Title: The Toothache Proves the Heartache
Summary: Sarah gets a cavity, and Chuck makes her go to the dentist. One-shot.
Disclaimer: Chuck doesn't belong to me!
"Ow!" Sarah exclaimed, putting a hand to her cheek.
Chuck turned to her, concerned. "You okay?" he asked.
They had just gotten in from a mission only to find that Ellie had done some baking while they were out. Luckily, she wasn't in the vicinity of the kitchen, and Chuck and Sarah had taken their opportunity to steal a few brownies. Chuck was sitting happily at the kitchen table, delighting in his brownies and milk, but Sarah was not enjoying herself as much.
"Yeah, yeah, it's just . . ." Sarah replied, still holding her palm along her jaw. "God, I think it's my tooth."
"Again?" he asked, careful to not let her see him smile. "Maybe you should get it checked out."
"No, I'll be fine," she assured him, looking at her discarded brownie dejectedly.
"Are you sure? You've been complaining for the past two weeks."
Her eyebrows narrowed. "I'll be fine, Chuck."
With an amused expression, he turned to replace the milk in the refrigerator. "Whatever."
"I brush four times a day and floss twice. I have perfect teeth," she protested, sounding affronted.
"Uh-huh. When's the last time you've been to the dentist's?"
She paused, and then confessed, "We get check-ups regularly at CIA headquarters."
He stifled a laugh. "Yep. That's great and all, but you've been in L.A. for the past fourteen months."
"So?" The question held a challenge.
"So . . . that's way too long to go without seeing the dentist."
Sarah stood up from the table, her face determined. "I'm not going to the dentist."
Chuck was startled by the vehemence of her reaction, but he was unable to keep the corners of his lips from twitching upwards. "Why not?"
"Because I don't need to go to the dentist."
"Oh my God." He threw his hands up in aggravation. He'd never seen her be so difficult or act so irrationally.
"What?"
His eyes went wide in realization. "You're afraid!"
"That's ridiculous!"
He let out a sharp, delighted laugh. "Miss Big, Bad CIA Agent is afraid of the dentist!"
"I am not!"
Seeing that her expression was close to murderous, he calmed down a bit, beginning to regret ragging on her. But he didn't regret it enough to let the subject drop.
"Then why won't you go?" he pressed.
"I told you! I don't need to!"
Chuck motioned for her to stop shouting. He didn't want Casey to come running in to check on them.
"Open up." He shot her a charming smile, hoping it'd help persuade her.
"What?"
"Open up! Let me check for a cavity." If she wouldn't go to the dentist, maybe she would at least consent to let him check to see if she actually needed to go.
Almost exploding with frustration, she yelled, "I do not get cavities!"
He fought back a chuckle, but couldn't resist teasing her again. "Why, because you're a CIA agent or because you're Sarah Walker?"
"Because I just don't, that's why. I have not had a cavity. Ever. In my entire life. Not even when I was a teenager and I lived on junk food."
Her excuses were sounding emptier and emptier, but he ignored that in favor of the trivial information she had unwittingly given up.
Incredulous, he asked, "You actually ate junk food? Ever?"
She paused, seeming to calm down. A slight smile appeared on her lips. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
"You're just . . . very well-built, that's all." He blushed, kicking himself for stumbling over his words.
She smirked. "Thanks. But never in my life have I had a cavity. Why would I have one now?"
He relaxed. "Maybe because you eat horribly now. Thanks to me and Morgan, I might add."
She smacked him in the shoulder. "Yeah, thanks a lot," she said, adding in a mumble, "I need to go to the gym."
"Come on," he urged again, "Open up."
She finally relented, muttering, "Arg. Fine."
Standing up, Sarah ambled over to where he was leaning bemusedly against the counter. She opened her mouth, tilting her head back just enough to catch the light from the overhead fixture. He placed his hand on her chin and peeked inside. It only took a few seconds to spot the offending tooth.
"Yep," he concluded. "That is definitely a cavity."
She snapped her jaws shut, almost catching his fingers in her teeth, and jumped away from him. "No! No way! You don't even know what a cavity looks like!"
"Sarah," he rolled his eyes. "You are being supremely unreasonable right now. Everyone knows what a cavity looks like. There was a dark spot on your second to back tooth on the right side. Cavity." He even emphasized the last word with a hand gesture in an attempt to get through to her.
Sarah looked insulted.
He paused, pursing his lips. She stared him down, not moving a muscle.
Chuck finally caved in the staring contest, but unwilling to give up so easily, he challenged, "Fine. If you're not going to do anything about it, I will." He opened a bottom drawer, fumbling through the cookbooks until he saw a yellow book poking out underneath the stack. He pulled it from its hiding place and set it on the counter with a dull thwack.
"What? It's my tooth!"
"I have the phone book. I am looking up 'dentist,'" he mocked, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Ooh, now I'm dialing."
"Stop!" She tried to grab the phone away from him, clawing at it while he fended her off with an outstretched hand.
"And it's ringing!" he yelled with a grin, his fist raised triumphantly. Dodging a blow to his ear, he raced into the living room.
"What are you going to do? Let your tooth just rot until it falls out? Seriously, Sarah . . . Hi, I'd like to schedule an appointment to get a cavity filled." He laughed as she chased him angrily around the couch and they ended up in a stalemate, but his tone became polite as soon as a secretary picked up on the other end. "No, it's actually for my girlfriend," he continued, shooting Sarah a charming smile. Childishly, she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Yeah, Sarah Walker," Chuck said into the phone. "Can you, you know, she's a little wary of the dentist . . . Afraid? Yes, definitely afraid. Is there anything . . . Oh, great. Yeah, thanks so much. . . . Tomorrow? . . . Great! See you then. Thank you!"
He shut his phone with a snap, the sound ringing through the silent room.
"Tomorrow? That's so little time!" she whined.
He had planned on being nicer, but her whininess was too good to pass up. "What are you going to do? Mentally prepare?"
"Maybe . . ." she sulked, crossing her arms against her chest.
"You'll be fine. I promise," Chuck said, softening his tone.
She looked daggers at him.
"Want me to come?" he asked with a smile.
He gave her his best puppy dog, guilt-inducing look, and she finally yielded with a nod, saying, "Yeah, that'd be nice."
He grinned. "I wouldn't miss your first filling for the world!"
Chuck ambled into the dentist's office, a slight smile on his face. The smile faded when he realized that Sarah wasn't beside him. He looked around the room, finally locating her still standing outside the door.
He grinned. She could be such a baby sometimes.
Crossing to the door, he opened it and leaned his head against the frame. He shot her a half-smile and said, "Hey. You'll be all right. Trust me?"
Closing her eyes, Sarah took a deep breath. "Okay," she nodded. "Yeah, I do."
She looked at him and laced her fingers through his. He gave her hand a squeeze as they walked into the office and up to the window.
The assistant behind the desk looked up at their arrival. "Hi!" she greeted brightly. "Can I help you?"
Chuck gave Sarah a small nudge.
"Hi," Sarah said in a subdued voice. "I'm here for an appointment. Sarah Walker."
The assistant smiled politely, checking the list of appointments. "Of course. I'll just need your insurance card."
Sarah reluctantly pulled a CIA-sanctioned card out of her purse and handed it to the young woman, who entered some information into the computer, the smile seemingly frozen to her face. Sarah watched her with narrowed eyes, her foot tapping agitatedly.
The secretary handed Sarah her card and said, "Thank you. If you'll just have a seat, the dentist should be able to see you in a few minutes."
"Thanks very much," said Chuck, returning the smile and leading Sarah over to a pair of chairs in the corner.
She sat cautiously, wiggling in her chair. He stifled a laugh and opened the gaming magazine that he'd brought. Unfortunately, he couldn't even get through an article because he was distracted by Sarah's incessant fidgeting. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
She abruptly stopped jiggling her leg, muttering, "Sorry."
He chuckled, and they were rescued only a few minutes later as the hygienist stepped into the room and announced Sarah's name. Sarah stood up hesitantly, drying her sweaty palms on her pant legs. Chuck moved to follow her to the exam room, but the hygienist stopped him.
"I'm sorry, sir," she told him in a squeaky voice. "Patients only."
Chuck looked quickly at Sarah, who looked crestfallen. "Uh, but, you see, it's her first time getting a filling." He gave the hygienist a half-smile in an attempt to win her over. But she wasn't budging.
"There a problem?" a genial voice asked. Chuck directed his gaze behind the immovable hygienist to see a young, energetic-looking dentist sticking his head out of an exam room. He came out into the hallway and walked toward the group, a bounce in his step and a grin on his face. "Everything okay here?"
The hygienist flipped her hair and answered in a flirty voice, "Of course, Dr. Sonny. Miss Walker's here for a filling." She shot an ugly glare back at Chuck. "He was just leaving."
Dr. Sonny beamed at Sarah charmingly. "Well, why don't you come on back? We'll get that fixed right up for you."
Chuck looked at Sarah again, unsure if he should step in. "I'm sorry, uh . . ."
The dentist turned to Chuck and raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"
"It's just that . . . well, this is her first filling."
"I'm a little nervous," Sarah told him, blushing.
Dr. Sonny put a hand on her shoulder and laughed lightly. "Don't worry! You'll be absolutely fine. As long as you can handle needles."
"Needles?" Chuck swallowed.
He'd forgotten about needles.
"Yep!" the dentist replied a little too brightly. "For the Novocain. Once that's in, you won't feel a thing. I promise."
Focusing on his feet, Chuck could feel the blood draining out of his face. He squeezed his eyes shut to try to stop the spinning in his head. But, feeling Sarah's hand on his cheek, he glanced up at her, the look in her eyes enough to calm him down.
She quirked a smile at him, "It's all right. You can go back to the waiting room. I'll be fine."
He lifted his eyebrows. "You sure?"
"Mm-hmm."
Giving her hand another squeeze, he took a step backward. Before he could let go and leave, Sarah tugged on his hand and pulled him toward her, giving him a small kiss on the lips. Just as quickly, she gently shoved him away, still smiling.
He stumbled backward, watching Sarah give him one last look as she, Dr. Sonny, and the hygienist disappear through the doorway into the exam room. Sighing, he turned and headed back toward the waiting room. He frowned and silently regretted not going to his normal dentist, a smelly octogenarian whose eyesight couldn't be trusted. But he had been so caught up in ribbing Sarah that he had just grabbed the phone book and called the first number he'd seen. He scoffed. It was just his luck that they'd gotten a young, handsome doctor who seemed to be instantly aware of Sarah's good looks.
Sighing again, Chuck plopped down in a chair. He took up and pretended to read his gaming magazine, keeping his ears open for any muffled sounds of torture coming from Exam Room 1.
Chuck walked Sarah into the living room, his hand gently resting on her lower back. He followed as she maneuvered lazily to the couch. They collapsed onto the sofa together, Sarah lying almost on top of Chuck.
After a few minutes, Chuck rubbed his thumb over Sarah's shoulder. "You want something to drink?" he asked.
She shook her head, making him laugh. She hadn't spoken since she had emerged from the dentist's office. He suspected that she would start talking again once the Novocain wore off, but right now, she wouldn't even open her mouth.
"What's a matter? Lip still numb?" he teased, resisting the urge to touch her lip and see if she could feel it.
Chuckling through closed lips, she nodded.
"Ah," he exhaled, "The dentist said the anesthetic should wear off pretty soon." He paused and inclined his head toward her, breathing in the faint scent of her shampoo. "Hey, wanna watch a movie?"
Perking up, she nodded again.
He smiled, and she sat up so he could get off the couch. He moved across the room, sat down cross-legged in front of the DVD case, and began reading out titles, skipping over the movies he knew she wouldn't like. When he ran over the title "Pride and Prejudice," one of Ellie's movies, he heard her gasp faintly.
Twisting around with a smile, he asked, "You want to watch that?"
She smiled in acquiescence.
"Okay, sure. But I wouldn't have pegged you as a Jane Austen fan." Not expecting a response, he merely popped in the movie.
Chuck shuffled back to the couch, but didn't sit down. Sarah frowned petulantly, patting the cushion next to her.
He shook his head. "I'm going to grab some ice cream," he said, grinning. "Want some?"
Instantly, her frown melted away.
He laughed. "Okay, one bowl of vanilla ice cream coming right up!"
He turned to walk into the kitchen, but stopped when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked back to find Sarah staring at him with raised eyebrows.
"What?" he asked, curious.
She gestured to him; he stared dumbly. He had utterly no idea what she was trying to tell him.
"Come on," he said playfully. "Just say it, Sarah. I won't make fun of you if you talk with a lisp. I promise."
She glared at him. She gestured again, like she was shaking salt.
He shrugged apologetically. "I have no idea what you're trying to tell me."
She rolled her eyes. "Sprinkles!" she finally said, her numb tongue having trouble wrapping around the 'r.'
He choked back a laugh. "Of course we have sprinkles. Would you like a cherry on top, too?"
She pushed him on the shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards. Luckily, he caught his balance and headed into the kitchen, laughing as he went. He took out two bowls from the cabinet, set them on the counter, and grabbed the ice cream from the freezer. As he scooped out the ice cream, he looked into the living room.
Sarah was settling into the couch with her legs crossed, rearranging a blanket thrown over on her knees. Once comfortable, she started the movie and watched with rapt attention. He quirked a smile. He loved seeing her like this, when she didn't have to worry about how to protect him or strategize about taking down a ring of Russian arms dealers. It was calming just to be themselves.
Still smiling, Chuck fished the sprinkles out of the depths of another cabinet and shook them liberally over the two bowls of ice cream. He took a bowl in each hand and returned to the living room, grabbing two spoons out of a drawer on his way out of the kitchen.
Flopping down beside Sarah on the couch, he handed her a bowl with a flourish, saying, "One bowl of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles on top."
She accepted the bowl with a smile, and for a moment, Chuck found it hard to look away. When she finally withdrew her gaze, he cleared his throat awkwardly, staring down at his ice cream.
To cover the uncomfortable moment, he teased, "I can't believe vanilla's your favorite flavor. That's so boring."
Sarah chuckled, bumping his shoulder, but didn't respond. Spoon in hand, she put a finger to her lips and then indicated the movie playing. He gave her an exaggerated nod and put his feet up on the coffee table.
He'd already seen the movie with Ellie, so sneaking glances over at Sarah didn't distract him from the plotline. Chuck allowed himself a small smile as he watched her. He loved watching her laugh.
Sarah finished her ice cream as the Netherfield party arrived at the dance. She set her bowl down on the table and repositioned herself on the couch, leaning her head against Chuck's shoulder. Setting down his empty bowl as well, he snuggled against her and snaked one arm around her waist. They cuddled during the entire movie, neither saying a word, though Sarah's attention was so caught by the movie that Chuck suspected she would have clocked him in the mouth if he had tried to say anything.
By the end of it, Chuck was entirely wrapped in Sarah. His other arm had found its way around her waist, his cheek rested against her head, and his bare ankle lay tantalizingly close to hers.
Chuck stared at the rolling credits with a heavy heart. Everything worked out so easily for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. After a bit of struggle, sure, but still, they got their happy ending. He glanced at the blonde relaxing in his arms and wondered if they'd ever get the happy ending he believed they deserved.
"Chuck," she murmured on cue, almost as if knowing his thoughts.
She twisted towards him, cradling his face with one hand. He shut his eyes at the intimate contact.
"Mmm?" he asked lazily, breathing in deeply as her fingers twirled the curls near his ear.
Her lack of response caused him to open his eyes. Sarah was gazing at him with an expression he didn't recognize. Her countenance was more open, more exposed, more vulnerable than she had ever allowed him to see it. The world suddenly seemed to shrink until they were the only people left.
"I," Sarah began, her lip quivering almost imperceptibly.
Chuck stopped breathing, scared to death that if he breathed too loudly it would cause her to panic and frighten her off from saying what she was about to say.
She swallowed and her gaze flickered away for a split second. She said slowly, "I just wanted to say thanks."
Chuck didn't know what to say to break the silence that followed.
"I mean," she continued hesitantly, "for making me go to the dentist."
His body responded before his mind could. He nodded erratically, unsure of what she was really saying. "Yeah, yeah, of course," he assured her.
Chuck felt like he had plunged off a cliff after missing a curve at 100 plus miles an hour. He could still feel the pleasure of the wind on his face from just a moment before, but the terror of the fall was beginning to kick in. He was certain that she had been about to say something else, something real.
He couldn't face this right now. Not tonight.
Sighing, he extracted himself from her embrace and rose from the couch. He felt her grasp loosely at his arm, tried to ignore the agony he felt as her fingers trailed down his arm. He broke away from her, strode into the kitchen, and leaned against the counter, his eyes closed in confusion.
If he had opened them, if he had looked back, he would have noticed Sarah sitting dumbstruck on the couch. He would have noticed that the uncertainty he currently suffered was reflected in her gaze.