A/N: This takes place after "Chuck vs. The Cliffhanger." Please review and let me know what you think of this little story.
Don't own Chuck. Wish I owned a condo on Maui.
A Maui Honeymoon
Sarah Bartowski (née Walker) was in heaven. The sun beat down on her back as she lay flat on her towel. She was soaking up the sun old school; no beach chairs, no chaise lounges. Just the warm sand, a towel and her sunblock. She sighed contentedly at the scent of the saltwater in the air and the sound of the waves hitting the beach. All she needed was one of those fruity drinks with an umbrella in it and she would be all set.
Sarah and Chuck had been in Maui for a few days, it being the first and only stop on their honeymoon. It felt good to her to just lay there on the beach and relax. After recovering sufficiently from the effects of the Norseman device, pure adrenalin had gotten her out of the hospital bed and to their wedding. She would have rolled herself down the aisle in a damn wheelchair if necessary. Thankfully, it hadn't been and their special day had been nothing short of miraculous. Now, as she lay on that beach in Maui, the physical and emotional stress of the previous few weeks melted away in the warmth of the sun.
When they first arrived in Maui, they were both exhausted. They had lazed about in bed the first couple of days. Some of their exhaustion was due to the weeks leading up to the wedding. Most of it was due to the unbridled passion they had shared since arriving in Maui. They were newlyweds after all.
Sarah lifted her head off of the towel and turned it so her face pointed in the other direction. She opened one eye and saw the empty towel spread out next to her. Chuck seemed to have recovered from his exhaustion quicker than she and soon became bored with simply baking like a potato in the sun. The last she had seen of him this afternoon was when he grabbed a boogie board and headed for the surf.
She closed her eye and let her mind wander. She thought about the hundreds of millions of dollars Hartley Winterbottom/Alexei Volkoff had given them. That was a ton of money. Probably a lot more than a ton, she thought. She wondered how much $877 million in singles weighed. All she needed to know was how much one hundred dollars in ones weighed. Then she could simply multiply. She began running some hypothetical numbers through her head, but soon got drowsy. Mental math always made her sleepy.
She was almost asleep when someone stood over her, blocking her sun. She sighed in frustration as this was not the first time today this had happened. Without opening her eyes, she stuck her left hand in the air, wiggled her ring finger and said pointedly, "I'm married. Go away." She had tried being nice to the first couple of interlopers, but she found it just encouraged them. So now she was blunt and to the point.
"Lucky guy," the familiar voice replied, "although he apparently is a complete idiot for leaving his gorgeous wife on the beach by herself for any length of time."
She smiled at the voice. She rolled over, propped herself up on her elbows and looked up as Chuck stood over her. He shook his body like a wet dog, sending droplets of water everywhere. Some of them landed on her skin. The drops evaporated almost immediately in the heat.
"Oh, that feels good," she said. "I'm starting to get hot."
He laughed and replied, "Baby, you're always hot!" He dropped his boogie board on the sand and flopped onto his towel next to her. She smirked. He looked at her and teased, "Oh, come on, Sarah. You can't tee one up like that and not have me take a swing at it."
She snickered and gently slapped his arm. His skin was cool to her touch. "Well, then, you'll just have to cool me off," she cooed as she hooked her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him toward her. She lay back down on her towel and pulled him with her. He ended up with his upper body on top of hers. His body was cool against her hot skin. It felt heavenly to her. He planted his elbows on either side of her and raised his head up, his face inches from hers. He gave her a kiss that curled her toes.
He pulled away and looked at her again, concern etched on his face. "You are hot! Are you okay? Are you drinking enough?" She knew he was stilled concerned about her health after her temperature had been so dangerously high during the whole Norseman ordeal.
She gave him a quick kiss of reassurance and replied, "I'm fine. This is Hawaii, remember? It's warm here. And yes, I'm drinking plenty of water." She turned her head and eyed the nearly empty water bottle stuck in the sand next to her.
"Good," he said. He gave her another kiss and then rolled back onto his towel and propped himself up on his elbows. "By the way, nice try in trying to distract me. But tell me, Mrs. Bartowski, how many guys have you had to fend off while you were here by yourself?"
She could hear the concern mixed with a hint of jealousy in his voice. She didn't want to make a big deal about it, but she wouldn't to lie to him either. She decided to be noncommittal and see what happened. "A few," she shrugged. She sat up, dug through her beach bag and found her sunglasses. She slipped them on and glanced over at him.
"Uh huh. I want a number, Sarah. How many guys have approached you today?"
She sighed. She knew she would have to tell him. "Nine," she said quietly.
"Nine!" he nearly shouted. "I thought most men are here on their honeymoons, too."
"Well, some of them are," she started, "but apparently this is where a lot of college guys come to blow off some steam right after graduation." She watched the waves crashing on the surf. When he didn't respond, she glanced over at him and waited.
The serious look on Chuck's face told her he was not amused. He knew all about college guys. He was silent for another moment and then face relaxed. His eyes danced as he replied, "I have a solution. I'll just have to spend every moment with my bride. I'm not letting you out of my sight. You won't be able to get rid of me." He gave her an eyebrow dance for good measure.
She grinned back at him. "I can live with that." She thought for a minute and then said, "Sweetie, I know you get bored with just laying in the sun when I need time to relax. We have ten more days here. How about we each plan five days of worth of things we'd like to do? We'll alternate days. That way we can do different kinds of things and we are with each other all the time. You don't have to worry about college boys and I don't have to worry about brunettes."
Chuck jerked at the last part about the brunettes. "Wait. What? What brunettes?"
Sarah snorted and said, "Never mind. So what do you think of my idea."
Chuck grabbed her and this time it was her turn to be pulled on top of him. He removed her sunglasses and looked deep into her eyes. "You are brilliant," he murmured and kissed her again. This kiss was more passionate and urgent than the last. She could feel his cool hand on her back, pressing her body closer to his. She deepened the kiss, one hand cradling the side of his face.
Chuck broke the kiss and rolled Sarah onto her back. He rolled onto his stomach and croaked in her ear, "I'm suddenly very aware I'm wearing nothing but swim trunks."
She eyed him seductively and murmured, "Come back with me to the bungalow and you won't even be wearing those for much longer." She smiled when his only response was a low moan.
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Over the course of the next nine days, they were inseparable as they went on all of their different adventures. Chuck arranged for them to bike down Haleakala, go on a zip line, snorkel, parasail and tour the island from a helicopter. Sarah's choices had been a little more subdued as they drove the road to Hana, shopped, enjoyed a sunset dinner cruise and spent a day at a spa. When they weren't out doing a specific activity, they were either in their bungalow, lounging by the pool or at the beach.
As it turned out, Sarah was in charge of their activities on their last day on the island. She chose to make it low key and relaxing before they returned to their busy lives in Burbank. During the day, they hung out by the pool. She didn't need to worry about getting sunburned since one of Chuck's favorite activities was rubbing sunblock on her back as she lay on her stomach on the lounge chair. Not that she minded, of course. She melted under his touch as it slowly rubbed circles on her back. He seemed to particularly enjoy untying her bikini top and rubbing the skin where the string had been. She, of course, had returned the favor and slathered lotion on his back. And his arms. And the back of his legs. And his shoulders and neck. And just under the waistband of his swim trunks…
At one point in the afternoon, she slipped into the pool to cool off. She plunged completely under the water and let the cool water envelope her. She swam a little ways under water and then let her head break the surface. Still mostly submerged with just her head out of the water, she smiled as she watched the kids shoot off the end of the waterslide and splash into the pool.
A few minutes later, out of the corner of her eye she saw a young man swim in her direction. That was her cue to get out. She swam over to the stairs and stepped out of the pool. Water cascaded off of her as she sauntered back toward Chuck. She smiled at the silly grin on his face.
"Slow motion?" she asked, knowingly.
"Uh huh," was his inarticulate response.
Her grin grew wider as she stood next to him, tilted her body over his and squeezed the water from her hair onto his tanned abdomen. That snapped him back to reality. In one swift motion, he grabbed her hips and pulled her down onto his lap.
She gave him a warning look and said, "Chuck, this is a family pool."
He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.
"You know," she said in a low voice, "I think I've had enough sun today. Don't you think it's time we head back to our bungalow?"
Chuck nodded, the grin never leaving his face. It took them approximately twenty seconds to gather up their belongings and walk quickly toward their bungalow.
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As evening approached, Sarah changed into a white sundress that showed off her tanned skin. Her hair had lightened in the sun and salt water, so it was now blonder than ever. Chuck had changed into nice shorts and a polo shirt. He wore flip flops and she wore sandals, the only footwear required in Maui. His megawatt grin was brighter than usual when it flashed from his tanned face when he looked at her.
For their last dinner in Maui, Sarah drove the rental car to a restaurant called Mama's Fish House. A friend of hers back in California had mentioned it as a place not to be missed, so Sarah had made reservations several days ago.
They arrived at the restaurant and dropped the car with the valet. They walked hand in hand through the banyan tree arch into the restaurant. The hostess escorted them to a table next to an open window which looked out toward the ocean. They sat down and Sarah took in her surroundings. The décor was elegantly Polynesian with rich hardwood floors and tapa tablecloths. Out of sheer spy habit, she glanced around at the tables near them. At one of the tables sat a couple obviously on their honeymoon. At another table a couple and their daughter, probably eight or nine years of age, sat looking at their menus.
Sarah looked scanned the menu before her. "Chuck, look at this," she said pointing to the menu. "They list the names of the guys who caught today's fish and where they were caught. Talk about fresh."
He nodded, "Everything looks so good I don't know what to order."
They were silent as they concentrated on their menus. Sarah decided on opakapaka. Chuck was still reading his menu, so she let her eyes wander. Her gaze fell to the table with the little girl and her parents. She couldn't help but overhear the conversation taking place at there.
"Emily, they don't have a kids menu, so you order whatever you want," Sarah overheard the mother say.
"Even the lobster tail?" Emily asked. There was a brief hesitation as Sarah saw the parents looking at each other. Sarah glanced down at her menu and saw that the lobster tail was indeed the most expensive item on the menu.
The voice of the father answered, "Even the lobster tail. How often do we come to Maui? We're on vacation. You get whatever you want."
Sarah smiled when she heard the mother say, "The young men who want to take you out to dinner when you get older are going to have to have good jobs. You have very expensive taste."
When it was time to order, Emily said confidently to the waiter, "I would like the lobster tail, please."
Sarah snuck a peek over at the table and saw a surprised look on the waiter's face. He looked over at the dad who nodded his head. The waiter shrugged his shoulders and wrote down the order on his pad.
Sarah turned back toward their table and Chuck glanced over at Sarah. He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "Are you eavesdropping, Agent Walker?"
She sighed, "Busted. Old habits die hard. And it's not Agent Walker anymore. Actually, it's not Agent anything anymore." She looked at him. "Chuck, is the deal with the Buy More done?"
He nodded. "Yes, but we promised no more business until we get back to Burbank," he said.
"Okay," she replied.
"So are you going to tell me what you were overhearing or not?" he asked in a low voice.
She snickered and said, "The little girl just ordered lobster tail."
Chuck didn't even need to look at the price. He knew that lobster tail was always the most expensive thing on any menu. He let a low whistle. "And the parents are okay with that?"
Sarah nodded. "They said that they are on vacation and to have fun. You should have seen the look on the waiter's face when she ordered. He was stunned." She giggled again.
Chuck was about to say something else when their waiter came to take their orders. Chuck ordered the mahimahi and Sarah the opakapaka. As the waiter left their table, Chuck put his hand on hers and asked, "So, Sarah, what is your favorite thing we've done on our honeymoon?"
She bit her lower lip and felt the blush overcome her tanned face. He smiled and said, "Let me rephrase that. What is your most favorite thing we've done outside our room?" She felt a sense of vindication when she saw the blush creep up his face as well.
She recovered a little and replied, "I don't know, Chuck. Honestly, I've loved everything we've done. I've loved it all, no matter what we've done, because I was with you," she said sincerely, her blue eyes boring intensely into his.
He was taken aback at the passion in her response. Words escaped him. His only reply was to lean toward her and give her a sweet, gentle kiss. "I love you," he was finally able to whisper.
"I love you, too, Chuck. More than you know," she said softly.
They sat with their heads close, talking to each other in low voices. It was a good thing they had already ordered their food or they would have bolted for the bungalow.
They stopped speaking but their heads remained close as the food was served to the table with the little girl and her parents. They overheard the mother say, "Sweetie, you eat as much as you can. Whatever you can't eat, I'm sure Dad will finish the rest."
Chuck leaned into Sarah's ear and whispered, "Do you think she'll finish that lobster tail?"
Sarah stole a glance at the other table, shook her head slightly and whispered back, "No way. It's too much. I'm not sure I could finish it."
He nodded and pressed his lips to her temple. They separated when their waiter approached the table with their food. With a flourish he placed their plates in front of them. It all smelled so good they could hardly wait for him to leave before they attacked their food. Sarah took a bite of fish and gave a guttural groan that was usually reserved for animal style Double Doubles from In-N-Out. Her eyes grew wide and moaned, "Oh my god, Chuck. This is the best fish I've ever had. It melts in my mouth!" A couple heads turned their direction, but Chuck ignored them. He simply smiled at her and nodded in agreement.
Barely a word was spoken as they ate. Chuck fed Sarah a forkful of food from his plate, eliciting from her another growl of gastronomical pleasure. Sarah returned the favor and fed him a bite of her food. She smiled when she saw the look of bliss that crossed his face. In the end, she ate half of her food and fed the other half to Chuck. Similarly, he ate half of his and fed the other half to her. It turned out to be an excellent arrangement.
Sarah glanced over at the table where the little girl sat and was disappointed to see that the table had been cleared of its plates. She had no idea if Emily had finished off the lobster tail or not. She was about to say something to Chuck about it when the waiter approached the little girl's table with a dessert dish full of ice cream and placed it in front of her. The father said with confusion, "I'm sorry but we didn't order any dessert."
A grin split the waiter's face and he replied, "The chef couldn't believe it when I told him the lobster tail was for a little girl. He was sure she wouldn't be able to finish it. When I brought her empty plate back to the kitchen and told him she had finished it all by herself, he was so pleased he wanted to give her this banana ice cream as a gift for making him so happy."
Sarah peeked at the girl. Her eyes sparkled and a huge smile graced her young face. Her parents laughed in delight. "Well, who are we to argue with the chef?" Emily's mother said, amused.
"Shall I bring two more spoons?" the waiter asked.
The father snickered and replied, "You can bring them, but I'm not sure there will be any left by the time you get back."
Sarah winked at Chuck and whispered, "She finished the whole lobster tail and the chef gave her banana ice cream because he was so impressed."
Chuck smiled at Sarah's interest in the little girl. He wasn't sure what it meant, so he didn't say anything about it. Instead he asked, "Shall we order dessert ourselves? It looks like they have some incredible choices here."
Sarah flashed Chuck a saucy look, leaned close to him and breathed seductively, "I have something…else…in mind for dessert."
Chuck gave an involuntary jolt and said a little too loudly, "Check please!"
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The lights were turned low in their bungalow. They relaxed on the lounges on the lanai that overlooked the beach, sipping champagne. Palm trees swayed gently in the trade winds as waves rhythmically pounded the beach. The lanai's only source of light flickered from a cluster of tiki torches stuck in the sand. Sarah breathed in the aroma of plumeria floating in the breeze and sighed.
After awhile, Sarah glanced over at Chuck and said, "I have a gift for you." She sat up, swung her legs around and put her bare feet on the floor.
"You didn't have to get me anything," Chuck replied.
"Well, it's not a something, really. It's nothing tangible," she stopped. She looked at him shyly and said, "It's a song."
"You wrote me a song?" he said, his voice full of surprise.
"What? Oh god, no!" She snickered at the idea. She reached out, put a hand on his arm and said, "I'm sure you remember that on our 'first' first date you were surprised that I didn't listen to music or have a favorite band."
He nodded and smiled at the memory.
"Even when we were on the run in Europe, you were still stunned when I didn't have any favorite music. You found me a song when we got home and thought it would become my favorite song." She smiled, "You were right."
His eyes watched her intently as she took a deep breath. "Now, I've found a song for you." She picked up the small remote from the table and pressed the play button.
The room filled with the sound of a single piano and a female voice singing:
How glad the many millions of Toms and Dicks and Williams would be to capture me.
But you had such persistence, you wore down my resistance.
I fell, and it was swell.
You're my big and brave and handsome Romeo.
How I won you I will never, never know.
It's not that you're attractive, but oh, my heart grew active,
When you came into view.
The singer paused. Sarah stood and offered her hand to Chuck. He stood and wrapped his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck and watched the emotion cross his face as the bass, drums and a muted trumpet softly joined the piano. The song continued:
I've got a crush on you, Sweetie Pie,
All the day and nighttime, hear me sigh.
I never had the least notion that I could fall with so much emotion.
Could you coo? Could you care for a cunning cottage we could share?
The world would pardon my mush,
'Cause I've got a crush, my baby, on you.
They swayed slowly to the music, a huge grin on his face and eyes brimming with emotion. The muted trumpet solo played and their eyes locked. The singer rejoined the song as they continued their dance:
Could you coo? Could you care for a cunning cottage we could share?
The world would pardon my mush,
'Cause I have got a crush, my baby, on you.
The music ended, but they continued to hold each other and sway to the sounds of the breeze tinkling a distant wind chime and the pounding of the surf. Finally, Chuck was able to whisper, his voice husky with emotion, "Thank you, Sarah. That's the best gift anyone has ever given me."
She smiled and kissed him tenderly. She broke the kiss and said, "I already have the best gift I've ever received."
She picked up the remote and hit the play button again.
"I have a new favorite song," Chuck murmured as they slowly danced into their new life together.
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A/N, part II: I've Got a Crush on You music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
I used the Linda Ronstadt version of this song in this story. If you would like to see her perform it, go to YouTube and search "Linda Ronstadt Crush on You". The song actually starts about one minute into the video. You should do it. It's Gershwin! Impress your friends with your eclectic musical taste.
A/N, part III: For the record, $877 million in ones is approximately 965 tons. I did not use mental math to figure this out as it also makes me sleepy.