A/N: AU due to Chuck vs. the Suitcase

Disclaimer: Nobody else owns anything here, so why would I?

Disclaimer 2: No beta. Why would I sucker/obligate/subject anyone into reading this when they didn't want to?

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After 3.19, Chuck vs. the Ring, Part II

The Walkertowski-Grimes Place

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Chuck slowly creaked open his bedroom door. With an airy low whistle, he surveyed the damage. Chuck was never a neat-freak. He appreciated a little bit of clutter. The current state of the room was so far beyond clutter, he needed to find a better word. Bomb debris? That's it. The room looked like a bomb had gone off.

From his high vantage point, Chuck still had to get on his tiptoes to see over the piles spread across the bed. Past the mounds, he had a rather pleasant view of something protruding up in the air from out of the closet.

Chuck quietly side stepped between the piles on the floor, around the corner of the bed. This was probably a bad idea. But just maybe, with the help of some sound shielding from the closet door and blood rushing to his target's head, he could sneak up on a spy.

"You better not be doing what I think you're doing."

Almost. "I don't know what you mean," Chuck feigned innocently.

"Get your hand away from its goosing position and help pull me out of here."

With a respectable arm around the waist, Chuck lifted Sarah out of the closet. Her arms were full of shoes.

"Was that a groan?"

"What…no…" Chuck stammered.

Sarah glared back. "Better not be. First you goose me, then you groan when you pick me up."

"I...I…didn't"

The corners of Sarah's mouth slowly creeped up as Chuck saw a glimmer break in her deep blue eyes. "Hmm, I know. But the way you're flustered, you must have been thinking it."

"I would never groan, but I do admit, it was a very tempting target." Chuck smiled as he started to very slowly reach with his right arm around for his original goal.

Sarah dropped the shoes, stopping his progress with a well practiced wrist block while simultaneously using her other hand to pull him down for a tender kiss. After breaking off, she returned to a more deliberate demeanor. "Maybe later. First we need to clean up this mess."

"What exactly happened in here? Did Morgan set off a bomb?"

"Not this time. This is the consequence of his last bomb."

"I don't follow."

"My hotel room never had enough closet space for all of my clothes. I liberally used the laundry hamper and dry cleaners for extra storage space. When I moved in with you, I had to share an even smaller closet, so I started storing extra clothes at Castle."

Chuck nodded. "And Castle has limited accessibility because of the bomb damage and cleanup crews."

"Right. Your sister is generously letting me use their guest room closet. Since she knows I'm CIA, I can store mission outfits there now. However, it's still not enough room, so I'm going through everything."

"All of this was at Castle? You have a lot of clothes, Sarah."

"A girl can never have enough clothes. As a spy, I need even more for cover and mission outfits."

"How can I help?"

"I've been sorting. The folded clothes on the far side are the 'already clean and keep' pile. The big pile on the middle of the bed is the 'dirty keep' pile. It needs to go to the laundry mat to get the bomb smoke smell out. This near corner pile is for the dry cleaners."

"And what about the debris on the floor and desk?"

"Some of it can go to Good Will. The clothes that are damaged from typical mission wear and tear will have to be pitched."

Chuck lifted up a purple dress from the dry cleaners pile. "What about this one? It has a big rip. You probably shouldn't wear it in public."

Sarah yanked it out of Chuck's hands. "That is my first un-birthday gift from you. I'm keeping it even if I never wear it again."

Chuck laughed. "I see. I didn't know you were the sentimental type."

"I didn't use to be. Then this guy came along and flipped my world upside down." Sarah smiled and gave Chuck a peck on the cheek. "So how about you start collecting the clothes on the floor and take them out to the dining room table. I left a box of 30 gallon plastic bags on the kitchen counter."

Sarah grabbed some hangers from the closet and stepped towards the clean pile. After hanging a few shirts, she glanced over at Chuck.

"Why are you adding clothes from the floor to the clean pile?"

"Well, you're not getting rid of this, are you?"

"The Orange Orange is not reopening. Since your family knows I'm CIA and since you're no longer in the CIA, there is no need for a cover job where I can keep surveillance on you."

"But…"

Sarah grabbed the previous outfit that Chuck had put on the bed. "I haven't worn this one in almost two years."

Chuck over to Sarah with a sheepish grin. "I just thought..well…maybe you could sometime."

"Huh?" Sarah's confused expression shifted into a tiny, mischievous smile of agreement. "Fine. Maybe we should keep one of each. We should keep the white shirt, black skirt and grey tie too. I know how you nerds like that outfit." Chucks grin exploded into a huge toothy smile. Sarah rolled eyes. "Ok, we need to get back to work. If we hurry and get this room cleared, maybe I'll wear this one tonight, after the sausage smell is out."

Chuck didn't need any more encouragement as he spun out the door with his arms full of old clothes to bag.

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A/N: The uniforms might be gone from the show, but Chuck would never let them completely disappear.