A/n: Okay, my first fanfic ever, so please bear with me here. It's a little dark. Some mentions of suicide, attempted suicide. I hope it's not too bad. AU. Ummmm…. That's pretty much it. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own chuck

Chapter 1: out on a limb

Chuck saw her first as a silhouette, there on the bridge, spotted under a streetlamp.

He paused at the sight, his heart thumping. His response was two-fold and embarrassing, as it always was when he saw something female and beautiful. A mix of terror and well... terror. Shyness was his bane. It vied with every desire in his heart, kept him bound and gagged.

He was a lanky twenty-six year old with curly brown hair and warm and once inviting brown eyes. His features were handsome. They were often, however, mistakenly described as cold and distant. His acquired shy nature kept him apart from people, and he rarely met their gaze when he was forced to speak with them.

As Chuck made his own silent way across the bridge a cool wind whispered by and he was glad for the jacket he wore. The night was crisp, the stars sharp as shattered glass. Above the bridge, the faux nouveau streetlights were large and yellow as small moons. Below rushed the flood-swollen river. It was fast and dangerous this time of year, enough so that town residents were warned not to let their children play near its shores. The wind carried up a bit of spray tasting of algae and wet stone.

Behind, Chuck could hear the cheers and noise from the park, where an illuminated diamond, hosted an impromptu baseball game. Ahead was the music and traffic of the town. Lives, it seemed, were being lived in either direction. The bridge, itself, however, was deserted and quiet, isolated just for Chuck and the girl, as if they'd been separated out from the world.

The girl had her back to him. She was wearing a twilight purple sweater shawl and a brown suede skirt, neither of which gave much clue to her figure. Matching boots outlined slender calves. Most striking of all was her blonde hair, which fell, curling and tumbling, almost to her waist. It was like a sunrise in the middle of the night.

She stood there, at the opposite rail, gazing out. What was she seeing? Chuck wondered. The river was rushing towards her. Was she thinking of where those floodwaters had come from, the snowmelt off mountains? The country rills and brooks?

Perhaps she was thinking about her sophisticated and well spoken boyfriend living upstream.

For a second he selfishly wished he was that boyfriend.

He'd always wanted that in his life, the silly mush of couples who thought obsessively about each other. He'd always wanted know what it was like to smile across a dinner table at someone because of a secret joke. Or to engage in some frivolous activity like roller-skating. To hold hands.

He'd always wanted that connection. More than anything. But he'd had it once and he figured he never another chance. Not like this girl and her boyfriend, whoever he was.

The girl moved closer to the railing. Chuck hastily stepped back into the shadows between streetlamps, suddenly afraid that she'd notice him ogling her and take offence. He started to drop his eyes, to turn away. To think up excuses should she see and question him.

And then he saw the girl set her knee on the top of the granite balustrade and haul herself up onto the railing.

Chuck felt himself turn to stone. He would later wonder why he didn't dash over and grab hold of her. Jerk her by the sweater shawl onto the cobbled walkway.

Only one thing popped into his head at that moment. The last thing he thought that would pop into his shy, tormented brain.

"Want to go out on a date?"

A/n: Thanks for reading. I would really appreciate some feedback. It's cool if you want to say I suck, but I would be super awesome if you tell me why I suck. Any comment at all. If it was too short, or something.