"Sarah, I just…well…given our working relationship and the fact that we're doing the thing where we don't have a relationship, I think that this is a twelve on the scale of one to really a bad idea." He backs up, stepping onto the mattress to put more distance between them, only realizing that the mattress is in no way going to help his resistance and, if anything, will only serve to break his fall when she throws him down. "Sarah."

"What's the matter, Chuck?"

There are more answers to that question than he can handle right now, from what's the matter with his life and his job and his future to what he's doing trying to be a good guy when a very hot, very sexy woman who he's pretty sure he's head over heels in love with is coming on to him. Right. The love thing. "I just don't think that we should do this."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, you were sprayed with that drug. Which has that effect on you."

Sarah steps up onto the bed and Chuck takes a moment to marvel at her balance in those heels that look more like weapons than half the weapons he knows Sarah owns. "What effect is that, Chuck?"

"The one where you take off all your clothes and stalk me through your apartment like I'm a wounded gazelle."

Sarah smiles, and it's slightly more frightening than her scowl. "I haven't taken off all my clothes." She reaches back behind her and unhooks her bra, letting the fabric fall down on the bed between them. Chuck's eyes quickly follows the silk and lace down to the bedspread, knowing that otherwise he'll be staring at parts of Sarah that he needs to not see. Ever. "Yet." Chuck opens his mouth to say something when her panties flutter down her legs to land in a pool at her feet.

"Oh. Yeah. I can…um…see that that's…different. Much…much more different." He nods, still careful to keep his eyes averted. "Still…there's a drug involved, and I think that would be bad. For a first time. First times are bad. Drugs are bad. Just say no. So I'm saying that. No. Saying no."

"No."

Something in her voice forces Chuck to look at her, keeping his eyes closed until he knows he's in the general vicinity of Sarah's face. Her eyes are bright with unshed tears and her lower lip quivers dangerously. "Sarah…"

"No. No. It's okay, Chuck." She sinks down onto her knees on the mattress and bows her head and Chuck can't help but take a tentative step toward her. "I understand."

"Understand?" He's not sure he does, because she's suddenly gone from Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to Thumbelina at mach two and even if this weren't Sarah, he'd be scratching his head, and since it is her, he's somewhere past confused. "Understand what?"

"You don't want me."

He laughs and knows immediately it's the wrong thing to do, because the tears slip past her lashes and down her cheeks. "No. No, Sarah! Not laughing. Not laughing at you. Laughing at the laughability of what you just said. About me. Not wanting you. Because I do. Want you. Because you're sexy. And funny. And beautiful. And you're you. You're Sarah."

"But…"

"But right now you're not Sarah. I mean, you are, because you're Sarah, but you're not you, so…right now I think it would be very good for you to put some clothes on and we can just…order room service or something until Casey shows up with reinforcements."