Author's Note: Just a little bit of fluffiness after a lot of intense writing…BTW, I don't own anything.
Sarah drove her Porsche through Los Angeles traffic with a horrible feeling in her stomach. Ahead of her, she watched as Chuck's nerd herder changed lanes. She had been following him, since he left the Buy More.
"How could he have lied to me?" whispered Sarah in frustration, as she cut-off an irate Toyota.
She thought they meant more to each other than this. She had trusted him. Sarah chided herself. He was her job. She shouldn't be so upset to catch him in a lie. Assets weren't to be trusted. But foolishly, Sarah had let her guard down, and now she was paying heavily for it.
Had he compromised the Intersect?
Sarah had already started running through plausible scenarios in her head. However, she couldn't think of any scenario where he had compromised the Intersect and was still able to roam freely around town. If Fulcrum had found him, he would already be strapped down to an interrogation chair.
Sighing to herself, she realized that he hadn't compromised The Intersect. This was about her. He had lied to keep something from her.
She followed him as he exited the 710 freeway into the downtown Long Beach area. She frowned. They were close to the Los Angeles harbor. The harbor area provided an excellent opportunity to arrange covert oversea transport. Sarah accelerated so that her Porsche was a bit closer to Chuck's vehicle. She didn't want to lose him.
He made a quick right and entered the parking lot for Seaport Village. Sarah had heard of the location. It was a tourist spot with numerous shops and restaurants that overlooked the ocean. It also had a stunning panoramic view of the Queen Mary. She had always wanted to visit, but Chuck and her schedule never seemed to have the time. It irked her that he was visiting this place without her.
She parked her Porsche in the public parking lot next store to avoid being seen. However she kept him in sight and watched as he valet parked his Yaris and exited the vehicle with a black garment bag.
She watched as he walked into a public restroom and came out a few minutes later dressed in different attire. Sarah caught her breath. He was dressed in a blue suit with a yellow button down. She had helped him pick out the suit the previous month, but she hadn't seen him in the outfit. He looked so handsome and he had even slicked back his hair and found a nice tie. She suddenly had a bad feeling. Chuck normally didn't dress up unless he was going out. Specifically, he didn't dress up unless he was out on a date...and they were normally with her.
Sarah's pulse went into overdrive. What if he was meeting another woman?
Sarah felt an instant flare of anger. They weren't really dating, but she was kidding herself if she didn't admit that seeing Chuck all dressed up didn't irk her. In fact, she felt murderous at the thought that he might be meeting another woman.
Just then, Sarah saw a petite brunette with a small boy exit a store. The child spotted Chuck and sprinted towards him. She saw Chuck react with a huge grin. It was his broadest and most rarest of his smiles. It made Sarah choke. She watched as the woman cheerfully embraced Chuck in an intimate manner. Sarah clinched her hands in anger, when she realized that they knew each other well.
Sarah's heart nearly imploded when he picked the boy up and he and the brunette walked towards a restaurant holding hands. Sarah's eyes started to water. They looked like they were the perfect couple. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.
She needed to know who this woman was. She told herself that she needed to know for her job. But deep down, she knew that she needed to know for herself. For the first time, Sarah felt unsure of Chuck's affection, and it made her feel like she wanted to cry.
Chuck and the woman entered the restaurant called 'The Yard House.' She had heard about this restaurant and had planned to take Chuck when they had some down time. She felt angry knowing that Chuck had entered the establishment with the brunette woman.
Still she had a job to do. Rallying her courage, Sarah entered the restaurant and a greeter asked if she needed to be seated. Sarah declined and explained that she was meeting a friend at the bar.
She staked out a location where she could watch Chuck undetected. She was slightly puzzled when Chuck and the woman met a large party. Several men shook Chuck's hand and numerous women kissed him on the cheek. There seemed to be a familiarity there. She didn't recognize anyone, but they seemed to know Chuck well.
Suddenly to Sarah's horror, Chuck picked up the unknown woman's hand and kissed it with meaning. There were loud chuckles from the group and good natured ribbing. Her insides felt raw. He never was very willing to show public displays of affection with her!
Sarah's surveillance skills were rendered useless as her emotions flared. Her mind raced as she tried to understand how Chuck could have found the time to begin dating someone else. He was guarded twenty-four hours a day! She should have known if...
Casey.
Her eyes narrowed. Casey monitored all of Chuck's calls. He would have known if Chuck had started dating another woman. She grimaced. Casey probably prodded Chuck into seeing someone else, just to spite her.
She picked up her phone and called her so-called partner.
When Casey picked up the phone, Sarah snarled, "Do you know where your asset is?"
"Agent Walker, well hello to you too," responded Casey. Sarah could almost hear him smirk over the phone. He knew something! Damn him!
"Cut the crap, Casey. I am sitting here in a restaurant watching Chuck hang all over some woman. I want to know who this woman is."
Alarmed, Casey replied, "Walker, don't screw this up. Get out of there, before someone sees you. It's not what you think."
Distracted by their conversation, Sarah didn't see the small boy bolt from the dinner table and scamper into the bar.
"What do you mean, Casey? What information do you have that I don't? What didn't you think I needed to know?" asked Sarah heatedly.
His reply was interrupted by a voice behind her. Her stomach lurched. She chalked it up as another reminder that Chuck had the innate ability to distract her. Only he could make her lose track of her surroundings. She hung up on Casey in mid-sentence and turned around.
"Sarah?" sputtered Chuck, wide eyed. Sarah grimaced as she noted that Chuck was holding the small boy, who had escaped from the dinner table.
They stared at each other, both unsure what to say. They were interrupted when the brunette woman came up behind Chuck and wrapped her arms him. She tugged playfully on the boy's leg. It was not lost on Sarah that the woman had the same frame and hair color as Lou.
"I see you caught the wiggle worm," chuckled the woman. Her smile faded as she noticed the silent exchange between Chuck and Sarah.
"Chuck, who is your friend?" asked the woman as she grasped Chuck's shirt in an intimate manner.
Sarah immediately noticed the woman's hand on Chuck. It made her see red. It took all her years of training not to forcibly remove the woman's hand from his torso in a violent manner. Momentarily frozen, all Sarah could do was stare at the woman's hand.
The woman sensed strong emotions coming from Sarah. She noticed that the tall blonde woman was becoming increasing angry as she touched Chuck's abdomen. Alarmed, she removed her hand and turned to Chuck, who seemed mesmorized as he took in the beautiful blonde woman.
A multitude of emotion danced over Chuck's features. Finally, he turned to the brunette and smiled sheepishly. Sarah's heart skipped a beat.
"Elizabeth, this is Sarah Walker." He smiled earnestly at the petite woman.
He then turned to Sarah and replied, "This is Elizabeth." It was clear to Sarah that Chuck did not want to make the introduction. She ignored the pain in her chest.
Sarah carefully kept her expression neutral. She did not want to communicate her raging emotions. The brunette woman smiled and extended her hand in a friendly greeting. Sarah didn't respond. She looked up at Chuck, demanding an explanation with her eyes.
"Elizabeth is a good friend of mine from my Stanford days," stammered Chuck nervously. His voice trailed off, when he glimpsed a fleeting look of pain in Sarah's icy blue eyes. He furled his eyebrows in question at her response. However, the moment of vulnerability was quickly hidden by an icy blue stare. She acted like he had caught her feeling something that wasn't supposed to be present between them.
Was Sarah actually jealous?
Suddenly Chuck couldn't help himself. He flashed Sarah a dazzling grin, but she stubbornly refused to respond to him.
Was he right?
Chuck had to know. He placed his arm around Elizabeth and watched Sarah's reaction closely. She immediately tensed when he touched Elizabeth. His heart skipped a beat. It was proof of something he had started to doubt that he would never see. He immediately felt the the need to explain himself.
"She's one of my best friends." Chuck watched Sarah's eyes sparkle dangerously for a second and then return to their guarded state.
"...and she's married to one of my fraternity brothers," added Chuck quickly. He inwardly sighed as he saw the tension in Sarah ease. She was jealous! He felt like shouting out with joy. Instead, he flashed Sarah a huge smile.
Conscious now of his body language, Chuck purposely shifted away from the brunette. "I'm sorry Elizabeth, you were so excited about your brother's graduation, I didn't have a chance to tell you that I met someone."
Chuck looked beseechingly at Sarah. She wasn't sure whether he was silently asking her to play along or asking for her forgiveness. It didn't matter. Those brown eyes could make her do just about anything. She returned his look and nodded her agreement almost imperceptably. She would deal with him later about lying to her.
He returned the small boy to his mother's arms with a sheepish smile. Turning to Sarah, he opened his arms. It was all the signal she needed. Sarah stepped into his embrace and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist territorially.
"Elizabeth, let me introduce you. This is Sarah…my girlfriend."
Sarah watched Elizabeth's reaction as Chuck introduced her. She was surprised when she saw genuine happiness for them in the woman's eyes.
Elizabeth smiled broadly at Sarah. "You two look amazing together. I can't believe this nerd didn't tell me about you," gushed Elizabeth, as her eyes danced merrily.
Sarah felt a surge of emotion as she accepted the compliment. She always felt so cherished in his arms. The negative emotions from a few minutes prior melted away. Chuck was also caught up in the moment. Sarah's display of jealously had him wanting to scream with joy. Instead, he beamed happily at Elizabeth and tightened his grip on Sarah.
Elizabeth noted the change in Chuck and Sarah instantly after they embraced. She could tell that there had been some unhappiness between them. But the moment they touched, it was magical. She paused to admire their togetherness. It made her catch her breath. She always wanted this for Chuck, her dearest friend.
-o-
Elizabeth quickly invited Sarah to join her family for dinner. At first Sarah was hesitant. But to her surprise, Sarah thoroughly enjoyed herself; even though the evening had started out so rocky. At the dinner table, Sarah immediately felt welcomed into Elizabeth and Chuck's friendship. Sarah was delighted to see a different facet of Chuck, as Elizabeth amused her with stories of Chuck's college days.
Their conversation was lively and she could feel that Chuck was happy that she was at his side. It made her feel happy. She couldn't help but lean into him repeatedly throughout the evening, as she happily laughed at the old friends' college tales.
To Sarah's relief, Elizabeth turned out to be happily married. Chuck had introduced Elizabeth to his frat brother in their junior year. Unfortunately, her husband was currently in the military on an overseas assignment. Elizabeth missed him terribly and explained that her husband would have loved to see Chuck and Sarah. She had arranged to meet Chuck for dinner, since she and her family were in town for her brother's graduation from Cal State Long Beach.
The ate on the outdoor veranda overlooking the water. As the sun set, it became chilly. Sarah unconsciously snaked her arms into Chuck's jacket and embraced him as they enjoyed their dinner conversation.
Elizabeth was delighted as she watched the couple. Chuck was obviously head over heels for Sarah, and she was also clearly smitten with him. Elizabeth was also happy to note that the beautiful blonde was also a bit jealous.
-o-
"Okay Chuck….out with it!" squealed Elizabeth, as she finished the last of her coffee.
Chuck gave Elizabeth a lopsided grin and shook his head in puzzlement at her question. Elizabeth's eyes dance mischievously.
"Why did you try to hide Sarah from me? It's obvious that you two are heads over heels. Besides, you had Sarah green eyed with jealousy over me!"
Both Chuck and Sarah's eyes widened. Elizabeth immediately realized that she had ventured into dangerous territory. She noted that Sarah's body had tensed and her smile had faded. She was about to take back the question, when Chuck replied.
"Sarah and I are so new….I just wanted to keep her all to myself for awhile." He looked down at Sarah for a moment. It held a message for Sarah that Elizabeth couldn't decipher. She sighed. It was so romantic.
Chuck looked back up at Elizabeth and winked. He then playfully tickled Sarah. The blonde woman jumped and happily batted Chuck's hand away. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice the sparkling emotions in their eyes.
Elizabeth laughed in sympathy. "I remember that time between Roger and me. Of course, you were always around giving us a hard time. Paybacks are hell, mister."
-o-
Sarah excused herself to use the ladies room. She was surprised when Elizabeth opted to join her. It was very female friendly thing to do, and it was not something that Sarah was accustomed to, except when she was with Ellie.
Sarah nervously conversed with Elizabeth as they walked along the hallway to the restroom. Elizabeth was important to Chuck, and Sarah didn't want to say anything wrong. She was somewhat chagrined when she realized that Elizabeth intimidated her. She was, afterall, a season deep cover CIA special agent. How frightening could a single woman be?
In the bathroom, Sarah noticed that Elizabeth made a production out of checking her hair and make-up. Sarah could tell that the woman was trying to gather her courage. It made Sarah nervous because she was unsure what the woman wanted to say.
"Sarah, I want to thank you for making Chuck smile again. I don't know if he told you about his time at Stanford. He had a hard time of it. It was heart breaking and I wasn't sure he would ever recover. But seeing him tonight with you, I finally know that he's going to be alright. Thank you. "
Sarah's eyes watered. She was touched by Elizabeth's remarks and somewhat taken back as Elizabeth hugged her like a sister. Sarah reminded herself that Chuck and her relationship was only a cover. However, as she told herself that, she couldn't bare to look at herself in the mirror. She knew she couldn't handle the lie in her own eyes.
Instead, she returned Elizabeth's hug. "Chuck told me about Stanford. I'm glad he has friends like you to remind him of the good times there, too."
Both women laughed at the sentimentality of the moment. The women exchanged one more hug and returned to the table.
When they returned, Sarah saw that Brandon had curled up on Chuck's lap. Sarah smiled inwardly at the picture of Chuck holding the sleeping Brandon. He would make such an excellent father. If she ever had children, she couldn't think of anyone she would rather have as the father of her children than….
She stopped herself from completing the thought. She chided herself. It wasn't good for her to become this attached to her asset. Her hands stiffened at her sides.
She saw that Chuck was looking at her pointedly. He had seen her tense up and had smiled to reassure her.
He knew her. He knew her moods.
His presence melted away her uneasiness as she drank in his smile. That was his gift to her. He could calm her. She went to him and his touch was magical. It made her forget that she was his CIA handler and her asset. Instead, they were merely a man and a woman. And tonight, he belonged to her.
Chuck turned to Elizabeth and commented, "It looks like my little buddy needs to turn in for the night."
Chuck carried Brandon to Elizabeth's car. He kissed Elizabeth goodbye on the cheek, and tucked Brandon into the child seat in the rear of the car. Both Sarah and Chuck waved merrily as Elizabeth drove away.
Once Elizabeth had departed, Chuck gave Sarah a lopsided grin. He tilted his head asking silently if she wanted to leave. Sarah just shrugged. She wasn't ready for the night to end.
"Let's go look at the Queen Mary," urged Sarah. She clasped Chuck's hand and led him down the pathway along the water's edge.
They walked in silence. Both were content to just be in each other's presence."It's beautiful," commented Sarah as she gazed over to the Queen Mary.
Chuck looked at Sarah and replied softly, "She is."
Sarah smiled. She knew he wasn't referring to the ship. She bumped Chuck playfully, showing that she was pleased by his comments.
Finally, Sarah marshaled her courage and asked Chuck a question that had bothered her all night.
"Why didn't you want me to meet Elizabeth? You had me worried."
Chuck laughed. "Worried? I would say that Special Agent Sarah Walker had a bad case of the green eyed monster!"
Sarah shrugged sheepishly. They both knew it was true. She saw the merriment in his eyes.
"Okay, I admit I had a case of the green eyes monster. But seriously, I don't get why you didn't tell me?"
Chuck released her hand and ran it through his hair nervously. Finally he looked at her and replied, " I lie to everyone I love, Sarah. Everyone. Elizabeth was my last hold out. I didn't want to lie to her about our relationship."
His words shocked Sarah. It reminded her that their relationship wasn't real. This night wasn't real. It hurt. Her smile faded and she stepped back from him to disengage herself. However Chuck wasn't willing to release her.
Instead, he grasped her tighter. She looked up at him with a mixtue of anger, hurt and puzzlement. She tried to remove his hands, but immediately stilled when she looked up and saw the tenderness in his eyes.
"Sarah, you know what I realized tonight?" asked Chuck.
She nodded negatively. She wasn't sure she could speak as she drowned in his eyes.
He whispered, "I wasn't lying."
Her heart pulsed, but she wasn't sure that she understood what he meant. She furled her eyebrows in puzzlement, but he just laughed. "Don't worry your silly spymaster head about it. You probably won't like what it means anyways."
Sarah knew that he meant that their relationship was more than a cover. She couldn't help but grin. "Yeah?"
Chuck nodded in agreement and embraced her in a monster hug. Content, she laid her head against his chest and held him as she processed his words.
After what felt like eternity, she heard him sigh. "Let's go home."
Sarah just smiled. She knew that she was already home. Chuck grabbed her and hand pulled her towards the cars. "Besides, we need to get home so you can rub my tummy."
Indignant, Sarah inquired, "what are you talking about? Rub your tummy?"
Chuck smiled mischievously and replied, "Well you have to do something to make it up to me for letting the green eyed monster back out of the box."
Chuck laughed and Sarah joined in as they walked hand-in-hand through the dark night.