredom, he theorized any number of sci-fi movie plots that could otherwise explain their disappearance but eventually dismissed those thoughts as the line slowly pushed forward. On two separate occasions, an auditionee was instead directed down an adjacent hallway, never to be seen again. It wasn't clear, but perhaps that was the 'reject' line where the audition ended before it even began.

As he approached the head of the line, the now almost ninety-minute trek had left him emotionally drained and feeling even more self-conscious than when he'd begun. Apart from feeling like the fly in the punch bowl, he'd had to hear the boastings of the other auditionees coupled with the not so quiet whispers and jokes made at his expense. It was like high school all over again, and it was no less unpleasant this time around. Fighting the urge to just walk out and save himself the embarrassment, he thought of his promise to Ellie and just tried to block out the chatter around him. He had the presence of mind, before getting in line, to put some paper towels from the bathroom in his front pants pockets. This was proving quite useful at wicking away the nervous sweat from his palms.

"0218. Bartowski?" The woman called, not looking up from her clipboard. Nervously he approached, handing her the information sheet he had filled out back at the beginning of the line. The edges were slightly damp from his sweaty hands, but she didn't seem to notice as she took it absentmindedly. As Chuck moved toward the door, she stopped him in his tracks, practically smacking her clipboard against his chest. She held her free hand against her headset, as if trying to listen more intently. After a long moment, she nodded to herself and then finally turned to look up at him. She was barely over five feet tall, so his six-foot-four-inch frame towered over her.

"I'm gonna need you to head down that hall. After a couple of turns, there will be someone to guide you the rest of the way." Removing her clipboard from his chest she gestured toward the hallway. This was the 'reject' hallway and he was even more certain of that now. He tried not to let the disappointment show as he nodded in understanding.

"Thanks for your time. Have a good day," he said, giving her the best smile he could muster. Surprisingly, the woman, who had seemed like an automaton up until this point, actually smiled in return.

"You too. Good luck." With that she returned to her clipboard and shouted out the next name and number on the list. Chuck walked down the 'hall of shame', berating himself the whole way. He was actually feeling … disappointed. Part of him knew he never really stood a chance, but a small piece of him had gotten excited, hopeful even, at the idea of being on the show. Sure, he never for a second entertained the notion that he would be picked to continue beyond the first cut of contestants, but he thought it would be cool to at least meet the celebrity that would be the focus of the show. He continued down the hall, making several turns before coming face to face with another woman with a similar headset and clipboard. This time, the brunette woman greeted him with a smile, which surprised him.

"Mr. Bartowski. I'm glad you decided to come after all." She seemed to read the surprised look on his face and continued. "I'm Megan. We spoke on the phone the other day."

"Oh! Right. Right. So, um… is this the exit? Is there anything I need to sign before I go?" he asked, giving her a sheepish smile. She seemed a bit confused by his questions, tilting her head to the side.

"Um... Nooo. This is your audition," she declared, motioning with her clipboard toward the open door to his right.

"I… I don't understand. I thought that …" he trailed off, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Oh! Right. Well, like I said on the phone, they took an interest in you. This interview is with the producer and the director of the show. The others back there are just interviewed by staffers." She could see the surprise on his face morph into fear. She gave him a warm smile and placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't be nervous. They're not here to trip you up or anything. Just be yourself. You'll do fine." She gave his arm a little squeeze before gently pushing him toward the door. He took a deep breath and blew it out before entering the room. Inside, it was a basic conference room with a large oval table. On the opposite side were three people: an older, gray-haired man, an attractive dark-haired woman close to Chuck's age and lastly a younger man who was manning a camera.

"Charles. Please, have a seat," the older man stated, gesturing to the chair across from the camera. The woman was flipping through the stack of papers in front of her, too engrossed to even look up at him. Chuck just nodded and took his seat, squirming a bit as he tried to get comfortable. There was a long silence as the older man also looked over some of the papers in front of him. Chuck was very much aware of the red light on the camera but tried to keep his gaze on the two people he assumed would be asking him questions. It was bad form to look into the camera, right?

"So, Charles. Do you go by Charles?" the silver-haired man inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Um, most people call me Chuck, Sir," Chuck replied, clearing his throat.

"Very well, Chuck. To get things started, I'm Roan Montgomery. I'm the director of this show and to my left here is Miss Zondra Rizzo. She's the show's illustrious producer. Jason, the man behind the camera, pay him no mind. Now, we'd like to ask you a few questions to get to know you a bit better, if you're ready?" Chuck swallowed the lump in his throat but nodded his head.

"Great. So 'Chuck', tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you? What do you do?" Roan gestured to Chuck to begin.

"Um, Right. Well, let's see. I'm … I'm Chuck Bartowski and I live in Echo Park, here in LA. I'm twenty-seven and I own a small software company. Computer games mostly. I love music, movies and graphic novels. I'm a nerd, through and through." He gave a self-deprecating chuckle, shrugging his shoulders, blushing a bit.

"A nerd? Interesting… Tell us about your earlier life growing up. Your family and friends, that sort of thing," Zondra interjected, her elbow resting on the table, her chin in her hand. Chuck blew out a slow breath, uncertainty painted across his face.

"I guess I had a normal upbringing as a little kid. My parents and my older sister, we lived in a small house in Encino for a while. Then my sister and I moved to the LA area when I was in middle school and we've been here ever since," he confessed, rubbing his hands on his pants legs.

"So, wait. You and your sister moved to LA. What about your parents?" the woman asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"I uh… I'd rather not discuss that if-if it's all the same to you. It's not a very happy time in my life." He looked very uncomfortable, shifting in his seat and averting his gaze from the people across the table.

"Alright, Chuck. We don't have to go into it right now. We can see it's a difficult topic for you," Roan interrupted. Chuck visibly relaxed and nodded his appreciation. "Let's move ahead a little bit. What was your high school experience like?"

"Wow. High school? Well, I told you I was a nerd, right?" He chuckled, but there wasn't much mirth in it. "I was a lanky, awkward teenager that was uncomfortable in my own skin. Kids can be pretty cruel sometimes, especially when you're different." He swallowed thickly, collecting his thoughts for a moment. "It wasn't all bad. I had a good friend to commiserate with, I had my nerdy hobbies... and my sister. They helped me through it, convincing me things would get better once I went off to college."

"So, college... It says here you graduated from Stanford… with distinction. That's pretty impressive. What was your area of study?" Roan asked, flipping through the papers in front of him.

"I dual majored in computer and electrical engineering with a minor in mathematics," he stated matter of factly, giving a slight shrug.

"That's pretty damn impressive. So, after college you started your own software company?" Zondra inquired, also looking over some notes she had on a legal pad.

"Well, eventually. Yes. I had some… hiccups along the way, but I got there eventually. It's a small company really, just myself and my friend Morgan." Chuck sat quietly, not really knowing what to say. He really hated talking about himself, so this was probably the last place he should be.

"I think that most people that audition for this, or any dating show, are either looking for their fifteen minutes of fame or they have a history of failed relationships and are desperate to try something new. Which is it for you? Or is it a bit of both? Why are you here Chuck?" Roan sat back in his chair when he finished, an inquisitive expression on his face.

"To be completely honest, my friend submitted the application without my knowledge. He and my sister have been trying to get me to date again for … for about five years now. It… it just hasn't worked out for me," Chuck admitted, looking a bit dejected.

"Five years?" Zondra interrupted. "Why so long? What happened before that?" Chuck shifted his gaze to the table, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

"My last relationship… well, my only relationship really, was in college. Things were pretty serious, or so I thought. It … it ended badly. I has given me some … trust issues." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Since then, I haven't really had the courage to try again. I haven't found anyone that I thought was worth risking that kind of heartbreak for again." He blew out a breath, then cleared his throat. Sitting up a little straighter he continued. "I made a promise to Ellie, my sister, that I would give this a try, for her. She means the world to me and has made so many sacrifices for me to get where I am today, I feel like I owe her at least that much. I don't seriously expect to even make it on the show, let alone find… 'true love'. But, if I do nothing at all, I'm certain to fail. So, here I am." Both Roan and Zondra sat quietly, nodding, as if reflecting on his confession. Even the cameraman was nodding in sympathetic understanding.

"Alright, Chuck. Let's speak hypothetically here. Let's say you were a contestant on this show, why should the celebrity bachelorette choose you over everyone else?" the woman asked. She was not harsh, but direct, no nonsense. Chuck considered the question for a moment.

"Normally I'd say she shouldn't, but since this is a hypothetical scenario… I'm… I'm just an average guy living an unremarkable life. I don't know who this celebrity will be, but I have to believe that they are hounded by fans and the press, constantly under scrutiny. I could never understand what they're going through, but that type of life seems very lonely. How do they know that people aren't with them just to have their, as you said, 'fifteen minutes of fame'? Personally, I have no interest in fame or fortune, those things are fleeting. I want to be with someone for the person they are on the inside, not the person on the photoshopped cover of a magazine, or the person under the bright lights of the red carpet. I want to be with the person who… sits around the house in their sweatpants to binge watch their favorite TV show. The… the person who eats whipped cream out of the can when they think nobody's watching. I would want them to just be themselves around me, warts and all. That's what I bring to the table. No judgement. No expectations. I offer unconditional acceptance and… and I guess I'd hope for the same in return…" he trailed off, sounding a little saddened. Nobody said a word for a few moments. Finally, Roan signaled to Jason to stop filming and then straightened the papers in front of him. Zondra was just staring at Chuck, her face a bit scrunched in contemplation. Finally, she shook herself out of it and shared a glance with Roan.

"Thank you, Chuck. I think we have everything we need. We'll be in touch. See Megan outside and she'll show you the way out." They all stood, and Chuck extended his hand across the table, shaking their hands and thanking them for their time.

A/N: I'd really like to hear your feedback, so please leave a review or send a PM and let me know what you think.

Joe