A/N: Hi everyone. This is my attempt at an extended AU project, so I have taken liberties. Any feedback is appreciated as usual. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. I don't own Chuck. Cheers!

Those We Once Knew

Chapter 1

Chuck could not remember a time when Sarah Walker was not in his life. Or rather, he loathed the thought of it, imprisoned in the back of his mind but often threatening to break out.

The sun was setting in the distance, casting orange and red streaks through the purple sky, but hidden behind the fronds of a tree. Clouds lazily floated past, basking in the dying light in glorious ambience.

The dry grass of Sarah's backyard was coarse yet simultaneously soft, poking out from the edges of the picnic mat that they set on.

Often, as Spring began to brighten the days, the two would spend time out here after school. Warm and peaceful, quiet and open, each day seemed to signify the soon-to-be conclusion of their high school careers.

As Chuck lay on his side, he couldn't help but wish that time would just encapsulate them in that moment. The sun would be unmoving, the Earth would stop revolving, their watches would stop ticking.

His gaze was unbudging from Sarah's thoughtful expression as she stared down onto the chessboard between them, quite barren from all the captured pieces that stood to the side to watch the rest of the game.

She glanced up to meet his eyes and chuckled slightly before she moved her rook.

"Mate in six," she said quietly.

Chuck immediately turned his attention back to the board, head snapping comically. After a minute of consideration, his shoulders slumped in defeat. It wasn't the rarest occurrence that he would lose a chess match to Sarah but he knew she would rub it in.

"Losing your touch there, Chuck." She chortled with pride.

He redirected his attention to his physics textbook, though distracted by her incessant gloating. His mock despondence never dispirited her.

"Here's your consolation prize." Sarah produced a grape from the small container next to the chessboard and was waving it in front of Chuck's face. He quickly wavered and bit on the grape between Sarah's fingers, before the two of them packed the chess set up.

"You know you don't have to be stuck in studies all the time. You'll get that scholarship."

"Easy for you to say. You've already been accepted to Harvard." Sarah had received the news recently and Chuck was hoping for the same. He refused to picture university without her and he definitely couldn't bear to think of not making it to university.

"Chuck, I'm not the genius between the two of us." It was entirely true. Chuck's intelligence was rivalled by few and far in between, even at such a young age. "If you're not on the cover of Wired or sending a rocket into space for NASA, then I won't be happy."

He was chuffed. Only his sister, Ellie, and Sarah had such faith in him, more than his confidence could ever muster. While his dreams were not mundane or uninspired by any stretch of the imagination, it was occasionally difficult for him to conceptualise a path to his destination.

"Seriously, don't stop until you have everything you've wanted."

"I promise," he replied sturdily.

"Alright but don't make a girl a promise that you know you can't keep." Chuck inhaled sharply as Sarah laughed again.

The sun disappearing under the horizon was their cue to reluctantly clear everything up. A delicate darkness soon enveloped them, their shadows blending with the gloom.

Wordlessly, they returned to Sarah's house. After exchanging farewells, Chuck ambled home, only a short distance away.

Reaching his mailbox, he immediately spotted two large packages. Bundling everything together, he rushed inside and immediately tore them open with a recklessness not akin to himself.

Ellie, curious of the commotion, appeared from the kitchen, taking a brief break from cooking their dinner. She saw the packets and was over the moon, moving to crush Chuck between her hold.

Two acceptance letters slipped out of their respective packages. One from Stanford, the other from Harvard. However, there was also a scholarship letter in the Stanford package, conspicuously absent from its counterpart.

And without warning or reason, those thoughts without Sarah that he had so methodically caged in his mind sprung out haphazardly.

Sitting on a bench with the sole company of oneself wasn't the optimal way of spending lunchtime at high school but Chuck felt no inclination to socialise. Making friends was never a chore for Chuck but ever since he and Ellie were abandoned by their father a couple months ago, only a few years after their mother had done so, he had a disdain for human interaction.

A perpetual numbness along with fatigue lingered in his body for the first few weeks of school; this was not the ideal way to begin freshman year. Devoid of excitement and delight, he lamented his loss and state of monotonous existence.

He and Morgan, his childhood friend, were enrolled in separate schools when Ellie decided that renting an apartment was more manageable for both herself and Chuck. Although they had moved away, the two regularly chatted or engaged in online gaming, but even the frequency of that had diminished.

Resembling that of a hospital, the white walls of the cafeteria were claustrophobia-inducing despite the openness of the room, seemingly swallowing him. The only evidence that he was not living in a prison were the windows and glass doors.

The aluminium tables only added to the soulless atmosphere that only appeared not so by the vast number of students around him, engrossed in meaningless conversation and fruitless gossip.

"Hi, there."

Chuck lethargically raised his head from his food, tasting of old cardboard. He was partially blinded by a ray of sunshine behind the figure before him. As he squinted and focused on her, he was taken aback by the girl's beauty. A stunning lock of golden hair sat above the most angelic face he had been witness to.

Without any permission, she took a seat next to Chuck, radiating with the sunlight. He was perplexed and thrilled by her presence. So long had he been lacking emotion, the faint, unfamiliar excitement he experienced was almost enough to burst his stomach.

"Are you OK?"

Chuck whipped out of his reverie. "Uh, yeah, sorry." Bright scarlet was beginning to paint his cheeks as he forcefully pasted on a gracious smile. "I'm Chuck."

Sensing his hesitation and shyness, she gently said, "Sarah," before smiling back.

"Sarah Walker… Umm, we're in the same English and Science class." He had noticed her before in roll call - she was impossible to ignore - but had not given a second thought.

"And here I thought you had no clue, Chuck."

They quietly munched on their separate lunches, now tasting remarkably better than before, Chuck determined. Sarah nicked a grape from Chuck and smirked as she savoured the sweetness of it.

"I love grapes," she only offered when Chuck looked pointedly at her.

Soon, they discovered some common ground: holiday destinations. While Sarah was adamant that a tropical island nation like the Caribbean or Vanuatu was unequivocally the idea destination, Chuck leaned more towards foreign cities, especially Paris.

Neither had kept track of time and only realised that lunch was ending from the trail of students heading to their respective classes.

"Come on, let's not keep Ms Bracey waiting." Sarah pulled Chuck up and led him hastily to English class.

Only later had Sarah admitted that she had been dared to talk to Chuck by her friend, after noticing him alone in class. However, she affirmed to him multiple times that it was the best dare she had taken on, judging by the result.

After that day, Sarah invited Chuck to spend lunch with her small group of friends. They had unknowingly weaseled their way and settled comfortably in each other's hearts.

When they realised that they lived not far from each other, they made their journeys to and from school together as well.

Like a young tortoise, Chuck had eventually emerged from his shell after repeatedly being prodded and coerced by Sarah. Little by little, he had regained his confidence and had a reinvigorated sense of enthusiasm.

Purpose uncovered itself along with his natural talent in mathematics, engineering and technology, which he promptly developed a mild passion for.

His exuberance became intoxicating and contagious. Never since his mother had left had he consistently jumped out of bed with such exuberance, if not only to see Sarah Walker waiting on his doorstep.