Chapter Two: The Lions Sleep Tonight

An: Hey everybody! Thank you all so much for the kind reviews, I really appreciated the feedback. I'm proud to announce that I will be continuing this story—obviously or else I wouldn't have posted this! Before I let ya'll get reading, I want to address a few things: Firstly, many of you expressed that there has been a sudden influx of Dark Chuck stories. Do not be alarmed, this story will be relatively light, with the same charm and wit that's in the show. Second, I have suffered from severe writer's block. I felt extremely guilty for not being able to write a longer chapter, but I feel this is the best I can do at the moment. This is more of an epilogue to Chapter One anyways…

Finally, I personally blame this story's existence on the following—the location is heavily influenced from the reality show, Survivor; The scenery is from the movie, The Perfect Getaway; The action is from the videogame Uncharted; and some of the plot/humor is from the Showtime TV series, Weeds.

So without further ado, I present the very short second chapter! Enjoy!

R&R

It was close to midnight when Sarah awoke. The storm had calmed, replacing harsh winds and a torrential downpour with barely a drizzle. Sarah was still restless, however, which made it near impossible to sleep. Her dreams had been a jumbled, unsettling mess: Chuck wove in and out of them, first of him being shot, then as he tumbled off the cliff down to his death. She woke up repeatedly, her breathing fast and uneven as she tried to reconcile with reality.

Chuck was alive.

In the pitch black darkness she could hear him moan in his sleep. He had been making those distressed noises since earlier that afternoon. Sarah prayed that he was able to gain some rest during the short break allowed by the storm. Even she knew it was only wishful thinking. The wound in his leg may not have been fatal, but the pain he withstood was almost just as bad as death. As soon as they make it out of the jungle, the first thing on Sarah's agenda would be to seek immediate medical attention. She could not bear to think the consequences if she were too late to save Chuck.

He could get an infection, she thought with dread. Who knows what sort of diseases there are out here? Chuck could lose his leg or worse…

Sarah needed to get out of there. The cave was cramped, uncomfortable and freezing cold. With all of these factors keeping her awake, she had to go get some fresh air, or something. The last thing she wanted was to remain there, listening to Chuck and brood on what she could not control. And so Sarah crawled to her feet, making sure not to disturb Chuck from his slumber when she disappeared into the shadows.

Not long after her sudden departure, Chuck found himself awake as well. He yawned loudly; looked around with groggy eyes but was blinded by the thick blackness surrounding him. He felt unnaturally cold. Scratching his unsahven beard, he pushed up against the rocky wall, biting back a groan when a burst of pain shot through his leg.

"Sarah…?" He spoke in a low, tentative voice.

There was no answer. Chuck's stomach dropped and he felt himself consciously shiver. He twisted his body around in search for his missing wife. She was no longer lying beside him. Gone, she was gone. Fear seized him at once as he struggled to a kneeling position and then finally up to his feet. Adrenaline flowed through his veins, giving him the necessary strength to limp quickly out towards the mouth of the cave.

His brain demanded her safety: Please be ok, Sarah, please don't be…

Chuck made it with hardly any difficulty to the jagged edges of the cavern's bank. Sarah was standing at the farthest end, her arms hugging her chest tightly as she seemed to be mesmerized by the darkness ahead of her. Droplets of rain fell from the sky and landed in the lake, creating ripples on the murky surface. Chuck felt oddly refreshed as he allowed the rain to wash him clean. The grime sloshed off of him and pooled at his feet. The throbbing in his leg dulled until it was barely noticeable and for that he was thankful. A pleasurable sigh escaped past his lips. This alerted Sarah of his presence.

Looking over her shoulder, she called to him above the roar of the waterfall. "Chuck, you shouldn't be trying to move. You're hurt…" Her voice had been drowned out.

"It's not that bad," Chuck replied with a shrug. He took a step towards her and then winced. "Alright," he corrected, "it's bad. But what's worse is to wake up and find that your wife has gone missing."

Her eyes slid closed while she was pelted by the rain. Guilt and exhaustion wrecked through her entire body. She shuddered when it all became too much to handle. Bowing her head, she whispered. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep."

Chuck's gaze softened. He limped to her and said, "Its ok, I understand. But just next time give me a heads-up before you go?"

"Sure."

"Good," and Chuck was now right by her side. He wrapped an arm around her waist for support, and then nuzzled into her neck. He planted a trail of warm kisses onto her damp skin before pausing to ask, "Should I know what you're thinking, Sarah? Is it about us getting out of here?"

Sarah shook her head, "No, we'll wait until dawn before we leave. I don't want to get lost in the jungle with zero visibility, and I especially don't want you to hurt yourself even worse."

"Right, makes sense I suppose."

The conversation ended abrupty when there was nothing left to say. The faint sounds of the wild beckoned to them— inhuman howls bayed to the moon while crickets chirped in perfect harmony. The constant rumbling of the waterfall went on undisturbed. It was then; with the nature of their predicament echoing all around her, did Sarah's eyes begin to moisten. Chuck felt her body tense and then spasm as she started to sob quietly.

Is she…crying? Chuck thought with incredulity. If there was anything Chuck knew to be true in this world it was that Sarah never cried, or when she did, it was for a damn good reason. She did not like to show any weakness if she could help it.`Chuck accepted that as a necesarry evil when being in the spy business. But this wasn't Sarah being Agent Walker tonight, it was Sarah being a normal human being-his wife, who was soaking wet, tired and frustrated.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" he faced her. Both hands now settled upon her trembling shoulders. Tears slid down her pale cheeks and Chuck pulled her into hug. She buried her head into his chest as she wept.

"Why…why did this have to happen to us?"

Chuck was petting her hair gently, doing all he could to console her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Our honeymoon is ruined," came her muffled reply. "It barely lasted three hours…We were supposed to have an entire week to ourselves. There wasn't supposed to be any spy missions, gunplay, or explosions! You weren't supposed to get hurt either!"

"True, but I don't see any of those things interrupting our honeymoon right at this moment."

Sarah lifted her head, peering at Chuck with traces of confusion in her blue eyes. Chuck noted this and made a gesture with his hand which encompassed everything that lay outside of the cave and beyond. "You know what I see? I see an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy one of Panama's greatest rainforest firsthand. But more importantly, I see that I get to spend that opportunity with the most beautiful woman in the entire world."

Sarah blushed furiously and averted her eyes as a smile spread wide on her face. She then began to play absentmindedly with the fabric of Chuck's shirt. It always impressed her how he was able to find the silver lining in any given situation. In fact, it was one of his many characteristics that made her love him that much more.

She heard herself murmur against him, "How do you find any good in this?"

He chuckled and it was music to her ears. "That's easy. It's because I have you, Sarah. That's all the good I will ever need."

Chuck and Sarah gazed at each other briefly with the rain now pouring over their heads, before their lips crashed. Their bodies pressed together; Sarah's hands tangled up in his brown curls, while Chuck held her hips steady to deepen the kiss. Their mouths moved in a sensual dance and in that single moment, everything was perfect. They parted soon after. Sarah guided Chuck back to their spot in the cave. She sat him down to where he could be somewhat comfortable; used the satchel as a makeshift pillow and then laid Chuck down on his back, waiting until his eyes slid closed and he fell asleep. Sarah curled up next to him and promised she would never leave his side again.

She spent the remainder of the night awake, remembering when she and Chuck were living in their tempory paradise.

An: So, sorry about such a short chapter basically about nothing. It's just another set-up chapter before the huge exposition that explains what really is going on. So please review with your thoughts, criticisms etc.

Chapter three is next: Doing the Backstroke—takes us back to the beginning of Chuck and Sarah's short honeymoon. Where are they, what are they doing and how the hell do they get caught up in another rogue spy mission?