Sarah vs. The X-Files

Disclaimer- I own nothing involving "Chuck" or anything that it's owners lay claim to.

A.N.- Non specific future Charah-ish fic. This is my first Chuck fic, and hopefully indicates the return of my muse in general after a few years. Please offer suggestions as to character voices and how I did in general.

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Sarah Walker was troubled.

She had been spending more and more free-time in Chuck's bedroom for reasons of security and beefing up their cover story for this current version of their "relationship", but the more she was here, the less it felt like a story, yet again.

Chuck Bartowski was a curious and slightly enigmatic man, despite how open he was with his heart. His warm eyes, his adorable curls, these were problems. He was unlike anyone she had ever known, before or after joining the CIA. His fantastic smile that could disrupt any angst she had over her...feelings...these and many more distracted her in the best way; sharpening her resolve in protecting him when on duty, despite the fact that it should do anything but..

This was intolerable.

Chuck had recently become very serious about his civilian life goals, namely, the creation of a software company that designed video games. After his thrice weekly workout and then supper, Chuck had begun to start doing heavy design work, locking the Morgan door and banning everyone from his "inner sanctum".

Everyone save one Sarah Walker.

Sarah had been honored by this free pass into Chuck's space, recognizing that he wanted her around for some reason, even though their "thing under the undercover thing" was still mostly verboten. He'd been at this for eight weeks now, no less than twenty hours a week of serious number crunching and planning.

At first, Sarah had been in awe of the total focus her normally gregarious asset had been capable of. She knew he was intelligent beyond her ken, but the laser like precision he demanded from himself had been startlingly attractive to the blond.

Plus, he gets the cutest look on his face when problem solving, Sarah allowed her psyche the occasional slip in op sec.

As the days went by, she had started bringing books with her, some from Chuck's recommended reading list, others from the Company's training library. Methodology and tactics, field data on the current affairs of the "Great Game".

Chuck was always putting on some kind of background sound for both their benefit, not the usual fare they listened to either; film soundtracks and scores, classics like Holst, occasionally he'd put Daft Punk on, his head bobbing to the beat while he unconsciously spun a pen in his hand as deftly as she could spin a small blade.

However, two weeks ago he'd started putting on X-Files DVDs.

"No more music, Chuck?"

"Nah, I've been trying to write some game scenarios and I need dialogue in the background. If it bugs you I can put some headphones on?"

"No, no, it's fine."

Sarah had made peace with the show when the thought of Chuck putting headphones on gave her pause. It wasn't like it was bad or anything, it was just, well, headphones meant that the occasional comment couldn't reach him anymore.

They spoke rarely during the sessions, but occasionally he'd bounce ideas off of her or she'd ask about one of his books she was plowing through. Headphones would be a slight disconnect from the shared space and Sarah wasn't having it.

The problem was the show. Sarah had watched some of the X-Files when she was younger, but moving as much as she did with her Dad, it had never hooked her. Until Chuck, that is.

Sarah Walker had never cared too much for fiction, her whole life was fiction, why buy the cow and yadda, yadda, yadda.

But since Chuck had come into her life, Sarah had rapidly become entangled in his love of sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure. She rationalized that this assignment was short on the exotic locations she had become accustomed to; fiction was escapism and balance, keeping her mind working as she came to love- er, enjoy- Los Angeles as her base.

The X-files started well enough, mysteries, conspiracies (some of which Ms. Walker knew the truth behind, funny enough), and lives stranger than the one she was sharing with Chuck.

Her life and Chuck's life that is, two lives, totally separate.

However, after a few seasons, Mulder and Scully had started to become. It frustrated her to see it, for reasons she couldn't pin down. The same reasons were not dissimilar as to why one couldn't find the Cascade mountain range when standing on Mt. Baker.

She saw two intelligent people, who fit amazingly well together, having to deny personal feelings because of their duty.

"Chuck?"

"Buh?" Chuck mumbled, yanking himself away from his monitor that he'd been rapidly filling with dialogue.

"Is it okay if I shut Mulder and Scully down for the night? I'm feeling a little burnt."

Chuck quirked an eyebrow, "Sarah, you can turn the TV off whenever you want. You're my gir- my guest. No rules here," Chuck paved over his near vocal slip with a sheepish grin. "Any particular reason though?"

Sarah bit her lip, trying to organize her thoughts after Chuck being so sweet, "Well...I guess I'm just sick of those two dancing around each other."

"Oh?"

"It's just hard to see, y'know? I know it makes for good programming, but I wish they'd just get together already!"

Chuck's grin threatened to split his face as he saved his work and shut his monitor off. "Boy Sarah, remind me to never show you SG-1."

Or a mirror, she filled in for him.

Sarah's nose crinkled as she pulled a face at Chuck, "Aren't any of your favorite shows free of UST, Charles?"

They both laughed as Chuck made his way to the bed and wrapped a cautious arm around Sarah's shoulders.

"What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic, and we love our situational problems," Chuck mused as he and Sarah rearranged them selves against this headboard, neither making eye contact during the brain cool down/physical closeness session they indulged in after Chuck's work sessions.

Sarah huffed, the breath flipping an errant lock of hair upwards, "How people ever put up with those two avoiding their feelings for so many years, I'll never understand."

"Have you ever watched the show all the way through, Sarah?"

Sarah bumped Chuck with her shoulder, "Well in between all the time training with the Company and running missions," she snorted, causing Chuck to laugh softly.

"Well, if I may offer a spoiler-y analysis," Chuck started, capturing her eyes with his own.

What is he up to? Why does he have to hit me with those amazing eyes?

"People fell in love with Mulder and Scully because they were perfect for each other," Chuck said softly, "Two opposites, in ideology and attitude, coming together to work towards a greater goal."

Sarah felt herself start to blush as Chuck's eyes captured her own and held hers.

"He let her in. Completely in to his life, even knowing that by all rights, she was far out of his league. All he had was hope that his life and his potential could measure up to what she deserved."

Sarah felt flushed, the heat from Chuck's body almost too much, but she didn't move, caught in a moment they normally shied away from.

"The truth was out there for Mulder," Chuck said, breaking the metaphor, "he just had to travel for a few years before he and Scully were ready to accept that the truth had been there the whole time."

"Chuck-"

"Truth is a funny thing Sarah. Sometimes it takes a few years to grow into a position where you can see what needs to be done to have it, and sometimes we have to earn it through trial and error," Chuck finished, before gently pulling away from Sarah and taking a long drink from his glass of water.

Sarah was breathless. She and Chuck had been back and forth over the past year, their "relationship" having gone through at least two "fake" breakups, and even a short session of her being reassigned for a summer, before all parties (governmental and civilian) recognized that Chuck and the Intersect functioned best when Sarah Walker was in his life.

Chuck had started out being churlish and temperamental when it came to the "thing under the undercover thing", but lately, he'd become damn near impossible to pin down. He was still unconsciously charming, still funny and happy, but a core of steel had formed somewhere along the way, his interests becoming focused, his will to train physically and augment his intellect with measured responses to conflict taking up a good potion of personal time.

Casey had confided in her that Chuck had started submitting requests to General Beckman for specialized training that could be considered pre-agent training, and seemed to be taking his role as the Human Intersect with more of a sense of duty opposed to a sense of burden.

The combined effect of the subtle changes combined with the personality she had come to lo-care for deeply had Sarah near gasping for air as her skin tingled when near him, her resolve crumbling with his latest admission to her.

"Are you saying that "Mulder" and "Scully" are going to get together?" Sarah asked, licking her lips.

Chuck took a deep breath and turned back to his favorite secret agent, "well, spoilers aside, they don't not get together," he joked while remaining within striking distance.

Sarah Walker saw a brief slide show of all the moments of Chuck Bartowski that had changed her, had changed them as people.

Fortune favors the bold and reckless, Sarah though before acting.

She grabbed Chuck's shirt and kissed him, tenderly at first, but increasing the heat until it had turned into one of their seasonal "scorchers", their hands pulling each other in while her mouth devoured the his ,only breaking the kiss before they went much further and passed the point of no return.

After a moment of shocked silence Sarah couldn't help herself.

"Well if they could survive that kind of time commitment, I think I'll be able to hold out until then," Sarah said with a mischievous grin.

"For Mulder and Scully?" Chuck asked hoarsely.

"Not exactly," she quipped, before flopping back down to the bed and reaching for the copy of "Accelerando" she was borrowing from Chuck.

"Be my pillow while I read?" Sarah asked, suddenly shy.

"Charles Bartowski, pillow extrordinaire, at your service," Chuck said with renewed strength of voice and the classic ear splitting grin she craved the sight of.

Settling in for the rest of their evening, Sarah let out more than a few content sighs as Chuck read a study on memory access and data retention.

Sarah walker was at peace.