A/N: Well...hello everyone...i'm back again...no, please, hold the applause until the end...what, you weren't going to applaud...yeah, I get that a lot...anywho...great to get this chapter finished...almost published it this morning but while reading it over, I decided that I just didn't like what i was reading and ...ta dah...I re-did the whole thing...hope you all enjoy it...and if you do(or don't) please leave a review...I know, I know...doesn't this guy ever give up with the 'oh please,please,please review' stuff?...well, ok...just this once...I promise I won't say 'please review' again...see, don't you feel better now?...I sure do...or it that the Jager...not sure...I've got more Swimmer and more Walkabout battling for dominance in the melon...not sure what's coming next...I'll be just a surprised as you...I'll put the pen to paper and then it'll happen...the magic...hey!...stop that laughing!...I'm serious...knock it off...that wasn't meant to be funny...you take that back, smartyboots...oh yeah?...well your haircut's funnier than mine...pfffftttt...just for that, maybe I'll go back to writing GLEE torture porn...oh, not so funny now, is it?...I guess the shoe's on the other hand now...wait, that's not right...what the hell just happened?...my head hurts... JT

Hey Jim...get better you cranky old bas...guy...yeah, that's it.

As you may have guessed, I don't own Chuck...if I did, I bet you'd find me imposing...go ahead...say it...I'm going for imposing. Oh yeah...this amazing chapter...or did I post the other one...just can't remember which one you're getting...either way...they're both completely beta free...and now the audience swoons, unable to believe their great good fortune. See ya soon. JT

Sarah Vs. The Strong Swimmer - Chapter 10

Chuck awoke to find a blonde vision curled up next to him. Looking over, he noticed that she had drooled in her sleep, his shoulder now a wet testament to the newest piece of the puzzle that he was slowly putting together. As he took further stock of his surroundings, he was pleasantly surprised to find that, at sometime during the night, Sarah's hand had 'wandered' south and was now holding him in a gentle grasp. The smile that appeared on Chuck's face as a direct result of her hand placement evaporated at the sound of a grunt coming from the direction of the doorway.

"So moron, Walker's keeping your little boy parts warm for you?" Casey asked with a smirk.

The sudden intake of breath and the gentle squeeze and release let Chuck know that Sarah was now awake. The slight movement he felt at his side and the knife that suddenly appeared in the door, two inches from Casey's head, told him that Agent Walker was also now awake…and not happy with Casey.

"Jesus, Walker…what the hell is wrong with you? I was only joking." Casey asked as he pulled the knife from the door.

"I was joking as well…" Sarah replied, not sounding amused. "…after all, I hit the door."

Stepping cautiously to the bed, Casey extended his arm so he could hand the knife back to Sarah. With the exchange completed, he stepped back and watched as the blade in Sarah's hand seemed to vanish, transported by her 'magic' back to where ever she had been hiding it.

"Listen, there's someone outside who needs to talk to the asset…without bloodshed" Casey said as he watched Sarah closely. "This is about the mission the other night so…num…Chuck…you need to keep the 'nerdling incubator' calm…think you can do that?"

"What did you just call me, Casey?" Sarah hissed, the knife suddenly in her hand again.

'God damn…how does she do that?' Casey wondered as he admitted to himself that she was faster with a blade than anyone he had ever seen before.

"Sarah…calm down" Chuck said, he hand finding it's way into hers. "At least he didn't call you a 'playdoh fun factory of life'…" he added with a grin.

"What does that even mean, Chuck?" she asked, turning her attention to him. After he leaned in and whispered into her ear, she actually giggled a little bit. "That's just not right…" she whispered through a smile, "…and you better never call me that…in public."

Still ignoring Casey, Chuck watched in amazement while Agent Sarah Walker actually blushed. "I think it's safe to bring her in now, Casey." Chuck said watched his bedmate, waiting to see her reaction. As Carina slowly made her way into the room, Chuck fely Sarah tense up and then slowly relax.

"Hey Chuckles…how ya doing?" Carina asked, clearly trying to keep things light.

"Hey Rocky…" Chuck answered which got a snort from both Casey and Sarah. "…maybe you should try some makeup."

"Very funny, Chuck" she replied, clearly not amused.

"Listen up" Casey barked, taking control of the conversation. "the host of the party the other night is planning on stopping by this afternoon. He wants to make sure that Chuck is ok…probably just wants to see if Chuck is thinking about suing him."

"And?" Sarah asked, her eyes still watching Carina.

"And his 'girlfriend', who is trying to set up a pretty big drug deal on the side, needs to be sitting here, appearing to be …well…a girlfriend."

"Casey?…who's gonna be backing the bit…er, Carina up?" Sarah asked, clearly torn between her desire to protect Chuck herself and her desire to act like a professional.

"I'll be in the next room, running surveillance. We'll also have two other agents placed nearby."

"Alright…" Sarah said, surprising Chuck with her quick acceptance of the situation. "…but I'll be in the room with you…and if Carina doesn't act like a total professional…which means, no un-necessary touching…Carina!…or else I'll break your nose…again! Understand?" Sarah finished, her eyes never leaving hers.

"Alright" Casey barked, stepping in and breaking the staring contest. "Carina…go get ready and be back here in sixty minutes. Walker, be next door in forty-five. Bartowski…your job will be the easiest…and the hardest." Seeing Chuck's questioning look, he added "play stupid and…don't screw this up!"

Chuck felt Sarah tense up and gently squeezed her hand, hoping that it would get her to calm down. "Casey…Carina…" Chuck said, hoping that the two agents might catch the hint and leave. Surprisingly, they both backed out of the room without another word. After Casey had closed the door, he turned to Sarah, watching as she slowly relaxed. Leaning in, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Sarah…I need to get up…so I can…uh…use the facilities…"

"Yeah…I noticed that they removed the catheter" she said with a slight smile as she watched a blush start up Chuck's neck. Getting out of the bed, she walked around to the other side. "Give me you arm…I'll help you…"

"Sarah, please…" he replied as he gingerly swung one of his legs over the side of the bed. "…I think I can go to the bathroom by myself…" he almost pleaded as he settled his feet onto the floor.

"OK Chuck," she agreed, taking a small step backwards but looking anxious, "…just remember, you've been in that bed for twelve days so…" she stopped talking and stepped back to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Thanks" he said, surprised at how weak he was and grateful for her support. The few steps to the bathroom left him breathless and really glad that he hadn't tried it on his own. "Uh…Sarah…um…could you…" he stammered, clearly a little embarrassed about something.

"Chuck…don't be silly…I'm not going to leave you alone so you can fall down. I know that you can be a little shy, but really…we've seen all of each other's bits…and who do you think has been handling your sponge baths?" Sarah almost laughed at the blush that crept up Chuck's neck and didn't stop until it reached his hairline.

"You what?" he choked out.

"Well…Ellie volunteered when she caught me 'eyeing' that nurse who seemed to be enjoying her job too much but I told her that I'd be 'handling' you from then on."

"Oh my god!" Chuck blurted out and Sarah actually laughed when she noticed his blush actually getting darker. "Sarah…please let me do this…I promise to call you if I need help…please."

"Oh…alright…you big baby. I'll stand outside the...open…door. Plus, with that hospital gown, I'll be able to stare at that cute ass of yours…"

"Sarah…please"

"I was just kidding you. I promise not to peek" she said with a warm smile.

Realizing that he was being a little silly, he went about his business and after finishing, he was actually glad when he felt Sarah's arm find it's way back around his waist. The short walk back left him very tired and it was only with Sarah's help that he managed to get back into the bed. After fussing over him, making sure that he was comfortable, Sarah looked into his eyes and he saw the concern in them. "Thank you…" he said, feeling a little guilty about being such burden.

"Stop it, Chuck…" Sarah said after looking into his eyes and seeing the guilt there. Moving closer, she placed a hand on his cheek and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "…you have nothing to feel guilty about…nothing. You got shot and I…we almost lost you. All you have to do is get better…" she said with a quiver in her voice. Chuck reached his hand up and brushed a tear from the corner of her eye. "…and I'll do anything I can to help you…because I love you." she whispered as she climbed into the bed and snuggled close to his side.

"Sarah…I love you too." He said as he lightly kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry for being so…well…silly. I promise that I'll try to be more comfortable with you staring at my ass…" he said as looked down into her eyes. Seeing her smile at his permission for 'ass staring', he smiled back and pulled her closer. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to find that Sarah was no longer next to him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living" Carina said from the side of his bed. "…I was afraid that Sarah had 'handled' you back into a coma." she added with a smirk, somehow making the word 'handled' sound like the naughtiest thing in the world. "You timed it just right. One of the agents downstairs just said that the mark just arrived so he should be here in a couple of minutes."

"Um…ok…I should?"

"Just be yourself. I already told him that you don't know what I'm really doing so please…just play along. Being a little loopy is ok…just watch what you say…follow my lead…ok?"

"Ok" he said as Carina took his hand into hers and pulled her chair a little closer to his bed. Moments later the 'mark' knocked at the door frame before walking into the room. Chuck listened as 'Mark' talked …telling him how sorry he was about what had happened and how he didn't have a clue why the 'gang bangers' had shown up at the party. Chuck honestly said that he didn't remember much about that night. 'Mark' had gone on to explain that his insurance would take care of everything and he hoped that they wouldn't have to get any lawyers involved. Chuck assured him that he didn't see any reason for lawyers and nodded his head when asked if his 'girlfriend' could step outside for a few minutes so they could exchange information so 'Mark' could pass it on to his insurance company.

Carina leaned in and whispered into his ear, letting him know that he'd been great and that she would be back in a little bit. Giving him a quick kiss on the forehead, she followed 'Mark' out the door, leaving him alone. Feeling proud that he hadn't 'screwed' up as Casey had thought he might, he allowed himself a brief smile and then closed his eyes for a moment.

-0-0-0-00-0-

"Wake up Chuck…" Sarah said as she watched the hospital worker wheel in the food cart. "C'mon Chuck…time for some more of the delicious food."

"Oh goodie" Chuck mumbled, "jello and soup…yum, yum."

Sarah smiled at him before answering. "I promise that as soon as Ellie says it's ok, I'll bring you a pizza."

"And a beer?" he asked, hopefully.

"Not on my watch…" Ellie said as she walked into the room, She smiled at the pout that Chuck flashed her way. "How are you feeling, Chuck?"

"I'm actually feeling pretty good, El. When are you gonna spring me from this place?"

"Well, that's one of the reasons for the visit. They want to keep you one more night but I'm told that you can go home tomorrow afternoon."

"That's great news…I can't wait to sleep in my own bed. What was the other reason for your visit?"

"Well, curiosity, mostly. When you woke up the other day, Sarah said you were mumbling about pancakes and the 'twins'. What were you talking about…if you don't mind me asking?"

Chuck looked at his sister and then at his girlfriend…they both seemed curious but didn't look like they would push him too hard for an answer. After thinking about it for a few moments, he decided to tell them about the dream, figuring that it couldn't hurt. "Well, just before I woke up, I was dreaming about Sarah and I. She was pregnant with our second set of twins and she was reminding me that I promised to make pancakes for the kids before taking them to the beach."

"Second set of twins?" Sarah asked, a smile on her face.

"Well, twins do run in the Bartowski side of the family." Ellie said, a smile playing on her lips.

"What?" Sarah asked, suddenly serious.

"Yeah, that's true" Chuck said, "Dad had a twin brother and there were seven sets of twins in the extended family."

Sarah suddenly had the classic 'dog who's been shown a card trick' look. Moments later Ellie and Chuck both burst out laughing, and they high-fived each other.

"Oh…ha-ha…very funny. You guys should take your show on the road." Sarah said with a pout.

"I'm sorry, Sarah" Chuck said, suddenly concerned that he'd upset his girlfriend. "It was just a joke."

"Yeah…we were just kidding" Ellie added.

Sarah suddenly smiled, "Gotcha!" she said as she snorted.

Ellie and Chuck exchanged looks before starting to laugh. Ellie wandered around to the other side of the bed and pulled Sarah into a bone crushing hug. After letting go, she turned to her brother and smiled. "I like her, Chuck. I guess I'll let you keep her…although she seems to have a thing for giving you sponge baths."

"What?" Chuck asked, looking from his sister to Sarah and then back again.

"Yeah" Ellie said, "…after she scared off the regular nurse, she was giving you seven or eight sponge baths…every day…I was a little worried."

"WHAT?" Chuck said again.

"Gotcha!" both Sarah and Ellie said at the same time before exchanging high-fives. Moments later all of them were laughing again.

"Well guys…I've got to get back to work. I'll stop by later."

"Bye El" they both said as they watched her leave. Sarah gently sat down on the edge of the bed and watched as Chuck slowly ate his soup. Reaching out her hand, she grebbed the TV remote. "Wanna watch a movie?" she asked

"Sure…your choice." Chuck replied.

"How about 'Lord of the Rings?…it's available on demand."

"Really?" Chuck asked, clearly surprised.

"Really…I've heard you and Morgan mention it like a million times so I thought that maybe I should see what all the fuss was about." Seeing that the surprised look was still on Chuck's face, she added "what can I say…you must be rubbing off on me".

"Well…not until I'm feeling better" he answered, giving her a little of the Bartowski eyebrow dance. "Ow…I don't think you're supposed to hit people who are in the hospital. OW…no pinching either."

"Quit complaining. Now, eat your jello while I get the movie started" Sarah said as she handed the bowl to Chuck.

"Yes ma'am" he said with a smile.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The next afternoon found Chuck waiting for Sarah to show up so that he could go home. Ellie had been by earlier and taken care of all of the paperwork, promising him that she had talked to Sarah and that she would be there to pick him up soon. The sound of a grunt at the doorway caused him to look up, only to find John Casey standing in the doorway, a wheelchair sitting in front of him.

"C'mon moron, I don't have all afternoon."

"Casey…what are you doing here?"

"Walker asked me to pick you up…said she had some important errand to run."

"But what…?" he started but the grunt told him that he had all the information he was going to get and if he wasn't in the wheelchair in seconds, Casey would just leave him there. Chuck was amazed at how good he was becoming at reading Casey's grunts and quickly moved to take the offered seat. The next grunt let him know that Casey wasn't gonna push the chair for him so he better get started if he didn't want to get left behind. Chuck worked hard to keep up and once through the front doors was surprised to see his '57 station wagon sitting there. Looking to Casey, he wasn't surprised when Casey gave him an almost feral smile.

"I told Walker that I'd only pick you up if she gave me the keys to this. She argued at first but then gave in." Opening the driver's door, Casey climbed in and fired the wagon up. Chuck managed to get out of the wheelchair and open the passenger door. Climbing in, he was greeted with a grunt that told him to hold on because Casey wanted to see what the old 'beast' could do with a 'motorhead' behind the wheel. Making sure that his door was locked, Chuck had barely buckled himself into the bucket seat when Casey took off, clearly not concerned with the posted five mile an hour speed limit. Minutes later Casey was headed onto the freeway on-ramp. After merging into the traffic flow, Casey checked all his mirrors and made a quick lane change.

"Well now…let's see what 'auntie' Diane's tech crew did under the hood" Casey said before stomping the gas pedal to the floor. Chuck was shocked to feel himself being pushed back into the seat while Casey let out a growl that sounded like pleasure, approval and desire…all rolled into one. Looking over, he wasn't at all shocked to see the huge smile on Casey's face. "Too bad that our exit's coming up…I'd love to see how the nitrous system would kick 'her' in the ass…well, maybe next time" he said, almost sounding sad that they were exiting the highway.

About five minutes later they were pulling into the parking lot for the apartment complex and Chuck was surprised to see Devon standing off to the side with a wheelchair sitting in front of him. After unlocking the door, un-buckling himself, Chuck opened the door and stepped out just as the 'Captain" pushed the chair up to the car.

"Yo Chuckster…welcome home, dude. It's great to see you. John, good to see you too." Devon said as he guided the wheelchair right up to Chuck. "Grab a seat, dude. I'll handle the driving from here" he said as he began to push the freshly seated Chuck in the direction of the apartments.

"Devon…I think I can handle it" Chuck said, hoping that he wasn't planning to push him all the way to his apartment.

"Relax, bro…I'll get you as far as the courtyard…from there, you're on your own."

Chuck had been looking up at Devon and when he turned his attention back to the front he saw that the courtyard was full of people and hanging over the door to his and Sarah's apartment was a big 'Welcome Home' banner. Chuck was shocked by the number of people who were crowded into the courtyard and then smiled when he saw Ellie and Sarah making their way towards him. Walking up and taking a seat in his lap, Sarah planted a big kiss on his lips before giving him a big smile.

"So…this was the errand you just had to run?" he asked with a smirk. Seeing her nod her head, he continued, "please …please…please, don't let Casey drive me anywhere in the wagon…ever again!"

"Why Chuck?" Sarah asked, clearly curious. After Chuck leaned in and whispered into her ear, she glanced at Casey and started to laugh.

"What!" Casey growled.

"Nothing , Casey…Chuck just thought you almost had an 'Oh' face on when you found out how fast the wagon was." Sarah said with a chuckle.

"What the hell is an 'oh' face…ah, I get it now. Hey…I can't help it if I think that wagon is a sweet ride…anyhow…here's the moron…I'm going to my apartment to watch the history channel. Keep the noise down or I'll call the cops" he said with a grunt as he walked away.

"Thanks for the ride, Casey." Chuck called to his back before turning his attention back to the beautiful blonde in his lap. "So, was this your idea?"

"No…well, maybe a little…mostly it was Ellie but I may have helped a little. You just stay in this chair and tell me if you need anything…ok?"

"Sarah…I can honestly say that the thing I want the most is already in the chair with me."

Leaning in, Sarah whispered into his ear, "I love you, Chuck Bartowski."

A/N: again - I just couldn't do it...that's right, I said it again...liar liar, pants on fire...PLEASE REVIEW!