I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything.

I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old. It's the fourth and final installment in the Real Relationship arc.

Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well.

Dream Lover

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was late. It was the damnedest thing. She couldn't really remember why… but she was definitely late. She struggled finding the Math department. She wasn't yet that familiar with the Stanford campus. All she did know was that it was home to a gazillion geeks. Everyplace you looked, there was a Lester type person gawking at her like he had never seen a woman before. No wonder Chuck wanted to come back here and finish up. It seemed like every single person she stopped and asked for directions talked to her in a different language. She was beginning to panic a little. But she finally found Jill's office. Sarah breathed a huge sigh of relief as she recognized Jill through the ajar office door. She was much prettier than the picture Ellie had shown her. The girl must have learned about makeup at some point. And since when did a college professor wear such a provocative dress? The cleavage she was flashing bordered on indecent.

At last Sarah spotted Chuck. That was good. Seeing him never failed to bring a smile to her face. But what was he doing? Oh my God. Why is he kissing her? They were really going at it. Chuck's hands were everywhere as they were franticly trying to undress each other.

Sarah stood paralyzed, unable to do anything but watch. They had to see her. She was standing right there in front of them. They would do this in front of an open door? She tried to yell at them to stop but no words would come.

With a single tug, Chuck had Jill's dress off. He began to kiss his way down her neck as he reached behind her to unhook her bra. As soon as Jill's bra hit the floor, Chuck dropped to his knees. This was a move that Sarah was very familiar with. What was coming next was very predictable. He did it for her a couple of times a week. While he was working his way down her stomach, Jill encouraged him with wordless moans filled with desire.

"What about your wife?" Jill asked.

Chuck just laughed and continued his journey south. "What about her?" he asked. "Don't worry about her. I can't tell you how many times she's done this with other men. And you have to know. I love you. I've never stopped loving you."

Now Chuck had pulled her panties off and Jill was naked. He pushed her to sit on the desk. Just then, Jill's phone began to ring. Chuck kept going. The phone rang again. Chuck finally lifted his head with a grin. "Do you want to answer that?" he asked.

Jill shook her head. "Hell no," she said. "Please don't stop. You've always been so good at this. I've missed it. I've missed you. I love you so much. I should have had my head examined five years ago. I want you now."

The phone rang again.

Sarah woke up with a start to the phone ringing. It was her eight o'clock wake up call. She was wringing wet with sweat. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she looked around, trying to process where she was. Unable to catch her breath, she grabbed her cell phone and instinctively hit Chuck's number. Her hands were shaking so badly that she could hardly hold the phone to her ear. Chuck answered on the third ring.

'Hi, Sarah."

Sarah tried to speak but no words would come.

"Sarah? Are you there?"

"I'm here."

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just needed to hear your voice."

"Sarah, you're crying. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. Not now. I had a bad dream. I needed to hear your voice."

"It must have been a really bad dream. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"It was awful. You and Jill. I saw you. She was naked. You were pleasuring her on her desk. You told her that you loved her. I tried to stop you but I couldn't move."

"Sarah, that was just a stupid dream. You know that would never really happen, don't you?"

"I guess."

"You guess? Sarah, you can't guess. You have to know. I'm so in love with you that I can't even imagine what you're saying. The only woman I'm ever going to be pleasuring on a… well anywhere really, is you. As soon as you get home, be prepared for me to remind you. Please tell me that you know."

"Okay, Chuck. You're right. I know. I'm looking forward to being reminded. It's been a few days."

"That's my girl. I can't believe it. Super spy Sarah Bartowski is scared of a dream? I would have never figured that."

"I know. It's embarrassing. Before I met you, I would never admit that I was afraid of anything… even to myself. I'm hardy ever afraid. I've been shot at, had knives thrown at me, and had to defuse bombs. But I was never afraid. The only thing that I'm really terrified of is losing you. And I'm not embarrassed to admit it."

"Then there's nothing in the world to be afraid of, is there? I'm clearly not doing my job. I'll tell you what I'll do. You need to feel so loved that you don't have any reason left to be afraid. How about every day for the next fifty years, I'll dedicate my life to making sure that you feel like you're the most loved woman in the world? Just to make sure that you never question it. Would that help?"

"It sure wouldn't hurt."

"At our Golden Anniversary party we'll reassess the situation. Then maybe, you can take the next fifty years. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes. Very fair. Sweetie, thanks for cheering me up. I'm sorry that I woke you up so early."

"Don't worry about it. I would have stayed up all night just to be able to hear your voice. You sound like an angel. After all, you're the most loved woman in the world."

"I know. Thank you."

"I was sort of hoping that you would come home and thank me in a more physical way. But you're welcome."

"Chuck, trust me. The thanking isn't over yet."

"You know that I'm looking forward to that. I love you. Goodbye, Sarah."

"I love you too. Goodbye, Chuck."

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Chuck ended the call and left the bathroom, Carina was waiting for him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Chuck was grinning. "Nothing really," he said. "She just had a bad dream, that's all. She was pretty shaken up. I think she's better now."

So now Carina was grinning. "The dream must have been about you," she said. "Were you killed or with another woman?"

Chuck was impressed. "Another woman," he replied. "How did you know?"

Carina shrugged her shoulders and sat on the bed. "That's pretty easy," she said. "The only thing that could scare Sarah enough to call you unplanned while on an assignment is if she thought she was losing you."

Chuck looked at her. This was getting frustrating. "Why would she be afraid of that?" he asked. "No, Carina. I mean really, help me here. I love her to death. I would never do anything to hurt her. Why is she so afraid? Have I ever done anything to make her lose confidence in me? Because if I have, I want to stop."

Carina stopped grinning. "It's not you," she said. "It's her. She's never had anybody that she could truly count on her whole life. I guess that she's afraid that you're too good to be true… that this is too good to last. She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's something that I'm afraid that you're going to have to deal with for a while. She's going to be kind of clingy… a little overprotective maybe. Cut her some slack. Okay?"

Chuck shook his head incredulously. "You're talking about Sarah like she's this insecure shy little girl," he protested. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She commands every room that she's in. She can speak a million languages. She can throw a knife and kill a fly. Why on earth would she be insecure?"

Carina shook her head. "You just described Agent Walker," she said. "I'll agree that she is everything you just said… and more. But you're married to Sarah. She's built up some pretty impressive walls to protect herself and she doesn't allow anyone in… until you. She's just starting to let you inside. If you want more, you're going to have to prove to her that she won't get hurt. Sarah is insecure. Why do you think that she got sucked up by Bryce?"

All of a sudden this struck Chuck as funny. "She's going to be clingy," he repeated. "Sarah is going to be clingy to me? You're saying that like it's a bad thing. It sounds like a fantasy to me."

Carina joined his laughing. "I hope so," she said. "Because you're going to get a lot of it."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Chuck asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want."

Carina nodded for Chuck to continue.

"What about you? What are you looking for? Do you have walls? How do you really feel about Casey? Is that where you see yourself?"

Talk about a surprise question. It was probably the last thing she expected him to ask. It was almost impossible to get Carina Miller to blush… but it was already up her neck and into her face. "Wow," she said. "I don't really know how to answer that."

"Too personal?"

Carina shook her head softly. "It's not too personal," she said. "That's not it. I just don't know how to explain it. Sure I have walls. All agents do that survive for any length of time. They're just not the same ones as Sarah. Casey and me? It's complicated. I think that Casey is great. In my own way, I love him very much. I do. But when I look at you and Sarah, what we have just isn't like that. We're both more driven to do the job then we are to be dedicated to each other. Will that grow over time? Maybe."

"Are you going to sleep with Scott Wilson tonight?"

Carina had been wrong a moment ago. That was the very last thing she expected him to ask. "Wow, Chuck," she said. "I don't know. If I have to, I guess. I've never shied away from that. I hope not."

"But you would? How would Casey react to that?"

"Casey understands," Carina said softly, almost to herself. "He wouldn't be happy about it. He'd want me to avoid it if I could. But he wouldn't be mad at me. Maybe he'd be sad for a while. He would make the same kind of sacrifice. He's given up his chance at a normal life too. I guess that's part of what brings us together."

"Is that what Sarah would expect from me? I don't think I can do that."

That finally got a smile. "No, Chuck," she said. "Sarah has never done it. She's come close. Even if Sarah was once willing, I think those days are over. That's what being with you has done."

Chuck looked at her. "I'm not judging you," he insisted. "You deserve nothing but my respect. But I wish that you didn't have to either. I mean, it's demeaning. These guys blow up little kids. They're evil beyond belief. How can you do it? How can you lay there and let them use you?"

"Chuck," Carina said. "It needs to be done. The more evil they are, the more they need to be stopped. If I can stop them from blowing up little kids, then I guess I'm willing to sleep with them. Besides, sometimes I get to shoot them."

"But how do you get through it? How do you make yourself look and act sexy with these guys?

That got Carina grinning again. "I've been trained," she said. "I think that I should let Sarah tell you about the details of that if she wants to. That's more a wife thing. But the short answer is that I think of myself as an actress playing a role. And trust me; most of these guys are so eager to get you into bed that they're easy to fool. They could really care less how you feel. They just want into your pants."

"Do you ever enjoy it? I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. Please don't answer that."

Carina's grin turned a little sad. "Will you stop worrying about offending me?" she teased. "It's a fair question. I enjoy sex. I always have. A guy who enjoys sex is a stud. A woman who enjoys sex is a slut. That never seemed fair to me. To be honest, there were times in my past where I did enjoy it. To be brutally honest, there were times when I could have gotten out of it and didn't. You heard all about the Pittsburgh story. If you want to know about me and Casey, I'll tell you this. I don't think I'll ever enjoy it again as long as we're together. Did that answer your question?"

"Yes. You're right. It's not fair. Does dealing with marks change the way that you feel about sex?"

That got Carina's grin back. "We're not talking about me anymore," she said. "Are we?"

Chuck had just been called… and he knew it. "No," he admitted.

"Don't worry, Chuck," Carina said with a laugh. "Sarah lives for you. I'm going to tell you something that she would kick my ass if she found out about. Sarah didn't think that she liked sex very much until you. Now, I think that she is making up for lost time."

"I know that she always stopped short of actual sex. Did Sarah ever enjoy what she did with a mark?"

"Okay, now you're just trying to get me into trouble," Carina said laughing. "That is a question that you really need to ask Sarah. I'm guessing because I don't know. We've never actually had this specific discussion. But I would say it depends on what you mean. Sarah has always been all about the job. So I think she enjoys being successful. I don't think she necessarily enjoys what she had to do to get there sometimes."

Chuck was laughing. "She told me that she didn't believe most of your stories," he said.

Carina punched him in the arm playfully. "She does now," she said. "Now I'm not sure that I believe some of hers. Thank you, sensei."

"I appreciate your honesty," Chuck said. "It helps me understand Sarah a lot better. I'm very, very happy that you're on the team. I'm also glad that you decided to put on my t-shirt."

"Thanks, Chuck," Carina said.

"Maybe Sarah should wake us up at five every morning."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah smiled as she disconnected the call with Chuck. How could you possibly miss someone so much after only two days? He had this magic thing going. Just the sound of his voice could always make her feel better. The dream was quickly becoming just an unpleasant memory. Better yet, she hadn't seen Bryce since last night at the ball. With that in mind, it was a much more pleasurable morning than yesterday had been. Sarah took her time in the shower knowing that Bryce didn't need his turn.

Sarah quietly got dressed and headed to the reception room where breakfast was being served. The room was a bustle of activity. Sarah looked around but neither Bryce nor the king was there.

As soon as Sarah entered the room, the king's personal assistant walked up to her. "Mrs. Larkin," she said. "The king would like to speak with you in his private quarters. Would you please follow me?"

Sarah fought the grimace at being referenced as Mrs. Larkin. "Of course," she replied. The assistant led her down the hall and stopped at a large door and indicated that Sarah should proceed. Sarah stepped up and knocked on the door.

As soon as Sarah was in the room, she stepped up to him. "Your majesty," she said. "You wanted to see me?"

The king's smile was beaming. "Sarah," he said. "Please come in my friend. How did you sleep?"

Sarah had no need to fake her smile. It was warm and genuine. "I slept well, your majesty," she said. "Thank you for the private room last night. It was very nice of you."

"It was my pleasure," he said. "I very much enjoyed our dancing. Maybe when you bring your husband to Qatar we can do it again. If he will allow it, that is."

"I look forward to that very much," Sarah said. "And so will he. I promise that you will love him. He is quite charming."

"I suppose that you're wondering why I asked for you this morning?" asked the king.

The though had crossed Sarah's mind. Of course, she knew what everyone was thinking. The king was getting a little morning wood. "Yes, your majesty," she replied.

"I wanted to say goodbye," the king said sadly. "I will go back to Qatar this afternoon. I feel that I'm keeping you away from your husband."

Sarah was alarmed. Refusing this assignment would have been bad. But if they found out that he was leaving because of her, the resulting crap storm would be visible from outer space. "Your majesty," she said. "Please don't cut your visit short because of me. It is far too important that our countries become closer. It would make me feel horrible to feel that I interrupted that."

The king's grin was board. "Don't worry, Sarah," he said. "The visit has been a huge success. All of the work has been done. We will have a press conference within the hour to announce the new base. I'll not deny that I had hoped that you and I would become closer. But I see that cannot be. It's time for me to go home. And it's time that you got back to this love that I see in your eyes."

Sarah knew that this wasn't proper. But she embraced him anyway. "Your majesty," she said. "Please forgive me for being forward. I would enjoy very much if we could become closer. But only as friends, I'm afraid. I just want to thank you for your friendship. You could have put a lot of pressure on me and you didn't. I am totally in your debt."

"Yes, you are," the king teased. "Sarah, do you really think that I would want to force you into something? We both know that it wouldn't work anyway. You can repay me by promising me that you'll be quicker in returning my emails and we won't have so much time pass before our next meeting. I'm very much looking forward to our next dance. You know, as king I get almost everything that I want. I just wish that I could have you."

Sarah knew exactly what he meant. He wasn't talking about a romance. That wouldn't be possible, even if she was available. Even what everyone was assuming would be a scandal he would have to deal with when he got back home. The King of Qatar couldn't ever marry… or even seriously date a western woman. Of course he wasn't the first man to suggest that Sarah get naked and join him for some meaningless sex. He might not be the last. He certainly wasn't the smoothest. But he was the victor by this measure. A year ago, he would have gotten his wish. He was the only suitor to get a genuine blush from her. "Your majesty," she said as she stood there and blushed. "Thank you. That is so unbelievably flattering."

"Goodbye, Sarah."

"Goodbye your majesty" Sarah said as she kissed the king on the cheek.

Sarah was in such a good mood that she thought briefly about ditching the bra and allowing the tongues that were already wagging to hit the floor. Chuck would probably be okay with that, hopefully find it funny. If she knew for sure, she might have. As it was, she left the room struggling to keep her composure. After all, she was still in a public area. But even as she struggled, she was unable to contain the huge grin on her face. As soon as she was safely in her room with the door closed, she jumped in the air and pumped her fist. It took about a minute to throw her things into her bag. She had already called for the limo to take her to Dulles. Hopefully Chuck was well rested. Rested or not he had better be ready for a huge night.

Sarah was coming home.

x-x-x-x-x

It should be noted that almost exactly fifty years later to the very day; Chuck and Sarah were at their Golden Anniversary celebration that was being thrown by their five kids. It was the celebration of the most unlikely love story anyone could imagine. "Kids" was even a stretch since they were all grandparents in their own right. Four generations of the Bartowski extended family filled the hall. The youngest great granddaughter was only six weeks old. It was the first time that they had all been in the same place in many years. For some of the younger ones, it was the first time ever. The only mar on the event was that Casey wasn't there, having passed away two years ago. After the dinner was over and the toast was complete, Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand and led him to a quiet spot. She reminded him of their conversation of nearly fifty years ago that happened while they were a continent apart. She kissed him tenderly, actually more than once, and thanked him for keeping his promise. She had indeed felt like the most loved person in the world every single day for the past fifty years. She told him that she was now confident enough so that maybe he could quit working at it so hard.

Chuck respectfully declined.

x-x-x-x-x