A/N: Meanwhile, back at the Halls of Justice… oops. Wrong voice over. Now where did I… Ah, here it is. Welcome back to the next installment of Matchmaker. Chuck and Sarah's date night is finally upon us. The culmination of nearly a week of stiff competition boils down to this moment. Let's go to the cameras to check on their final preparations.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck.

Chapter 19

Chuck paced the large living room of the house, chewing on his thumb nail. He had gotten ready too early for his date with Sarah, even after changing his outfit six times, finally settling on the one he first picked out. He had another five minutes to kill before he could leave to pick up Sarah at the guest house. The waiting was excruciating.

"Hey, man. You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet," Will playfully chided, standing at the edge of the living room. Chuck shook himself from his thoughts, taking a moment to register what he had said.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, I'm… I'm a little nervous. Ok… a lot nervous, to be honest. This is … it's a really big deal and I want it to go well," Chuck admitted, looking a bit sheepish. Realizing he had been purposefully avoiding Will all day, he knew he had to confront the elephant in the room. He was beginning to consider Will a friend, and a good friend would be interested in their friend's life. So, despite how much he didn't want to know the answer, he asked the question anyway.

"I heard you come in last night. You guys must have had a great time, considering how late you came back and how happy you both seemed. How… how was it?" Chuck asked, swallowing thickly, his eyes shifting from Will to everything and anything else in the room to mask his real feelings. Will was quiet for a long moment, leaning against the entryway to the living room with his arms folded across his chest.

"It went really well. We… well, I had a great time. We talked and laughed for hours. Probably the best time I've had in a long while." Chuck just nodded his head, a whirlwind of emotions coursing through him. Chuck knew he should say something, be an encouraging friend, but his heart was caught in his throat, making it hard to get the words out. Thankfully, he was saved by Will, who continued.

"And I'm sure you'll have a good time too. I think you're stressing about this way too much." Chuck snapped his attention back to Will, surprised by the man's comment. "I know you don't need my advice, but my suggestion to you would be to just be yourself. If she doesn't like the man you are, then she's not worth it."

"She's worth it," Chuck proclaimed without a moment's thought. He ducked his head, looking down at this black Chuck Taylors.

"Yeah. Well, you're gonna be late if you don't get going," Will remarked as he checked his watch. Chuck frantically checked his watch as well, seeing that he only had a few minutes. As Chuck headed toward the patio door, Will called after him.

"Hey, Chuck." Chuck, stopped, his hand on the door, and looked back over his shoulder. "Good luck, man." Chuck gave him a small smile and nodded appreciatively, before heading out the door.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"How do I look? Is this too casual? Or maybe it's not causal enough? He said to dress casual and wear comfortable shoes, but what if he meant-"

"STOP! Geez, woman," Zondra barked, her eyes wide with exasperation. "Would you listen to yourself? You're losing your damn mind. Either that or I am." Sarah blew out a breath, her head flopping back to stare at the ceiling. "This is a date with Chuck. Do you honestly believe that he'll care what you're wearing? Hell, go out there naked and skip to the end. Though, I suppose you'd probably make the man's head explode."

"Z!" Sarah snapped, shocked at her friend's suggestion. Zondra just shrugged with a wry smile plastered across her face.

"She's right, Sarah. Not about the whole naked thing! God. You'd kill him. No, about the outfit," Megan interjected. "Chuck's a simple guy. OK, that's not entirely true, but when it comes to you, he's simple. He just wants to be with you. I can see it in his face whenever he looks at you or talks about you. He just wants you. He doesn't care about the packaging." Sarah gave her an appreciative smile. Even though she had only known Megan since the planning phase of the show, she was quickly becoming a good friend. Sarah made a mental note to have a girl's night with Megan, Zondra, Carina and Ellie once all of this was over.

"Thanks. I'm sure you're right. It's just… I've never been this nervous about a date before," Sarah confessed, blowing out a long breath. Zondra and Megan shared an amused look and Sarah looked between the two of them. 'What?"

"Nothing," they stated in unison, twisting their lips to hide their smiles. Sarah gave them a flat look, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ok. Fine. I'll spell it out for you. With all your other past dates, those guys were just… convenient. They made sense at the time. They were the type of guys that you thought you wanted; the type other people expected you to be with. But Chuck? You've genuinely fallen head over heels for this guy. You must realize that by now. I've never seen you this happy in all the time I've known you. Since when do you care so much about what a guy thinks about your clothes? Huh?" Zondra asked, raising an eyebrow defiantly. Sarah stared at the floor, her eyes searching. Finally, a grin started to form, and Sarah returned her gaze to Zondra.

"I think you're right. I mean… about the other guys. They were relationships of opportunity and I never expected much from them. But with Chuck, I can see … more. Oh God. He's gonna be here any minute! What do I do? I don't want to screw this up, Z. What if I say the wrong thing or I can't be the person he needs? What if I lose him?" Sarah was beginning to spiral, her breathing picking up speed. Zondra grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, trying to get her attention.

"Blondie! I hate to rain on your parade, but technically speaking, you don't have him yet. Not officially, anyway. So, before we try to boil the ocean, let's get over that hurdle first. Second, this isn't a sprint. You don't have to rush this with him. Chuck has patiently waited throughout this competition for you. Hell, even longer in some respects from what I can tell. He's not in a rush, so you don't have to be either. Just enjoy yourself. That's the whole point of this date tonight. For him to show you a good time. So, let him." Zondra could see that Sarah was still uncertain. Some part of her was still scared of something. "What is it? Spill!"

"What if… what if, after all of this, after learning who I really am, what my life is really like, he decides that he can't be a part of it?" Her last words were choked out, her eyes getting glassy. Zondra sighed with a groan in resignation.

"I didn't want to have to do this now, but you aren't giving me much choice." Before Zondra could continue, Roan, who had seemingly been blissfully ignorant, making himself martinis at the kitchen island, spoke up.

"Megan, would you queue up the audition tape, my dear?" he asked, gulping down his freshly poured martini. All three women were a bit startled, having forgotten that he was even there. Megan looked to Zondra for confirmation, who gave a knowing smile and nodded her approval.

Megan opened Zondra's laptop and searched for the file in question. Once located, she cast it to the large TV in the living room of the guest house. Roan came around the kitchen island to stand behind Sarah, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. When she gave him a questioning look, he just smiled and gestured with his martini glass to the television.

"Skip to the end. The last question," Roan directed. Megan tracked forward through the audition interview, trying to find the right spot. "In previous seasons of this show, they wouldn't have shown this to you until after the finale, but in this case, I think we'll make an exception." Roan gave Sarah a warm smile, seeming far more … fatherly than he had thus far. Sarah turned her attention back to the television when Megan indicated that she found it.

Sarah watched Chuck, with his longer curly hair, as she heard Zondra's voice off camera asking him a question.

"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?"

Chuck was quiet for a moment, only fidgeting slightly in his seat. Finally, he looked up from the table and addressed Zondra and Roan across from him.

"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 she's hounded by fans and the press, constantly under scrutiny. I could never understand what she's going through, but that type of life seems very lonely. How does she know that people aren't with her 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."

Sarah laughed out a sob, the remark hitting very close to home for her. It was one of her favorite things to do during her down time.

The… the person who eats whipped cream out of the can when they think nobody's watching. I would want her to just be herself 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…"

Sarah was biting her bottom lip, but it didn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. This honest, sincere man had made all of these proclamations before he ever knew she was the show's celebrity. Everything he said resonated within her, as if he had her in mind when he spoke it. She had no questions about her feelings for him before seeing that video. What she had struggled with was his expectations of her, what he wanted from her and if she would be enough to make him happy. After hearing that heartfelt confession, he had set her at ease. She should have realized it all along, that Chuck was a selfless, caring man that wanted nothing but the happiness of others. Standing up straighter, wiping away the tears from her cheeks, she vowed to herself that she would do everything in her power to show him the same caring and kindness. She wanted to be the one to make him happy for once.

There was a timid knock on the door, and everyone froze, looking at one another. Sarah's eyes grew wide, a bit of her previous panic returning. Megan just held up her hands in an effort to calm Sarah. She gave Sarah a quick once over, wiping a lone tear away and putting a stray hair back in place. Giving a satisfied nod, she moved in and gave Sarah a hug.

"Go have fun. You both deserve it." Megan pushed away, holding onto Sarah's shoulders, using them to turn her to walk her toward the door. Sarah chuckled at the 'forced march' to the door, waving her off when she reached for the doorknob. Sarah took a cleansing breath before opening the door.

Startled, Chuck turned around to face the door and froze in place at the sight of her. His expression warmed her inside and immediately told her that she had worried over her wardrobe choice for nothing. Not because he didn't care, but because he hadn't even looked at her outfit yet and he was mesmerized. She gave him a shy smile, feeling the color rise in her cheeks. He gave a long blink, then his eyes fluttered as he seemed to shake himself from his musings.

"W-wow. You look amazing," he confessed, swallowing thickly. The compliment was so genuine and heartfelt that she ducked her head for a moment, unsure how to respond. "Oh. Oh, here. This is for you," he stammered out, handing her a small sprig of greenery with a brilliant white flower on top. She took the offered flower with a slight gasp, bringing it to her nose, closing her eyes to take a long sniff.

"It's a gardenia. You seemed to like them, so when I saw them in the garden, I thought of you. I'm sorry I couldn't go to a proper florist and get you a real bouquet or anything. We're kind of in the middle of nowhere here," he said, giving a self-deprecating shrug.

"Oh, no. No, it's beautiful. Gardenias are my favorite, and it means more to me that you picked it out yourself. Thank you." When she smiled at him, it was his turn to blush, looking away for a moment as his ears reddened. He was so adorable she could hardly stand it. Trying to keep the moment from turning awkward, Sarah turned to look into the house behind her, calling out to her friend.

"Megan, could you put these in some water for me?" Megan rushed forward to take the flower, a grin etched across her face. She took the flower and waved past Sarah with her other hand.

"Hi Chuck." Chuck gave an excited smile, waving in return.

"Hey, Megan. Good to see you. Hey, Zondra. Mr. Montgomery," he added, waving at the others who had gathered behind Sarah. He cleared his throat, looking a bit uneasy.

"I know it's a school night, so I'll try to have her back home early," he joked, earning a snort from Zondra and a chuckle from Roan. Sarah let out a 'tsk' and patted him on the chest, shaking her head in amusement.

"I think we should go before 'Mom' and 'Dad' give you the third degree," Sarah teased, shooting a look behind her. Chuck let out chuckle, and when she turned back to face him, he offered her his arm.

"Are you ready?" Sarah smiled, nodding as she took his arm. He walked them down the sidewalk that led to the front of the house, where their limo awaited. She noticed him looking her over as they walked. It wasn't salacious, just curious and appraising. He nodded to himself.

"I like your outfit. You look comfortable." Chuck's eyes widened, before rushing on. "Not… not TOO comfortable. Not like you're rumpled or anything. I just meant you look… relaxed. Casual. Which is good. Perfect in fact. I want you to feel relaxed. Like… like you can be yourself." Sarah hugged his arm tighter, pulling herself closer to him. She liked the way he rambled when he got nervous or flustered. It was kinda cute.

"I am relaxed, comfortable even," she teased, sticking her tongue between her teeth. He chuckled, accepting the good-natured teasing and seeming not to let it bother him. "It's not often that I feel like I can just be … myself. So, thank you for giving me the opportunity." She squeezed his arm and he shot her a glance, which accompanied a small smile. When they reached the limo, a camera crew was set up to film them approaching, in addition to the crew that had followed Chuck ever since he left the house. Casey stood at the back door, holding it open for the two to enter. Chuck let Sarah enter first, being the gentleman that he was. She didn't notice the nod that Casey and Chuck exchanged, followed by a wink from the older man.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They sat in silence for a few moments, gazing through the window of the limo, as they rode along the Pacific Coast Highway. There was a respectable distance between them, and Sarah fought the urge to scoot closer. Their date had barely just begun, and she didn't want to derail things by pushing things too quickly. To keep the silence from seeming awkward, Sarah cleared her throat.

"So, um… where are we going?" Chuck shook himself, apparently having been in deep thought.

"Oh. It's … it's kind of a surprise. Well … probably not a 'wohoo' kind of surprise. Just… I don't want to spoil it. That way you don't have a chance to bail out on me before we get there," he joked, but the expression on his face belied that there may be a hint of truth in his statement. Instinctively, Sarah placed her hand on his forearm in an effort to comfort him.

"Chuck, wherever it is, I'm sure it'll be great," she reassured him with a broad smile.

"You say that now. My history with dates has been far from stellar," he said, rolling his eyes at himself.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not as bad as that," she replied, trying to sound positive. He gave her a hint of a smile, but she could tell that he did not agree.

"One of my last dates, I took her to a seafood restaurant."

"OK. See, that's not so bad."

"Well, it turns out that not only was she allergic to shellfish, she was also a vegan and had Celiac disease. So, the only thing she could eat was a salad with no cheese, eggs or croutons and they had to find a dressing that didn't have gluten in it. If that wasn't challenging enough, I got so flustered that I knocked my glass of wine across the table and stained her blouse and pants. Then, of course, I wanted to help clean it up but since it was mainly down her front and in her lap, that would have been a bit too … forward. She excused herself to the bathroom to clean up. After sitting there for another forty-five minutes, I realized she wasn't coming back," he admitted, looking a little crestfallen. Sarah couldn't help but laugh yet feel sorry for him all at the same time. She could imagine him trying so hard and everything going wrong.

"Awww. I'm sorry, Chuck. I'm not laughing at you, just the situation. That sounds really awful."

"Yeah. I don't blame her for leaving. Most of my other dates haven't been much better," he confessed, giving his patented self-deprecating shrug.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Chuck gave her a quizzical look, then it dawned on him.

"Ah, right. Ellie," he grimaced. "She and I are gonna have a long talk when this is over."

"Oh, don't be too hard on her. She cares about you and just worries. She's also very proud of you; the man that you've become despite all you've been through." She could see Chuck wince, but he didn't say anything. Reminding him of the setbacks in his life was probably not great for a first date. To cover her faux pas, she tried to inject some humor into the situation.

"For the record, I have no food allergies and I'm most definitely not vegan. Plus, I have no particular attachment to this outfit, so if it gets stained, it's not the end of the world." Chuck snorted at that, shaking his head in amusement. Sarah leaned over, bumping her shoulder into his.

"Duly noted. Though I'll try my best to avoid any culinary disasters or wardrobe casualties." He smiled appreciatively at her, then turned his gaze out the window. His eyes widened and he perked up.

"We're here!" Chuck exclaimed. "Hey, Sean! Pull over here," he called toward the driver. Sarah looked between Chuck and the limo driver.

"You know the limo driver's name- what am I saying? Of course, you do," she chuckled, shaking her head as she smiled warmly at Chuck. He just gave a crooked smile in return, shrugging a shoulder. The limo pulled over and Casey opened the door, letting the two of them step out onto the sidewalk. Sarah noticed that Casey was on edge, his eyes scanning the area. When Sarah looked around to get her bearings, she could see why he was being cautious. On the surface, the neighborhood didn't look to be the greatest. She'd seen slums on her travels around the world and this was nothing like that, but you could tell that the area was depressed. Buildings were older but mostly in good repair. Still, it was a far cry from the neighborhoods she was used to. Chuck stepped up beside her and offered her his arm.

"The place we're going is just up the street. It's best that they don't see us rolling up in a limo. I hope you don't mind a short walk?" He was looking at her with some apprehension, undoubtedly seeing the uncertainty on her face. Sarah took his arm and gave it a small squeeze.

"Lead the way." With that, Chuck began to walk them down the sidewalk. They passed a variety of small businesses like a dry cleaner, a tax preparation office and a pizza place, along with a few vacant storefronts. As they crossed an alleyway that cut through the block, she could start to smell a heavenly aroma. It was a mixture of grilled meat and smoke, and along with it came the sound of music playing. She could see that ahead of them were over a dozens motorcycles parked along the street. There were a variety of makes and models, but they all shined with polished paint and chrome. Sarah glanced up at Chuck and saw that he seemed quite comfortable, even had a smile gracing his face. He caught her looking out of the corner of his eye and smiled down at her. He took a glance around and then turned back to her.

"Oh, don't worry. I know it looks rough, but I'll be fine. That's why I brought you along." He said it so matter-of-factly that she couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but the fact that he had just insinuated that she was his protector stirred something in her. She tried and failed to comment a few times before she was able to form a response.

"And you're ok with that?" she asked, staring up at him in disbelief.

"With what? You being better able to protect us than I am? Why wouldn't I be? I mean, you're pretty badass, I'm not gonna lie. Naturally, I'd never let any harm come to you if I could help it, but I'm under no illusions that you are far more capable at taking care of yourself than I am." Chuck turned to look straight ahead while Sarah still stared at him, blinking in shock.

Sarah had been dealing with the fragile egos of men throughout her acting career. Her male co-stars were often threatened by her physical capabilities. It was bad enough to be more skilled at martial arts and weaponry than they were, but being a woman just made it a hundred times worse. Everything was a competition. It had even spilled over into her relationships with Cole and Bryce. The macho bullshit got old, really fast, but she tried to let it go. Now, here was Chuck, without reservation, wholly accepting that she was more skilled than he and taking no issue with it. In fact, he seemed to harbor a sense of awe toward her. If there was anyone deserving of awe, it was this man.

They approached the restaurant that had an aged neon sign that read "Emma's Diner". It looked clean and well kept, but still showed some signs that the place had been here for some time. Sarah turned to admire all of the motorcycles parked out front.

"Alright, I know this place doesn't look like much, but it's a closely guarded secret that they have THE best burgers on the planet." He gave her a cheeky grin as he pulled the door open, holding it for her. When she entered, Sarah surveyed the diner, taking in all of its charms. There was a long bar with circular metal bar stools, most of which were filled with men and women in jeans and leather jackets. The rest of the place was filled by wooden booths with vinyl covered bench seats and formica covered tables. Many of the booths were filled with similarly dressed customers, a random assortment of other groups were scattered throughout. When the door closed behind them, the place grew deathly quiet, all activity stopped as every eye in the place turned to them. It was a bit concerning, and terribly awkward, but what happened next, she was not prepared for.

"CHUCK!" Almost every person in the restaurant, patron and staff alike, waved a hand and shouted his name. Sarah starred in complete astonishment, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Chuck cleared his throat behind her, pulling her attention toward him, snapping her head around to stare up at him. He was rubbing the back of his neck, looking supremely embarrassed, evidenced by the rosy color in his cheeks and ears.

"Chuck! Where've you been? We've missed you," came the voice of a woman coming up behind her. Stepping around Sarah, a short, brunette woman wrapped Chuck in a hug, which he returned but seemed a bit hesitant, glancing at Sarah briefly. "And who's your…" the woman trailed off as she turned to face Sarah. The objectively attractive woman looked to be a waitress, roughly the same age as her and Chuck but nearly a head shorter than Sarah. Her voice hitched and she nearly turned white. "Umm… ummm… friend?" Looking between Chuck and Sarah, the woman looked beyond shocked.

"Lou, this is Sarah. Sarah, this is Lou Palone. She runs this place." Sarah offered her hand, and Lou accepted it eagerly, an excited smile growing on her face. It was then that Lou noticed the cameraman off to the side that was filming the encounter. Before she got the words out, Chuck interjected.

"He's with us. It's a documentary of sorts. I hope that's OK?" Lou regarded Chuck, the cameraman and then Sarah. There were a hundred questions on the tip of her tongue, but she held them and just shrugged. With a wry smile, she grabbed two menus and gestured with her head for them to follow.

"I'll give you two the honeymoon suite," she stated over her shoulder as they walked toward the back corner of the diner. Everyone stared at the two of them -three if you counted the odd man with the camera- and occasionally a patron would offer a, "Hey ya, Chuck" as they passed by. Chuck returned the greeting, often referring to them by name. Sarah was quite familiar with celebrity, but this was something else entirely.

Chuck and Sarah slid into opposite sides of the booth and Lou handed them each a menu, "Your usual Chuck, or are you two gonna need a minute?" She looked between Chuck and Sarah, waiting for a reply.

"Um, well. This is my first time here, so I'm gonna need a minute," Sarah replied, opening the menu to look things over.

"Do you trust me?" Chuck asked, giving Sarah a rather serious look. That question seemed to carry a great deal more weight than just regarding their meal, and in either case, she knew the answer. Closing her menu with a grin, she handed it back to Lou.

"I do." Chuck's face nearly split with the grin that broke across it. He handed his menu to Lou as well, but didn't break his gaze with Sarah.

"I'll take the barbeque bacon cheddar burger, medium well, with onion rings. For the lady, the All American, medium, with extra pickles and a side of fries. I'll have iced tea to drink. Sarah?" She sat speechless for a moment, taken aback by how well he seemed to know her. Blinking, she shook herself from her thoughts.

"I'll have the same." After a moment, the two broke their connection, turning to look up at Lou, who was standing with her arms crossed, a smirk on her face.

"Alright. I'll get your order in and I'll be right back with your drinks." Still smirking, she walked off back toward the bar. Sarah turned her attention back to Chuck, who she found was staring back at her.

"I'm coming back to the whole ordering for me thing in a minute. First, what the hell was all that?" she asked, gesturing toward the entrance to the diner. "How does everyone here know you?"

"Well, in my defense, I don't think they all know me. Well, I suppose they do now that everyone shouted my name, but you know what I mean. It's kind of a long story," he confessed, looking down at his hands that were fidgeting on top of the table.

"I've got nowhere to be," she retorted, leaning in closer, giving him her full attention. Blowing out a breath, he gave a slight nod.

"When I was a kid, my friend Morgan and I used to come here. It was close enough that we could ride our bikes. We used to sit up at the counter and spin on those stools until we nearly made ourselves sick." Chuck grinned at the memory, pausing for just a moment before moving on. "Neither of us had a lot of money. My parents weren't around, and Morgan's mom was a single mother, working two and three jobs to keep a roof over their heads. We'd scrap enough money together from doing odd jobs or recycling stuff we found to come here and split a burger and fries.

"One afternoon, we had an unfortunate run in with some older bullies from school. It was summer, so we'd thought that we'd escaped their daily abuses in the school hallways, but apparently, they were bored and happened across us. We were able to get away enough to make it in here. We thought we'd be safe, that they'd stay outside. We were wrong on that account too. They tried to drag us outside." Chuck paused when he heard Sarah gasp. He looked up from his hands to see her staring in rapt attention, leaning even closer. Chuck swallowed thickly, turning to glance around the room.

"That's when some of the guys you see around here, the ones in the jackets, stepped in. They told those kids if they messed with us, they messed with them. Needless to say, that scared the hell out of them. It was a long while before they ever bothered us again, and even then, it was never outside of school." Chuck just gave a shrug, not really knowing what else to say about it.

"Who are they? Are they some type of motorcycle club or gang or something?" Sarah asked in a hushed tone, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"They're the LA chapter of B.A.C.A., Bikers Against Child Abuse. Lou's dad, Carl is a retired LA County deputy sheriff. He and his wife, Emma - as you could likely guess by the sign out front- own this place. Carl's a member of the chapter, so they tend to hang out here a lot. You'll never find a better group of people. They more or less adopted Morgan and me, I guess you could say. We hung out here a lot as kids. Lou's kinda like the sister I never wanted," he said with a devilish grin.

"I hear ya, smart ass. You just keep talkin' shit about the person that's making your food. For a smart guy, you're not so bright sometimes." Setting their drinks down, she and Chuck shared a chuckle, obviously comfortable with teasing one another. Sarah regarded the two of them. She could see from the moment that she first saw them together that there was a 'relationship' of sorts, the hugging aside. It sounded like they'd known each other for a long time, and Sarah's insecurities started to get the better of her.

"So, you two have known each other a long time. You two never….?" Sarah asked, trailing off before she actually said what she was thinking. Both Chuck and Lou's eyes shot open.

"No! God, no." They exclaimed in unison, both giving a shiver.

"I mean, not that you're not -" Before Chuck could start down that spiral, Lou held up her hand to stop him.

"We've been good friends for a long time. We didn't go to the same schools, since we live just outside of his school district, so we only saw each other during the summers and after school. He's an amazing guy, not that he'd ever tell you that. We just never clicked like that. He's always been more like a brother. Not that I needed any more. I've got four older brothers and that's more than enough. Then you throw in all these guys," she said gesturing around the room, "and it's a wonder I ever dated." That elicited a laugh from all of them. Lou's admission set Sarah at ease, not that she had any right to be jealous of their relationship regardless.

"Since he likely won't tell me, why does everyone know him here? Was it just because he came here so often when he was younger?" Sarah asked Lou.

"I'm sure that's part of it. Chuck will tell you that these guys stood up for him, gave him and Morgan a safe haven. The truth is, whatever this place has given him, he's returned it a hundred times over." Sarah's curiosity was piqued. She slid over in her booth and patted the seat.

"Please, do tell," Sarah offered a seat and Lou took it with a grin.

"I like her. You're in so much trouble, Chuck."

"You have no idea," Chuck groaned. Ignoring him, Sarah turned in her seat to face Lou.

"Where do I start? Well, let's see, he helped tutor me in high school, only accepting food as payment. Then, he installed a new computerized point of sale and online ordering system for the diner. That saved mom and dad a fortune. He's used his considerable computer skills to help out the BACA. He's helped build their social media presence and gain evidence to track down and put abusers away. Then, when I was off finishing college, things got really tight around here." Chuck cleared his throat rather forcefully, trying to get Lou's attention. She paused, looking at him quizzically.

"This is all ancient history and I didn't bring her here for a history lesson. I just wanted a good burger. Speaking of which…" Chuck trailed off as he peaked over the other booths toward the kitchen, as if trying to see if their food was ready from where he was sitting.

"It sounds like she's getting to the good part and I, for one, want to hear it," Sarah interjected, raising an eyebrow in challenge, but the grin on her face showed she was teasing; mostly. Chuck started to protest again, almost to the point of pleading, but he was cut off by Lou.

"Now shush. The adults are talking. Do I need to go get you a kid's menu?" Lou added, with her own raised eyebrow. He just sighed in resignation, slumping in his seat, realizing he was outnumbered.

"As I was saying, things were so bad there was even talk of selling. Of course, my parents didn't tell me any of this until it was almost too late. They didn't want me to worry. But, once again, it was Chuck to the rescue." Sarah looked across the table at Chuck, who was focusing on his glass of iced tea, his ears and cheeks red with embarrassment.

"What did he do?" Sarah asked, turning back to Lou.

"He knew my parents wouldn't accept a handout. That's not who they are. So instead, he bought the rights to use Emma's Diner in the first video game he released. He used the upfront capital that he got from the sale of the game to pay my parents. Then they get a small royalty from the sale of each game. He could have just made the diner in his game anything he wanted and not have to pay a dime, but instead, he gave up so much money just to save this place. And now, because of that game, we have a cult following of nerds and gamers that come here for food, selfies and to buy t-shirts. He's the reason this place is still here, and everyone knows it. That's why people know Chuck Bartowski. His name is better than gold here."

Sarah could see the admiration that Lou had for Chuck, and after hearing her story, she found she admired him all the more, if that were possible. She realized that nothing Lou said came as a surprise. It all sounded exactly like something that the Chuck she knew would do, including his futile attempt at keeping his good deeds from being known. He was kind, caring and humble to a fault. First with Ellie, and now with Lou, she'd come to see Chuck Bartowski through the unfiltered lens of those that knew him best.

"Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed him, I'll go check on your food," Lou joked as she slid out of the booth. She ruffled Chuck's hair a little as she walked off. Chuck looked unamused, but just smoothed it back without complaint.

"I'm really sorry about all that," Chuck apologized, chancing a glance at Sarah.

"Why? What do you have to be sorry about? I don't understand why you feel so embarrassed," she replied, leaning her arms on the table.

"I… I didn't do those things looking for praise. I did them because they were the right thing to do."

"Don't you see? That's exactly why people DO praise you. Because they know you aren't the kind of person that goes around looking for it. Guys like Bryce, they love to tell you how great they think they are. They have to, because nobody else will do it for them. But you, people line up to say how great you are, either because you don't realize it or don't want to accept it. That's just one of the many things that makes you so much better than the Bryce Larkins of the world." Chuck met her gaze with a tight-lipped smile. They sat in silence for a long moment before it was broken by Lou bringing them their food. When she set the plates down, Sarah couldn't hold back her reaction.

"Holy shit! This thing is huge!" Sarah exclaimed, taking in the enormity of the burger set before her.

"That's what she said," Lou chimed in, giving Chuck an eyebrow bounce. He closed his eyes, letting out a groan of exasperation. Sarah snorted, sharing a look of amusement with Lou. She really liked the shorter woman. Maybe it was the shared admiration of Chuck or that she seemed to enjoy flustering him as much as Sarah did.

"The burger's gigantic too," Sarah added with a smirk. Lou burst out in laughter at the look of shock on Chuck's face.

"I'll be back with some refills," she called back over her shoulder as she walked away still giggling.

"Ok. Seriously, Chuck. How am I supposed to eat this thing?" Sarah looked at the sandwich from all angles, trying to find a good attack vector.

"Well, I would typically pick it up with two hands and cram it in my giant mouth. But for more refined persons, such as yourself, I'd recommend taking that steak knife buried in the middle of the burger and cut it into quarters." He demonstrated with his own, cutting the three-quarter pound burger in half and then half again. Sarah followed suit and took one of the quarters in both hands and took a bite. On her second chew, her eyes rolled back in her head and she let out a groan that made Chuck blush.

"Oh. My. God. This is amazing. This has to be the best burger I've ever had. I thought the stories alone would make coming here worth it, but this… this is heaven on Earth. How did I not know about this place?!" Sarah took another large bite, etiquette be damned. The moans that escaped were nearing pornographic in nature and Chuck had to set his burger down, wiping his mouth and then his forehead with his napkin. When she finished her bite and saw him just sitting, staring at her, she began to feel self-conscious.

"What?" she asked, looking at her blouse to see if she'd dropped something on it.

"Would um… would you like me to give you two a few minutes alone? I'm feeling pretty inadequate over here," he deadpanned, looking between her and her burger.

"Shut up!" she barked out in laughter, smacking him lightly on the arm. "I can't help it. This burger is really good and I'm hungry. I hope you don't think I'm the type of girl that just eats salads all the time, while I starve in silence. Because I plan on putting a hurt on this burger." Chuck laughed, his nose and the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought you were that kind of girl. Not that I would mind if you were. It's just… I remember reading an interview you did a few years ago. You said that hamburgers with lots of pickles were your guilty pleasure." He shrugged, taking a bite of an onion ring.

"You… you remembered that all these years later?" She asked, bewildered at how he could recall such an insignificant detail. He swallowed his bite, looking a bit sheepish.

"I've got this… Sarah Walker encyclopedia up here," he began, tapping the side of his head. "Although, it's still not complete, I've been adding to it, a little bit every day." He ducked his head, giving a single note chuckle, silently berating himself for sounding so corny.

"Here's to learning more about one another," she said, offering her glass of iced tea in toast. She smiled as she saw the sparkle in his eyes light up. Holding each other's gaze, they toasted, exchanging warm smiles. This was, far and away, the best date she had ever been on, and it was only just beginning.

A/N2: She's right. It's only the beginning, so don't despair. Lots more of their date to come.

If you didn't catch the homage, go check out my story Waitress. That's not a shameless plug… Ok. It is. It's totally a shameless plug. While you wait for Chapter 20 of Matchmaker, go checkout Waitress, if you haven't already.

Thanks a million for all the support and kind words. You're all fabulous. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Until next time.

JW