A/N: Thanks for the very warm reception this story has gotten. I appreciate all the kind words. Before you ask, no, I am not abandoning my other stories. Just a momentary break. I'm still working on Matchmaker, so don't freak out.

I can't promise fast updates to this story but hopefully this will tide you over for a little while.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 2

Sarah's eyes shot open, instantly on high alert. Taking in her surroundings, she began to relax. The soft glow of dawn shone through the white curtains, gently bathing the room in light. The bed was probably the most comfortable she'd ever slept on, accounting for her having slept in so late. She had grown accustomed to waking early, all part of the job. But now… now she didn't have anywhere to be or anything she had to do.

A noise from downstairs broke her from her thoughts. She realized that was likely what caused her to wake in the first place. Ordinarily, she would have been out of bed, ready to face whoever, or whatever, was lurking downstairs. Given how loud the noises were, it was evident that whoever it was, they were not trying to be sneaky. Glancing at her phone on her nightstand, it read 7:38 AM. It was Monday, and as Giulia had mentioned, the caretaker would be here at 7:00. Either she was running late, or Sarah had slept through the last thirty or so minutes of her working in the house. That was very unlike her, but perhaps it was a sign that she was learning to relax a little.

Stretching and letting out a long sigh, she slipped out of bed. When her feet touched the floor, she immediately smiled. Wiggling her toes, she enjoyed the warmth of the floor as her mind drifted to the night before, and the refreshingly awkward handyman that had come to her aid. Chuckling to herself, she got up and headed to the bathroom to start her day.

Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and comfortable, slip-on canvas shoes, Sarah made her way downstairs. Immediately the smell of fresh brewed coffee struck her and she took another long sniff as she made her way into the kitchen. Set up at the end of the kitchen island was a bowl of fresh fruit, a basket covered with a tea towel and a steaming cup of what must be coffee.

"Miss Walker. Good morning," came a greeting from the direction of the mud room. Sarah turned to see a short, silver-haired woman, wearing an apron walking toward her.

"Good morning. You must be Sophia. Giulia told me all about you," Sarah replied.

"I hope not. Otherwise we're bound to get off on the wrong foot." Sarah just boggled at the older woman as she approached, not certain how to take her response. Thankfully, Sophia chuckled, patting Sarah on the arm. "I kid. I kid. Giulia is a lovely woman. Just ask her." With that, she walked past Sarah to the end of the kitchen island. Sarah just stared in amusement, still not sure just how to take the old woman's comments.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, but the owner thought you might like some fresh fruit and he also recommended these." Removing the tea towel revealed a small basket filled with chocolate croissants. Sarah gasped, inexplicably being drawn to the pastries. Picking one up, she could feel that they were still warm. As she broke it in half, the chocolate inside was still gooey, forcing Sarah to take a bite to prevent some of the chocolate from dripping out.

"Mmmmmmm," Sarah moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as she slowly savored the decadent pastry.

"It sounds like you could use some alone time with your breakfast," Sophia mused, chuckling to herself. That brought Sarah out of her euphoric trance, covering her mouth as she chewed, her cheeks and ears taking on a rosy tint. "The cup is cafe latte," Sophia called over her shoulder as she started out of the kitchen. "I wasn't sure how you American's take your coffee. I don't really care, I just didn't know. So, you'll get a caffé latte." With that, she was gone. Sarah peeked out of the kitchen to see the old woman dusting, humming to herself. Sarah just chuckled and returned to her breakfast.

Taking a sip of her coffee, she shook her head, thoroughly amused by the caretaker's demeanor. Typically, she preferred Caffè Americano when she ordered coffee out, or plain black if that was all that was available. Still, the caffé latte was quite good and she thought she might get used to it. She might have to unless she got up early enough to make her own.

Taking her coffee and the other half of her croissant, she stepped over to the kitchen window, peering out into the backyard. Sarah was surprised to see Chuck coming out of the boiler shed, brushing himself off. As tall as he was, there was still a child-like quality to him, despite the beard, which she found rather appealing. She watched as he picked weeds from a nearby flower bed and dead-heading a few flowers, taking care to make the yard look well kept.

As she continued to watch him, an urge overcame her, and she set her breakfast down, pulling her phone out of her back pocket. Biting her bottom lip as she thought, she eventually typed out a text and sent it.

"My toes were nice and warm when I got out of the tub last night. Thanks for your help."

Setting her phone on the counter, she continued with her breakfast as she watched through the window. She nearly choked on her pastry when he jumped, startled when his phone received her text. She giggled as she watched him fumble for his phone and swipe it open. He was so animated, his emotions always so apparent in his expressions, his body language. He didn't hide anything, or at least not very well. She watched his head tilt as he taped his screen. After a few seconds, something inside of her began to swell as she saw the most brilliant smile spread across his face. He stood and stared at his phone for a long moment. Sarah couldn't figure out what he was doing until he started typing what she assumed was a response. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly bubbling with anticipation as she watched her phone, waiting for his reply to come. For several long, agonizing seconds there was nothing. When her notification sounded, the phone buzzing against the counter, she let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Rolling her eyes at herself, she took a calming breath before swiping into her phone to read his reply.

"That's great! I'm glad you got to enjoy the tub. Put more wood in the boiler. Should have plenty of hot water."

The smiley face that accompanied the text seemed to fit him so well. Rarely did she ever text with people that used emojis, except for her friend and former 'associate', Carina. Carina was a big fan of emojis, though they were typically strung together having very inappropriate connotations. Unable to keep from smiling, Sarah picked up her phone and typed in a response.

"I know. I just watched you. How very thoughtful."

She had no idea what she was doing. She never struck up conversations with people out of the blue. She didn't do small talk, typically finding it boring and tedious. But here she was, sending this guy texts and secretly watching his reactions. She couldn't help but chuckle when he jumped slightly at receiving her text. After reading it, his head shot up, scanning the back of the house. Eventually his gazed passed over the kitchen window, nearly missing her before his head snapped back to meet her gaze. His face lit up, the corners of his eyes and his nose crinkling. He raised a hand and waved at her. Smiling, she gave a small wave in return, which seemed to make his eyes shine even more.

For a moment, she averted her gaze, huffing in frustration at herself. No sooner had she sworn off men, left her old job and moved halfway around the world to escape it all, just to turn around and start … flirting with some complete stranger.

"Ok. It's not flirting. He's being nice and you're just being nice back. That's what normal people do, right?" she asked herself, staring into the kitchen sink. What the hell did she know about what normal people did? Sure, she watched normal people when she was young, studied their tells, looking for weaknesses. That had been a skill ingrained in her, thanks to her father. But that knowledge was purely academic. Sure, she could recreate "normal" to meet some end, usually to swindle money from people back then. But having a real, 'normal' conversation with a stranger, where she wasn't putting up a front or playing some kind of role, was completely out of her depth.

Throughout her adult life she studied people of a different sort. At that point, 'normal' people became sheep and she the shepherd, on the lookout for wolves. She was so focused on the wolves of the world that she stopped seeing people as… 'people'. They were marks, assets or, God forbid, acceptable losses. When she'd realized what she was becoming, she knew it was time to get out, otherwise she might lose what little she had left of her humanity.

Her hands braced on either side of the sink, she shook her head at herself, trying to brush off the guilt and self-loathing. Lifting her head to look out through the window again, she saw Chuck still standing there. Immediately, his brilliant smile fell away. In its place was a tight-lipped half-smile and his once sparkling eyes seemed cloudy; a hint of resigned sadness washing over him. He gave a small wave and turned, heading toward the side gate of the yard.

It was as she watched him go that she caught a reflection of herself in the window. No matter how far she ran, she couldn't seem to escape herself. In the window she saw that cold, distant, unfeeling look she brandished in her former life. She had learned to weaponize that look, putting fear into the hearts of murderers, human traffickers and gun runners; the scum of the Earth. And now she'd unwittingly turned that weapon on an innocent man who'd done nothing but offer her a wave and kind smile. Sarah let out a loud sigh of frustration, "Dammit!" She really did suck at this being 'normal' thing. "Way to go Sarah." She needed to find a way to fix this.

Fuming at herself, she drummed her fingers on the counter, trying to think of what she might be able to do or say to make things right. After all, she'd only seen three people in the entire time she'd been here, so she couldn't afford to scare off a third of that population. Chewing her bottom lip, she picked up her phone and stared at her last text. Taking a deep breath, she summoned the courage and typed a message.

"Lunch?"

He was nearly at the gate, reaching for it when he paused. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Since his back was to her, she couldn't see his face or what he was doing. Suddenly, realization came over her, "Did I just ask him out on a date? Lunch doesn't count as a date does it? Wait… what about lunch dates? No, that's a business thing, isn't it? Oh my god. Sarah you're a train wreck of a person. You're almost twenty-seven and you have no idea what a date is." She huffed in frustration, blowing a stray hair out of her face.

After a long moment, Chuck put his phone back in his pocket and began walking again, pushing his way out of the gate without looking back. Sarah couldn't have imagined how much that simple non-act would hurt. But it did, making a tight knot form in her stomach. She closed her eyes, cursing herself under her breath, when she heard the ding. Her eyes shot open, searching the counter for her phone. Looking at the message, she breathed out a chuckle seeing that it was, in fact, Chuck.

"Meet me at the side gate at 11:30. Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little dirty."

Sarah gave a fist pump before catching herself, "Ok. Be cool. It's just lunch. Just going to lunch as friends. Just friends. Friends wearing clothes you can get dirty in… Alright, I have no idea what that means. Lunch…" she trailed off, the smile spreading across her face.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sarah stood nervously by the gate, nestled in the tall hedgerow at the edge of her yard. She couldn't figure out what to do with her hands, not content to put them in her front pockets or hold them under her crossed arms. Finally, she settled on sliding them into her back pockets, rocking back forth on her heels. She had no idea why she was so nervous, or why she'd tried on six different outfits before going back to her original choice. That wasn't entirely true. She knew she wanted to make a good impression, well, a better impression at least; better than she'd managed to do since meeting Chuck last night. She'd been rather abrasive last night, admittedly, and then scared him off this morning. Still, he'd agreed to lunch with her, so that was a good sign. Right?

"Knock. Knock," came a voice over the gate, startling Sarah out of her thoughts. Chuck stood with his arms resting on top of the gate, beaming a smile at her. "Wow," he added, then his eyes went wide.

"What?" Sarah asked defensively, looking herself over.

"Nothing! Nothing, you just … you look," he paused, swallowing thickly, "great. Really, really great. Beautiful even. I'm sorry, th-that too much, wasn't it? We can go back to just 'really great' or even just 'great', if you want. Not that you don't look beautiful, I just don't want to be too forward. God, I said all of that out loud, didn't I?" After that downward spiral he closed his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh.

She noticed Chuck's ears and neck were turning pink and Sarah couldn't remember the last time that she'd met someone so completely transparent and yet, at the same time, sincere and respectful. His filter between his mind and his mouth seemed to be broken and she found it rather endearing. He'd thrown her off guard and that never happened. When he finally opened his eyes to meet her gaze he looked mortified and apologetic. "Perhaps we should just start on that lunch, so I can stick something other than my foot in my mouth."

She couldn't help but burst out in laughter, not only at his spiraling, but also his self-deprecating humor. Stepping forward, she placed a hand on his forearm, steadying herself as she tried to catch her breath.

"Thank you, Chuck. It wasn't too forward. It was very kind. And you look … very…" scanning him up and down, she found she liked the way his clothes clung to him. His jeans were just snug enough and his t-shirt showed off his broad shoulders but still loose enough to allow her imagination to wander. His well-worn, black Converse All-Stars completed the outfit and she found it suited him perfectly. Clearing her throat, she continued," um… comfortable."

Immediately she berated herself internally. Comfortable? That was the best she could do? She couldn't say he looked hot, but that would have been entirely too forward, and out of character for her. But comfortable?

"Comfortable. Wow. Thanks? … I guess I am pretty ... comfortable," he admitted, looking over himself, seeming unsure how else he was supposed to respond to that sort of comment. Pulling open the gate, he gestured for Sarah to pass through. "Shall we?" Letting out a small sigh of relief at Chuck moving the conversation away from the awkward comment, Sarah gave him a smile and stepped out into the small pathway.

The two walked in silence for a couple of minutes, both of them with their hands in their pockets. Thanks to the Mediterranean climate, the temperature was mild and a soft breeze rustled the leaves.

"I'm sorry, I should've asked. It's a little bit of a walk to get to our lunch destination. I hope that's OK?" he asked, turning his head to finally look at her. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, giving him a nod of approval.

"Yeah. It's a beautiful day. I don't mind the walk. How far is it?" she asked, causally glancing over at him, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Oh, it's not too far. Just over this hill a little ways." Chuck pointed at the hill crest ahead. As they approached the top, Sarah gasped at the view. The rolling hills stretched on forever, only broken up by patches of forest. She could see small farms and homes scattered in the distance, dotting the countryside. Looking down the hill, she could see rows of grapevines filling the large clearing. On the side closest to them were stone buildings, barns of a sort, with people going about their work.

"Oh my God. It's so beautiful," she breathed out, stopping to take it all in.

"Yeah. It really is. This view right here is what drew me to this place. That and the people," Chuck confessed, staring out over the vista.

"I was meaning to ask, how does an American - at least I assume you're American- wind up here of all places? This is pretty far off the beaten path of tourist traps." Sarah turned to consider the man beside her, trying to gauge if she was prying too much.

"Yeah. This is pretty well in the middle of BFE, or BFI i guess it would be," he corrected, chuckling at his own joke. "Almost a year ago, my sister and her husband convinced me to come to Italy on vacation with them. She was always badgering me about working too much, never taking any time to relax. So, to get her off my back, I relented. They were taking a wine tour of Tuscany and, not wanting to be a third wheel, I decided to rent a car and just travel the countryside on my own. Naturally, I got turned around and wound up here. Well, more specifically at Giulia's shop. We got to talking and she showed me around the hamlet, Serenità."

"Serenity," Sarah commented with a smile.

"Yeah. Serenity. I was already intrigued by the name, being so ingrained in nerd culture." Sarah gave him a curious look, tilting her head. "You know, Serenity? The ship from the show Firefl… You know what? Never mind. It's not important." Waving it off he continued, leading them along a cobblestone pathway down the hill.

"When I saw this valley, I fell in love. It kind of reminded me a little of Napa or Sonoma, back home, but with that old-world charm you just can't duplicate. I'd been so wrapped up in my work for so long, it was like my soul ached for … this," he confessed, gesturing at the vista. "The simplicity, the gratification of a hard day's work, the … the serenity of it all just spoke to me. So, after we got back to the States, I got my affairs in order and after a couple months I moved here permanently."

"Wow. That's a pretty bold move. To leave everything and move half-way around the world, to a place where you don't understand the language. To what? Do maintenance for the hamlet?" Sarah asked incredulously. After the words left her mouth she instantly regretted it. She couldn't even go thirty-minutes without putting her foot in her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like-"

"No. No, it's alright. I agree, it was pretty crazy. Definitely well outside my comfort zone. Thankfully, many of the people here speak English, because I am absolutely terrible at languages. I feel like my mastery of English is questionable, at best, let alone another language." He shrugged with that shy smile of his, shaking his head at himself.

"There are a few words I've picked up on, but if native speakers are rattling on in Italian, I can't make any of it out. I feel like such an American, you know? We always expect everyone to conform to us. I mean, I don't expect that, of course, but it probably seems that way. I know they talk about me when I'm standing right there and I'm OK with that. They've been really good to me, so a little harmless ribbing I can put up with," he shrugged again, making a face like it was no big deal. He genuinely seemed to feel bad about not knowing the language, and she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for him.

"I could teach you some Italian, if you'd like?" Sarah offered, before she even realized what she was saying. The words just spilled out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She masked her own surprise, but clearly Chuck was not as well trained. His surprise was written all over his face, making no effort to hide it.

"Really? Y-you'd do that? Th-thank you. That's really nice of you, but… I'm really, and I mean really, bad at learning languages. Well, these kinds of languages anyway. I don't want to waste your time." He looked so child-like, turning down her offer of help even though his expression showed just how much he wanted to accept. It was undeniably adorable.

"I have nothing but time, Chuck. The novelty of sitting around and doing nothing will wear off quickly, and then I'll go stir crazy. It'd give me something to do. You'd really be doing me a favor." That earned her a flat look, his chin practically touching his chest. Laughter bubbled up and she threw her head back, feeling a small bit of the weight she carried with her slip away. She hadn't laughed like this in…

"OK. I deserved that," she conceded, holding her hands up. "Really though. It would be no trouble. I'd be happy to help." She looked at him through her lashes and she could see that he was caving as the corners of his mouth began to curl upward.

"Alright. I appreciate the offer. I'll think about it." Sarah nodded her understanding as she watched him fidget with a leaf he'd pulled from a low-hanging branch. Figuring a change of subject was in order, Sarah cleared her throat.

"So, I assume you live here in the hamlet. When I called last night it didn't take you long to get to the villa. You uh… you live by yourself or…" Sarah trailed off, not wanting to finish that question. It wasn't her business if he lived with someone or was involved with somebody. This wasn't a date or anything. It was just … lunch.

"No. No, I live by myself. It's one of the smaller houses on the edge of the hamlet. It's not a lot but here, I don't need much. A roof over my head, lots of great food and a view like this, what else could I want?" He opened his mouth as if to continue, but seemed to catch himself, opting to remain silent instead as they walked.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to make light of the work you do. I guess I just have a hard time thinking that someone would move here to take that sort of job is all," Sarah confessed, shrugging for lack of anything else to say.

"Well, I didn't move here because of the job. In fact, I didn't really have a job lined up at all when I got here. I just kinda … fell into this one. The people needed someone to help them out with various things around here, so I volunteered. Pretty soon, it just became my thing, I guess." Chuck gave a small shrug with a 'what can ya do?' expression.

"Wait! So… they don't pay you? You just … volunteer your services?!" Sarah asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Well… it's more along the lines of the barter system," Chuck replied, waggling his hand back and forth. "I do stuff for them and they do stuff for me. Pretty often someone brings over food or invites me for dinner. It's like a big family around here, everyone looking out for each other."

"That sounds … really nice," Sarah hummed, smiling at the thought. "Still, to uproot your life and move here on a whim, that was pretty gutsy."

"What about you?" Chuck asked, turning his head to look at her. "Didn't you do the same thing? It's no more impressive than you leaving your life behind and moving here."

"Yeah. Well, the circumstances of me leaving were rather unique," she admitted, wincing slightly as the topic was one she wasn't really comfortable talking about. As if sensing that, Chuck quickly changed the subject.

"That's the winery," he pointed out, gesturing toward the buildings as they neared the field. "They've been making wine here for hundreds of years."

"Wow! Are those some of the bottles that are in the wine cellar?" she asked, turning to Chuck.

"Yep. Some of them. The oldest bottles in your cellar came from this vineyard. The Serenità winery only produces about two-thousand bottles a year. The rest of the grapes they use for making balsamic vinegar. They do that in the set of buildings on the other side of the vineyard. A portion of what they make is shared with the people that work the land, and the rest is sold, the profits split between the workers and the vineyard. It's worked that way for generations. At least that's what I've been told," Chuck confessed, holding his hands up.

"That's so incredible. I haven't had an opportunity to taste their wine yet, but I'm excited to," Sarah confessed, rubbing her hands together.

"Well, you're in luck," Chuck declared, gesturing to a clearing just off the path. There, laid out beneath an ancient tree, she saw a blanket with a large basket on top. Overlooking the vineyard and the rest of the valley, it was the perfect place for a picnic.

"Awww. A picnic? The last time I was on a… come to think of it, I don't know that I've ever been on a real picnic. At least not since I was a child. This is amazing. Thank you," she offered, giving Chuck a tight smile.

"Don't thank me yet. Let's eat and then you can decide whether thanks are in order… or my apologies," he replied, flashing her a wide-eyed expression. Chuckling, she sat on the blanket, facing the valley, as Chuck began to unload the basket.

"So, we have bread, cheeses, some prosciutto, fruit and, of course, wine," he added, holding up the bottle. As he began to work on opening the bottle, he continued, "Admittedly, I'm not a fine wine connoisseur, but I like what I like. And so far, I haven't found a bottle of Serenità wine that I haven't liked. This is a Sangiovese. I hope you like red wines." Wincing a bit, he poured a bit into a glass and passed it to Sarah to taste.

"I'm not a wine snob. I like all sorts," she reassured him, taking the offered glass. Taking a long sniff, she then took a sip, letting the flavor swirl around her mouth for a moment. Humming, she nodded emphatically. "That's wonderful." Seeing the smile on his face caused a warmth to suffuse through her. Sarah held up her glass, which he refilled before filling his own. A small, wooden cutting board was set between them where Chuck placed pieces of fresh crusty bread, cheeses, prosciutto and sliced apples, along with other fruits.

"Here. Try this," Chuck suggested, placing a thin slice of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of a slice of a green, Granny Smith apple. Tentatively she took it, looking between him and the offered food. "Trust me," he said, gesturing for her to try it.

Trust was something that didn't come easy for Sarah, but there was something about this man that just set her at ease. Grinning, she took a small bite, savoring the favors. Her eyes grew wide, practically moaning as she chewed.

"Wow! That was… very unexpected. The nutty, saltiness of the parmesan and the tart from the apple work really well together. I never would have thought to pair those two. You're just full of surprises," she commented, giving him a wry smile.

"Well, good ones I hope. About… about this morning. I'm sorry if… sometimes I can be a bit much and if-"

"No, Chuck. No. I'm really sorry about that. It had nothing to do with you. In fact, I've been kind of a bitch toward you since I got here." Chuck began to protest, but Sarah raised a hand to stop him. "I know I have and it has nothing to do with you. Things in my past have put me in kind of a … foul mood and I think my gut reaction is to be snarky or bitter. I really need to work on that. Since you knocked on my door last night, you've been nothing but kind to me. I want you to know I appreciate it. I don't make friends easily, but I hope… I hope that I might count you among them some day." Sarah shrugged sheepishly, ducking her head. After a moment, Chuck raised his glass toward her.

"To friends." Sarah let out a one note chuckle, unable to contain her smile. Holding up her own glass, pausing before they touched.

"To friends." Clinking glasses, they each took a sip and slipped into a comfortable silence as they ate their lunch.

A/N2: To friends? Well, we all gotta start somewhere, right?

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, feel free to leave a review or send me a PM and let me know.

Until next time,

Joe