A/N: Sorry fam. Had this done for a while, just got sidetracked.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Sarah was lying on her bed, mad at herself.

Why did she have to be like this? The first real friend – and that's what he was, a friend – she blew out a breath. Okay, fine. A friend. But she really was curious if they could be more. She put her hands on her face. God, she was so mad at herself. She had let him in, the first guy she had really let in. And when it became too much, she pushed him away.

Yes, she wanted apple juice, but… but she also wanted to see him. Talk to him. Laugh with him. She looked up at the ceiling, forced air between her lips, making a raspberry noise with them, and laughed.

God, she was a mess.

She was going with him to Alaska, to protect him. And she would protect him from everything, including her. She had to. Why would someone like him-. She spun her head toward the door. She was ninety-five percent sure who that was, with that knock. She glanced at the window and saw it was still raining. "Sarah?" she heard gently called.

"Coming," she said as she jumped off the bed, running her hands through her hair, making sure it looked presentable. She was dressed for comfort, and she wondered if it was too casual. She grinned and shook her head. It was Chuck… her friend… he would be fine with it. "Hey," she said, opening the door, a grin on her face that turned into a look of surprise. She stared at him.

"Uh, can I come in?" he asked.

"Oh. Yes. Sure," she said, stepping back, and letting him come in.

"This is for you," he said, handing her a small juice box.

"Tell me you didn't come over here to bring me apple juice, Chuck," Sarah said.

"I didn't come over here to bring you apple juice?" he replied, sitting a bag on the counter. He spun toward her and clapped his hands together, excitement on his face. "Now, that brand is my favorite." He pointed to the box in her hand. "And I only got a quick look at the brand you liked, but if I was right, they are sold out. Sorry." He winced, and Sarah just stared at him.

}o{

The camera shifts to the interview setup, and Sarah sitting there.

"There were weeks, sometimes months, that would go by, and I couldn't get a guy I was dating to text me." Sarah lets out a rough breath. "And given my job, it wasn't like I could just call him and show up at his door." She shook her head and snorted. Looking into the camera, she continued. "I tell him, I'm out of apple juice, it's too rainy, and I don't want to go get it." She paused. "We weren't dating. We were friends. Sure, maybe we both had feelings but…" She paused, then continued, intensely. "He went out into the rain and got me apple juice. What in the hell was I supposed to do? Huh? They don't teach how to respond to that in spy school. I never had a normal childhood, or normal friends, to know how to properly react to that."

She sat back, and then threw a hand up in the air. "And trust me, at that moment, I had thoughts… urges… and some ideas… but how were we supposed to exist as a team in Alaska, if I did that?" She sat there a second, and then laughed. "I mean, looking back, it would have been fine, I'm sure. But in that moment… I was so far out of my depth."

}o{

"Soooo… what I did was get a big jug of my favorite," Chuck said. He spun back to the bag, grabbing, and holding it up. "Annndddddd," he said, grinning as he placed the jug on the table, "I got some fancy apple cider in case you're into that. It's non-alcoholic, 'cuz… well, I know you like mojitos, but I didn't know about apple cider. I probably should have gotten both," he said, now muttering to himself, and beginning to spiral a little.

She walked up, clasped both hands on his cheeks, and Chuck froze. For a second, he thought she was going to kiss him. She tilted his head downward and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

}o{

The camera shifts to the interview setup, and Chuck is sitting there.

"Yeah… it was over for me at that point," Chuck said with a shrug. "I mean, I could tell you how that was the beginning of me slowly falling for her, but nah. I was over the cliff. I was in love. No one in my life, except Ellie, had ever appreciated me doing something like that for them. And Ellie has to appreciate me, cause… laws."

}o{

"Thank you," she told him sincerely, looking him in the eye. "Thank you."

}o{

The camera shifts to the interview setup, and Sarah has returned.

"I nearly mauled him," Sarah said, shrugging. "It's true, it took every fiber in my body not to kiss him." She began to laugh. "In my head, I wondered if going on this trip was a good idea, because I was certain if he was in danger I would do whatever it to keep him safe, calm… whatever I had to do." A bit of red touched her cheeks. She chuckled, got up, and walked away, full on laughing.

}o{

"I've seen pictures," Chuck said as they got out of the boat, a reverence in his voice. "But to see it in person, and so grown up… the trees…" He turned to Sarah. "They're really close."

She could see it in his face, what the elders had told him. Stay out of the woods. The woods belong to Nantinaq. "Hey, it's okay," Sarah told him. Chuck nodded, and looked back at the forest that was much closer than he thought would be. There was a stillness on the island that Sarah even found unsettling. She looked over and saw the two temporary shelters that were built. The one-person shelter for Casey, and the two-person for her and Chuck.

"See that building?" Chuck asked, pointing to the remains of a building near the tree line. "That building should have been over a hundred yards from that tree line." He stood there, in awe. "It's what, thirty, at most?"

"Nature is going to do what it does," Sarah said. Chuck looked at her. "You know, I'm not saying I believe in your big hairy friend, but seeing places like this… you begin to understand how he could hide all these years, if he does exist."

"Or she," Chuck said. Sarah snorted a laugh, making him turn towards her, a grin on his face. "We are not going to be sexist."

"Well, some animals don't require an opposite sex," Sarah pushed back.

"Yes, but they are typically females, like the gecko," Chuck told her. "That's right, the little guy on the TV… not a guy."

Sarah shook her head, chuckling. "The things I learn with you around." There was a loud knocking sound, making both stop. Sarah looked around, trying to figure out what it was.

"I'm telling you, that's the fourth time I've heard it," the man Chuck thought was Fred said to Casey.

"Come on, Fred," Casey replied. "It was just a branch falling and hitting another one."

"Then why didn't we hear the breaking of the branch before it fell?" Bill asked. "That's a damn tree knock!"

"Don't tell me you believe in this hogwash!" Casey scoffed.

"Uh, guys, what is going on?" Sarah asked, walking up to the three.

"What's going on is it's time for us to go," Fred said to Sarah. "You're set up. Generator is ready to go. We'll be back in the morning."

"Will you?" Casey asked, getting a glare from Bill and Fred. Casey held his hands up. "My bad. I know your word is your bond." Sarah looked from Casey to the two men. Casey held out his hand, a remorseful look on his face. The two men nodded at Casey and shook his hand. The two then turned, and walked off, not saying a word.

"Casey?" Sarah began.

"They got spooked," Casey told them. He looked around. "This place… its stories… the isolation…"

"Bigfoot," Chuck added. Casey glared at Chuck, shook his head, and stormed off.

"That wasn't the best idea," Sarah told him.

"All I know is those two guys, whoever they are, they know and like Casey. Which means… they've seen some shit, you know?" Sarah nodded. "Casey knows damn good and well, they don't just get spooked."

"So of course, it's the invisible, hairy, smelly yet invisible monster," Sarah said.

"You just said invisible twice," Chuck pointed out.

"Chuck, come on… some of the stories… they believe it can become one with trees… it can jump between dimensions… jump through shadows…" Sarah she stopped, and ran a hand through her hair. "It's fantastical."

"It is," Chuck agreed. "And, I'm not saying any of it is true, but…" He looked around.

"You're getting caught up in it," Sarah said gently. "Look around, feel this place. There's an energy here that… it makes you look for the weird… for the unexplained."

"And I'm here for science," Chuck replied. Sarah nodded. "Got it, get facts, not feelings."

She grinned at him. "Are you saying I don't have feelings?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No, that would be Casey," Chuck replied, making her laugh.

}o{

The camera shifts to the interview room where Chuck has joined Sarah.

"So, there we were, all alone, with just Casey. Relying on each other, in an intense situation," Sarah said.

"Plus we were kinda falling… okay, fine, I had already fallen… hard," Chuck said.

"So hard," Sarah said, shaking her head, making Chuck laugh.

"And then, there's the old Speed quote… "Relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last."

Sarah gave him a look. "Well, that was just wrong now, wasn't it?"

Chuck grinned. "Yeah, it was," he drawled.

}o{

"It's very small," Chuck said, looking around.

"Do you think you'll be able to stretch out to sleep?" Sarah asked, just now realizing how tall Chuck was in comparison to the shelter. He looked around, sat down on the floor, and lay down. He didn't have much room above his head or below his feet, but he did have room. "Oh, good."

"Sarah, we need to tell Casey that you get the one-person shelter." Chuck raised up on his elbows, looking up at her. She snorted and turned out the light. Sitting down beside him, she unrolled the sleeping bags, and got into hers. "Sarah."

"Chuck, you know he'll have gas all night, right?" Sarah asked.

"You don't know that," Chuck retorted. He got his sleeping bag unrolled and got inside. "I mean I'm sure he does, but we don't know," he said in a low voice, making her laugh. It was quiet in the shelter. "Thank you for coming, Sarah."

"You know what," Sarah said. "There's honestly nowhere else, I'd rather be." Chuck was glad the light was off, because he thought he might glow from that, and he didn't want Sarah to see. He began to drift off, a smile on his face, and peace in his heart.

}o{

The scene cuts to Sarah in the interview chair.

"And that's… that's when all hell broke loose," Sarah said.

A/N: ….

Next time:

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," he began, softly, but panic coursing through him. Another rock hit the side of the shelter making him jump. He would have yelped, but Sarah put her hand back over his mouth so he couldn't. She removed it, and watched him helplessly, seeing the terror in his eyes. "I drug you out here and you're going to get killed, and it's not fair. You finally got away from the CIA and now, you're gonna die because of my stupid ass, and a Bigfoot that no one thought was real, but apparently is real and OH MY GOD!" The last scream was due to multiple rocks hitting the shelter at that time.

"WALKER!" Casey growled.

I do believe this is where the saying Feces became factual came from. What? Never heard it? Oh, as Casey would say, "Shit got real."

Come on back next time for more fun with everyone's favorite couple and hide and seek champ. If you have time, a review would be lovely.