This is not an original story. It was written during the middle of season 2. The original story assumed a sequel that never happened. So there will be some brand new content in this rewrite and several new chapters at the end.

Warning: There is a lot of adult content in this. This story was a sequel to The Fake Relationship. If you read the original, this is going to have a different feel. The original depended far too much on the cheap angst of making Chuck (and the reader) worry about where Sarah's loyalties were. All of that's gone. There will never be a question over Sarah's motives. She is trying to protect Chuck… period. The only question will be how best to do that.

So if you read the original and you think you know what's going to happen… sorry, you don't. From this point on, it is more or less a new story. The basic events may be similar, but this is now basically the story of Chuck and Sarah figuring out how the dual nature of their relationship, and especially their marriage, is going to work. They are simply different people, have different perspectives on things like sex, duty, and sacrifice that need to be reconciled. That process will not be totally smooth, but that would be boring, right? Both will come to realize that in order for them to be happy together, they both need to accept that the other has a legitimate argument to make and consider.

I've gotten some questions about what the rating change means. I was reluctant to change the rating. By definition, it means that fewer people will read it. But I finally came to the conclusion that the story I want to tell requires it. First, what it doesn't mean. This won't be porn. I'm probably not going to be any more descriptive of specific sex acts than I was before. There will be some very steamy scenes (at least, I think so). There will be situations and language that may offend some. I'm going to start to use the adult words that people actually use instead of metaphors. But also if you're concerned, I'd like to point out that most of that will not really involve Chuck and Sarah, and almost none where they aren't together.

Chuck was an 8:00 show on a broadcast network. As such, they had to hint at things that they really couldn't say. For example, Carina shows up engaged to a mark. How did that happen? They couldn't say. Well, this is no longer an 8:00 story.

I still don't own Chuck.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible.

Trust Me

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"Are you ready to talk?" Sarah said as soothingly as she could.

Chuck just glared at her. "This isn't as bad as it sounds?" he lashed out sarcastically. "Well that's good news, I guess. Because from where I'm standing it sounds pretty fucking bad. You're spending the night with your husband? What's the good part? He's going to take you out for an expensive dinner first and send you some nice flowers after? He promises to use condoms every time? He's not inviting any of his friends over for a gang bang? Give me a clue here, something to hold on to at least."

"Okay, Chuck," Sarah said with a sad smile as he sat across from her but still wouldn't meet her eye. "I guess that I had all of that coming. You're angry. You're feeling betrayed. I get that. I find it hard to fault you for any of that. If you'll just take a breath and let me explain what is going to happen and why, I think I can make you feel better about it. But you're going to have to help me here a little. I need you to look at me."

Chuck slowly lifted his gaze to meet Sarah's eyes. The look of hurt on his face brought tears to Sarah's eyes. "I'm so horrible at this," she said softly as she grabbed both of his hands. "But I'm not getting up from this chair until you know how I feel. That might take a while. Words have never been my strength. So I hope that you can be patient with me."

"I think that I deserve the truth," Chuck said. "Just say it. Are you breaking up with me?"

"Chuck," Sarah said, the angry flash in her eyes in stark contrast to the calmness in her voice. "I'm fighting the urge to be really, really fucking pissed at you right now… like kicking your ass around the room pissed. Are you seriously sitting there thinking that was ever a possibility? Don't you get it yet? If you had a clue in that pea brain of yours how I really feel about you, you would know just how plain stupid and insulting that question was. I am so in love with you that it scares me. It's taking everything I have right now to keep from breaking down at seeing you hurt like this. If there was any other way around this, I would take it. I can't believe that you don't know that."

"What do you expect from me?" Chuck asked in a confused tone. "You're telling me that you're going to spend the night with your not even ex husband? In the same bed? And I'm supposed to just smile and wish you well? You seriously don't think that he will be expecting you to spread your legs for him, more than once?"

Sarah took a deep breath to keep her growing frustration in check. "I hope so," she slowly said with a sigh as she looked straight at him. "I've worked hard to give him that very expectation. That expectation is the only weapon I have to keep you safe. But I'm not going to spread my legs for him, not tomorrow, not ever. You should absolutely know that already. Wow, now I'm really starting to wonder if you're messing with me."

"I'm not messing with you," Chuck said pointedly. "You're just not looking at it from my perspective."

Sarah calmed down a little. "Okay," she said. "But can we take a deep breath and talk about this rationally? Let me start with my perspective… at the beginning. Yes, technically I'm married to him. That's actually something that you have every right to be pissed at me about not knowing. Here's the deal with that. I'm so sorry you have to hear this story like this. I promise I was always going to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time. And honestly we were having such a good time for the past week that I didn't want anything to spoil it. So I held off. That was selfish. I'm honestly very sorry. I met Seth right after I graduated from CIA academy. I really didn't have any experience with men. You know that I wasn't socially active in high school, sort of the ugly duckling."

It was hard to ever think of Sarah as an ugly duckling. It was hard to think of Sarah as an ugly anything. But he nodded to let her know to continue.

"Seth was really the first man in my life who actually took a serious interest in me," Sarah continued. "Or at least he pretended to. I guess at the time I was really attracted to that. I think there is actually a stereotype in there someplace. But here I was, this trained seductress… who knew almost nothing about actual sex… standing next to twenty other graduates like Carina who were, well, you'd say sluts. I was now an expert in how to get a man in bed, and really didn't know a thing about what to do with him when I got him there. I figured I'd better learn fast. Seth was a safe way to do that, or so I thought. And he was more than eager to train me in ways to please him. Anyway, we had been dating for about three months when I unexpectedly came home early one day and caught him in bed with my roommate."

"That must have hurt," Chuck said softly.

"More than I can say," Sarah said with a grim smile as she picked up her head to look at Chuck. "You know me. Predictably, I was pretty pissed. I told him it was over. He begged me to forgive him. He told me that if I would marry him, he would stay faithful. I was stupid. I was so desperate to fit in with this new life that I was willing to overlook the flashing red lights that were blinking in my face. Looking back I'm really embarrassed about that. Long story short, we had been married for about six weeks and I caught him in bed with the same girl. I haven't seen him since that day until just yesterday."

"That's a horrible story," Chuck said. "But why are you still married? Why didn't you just get divorced?"

"I just never thought it would matter," Sarah said sadly. "When that happened with Seth I told myself that I was never going to get married again. I decided that I was going to dedicate my life to the greater good."

"So," said Chuck with a sad smile. "That's where super agent Sarah Walker was born."

In spite of the tense situation Sarah had a momentary thrill at how well he knew her. "Precisely," she said with a sigh. "I became a lone wolf, never depending on anybody. Eventually I met Bryce. And he was perfect for me at the time. We weren't really a couple. But we could be two people that didn't depend on anybody… together. Then the worst thing possible happened. I got this nothing piece of cake assignment to baby sit some nerd who was working in a Buy More. It's funny about this business. You never know what thing is going to become your fatal flaw. It turns out that this nerd was far more devious than anybody thought. The rotten bastard tricked me, did the worst thing to me you can imagine. He kept putting up with my crap, wouldn't take no for an answer until he forced me to fall head over heels in love with him. And Seth is a big reason why I kept pushing you away for so long. It's true what they say. When you've been burned once, you're careful around the stove. But I was helpless. Finally I had no choice but to admit it. The CIA offered several times over the years to get the marriage annulled. I'm sorry that I didn't follow through but I was always on a mission. Besides, I was embarrassed. It was a part of my life that I really didn't want to think about. I will as soon as this is over. I promise."

It was pretty hard to stay mad at Sarah for any amount of time even under normal circumstances. But now, it was pretty much impossible. "So you have loved two other men," Chuck said softly. "Explain something. What's different about me? I mean, how do I know that your feelings for me will last when they didn't for the other two guys?"

"It's a fair question," Sarah said sadly with a sigh. "I can see how it would look that way to you. I can. I mean, I married Seth. I've sorta told Bryce that I loved him. I've even asked myself that very question only about a million times. And here is my answer… to myself… and to you. I've only loved one man in my life. I never came close to feeling for Seth Roberts or Bryce Larkin like I feel about Chuck Bartowski. That's the pure and simple, no bullshit, straight up truth. And now that I know what love feels like, I never want to risk losing it. It's intense. Sometimes it's even a little painful. But mostly it's simply wonderful. I hope that I don't need to prove that to you. How do you prove something like that anyway? How can you prove to me that you'll love me twenty years from now? You can't. But you don't have to. I feel it. I hope that you feel it too."

Chuck's eyes softened as he listened to Sarah.

"You're my best friend," Sarah whispered as the tears started to form in her eyes. "You're the only one in my life, other than maybe my dad, who even gets me, who knows who I am as a person. I can't imagine my life without you. So when we get married, I want it to be perfect for the rest of our lives, because you're perfect."

Chuck squeezed her hands for reassurance.

"I tried my best to keep from loving you," Sarah said as a single tear ran down her cheek. "You'll never know how hard. I tried so hard, Chuck, but I just couldn't do it."

"I know," Chuck whispered.

Sarah took a breath and composed herself. "Believe me," she continued. "Seth might be expecting sex from me tomorrow. I'm going to encourage that, tease him with it, allow him to assume that it's a possibility, even tell him exactly what to do to make it happen. But it is not going to happen. When the time comes, I'll be able to shoot Seth Roberts in the head without batting an eye. There is nothing he could do or say to make me feel anything for him. He is a joke, as an agent, but more importantly as a man. You could make me stop wanting to live. You could absolutely destroy me. That's the difference. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Chuck said with the beginnings of his own smile. "You could absolutely destroy me too. That's why this hurts so much."

"I know," Sarah said as she matched Chuck's smile. "I don't want you to hurt. That trust is a privilege that I take very seriously. A year ago, at the beach, I asked you to trust me. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember."

"At the time that was pretty easy," Sarah said. "You really didn't have much of a choice. I was only asking you to trust me with your well being. Now I'm asking that you trust me again. But this time, I need you to trust me with your soul. Just like I trust you with mine. And I promise, I swear to you, Chuck, that I won't violate that trust. Whatever I do now as a spy will be for one reason… your well being. I need you to believe that. I need you to know, that no matter what it looks like, I would never, ever betray you."

"I trust you," Chuck said as his face broke into a grin. "You're actually pretty good at this talking about your feelings thing. I think you've been sandbagging me here."

"You're the only person in the world that I could have this discussion with," Sarah said. "I hope you understand what that means."

"I understand," Chuck said as his grin broadened. "You'll never know how honored I am."

"Good," Sarah said with a grin of her own. "Thank you. That's important because we're going to have to talk about some tough unpleasant things now."

"I don't want you to spend the night with him," Chuck said sadly as his grin disappeared. "I know that you think I'm not being supportive enough. I just can't help it. When it comes to you I'm selfish. I want you all to myself.

"That's not selfish," Sarah said. "It's actually pretty damn sweet. I'll not lie to you. I do wish you could understand and maybe be a little more supportive. But I also don't blame you for how you feel. I feel it too. I would give anything to not be forced to do this. But I need to gain his confidence. All I can promise you is that nothing is going to happen."

"And I believe you," Chuck said firmly. "I do. This isn't about trust. I just feel horrible that you have to go through that for me. Maybe it's better if I just go to the bunker. It's probably going to happen eventually anyway."

"Come on Chuck," Sarah said firmly. "You don't want that."

"I'm terrified of the thought of a bunker," Chuck admitted. "I couldn't bear not ever seeing you again. But if it could keep you safe…"

"How can you say something like that?" Sarah interrupted angrily. "Chuck, come on. Were you not paying attention just a minute ago? How many times are you going to make me say this? Didn't we just agree to trust each other with our very souls?" Then she took another breath. "Sweetie, do you really think that there is any chance that I would let you go anyplace without me? If you end up in a bunker, every single night when you go to bed, my head is going to be lying on your chest. Whatever happens for the rest of our lives, it's going to happen to us… together. It's starting to hurt me that you don't seem to believe that."

"I'm sorry," Chuck said. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Thank you," Sarah said softly. "But it would still be bad. We would have to tell Ellie that you are dead. Neither one of us would ever get to see her again. I know that you love her very much. But, guess what, Chuck? I love her too. I've never had a sister before. I'm kinda liking it. That's why I'm hoping that you can trust me enough to let me try and get us out of this. I know that I'm asking a lot."

"I trust you," Chuck said softly. "There is no one on earth that I would want protecting me more than you. But I don't think you realize what you're asking. This is going to be really hard for me."

"I know, sweetie," Sarah said sadly as she moved to sit on Chuck's lap. "I promise that I'll keep the physical stuff to as little as I possibly can. I'll also be as reassuring with you as I can be."

"Thank you," said Chuck as he gently touched his lips to Sarah's. "I really, really love you."

"I know," said Sarah. "I really, really love you too."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Chuck's neck and pressed her lips to Chuck's. For a long moment they shared a passionate kiss. After a few minutes, Sarah felt Chuck's hand enter her blouse much like Seth's had earlier that day.

"Sweetie," Sarah whispered between kisses. "I'm so sorry but we don't have time for this right now. We have to be at the briefing in fifteen minutes. We'll be home later."

"All right," said Chuck reluctantly with a sigh as he removed his hand and broke the kiss. "We can wait. It's just…"

"Just what?" Sarah asked softly.

"Casey told me that is how I would know," Chuck said sadly as he looked at the floor. "He told me that if we really had sex, I would know that it was real."

Sarah looked at those puppy dog brown eyes, the ones she could never say no to. "Okay," she said with a sigh as she began to unbutton her blouse. "We have had plenty of sex. But if you need this now, I guess I can understand that. We really have to hurry."

"Wow," Chuck said with a surprised laugh. "I'm so sorry. I was just teasing you. You mean that really would have worked?"

"Don't you remember our discussion about paybacks?" Sarah asked with a knowing grin as she refastened the buttons on her blouse for the second time today. "You now are owed one, mister."

Chuck's only response was a very audible gulp.

x-x-x-x-x

Casey, Chuck, and Sarah were all sitting at the conference room table waiting, more or less, patiently when Beckman came online.

As always Beckman ruled the meeting with an iron fist. "Agent Walker," she said crisply. "Would you care to report what you've found out on your assignment today?"

Sarah flashed Chuck a soft smile that she hoped was reassuring. "Thank you ma'am," she said calmly. "Using my previous relationship with the suspect, I was able to gain his confidence. Once I had done that, I learned that he is, indeed, working with Fulcrum. He was sent to determine why their Agent Lizzy disappeared last year. He also verified to me that Lizzy was staking out the Buy More because of some vague intelligence they had that indicated there was a possible connection to Bryce Larkin. There was no indication that they have any knowledge of Chuck. I offered to use my contacts within the Buy More to help him determine what happened to Lizzy."

"Thank you, Agent Walker," Beckman said. "And what reason did you give the suspect for being in the area?"

"Well, ma'am," Sarah replied. "Using our pre established plan for this contingency, I told him that I was assigned to protect Anna Wu, who's father is a senior Taiwanese government official. I told him that I spotted him in the plaza and followed him to the hotel."

"And he bought that?" asked Beckman skeptically.

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah replied curtly. "I believe so. Thinking things through critically was never his strength."

"Very good," said Beckman. "Now, what are we going to do? I'm open to any ideas."

"Can't we just arrest him, ma'am?" Chuck asked tentatively. "We could throw him in the cell next to Lizzy."

"That wouldn't work, Chuck," Sarah said softly. "I would like nothing better. But if Fulcrum has another agent disappear, that will just confirm to them that they have reason to suspect the Buy More. They would send in twenty agents to find out why. There's no way for you to remain hidden under that kind of scrutiny."

"Ma'am," Casey said. "Agent Walker has a former intimate relationship with the suspect. Perhaps she could appeal to his emotional ties to feed Fulcrum false intelligence."

"I'm afraid that won't work, Major Casey," Beckman replied sadly. "On the printer is a transcript of one side of a conversation that we intercepted from the bug that Agent Walker planted in his room today. I think that it is clear that the suspect doesn't have any legitimate feelings for Agent Walker. He is just angling for a sexual encounter. Do we have any idea who this Laura is?"

Casey quickly went and retrieved the document. He handed it to Sarah and looked over her shoulder while she read it.

"Yes ma'am," Sarah said sadly as she reviewed the transcript. "She is almost assuredly Laura Carter. She was my roommate at the time Seth and I were married. They obviously have been having a long term affair."

"If he's Fulcrum," Casey said with a grimace as he took his seat in disgust. "Then it's a pretty safe assumption that she is as well."

"Okay," said Beckman. "This is all some very interesting information, but we still have no plan."

"Ma'am," Chuck said thoughtfully. "As much as I'd like to think I'm special, I'm assuming that Sarah is not the only female agent to ever fall in love while on an assignment."

"No, Chuck," Beckman said in a rather condescending tone. "I won't say that it happens frequently, but it's also not that rare. It happens much more often than it should. That's exactly why we're always watching so closely for it. But what is your point?"

"Maybe," Chuck said a little more animatedly. "We could convince this Seth guy that Lizzie didn't disappear. She fell in love with someone and left with them."

"Exactly, ma'am," Sarah exclaimed as her light bulb suddenly turned on. "She fell in love with a civilian and followed him off the grid. We have Lizzy in custody, right? It would be fairly easy to fake some store surveillance photos of Lizzy with some man who really doesn't exist. I could give them to Seth and Fulcrum would be looking all over the world for this mysterious man who doesn't really exist. They would no longer have any reason to suspect the Buy More."

"I like this idea," Beckman said firmly. "Well done, Chuck. But what about Seth Roberts? We can't have him walking around knowing that Agent Walker is associated with the Buy More. It would only be a matter of time before someone puts two and two together."

Sarah looked at Chuck sadly. This was going to be hard for him to hear. "Well, ma'am," she said as she winced. "I've already promised Seth that I would go with him to resume our marriage once he was done with his current assignment. He is expecting us to resume our sexual relationship at that time. Once he was away from the area for a day or two nobody would associate him with the Buy More. So we would be free to arrest him or terminate him without fearing anybody would make the connection."

"Very good," Beckman said. "We'll do exactly that. Agent Walker, when is your next meeting with Seth Roberts?"

"Tomorrow," Sarah said sadly. "I'm scheduled to spend the night with him."

"Do you really think that is necessary?" Beckman asked? "It's your professional judgment. But it's also a rather intimate assignment. We wouldn't want you subjected to it needlessly."

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah said while looking at Chuck. "Thank you for the consideration. I wish it wasn't but I'm afraid that it is. While I'm at it, I would like to take a stab at getting Seth to set up a meeting with his Fulcrum superior. Maybe we would nab him as well."

"Do you think that he would?" Beckman said.

"Yes, ma'am," said Sarah. "I think given the sentiment expressed on this transcript that we have a good chance of busting the Fulcrum leader, Laura Carter, and Seth Roberts. We could also lead Fulcrum away from suspecting the Buy More forever."

"Excellent," exclaimed Beckman. "Let's get together tomorrow just before your meeting with Roberts. Good luck, Agent Walker. You're dismissed."

As soon as the screen went blank, Sarah turned to Chuck with eyes glistening. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie," she said. "That was brilliant."

The tenseness of the situation was no reason for Casey to allow the opportunity to take a shot pass by. "So, Walker," he said with a sneer as he held up the transcript. "Care to share with us what tips this Laura Carter is going to give you to help you improve? Improve in what area?"

That actually broke the tension in the room and they all started laughing.

"I may not be an expert," Chuck whispered into her ear. "But I'd say that you have definitely improved."

"Thank you, sweetie," Sarah said in a faux huff directed at Casey.

"Let's go home and practice."

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