CHUCK VS. THE CAMPAIGN

DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Chuck."

SUMMARY: After what happened in Chuck's attempt to have a normal relationship with Jill, his ex from college who turned out to be a Fulcrum agent, General Beckman orders Chuck and Sarah to maintain their boy friend-girl friend cover relationship on much stronger levels, meaning live together and give all appearances of a happy, loving couple to ward off any troublesome normal girls coming after Chuck. Sarah decides to take advantage of the situation to make Chuck hers.

NOTE: If you are looking for adventure and suspense, you won't find it in this story. This is all character, romance, and fluff, fluff, and more FLUFF!

ANOTHER NOTE: I rushed to get this chapter posted by Christmas 2008. I hope it's OK. I don't know about the rest of you, but after the way the last new episode ("Chuck Vs. Santa Claus") ended and having to wait until February for the next new episode is just the pits! After that cliffhanger ending, I could sure use some new episodes right now. Hopefully this new chapter will give you a "Chuck Fix." I hope you enjoy it and happy holidays to everyone!

PART 2 – First Night

The alarm came on and Chuck reached over and shut it off. He sat up in bed, looked over at Sarah who had her eyes open but didn't rise. "You want the shower first?" Chuck asked.

"No, you go ahead. I'll shower after you," she replied.

He walked out of the room and left Sarah alone. She stretched and sighed. She felt so relaxed and refreshed. She could honestly say that she had never had a better night's sleep in a long time. Why is that? she wondered.

Sleep had been hard for her in the years she had been in the CIA. Sometimes she'd toss and turn after a particularly rough mission. Sometimes she'd wake up a lot during the night. Sometimes there were nightmares. And sometimes, sleep never came.

But this night with Chuck, she actually slept and slept well. This had been the first night of their "getting back together" and starting the live-in relationship cover that Beckman had ordered. And Sarah had slept straight through the night, never waking up, until the alarm just now rang. It had been wonderful. Was it because Chuck was with me? Did being with Chuck do this? she wondered. She thought back to last night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Around 10 pm, Sarah parked her car in front of Chuck's apartment, killed the engine, and wrapped her coat around her tighter as she got out. She tried to push the bag that was slung over her shoulder and underneath her coat to her back, so that it would be less noticeable that she was carrying an overnight bag. She locked the car and then headed to front door.

She knocked and after a few seconds, Ellie opened the door.

"Sarah! This is a surprise," she said.

"Hi Ellie! I know it's late but I want to talk to Chuck. He's here isn't he?"

"Yes, he's here." Ellie paused and looked at Sarah curiously. "Is something wrong? Is something going on?"

"I want to talk to Chuck … about us," Sarah replied.

A big grin broke out on Ellie's face. "You two are trying to patch things up! I'm so glad!" She grabbed Sarah's arm and guided her into the apartment. Then she patted Sarah's shoulder as she shut and locked the front door.

"Sarah, I meant what I said when I told you that I thought you were the best thing that ever happened to my brother! I hope you know that. And I also hope you know that I'm rooting for you!" Ellie said. Then she gave Sarah a slight shove toward Chuck's room as she added, "Now go get him!"

Sarah walked down the hallway to his room. She knocked on the closed door and heard Chuck yell "It's open!"

She walked in and shut the door behind her. He was engrossed with something on his computer and didn't look up at first. When she said "Hi Chuck!" he immediately turned to her.

"Hey!" he replied but he also looked puzzled. "Uhh, what's up?"

"It's time to start!" Sarah responded.

"Start? Start what?"

"Our relationship! Our moving in together! Our becoming steadies!"

"Oh yeah, OK, about that …." Chuck seemed ready to argue the point but Sarah interrupted him.

"Chuck, we're going to do this! I like you alive and unharmed and I like you here, not locked up in an underground secret bunker. We're getting back together so to speak. Ellie thinks that we had problems and broke up and that I came here tonight to talk to you and try to win you back. And tomorrow morning, she'll find out that I succeeded and that we're back together. So …."

Sarah removed her coat to reveal the sheer and sexy nightgown she wore. She pulled off the overnight bag that was slung over her shoulder and set it and her coat aside. Then she leaned over the bed and pulled the blankets down. She got in and then petted the space beside her.

"Come on Chuck! Let's do it!" she said with an arch of her eyebrows. Chuck sat in his chair with his jaw dropped and his eyes big. They had been that way since Sarah removed her coat to reveal the nightgown she wore.

Sarah almost giggled at how he looked. Sometimes I love freaking him out like this, she thought. She remembered when he and Jill walked in while she was putting on the finishing touches to the high-priced call girl costume she wore on that one mission. She couldn't resist winking at him when she turned and saw him. She loved his reaction and a bonus to it all was how shocked and upset Jill got.

And now, after seeing her in the nightgown and in his bed, his reaction was pretty much the same – eyes wide open, jaw dropped, an expression akin to "WOW!" and frozen in shock. She had to admit that Chuck's reaction boosted her ego big time.

Eventually, Chuck's apparent paralysis and shock subsided. He mumbled an "OK!" and left the room. While she waited in the bed, Sarah could hear him in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, turned out the lights, and walked toward the bed. He stripped down to his T-shirt and jockeys and slid under the covers. He put his hands behind his head and lay there and stared up at the ceiling.

"Should we talk loudly like we're arguing and then get quiet and make Ellie and Devon think we're engaging in makeup sex?" he asked.

Sarah smiled. "No, not necessary. We'll just spend the night together to create the idea that we've made up and are back together. We'll keep spending the night together and then I'll 'officially' move in."

"And you're OK with all of this?"

"As I said before Chuck, I like you here, alive, and unharmed."

After that, they lay in the bed for a while, each on their respective sides and each laying still and not speaking. Except for a few outside noises like cars passing by, it was quiet. Eventually, Chuck spoke.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"For what?" Sarah asked, surprised and puzzled by the apology.

"Ellie tried to warn me, Morgan tried to warn me about getting involved with Jill again. I should have listened. I shouldn't have even had to listen. Look what happened the first time. It's not rocket science. Why didn't I know better? Why didn't I learn from experience? I didn't and look what happened. Why was I so stupid, so naïve about her?"

Because you were just like everyone else in this world -- you wanted to love and be loved. Please don't give up on that, don't give up on yourself, and don't give up on me. I can and want to give you that, Sarah thought. But she didn't say that out loud. She said something else instead.

"She fooled all of us Chuck. If it wasn't for the information on that flash drive that you found, we might never have known that she was a Fulcrum agent. I know that you feel badly about all of it and I'm so sorry for you. The good news is that she is now gone and hopefully out of your life for good. So don't let her affect or have control of your life from here on. Don't let her do that. Don't let her win!"

He turned over on his side, facing away from her. For a moment Sarah wondered if he would cry. She reached out and touched his shoulder. Then she fought back any restraints she had for the moment and leaned over and kissed his cheek. "It will get better Chuck! Just give it time!"

She leaned back on the bed. They stayed quiet and they both eventually fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Chuck showered, Sarah got out of the bed for her turn. Later, they wandered out to the kitchen for breakfast. Ellie was there and without looking up, mumbled a sleepy "Good morning Chuck."

"Hey sis!" Chuck responded.

"Hi Ellie!" Sarah said.

Upon hearing Sarah's voice, Ellie's head shot up and turned toward them. When she saw indeed that she had not heard things, that both her brother and his girl friend were in the apartment, during the early morning hours, that they had obviously spent the night together, a huge grin broke out on her face.

She beamed brightly at Chuck as he walked past her in the kitchen and went to the cabinet for a bowl. He ignored her look and turned to Sarah. "I was just going to have some cereal. Are you OK with that? If not, I could make you some pancakes or something," he asked.

"Cereal's fine," Sarah replied with a smile as she sat down at the dining room table.

"I'll make some coffee too or would you like juice or something else?" Chuck asked.

"Coffee's fine."

Ellie's head darted back and forth between Chuck and Sarah during the whole exchange. Her smile of delight never faded. Chuck remained oblivious to her but when she looked at Sarah inquiringly, Sarah grinned and winked.

Ellie's smile got even bigger. She walked over to Chuck who was filling two bowls of cereal at the counter and hugged him from behind.

"Ellie, what gives? What's going on?" Chuck asked.

"I'm just so happy, so glad!" she replied. Then she let Chuck go, turned and walked out of the kitchen and back to her bedroom. There was definitely a bounce in her step and as she passed by Sarah, she gave the thumbs-up sign.

"Well, I guess we know where she stands on all of this," Chuck said as he put a bowl of cereal in front of Sarah and then went back to the kitchen to start the coffee maker. Then a loud "Awesome!" erupted from Ellie and Devon's bedroom. "And I guess we know where he stands too!" Chuck added.

And hopefully, you'll know where I stand on this, Sarah thought. You want a normal relationship, Chuck Bartowski, you're going to get it – from me! I'm going to show you that I can give you a normal relationship and get you back!

END PART 2

Next: T.L.C.