Real Love 1/7
Author: dettiot
Rating: T
Summary: A collection of (mostly) unseen moments in the romance of Chuck and Sarah.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Inspired by the Beatles song, in particular the Regina Spektor cover. You can check out the song on my Tumblr-search for dettiot or use the link in my profile-as well as seeing the full-size version of the gorgeous cover graphic, created by watchchristmastv.
Happy Chuckiversary, everyone. It may be two years since the finale of Chuck, but we're still here and we're still going strong!
XXX
1. Vs. the Intersect
Her hand had been so soft.
Chuck Bartowski tugged on his tie, loosening it a little. He still had two hours left in his shift. Two hours before he could go home and get ready for his date.
A date! It had been a long, long time since he had been on a date. And he wasn't sure if he had ever been so excited for one. Maybe before that time with Jill-
No, he shouldn't be thinking about her. That was the rule: no talking or thinking about an ex on a first date. Not if he wanted there to be more than one date.
And he was already pretty sure he'd like to see Sarah again. Because she was beautiful, and interesting, and smart. She had a hand he wanted to hold again. He wanted to wrap his fingers around hers, find out if she would swing their joined hands or if her palms got sweaty like his did or if she liked to lace her fingers through someone else's.
He was really getting ahead of himself, he knew. After all, there was a million different ways he could screw up. A hundred ways that Sarah could realize she didn't like him and wouldn't want to see him again.
"Chuck! Chuck, you should cut out early. With a hottie like Sarah, you need the extra time to get ready."
Turning around in his chair, Chuck gave Morgan a tight smile. "Gee, thanks, buddy."
Morgan rolled his eyes. "She is the hottest girl either of us has ever seen, and she likes you, Chuck." He poked Chuck in the chest. "She asked you out. That means she likes you. You've got to pull out all the stops, step up your game."
That would imply he had any game, Chuck thought somewhat glumly. The more Morgan talked about how hot Sarah was (obvious to anyone with eyes) and how she must like him (not nearly so obvious), the more nervous and stressed out he got.
Suddenly, Morgan stopped mid-word. "Chuck? Dude, what's wrong?"
Slumping down in his chair, Chuck spread his hands wide. "Sarah is really, really gorgeous. So why would she want to go out with me?"
"Chuck, Chuck, Chuck," Morgan said, stepping inside the circular Nerd Herd desk and standing behind him. He rested his hands on Chuck's shoulders and massaged them. "You are a great guy. Smart, funny, a great vinyl collection. Sarah's new in town and she walks in here and sees your friendly, smiling face-what's not to love?"
"Love?!" Chuck yelped. "I don't even know her. Love? Too soon, Morgan."
"Definitely too soon," Morgan said, sounding sheepish. "But, c'mon. It's been a long time since She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-"
"Jill is not Voldemort, Morgan," Chuck interrupted. "You can say her name."
Morgan waved his hand in the air and continued. "It's been a long time and you deserve to go out with someone like Sarah. Because you are a diamond in the rough and you'll show her a whole new world."
At Morgan's words, hearing his best friend's support, Chuck felt his spirits rising. Maybe Morgan was right and he did deserve a chance with a woman like Sarah. And besides, she was the one who expressed the interest in him. She had even let him touch her hand and smiled at him. Maybe his luck was changing.
Then what Morgan said fully registered, and Chuck gave Morgan a look. "Did you just quote Aladdin to me?"
"It's one of Harry Tang's favorites-he keeps putting it on the TVs," Morgan said. "It's like some kind of weird earworm. Remember that time I couldn't stop humming The Glory of Love?"
He sure did. And just when he thought he had blocked that memory. But Chuck just smiled a little and let Morgan keep rambling about the Great Karaoke Moment of 1993.
In a few hours, he would be on a date with Sarah. He was going to be funny and charming and make her feel good. And maybe by the end of the date, she would let him hold her hand.
2. Vs. the Sandworm
What kind of Halloween party did the CIA think she was going to?
Sarah Walker eyed the collection of costumes spread out on the bed in her hotel room. When she had asked Operational Support to provide her with a Halloween costume, clearly she should have told them the party wasn't being held at a brothel or orgy. She didn't think any of these costumes would work for the annual Bartowski Halloween party-especially considering the cover relationship she had with Chuck.
Although it would be a little funny to show up as a sexy French maid and see his eyes pop out of his head . . .
Letting out a small giggle, Sarah shook her head. It might be funny for a moment, but then Chuck would just turn bright red and be nervous and awkward. And that was the last thing she wanted to do to him. He was a nice guy and she didn't want to embarrass him.
More than a nice guy, really. He was . . . respectful. Unlike other assets she had dealt with, Chuck didn't leer at her or make suggestive remarks. He definitely liked to look at her; she didn't need to be a highly-trained spy to know that. But he didn't ogle her like she was some piece of meat. In fact, most of the time he seemed more interested in looking into her eyes than staring at the other parts of her.
She nibbled on her lower lip. Those long gazes of his, when it seemed like he was trying to see into her soul, were starting to affect her. It was becoming more and more difficult to keep her walls up, to keep him at arm's length. Because she liked Chuck. She wanted him to realize what a nice, funny, charming guy he was. So that when the Intersect was out of his head, like he wanted, he could have the life he wanted. A better job than the Buy More and a better woman than her.
Frowning a little, Sarah flipped through the costumes again, being a bit rough with them. There was no reason to feel upset at the idea of Chuck finding someone better than her. Because yes, he deserved that, deserved to have something real-but why did it annoy her that he would be with someone else?
None of these costumes would work. Not for a real girlfriend, and not for a guy like Chuck. He wouldn't like some generic costume like French maid or naughty nurse. No, Chuck's girlfriend would come up with something nerdy, from his comic books or one of the movies that he loved, so she could knock his socks off.
But Sarah wasn't that girlfriend. So what should she pick? She had no idea what Chuck might like best-
Wait. She did. Or at least, she knew what another nerd had thought Chuck might like. Because in that Photoshopped picture of her and Chuck at Comic-Con, she was pretty sure that the costume "her" body had been wearing was from Star Wars.
Grabbing her phone, Sarah dialed the number for Operational Support and tapped her foot as she waited to be connected with the next available staffer.
"Operational Support. Agent name and operation, please." The male voice on the other end of the phone sounded bored.
"Agent Sarah Walker. Operation XJ-217."
There was a slight intake of breath; clearly the staffer hadn't worked with many off-the-books operations. "Go ahead."
"This is going to sound crazy, but I need a costume from Star Wars," Sarah said, pacing a little.
"What kind of costume, Agent Walker?" the staffer asked, sounding confused.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Sarah described, "It's got a metal bikini top and some kind of low-slung skirt?"
"Oh, the Slave Leia costume. That's easy," the staffer said, his voice jovial. "Got some kind of nerd to reel in?"
"Sorry, I can't say," Sarah said, feeling her spirits rise. She had guessed right! Chuck would like this!
"Let me just confirm your sizes and we'll have that to you first thing tomorrow morning, Agent Walker."
Nodding, Sarah gave the staffer the info he needed and then hung up. She might not know anything about how to keep a real boyfriend happy, but she knew how to keep Chuck happy. And she liked doing it. It made her feel good, especially now. It was fun to imagine what his reaction might be when she showed up at the party in her costume.
He would probably be speechless for a minute. And he would definitely make sure to look her over. But then . . . then, he'd be polite. He'd treat her like Sarah, not some random girl in a sexy costume.
She liked that he always treated her like Sarah. Even if he didn't know who Sarah was. Even if she didn't know who Sarah was, either.
All these thoughts made her feel a little shy. Especially with the cheap, skin-tight costumes spread over her bed. So Sarah began packing them up to return them to Operational Support, not even fully aware of the little smile she had on her face as she thought of Chuck.
End, Chapter 1
