Dislcaimer: I don't own Chuck

Sarah surveyed the field in front of her. "BLUE!" she heard called at her from her right side. As she started to turn, she heard the same voice continue, but not nearly as confident. "Ma'am…Miss….or is it Mrs? I'm never sure of the correct title to use. I don't want to be disrespectful." She couldn't help but grin as the tall man who approached her, wearing a ball cap, seemingly pushed down on his unruly curls. "Sorry, didn't mean to yell so loud, but my dugout has a bit of a din going."

"What can I do for you coach?" Sarah asked, still grinning.

"Well, see, that's the thing," began. "I'm not the 'coach', but more the 'Dugout Mom," the coach continued. "Chuck Bartowski," he said, holding out his hand. Sarah took it and shook it. She noticed it was sweaty, but she noticed something else that seemed to pass between them.

"Sarah Walker," she said softly. "So, how can I help you…Dugout Mom Chuck?" Chuck grinned at that.

"So, long story short," he began. She felt like that was not true, that this was, in fact, going to be a long story. "My bother-in-law, and sister are the coaches of this team, and I got roped into being the Dugout Mom. However, they both can't be here today, so I'm having to coach."

"I see," Sarah said. She was right, he had said a lot, but really told her nothing. "And you want it to take me easy on you?"

"What? No," Chuck replied. "I mean, I get it, it's 6 yr old softball, but we must have integrity." He saw Sarah look past him, and he turned. "Marcy!" he yelled. The little girl that was sitting on the ground, looked up at him. "You can find four leaf clovers later. You need to warm up." She nodded, and went right back to what she was doing. Chuck sighed, turned back to Sarah, and put on a smile. "We need all the integrity we can get." Sarah couldn't help but giggle.

"So, which one is yours?" Sarah asked. Chuck looked confused. "Which one is your daughter?"

"Oh, I don't have a daughter," Chuck assured her. "Morgan talked me into being the dugout mom. He says he's not very athletic, and the beard gets in the way." Sarah raised an eyebrow. "He blames the beard for everything, good or bad." Chuck turned slightly and Sarah followed his gaze, to where she saw a short bearded man.

"Love you, buddy!" the man Sarah assumed was Morgan yelled at Chuck.

"Love you!" Chuck yelled back. He turned back to Sarah.

"How long have you two been together?" Sarah asked.

"We've known each other since we were six," Chuck admitted.

"Wow, that's a serious relationship," Sarah replied.

"It was like we were soulmates, you know?" Chuck said with a shrug.

"So, which one is his?" Sarah asked.

"Bailey, the girl standing with him, it's his niece," Chuck told Sarah. "Morgan managed to convince Awesome and Ellie to be the coaches, and me to be the Dugout Mom."

"Awesome?" Sarah asked, giggling.

"Yeah, my brother-in-law," Chuck replied. "Built like a greek god. Smart as a whip. One minute he's diving out of an airplane, the next, he's literally doing heart surgery."

"Heart surgery?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, he a heart surgeon, and my sister is a brain surgeon," Chuck replied. "So, that's where they are right now. There was a big crash, and they needed surgeons-"

"Oh my God," Sarah said softly. "I thought….I had no idea why they were missing the game, but…"

"Hey, don't do that," Chuck said. "Every time they miss something, people fewl guilty because they assumed that they were bailing or something. You don't know them, or who they are, and I'm sure you've heard all kinds of excuses."

"Thank you," Sarah said. "So, back to you having to coach your partners niece today-"

"You know he calls us heterosexual life partners?" Chuck asked. "Sorry, you saying that made me think about how he always does that, and I have to remind him that it makes us sound like we're a couple. Not that there's anything wrong with that….oh my God, you thought we were a couple."

Sarah looked horrified as she heard what Chuck was saying and watching the realization cross his face. "I mean…"

"You know what, now that I think back what I said…gah," Chuck said.

"Bartowski! Will you quit flirting with the ump?" Casey yelled where he was warming up with his opposing team.

"I'm not flirting, I'm asking if you can pitch to our girls!" Chuck yelled back. Sarah watched the interaction between these two very different men.

"How does that take more than two minutes?" Casey asked.

"Some of us have conversations with people instead of grunting at them," Chuck reminded him.

"Some of us get to the point," Casey pointed out.

"And some of us like human interaction," Chuck countered. Casey shook his head. "You sure you don't mind pitching to our girls?"

"If it's okay with Blue, it's okay with me," Casey said. "Of course you'd HAVE TO ASK HER!"

"Your third basemen is eating dirt," Chuck told Casey.

"MARY ELIZABETH!" Casey yelled, making the girl drop the dirt.

"Sorry about that," Chuck said, turning back to Sarah. "Known him for a long time, long story, but his love language is yelling."

"I see," Sarah said. "So, what is this about Casey pitching to your girls?"

"So, usually Awesome or Ellie pitches to our girls, but without them here….listen, I have no control over my pitches, they're kind of all over the place." He paused for a minute. "Casey says that is also like my thoughts, and that's why I spiral and am single. Then I remind him that he might be single since he likes to yell so much. There's a lot of quiet hurt after that."

Sarah's eyes were wide listening to all of that.

"But," Chuck paused and looked around. "Can I be honest with you?"

She wondered if he was capable of being dishonest. "Of course."

"We're not very good," Chuck said softly. "We didn't win a game all year. We won the first game in the tournament because the other team had to forfeit because not enough of their players showed up. They already had vacations scheduled."

"I see," Sarah replied.

"The second game…." Chuck shook his head. "The girls came to an agreement of whoever found the most four-leaf clovers would win the game."

"They can do that?" Sarah asked.

"I didn't think so," Chuck admitted. "And, yet….here we are. So, what I'm saying is, the girls need someone to pitch to them, and not have them striking out because I'm such a bad pitcher."

"If Casey is okay with that, then I'm okay with it," Sarah said. "But, I need to be perfectly clear with you, Chuck." Chuck's eyes went wide and he nodded. "I expect you to be on your best behavior and not picking four-leaf clovers."

Chuck smiled and raised two fingers. "I promise," he said.

"Okay, let's play ball," Sarah told him. She started to turn. "And when were on the field, it's either Ump, or blue." Chuck nodded. "Off the field, Sarah is fine." She headed toward the plate, feeling his confusion drift off of him.

}o{

Sarah was trying her best not to laugh, but it was taking everything she had. She was listening to Chuck's pregame speech, and it was not going well.

"Now, I know that Awesome and Ellie aren't here," Chuck began.

"Do we still get ice cream after?" came one little girl's voice.

"We do," Chuck said.

"Then that's all that matters," the little girl replied.

"No, we need to go out there and play hard," Chuck told them.

"I bet I can find three four-leaf clovers today," she heard another voice pipe up.

"No, we're not looking for four-leaf clovers today," Chuck informed them.

"But, if we get enough, you can give one to the umpire," one of the girls argued.

Sarah was glad she had on mirrored sunglasses right then. She could look into the dugout and see Chuck turning red without him seeing her looking at him. She heard him clear his throat. "I'm pretty sure giving gifts to an umpire is seen as bribery and is wrong."

"But aren't you supposed to give gifts to someone you like?" the child argued. Sarah could see Chuck struggling.

"For the love of God, Blue, throw the kid a bone," she heard the gruff voice say softly beside her. She turned and looked at the other coach that she had heard Chuck call Casey.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah replied, taking the lineup card Casey gave her.

"Jesus, you can't be as clueless as he is," Casey said. Sarah couldn't help but snort. "This game is gonna take forever."

"There's a time limit of one hour fifteen minutes, and a mercy rule," Sarah reminded him.

"Yeah, but it's not until the third," Casey countered.

"You know you could just have your team take it easy on them," Sarah told him. Casey looked insulted. "I know, I know, what was I thinking?" Sarah shook her head as Casey walked away. "Piranhas! I need your lineup card." She had to look away from the dugout as she saw Chuck being pushed out of the dugout by all the girls.

He walked up toward her, walking funny. "You okay?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, the girls rushed me out here, worried we'd have to forfeit if I didn't get this to you," he said, handing her the line-up card.

"Taking them for ice cream, win or lose?" she said to him.

"Yeah," Chuck said with a shrug. "They're six." Sarah nodded. "Most of them want chocolate soft serve, but today…today they can get anything."

"Wow, coach for a day, and you're spending money on them," Sarah teased.

Chuck blushed. "No, Awesome gave me his credit card," Chuck admitted. Sarah snorted and shook her head. "What can I say, I don't have a lot of extra money."

"No, Chuck, you misunderstand," Sarah told him. "Most guys would have let that slide."

Chuck shrugged. "Why lie about that? Why not just be yourself? Be safe back there Blue."

"I will," Sarah told him as he headed back to the dugout. "Why lie about things, indeed?" she asked herself softly.

}o{

"That was sumthing, huh?" Casey said, as his girls took their place on the field for defense. All of the Crown Vics, Casey's team, had scored at their turn to bat. Near the end of the inning, Marcy had found her second four-leaf clover, and the rest of the outfield came over to where she was, sat down, and began to look for their own four-leaf clovers….even as the ball went flying over their heads. When the girls came back to the dugout, Chuck told them he appreciated their dedication, but asked if it was possible for them to focus on the game, and not four-leaf clovers.

"What's his deal?" Sarah asked. Casey grinned. "What?"

"His chocolate stir your peanut butter, Blue?" Casey asked. Sarah shook her head and rolled her eyes. "His parents left him and his sister when they were little," he said softly. Sarah sobered up. "He had every right in the world to be bitter, but not him." Casey looked over at the tall curly-haired man who was clearly in over his head with this team. "He keeps looking for the good in everyone. To be honest." Casey paused, and chuckled. "Part of me thinks he wants to go sit in the grass and look for four-leaf clovers with his team."

"Would that be the worst thing in the world?" Sarah asked.

"For me, for others…" Casey shrugged and walked off.

Sarah took her place behind the plate. "You've got this Marcy!" she heard Chuck yell from the dugout.

Casey held the ball out in front of him to let her see it. "Nice and easy," Casey said. He pitched the ball to Marcy, and Marcy swung. She barely hit the ball and it dribbled a few feet in front of the plate. "RUN!" Casey yelled. The entire crowd on the Piranhas' sideline exploded in cheers.

The catcher ran out, grabbed the ball, and threw it to first. The first baseman caught it, which was impressive. Marcy headed toward the dugout, dejected, but her teammates came out, screaming and hugging her.

"What is going on?" Sarah muttered. Casey walked up to her.

"First time she's made contact with the ball all season," Casey told her. "Chuck's been working with her every practice. She just started hitting the ball in practice last week."

"All season?" Sarah asked. They turned as Chuck walked up to her. He picked her up and hugged her.

"Great job!"

"But I didn't get a hit," Marcy said.

"But you hit the ball, AND you found two four-leaf clovers today," Chuck pointed out.

"One of them is for you to give the umpire," Marcy said. Chuck turned red.

"Well, I think that the umpire should pick her own four-leaf clover so that she can experience the excitement of finding one for herself," Chuck told her. Marcy nodded, and Chuck sat her down. Her and the rest of her teammates went back into the dugout, with her teammates still celebrating Marcy's achievement.

"Huh," Sarah said. Casey chuckled and walked back to the pitcher's mound.

}o{

"It is thirty to nothing," Sarah said to Chuck and Casey.

"Brenda hasn't batted," Casey told Sarah.

"Okay, then let Brenda bat, and we call it," Sarah said.

"There's three outs," Chuck pointed out. "We have to play the fourth inning."

"But…" Sarah looked around and lowered her voice. "You will probably lose forty to nothing."

"We might," Chuck said with a shrug. "But, I'm not about to screw up the rules and have Casey mad at all of us."

"But what about the kids?" Sarah asked.

"Girls, we're going to play another inning," Chuck yelled to his team. Groans filled the air. "Afterwards….two scoops." Sarah watched the girls scream, and run out onto the field. He turned back to Sarah. "I think they'll be okay." Casey snorted.

}o{

"So, all of us…both teams that is…we're all going for ice cream, and I was wondering…if you'd…like to come along…I mean, the game is over, and it's not a bribery or anything, it's just a thank you for allowing us to have these moments with the girls," Chuck said.

"Okay, now say it to her," Brenda told Chuck. He nodded, stood, and his eyes went wide as he saw Sarah walk up to the dugout.

"Chuck, Marcy said you wanted me to come for ice cream," Sarah told him. "I wouldn't feel right getting ice cream from Awesome-"

"Chuck's buying for you," Brenda blurted out.

"I was going to say I could buy my own," Sarah told them.

"Nope, Chuck wants to buy yours," Brenda insisted. Chuck opened his mouth to speak, and Brenda stomped on his foot.

"YEOWCH!" he yelled. He glared at Brenda and then turned to Sarah. "Yes…I am buying yours, as a way to say thank you for…allowing us…allowing us to have these moments with the girls."

Sarah stood there a moment. "That sounds like a date."

"More of an ice cream social," Brenda said.

"I don't need a wrestling manager mouthpiece," Chuck told Brenda.

"Ya sure? Cause you're not doing that well," Brenda told him.

"He's doing fine," Sarah said.

"See," Chuck told Brenda. It dawned on him what she had said and he whipped his head toward her. "I am?"

"You are, and I stand by what I said, sounds like a date," Sarah told him.

"Is that a yes?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded.

}o{

After all the girls had been picked up, and Sarah had finished her two scoops of Rocky Road, she was preparing to go home, but found she did not want to. She started to say something when Chuck asked her, "Wanna get out of here?" A little while later found them sitting in the grass, in the outfield of the same ball park they had been in earlier that day. The sun was down, and the lights had been turned on.

"So who did you bribe to turn on the lights?" Sarah asked, looking through the clover patch she had seen Marcy going through earlier that day.

"No one," Chuck said. "I used to work at this ballpark as a kid. Casey gave me a job."

She paused and looked at him. "Huh, will wonders never cease." She went back to searching for a four-leaf clover. "So, what's so special about these things anyway? I mean I know they're rare, but…"

"Well," Chuck began. "The leaves of four-leaf clovers are said to stand for faith, hope, love, and luck." She looked at him. "I figure we could all do with a little of that in our lives. It's why I don't get mad at kids for picking them during the game. Again, it's a game, and our girls…they really don't care about softball. I mean they love being on the team together and building each other up. But the game…it's not for them."

"You know, you might be a walking four-leaf clover, Chuck Bartowski," Sarah said. He ducked his head. "So, apparently your players think you should ask me out."

"Kids," he said shrugging. "They get the crazie..st…You know what, I said today that people should just be honest and be themselves."

"You did," Sarah agreed.

"Yes, Sarah Walker, I'd like to ask you out."

"So do so," Sarah told him. His mouth dropped and she began to giggle.

"Fine, Sarah, would you go out with me sometime?"

"Can you do better than this current environment?" Sarah asked.

"Probably not," Chuck admitted. "It's a warm summer night, sitting in the grass, if I turned off the lights, we still couldn't see the stars because of LA." Sarah laughed at that. "But, it's just…nice."

"Yeah, it is," Sarah agreed. "I would love to go out with you, Chuck Bartowski. But you need to remember something, if next year, I'm umping and you're a coach or a dugout mom, it's Blue to you."

"I'm so blueeeee without you," he crooned. She groaned. "I would never disrespect you, Sarah."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, Chuck." She grinned at him. "I'm well aware of that."