Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or Dollhouse. Not that Dollhouse is referenced in anyway in this chapter, but the season two premiere is tonight, so I thought I'd throw that in there for good measure.

A/N: Okay, this chapter was originally going to be a bit longer. There was to be an update on both of the "B" stories, but then the University of South Carolina beat the number 4 ranked Ole Miss Rebels in college football while I was in attendance, and I had to go out and celebrate the Gamecock victory. So for one night, I forgot that I wasn't 21 anymore, and this morning, I had the hangover to show for it, so no more writing was done. Sorry. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter anyway. The wonderful MXPW approved this chapter, and said it was good, so hopefully you'll agree. Thanks to him for his input. I edited it up a bit, but I'm still hungover, so there could easily still be some mistakes herein. Hopefully it doesn't detract from the overall enjoyment of this chapter. Thank you so much for reading, and please review. Thanks!


Chapter 9: The New Arrangement

"You couldn't come up with something that made me look like less of a jerk?" Chuck asked.

The first hour of the flight, Chuck had found himself alone as Sarah set up the details of their cover. When everything was in order, she began laying it all out for him. Chuck wasn't impressed.

"Why does this make you look like a jerk? You were betrayed by your best friend, and now you can't stand to live in the same room that he once inhabited. I think you're the sympathetic figure," Sarah answered. She really didn't see why Chuck was being so difficult. The cover she had set up was rock solid.

"Well, yeah, that part makes sense. But the part about you and me? The part where we're already in a committed relationship? How does that not make me look like a jerk? Shouldn't I be a little upset about losing Jill to Bryce?" Chuck asked. In fact, he was very upset about losing Jill to Bryce. That part of the cover Sarah had set up was far too close to the truth for his comfort.

Sarah had decided that when Chuck returned to campus, he was to tell everyone that he'd discovered that Jill and Bryce had been involved with one another for some time. Hurt from the betrayal, he would be able to move out of the fraternity house where he had shared a room with Bryce without many questions. He was to move into an apartment off campus, where he would meet his new "neighbor", Sarah Walker. They would immediately begin to see one another, and the time that Chuck would have to spend with Sarah would be accounted for with anyone watching.

"Well don't you want to move on, Chuck?" Sarah asked. "Am I not good enough for you to move on with?" she added. She wasn't sure if she was trying to guilt him into just going along with the plan, or if she was asking him these questions for a more personal reason. Would she really be hurt if Chuck didn't consider her to be an adequate partner?

"No!" Chuck exclaims. "I mean, yes – well no – I mean, of course you're good enough. You're amazing." Chuck caught the small smile the formed on his companion's face, but he ignored it and continued. "I'm just not the type of guy that has a lot of girls. It might not be believable that I would move on from Jill so quick, and even more so that I would find someone like you," he said, hoping to appeal to the logical side of his new bodyguard.

"What do you mean someone like me?" Sarah challenged. She knew he meant it in a positive way, but her insecurity caused her to want confirmation.

"Sarah, come on," Chuck implored her. Sarah wasn't budging, however. "Fine, whatever," Chuck huffed. "You know you're freaking gorgeous and smart, and from what I've been able to tell, you're a lot of fun to be around. And most of all, you're completely out of my league. Not that Jill wasn't out of my league, but still."

Chuck really believed what he has told her. Sarah seemed to be the catch of a lifetime, and she wanted him to pretend to be in a relationship with her? That just wasn't fair.

Sarah didn't think that she was out of Chuck's league at all. Oh, she knew that she was pretty, on the outside at least. That was a lot different than her high school days; but the ugliness that was Jenny Burton still lived within her. If Sarah had it her way, Chuck would never find out about that girl. He'd never find out anything real about her. So instead of assuaging his self doubt, Sarah decided to give it credence, to a degree. It was the only way she saw to protect herself from admitting something personal.

"Maybe you're one of those guys," Sarah said, shrugging.

"What guys?" Chuck's voice had dropped to a low, potentially angry tone. He knew exactly what guys Sarah was talking about. The guys that are nothing, but somehow end up with the "it" girls. There were times that he thought of himself in that light when he was with Jill, but Jill had never said anything about it. It was one thing to be self-depreciating, but to have it acknowledged was taking it to another level that he didn't appreciate.

"You know. Those guys…" Sarah knew that Chuck knew what she was talking about. She didn't mean it. She didn't think that he was one of "those guys" at all. He seemed to be a great guy. He was cute, funny, smart, and humble. Any girl would have been lucky to have him. But she was in self protection mode, and he was standing in the way.

"I hate those guys," Chuck mumbled.

"Fine, take it however you want, Chuck, but this is my op, and my rules." Sarah turned from facing Chuck, to sitting back in her seat as if to signify that the argument was over. And to her, it was. She should have known, she realized, that Chuck wouldn't let it go that easily.

"This is my life!" Chuck exclaimed. He was coming to regret his decision to join the Agency more with every passing second. Not that he'd made the choice with a clear head in the beginning anyway. Everything about his recruitment still had his head spinning. To top it all off, Chuck had had enough pretending over the past few months to last a lifetime. He'd been pretending that everything with Jill was going well, when nothing could have been further from the truth.

"I don't care," Sarah said, crossing her arms and sticking her chin out in defiance. "I get to make the rules, and I say that when we get back to Palo Alto, you're my boyfriend, and I'm your girlfriend."

She'd never admit this, even under torture, but the idea of having Chuck as a boyfriend, even if it was just a cover, excited Sarah a little. She'd never had any type of social life. Her childhood was far from the ideal environment in which to develop connections, and she'd carried that sense of needing to keep her distance from people with her when she went to college. And while she'd managed to have a couple of flings during her time at Harvard, she'd never had an actual boyfriend. If Chuck would just loosen up about the whole thing, it might even be fun.

Chuck realized that Sarah wasn't going to budge on her position. He thought that perhaps introducing a few alternatives to Sarah's plan might help his cause.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if you were, I don't know, my cousin or something?" Chuck asked. It was the best he could come up with at the moment, and it wasn't a very good plan at all, but he had to provide something.

"You want people to think that you're doing it with your cousin?" Sarah asked in reply. She arched her eyebrow, seemingly daring Chuck to debate her further on the issue. Being Chuck's cousin would completely destroy her plans of winning his favor. For the job, of course.

"What?! No! Wait! Why do we have to do it?"

Sarah laughed. "We don't actually have to sleep together, Chuck. But people need to think that we are, and if we tell them that I'm your cousin, that could get a little awkward."

She could see he wasn't going to give up his argument.

"Listen, Chuck. For now, I'm just here to make sure that those secrets they put in your head stay there, and that you stay safe. But once we're out in the field, we're going to have to play a lot of different roles, the most prominent being that of a couple. So look at this time as early training. Or, you know, whatever. Look at however you want, but this is what has to be done."


Once they arrived...

Despite his initial reluctance to use CIA resources to help with the move from the fraternity house to his new off-campus apartment, Chuck had to begrudgingly admit that the "movers" had made things very easy. Once he had all of his things boxed up, everything was taken for him immediately over to his new place, and by the time he arrived there, everything was already set up for him to live there.

Saying goodbye to all of his friends had been hard, but when Chuck told them the story of what had happened, or more accurately, the lie he'd been forced to tell them about what happened, they'd all understood why he needed to move. The brothers of Gamma-Delta-Phi had, of course, wanted to throw a "Moving On/Moving Out" party in Chuck's honor, but he'd talked them out of it, for the time being. It wasn't that he was so much opposed to the idea, as much as he just didn't want another event in his life that his "handler" would try to force her way into.

Chuck knew that Sarah would insist on attending any such event, and he really didn't need to hear about how great his new "girlfriend" was from all of his friends. He didn't want to have to lie to them even more than he already had.

The first night in his new digs went much better than he had hoped for. The apartment, first of all, was far nicer than anything he'd expected. The spacious two bed, one and a half bath flat was much more than he needed. Chuck was almost embarrassed by how sparse his collection of belongings looked in his new abode. Sarah had offered to go shopping with him later in the week to pick up some new stuff to hopefully make it feel more like a home, which he appreciated.

And honestly, Chuck had been surprised with how pleasant his new "neighbor" had been since their arrival. He still wasn't thrilled with their current setup, but at least she was accommodating him in some ways. Sarah offered to come over and prepare dinner, which was surprisingly good. It wasn't quite on the level of a meal made by the expert hands of his sister, Ellie, but it was much better than he'd been afraid it might be. Something about Sarah just seemed to indicate that cooking wasn't her forte, but it was evidence to Chuck that you can't always judge a book by its cover. Maybe there was something to that, he reasoned. Maybe he was being too hard on his temporary handler, and eventual partner. He wouldn't completely give in to her, and he wouldn't completely trust her just yet, but he would take it into consideration.

Sarah, for her part, could tell that Chuck was impressed by the meal of boneless-skinless chicken breast sautéed with peppers and onions in extra-virgin olive oil. Of course, growing up as the "woman of the house" had acclimated her to having to prepare dinner for two, so she wasn't out of her element at all in the kitchen. Not that she'd ever tell Chuck where she gained her mastery of the culinary arts.

The after-dinner conversation was light, and enjoyable. Sarah was a little disturbed, and at the same time, excited by just how at ease she was made to feel by her charge. Even if Chuck still seemed to be somewhat guarded, he was considerate, funny, and relaxed, three traits Sarah had never really been able to master herself. Everything about the evening had felt so normal. Normal had always sounded boring to the blonde before she met Chuck. But now? It was freaking fantastic. The entire night had been a lot of fun, and so…normal.

Before the end of the movie – which neither of them were really watching – Chuck and Sarah fell asleep on the couch, both feeling much better about their respective situations than when the night had begun. The levity their quiet night alone had provided wouldn't last, however. Both Chuck and Sarah would have their sleep interrupted by dreams. Those dreams would shake the foundation of their newly formed bonds.


A/N: Okay, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it. In the next chapter, you'll find out about Chuck and Sarah's respective dreams, and we'll catch up with Orion, and Bryce and Jill. I look forward to your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace.