A/N: Here's your fix for the day, friends. Hope you enjoy. I came up with this one the spot - I didn't want to plan it, like Chuck didn't plan the date. Let me know how you thought it was. Thanks.
Reyes 9 - Thanks as always
TW - I was thinking about taking a day, but I figured I should keep it up, it's worked out so far. I'll let you guys know with an update if I think I'm going to skip a day.
Hotski- They are super duper, aren't they?
Esardi - Thank you. I made the last sentence up, I wanted it to rhyme and that's where my mind went. Telling about me, I guess.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.
Previously on "Chuck Versus The Road":
"Marry me," Chuck mumbled incoherently. Sarah giggled.
"Been there, done that, got the t-shirt," she stated matter-of-factly.
"Oh yea? What does that t-shirt say?" Chuck asked.
Sarah smiled, then answered.
"Once you go Chuck, you'll always want to-"
"Got it!"
Somewhere on the coast of Ecuador.
Sarah laughed at Chuck's flustered expression. Even though they were alone, cuddling on a bare expanse of beach, he still was a prude. She sighed, knowing some things will just never change. She dove in for a kiss, catching Chuck off guard. He only took a brief moment to get his bearings, however, and returned the kiss with fervor. Without breaking the contact, she moved to straddle him, wrapping her legs around his midsection as he sat on the blanket. She was now looking down at Chuck slightly, taking in his bewildered face with a giggle.
"Catch your breath, honey," she encouraged.
Chuck was panting, trying to recover from her jumping on him. Not that he minded, he preferred it actually, it just surprised him. He grinned up at her, and she recognized the sparkle in his eyes. His hands had begun wandering. One was under her t-shirt and rubbing indistinct patterns over her back, and the other was firmly gripping her hip, keeping her in place. Her hands were busy running through his hair, one of her favorite pastimes.
He sighed a breath of relief when he took a cautious look around them and discovered they were alone. The closest people he could see were hundreds of yards down the beach in either direction, giving him and his wife a semblance of privacy. She had worked on his PDA issues, and he was honestly getting better about it. It was hard for him to attempt to resist when the girl of his dreams was firmly planted in his lap, tickling his ear with her tongue, whispering sweet nothings. His spine shivered, and he was sure he was blushing. Couldn't be helped.
They spent the next few minutes necking like teenagers, Chuck getting more and more daring while trying to prevent Sarah from ripping their clothes off. It was a fine line - he wanted to show her a good time, but stop short of public indecency. When her hands started to drift south down his chest, he gently took hold of her wrists, shaking his head slightly. She took the hint, giving him a small smile before returning her hands to his curls.
Finally they reluctantly broke apart, both of them struggling to fill their lungs with air. Sarah looked down at Chuck, licking her lips seductively with a smoldering look in her eyes. She went back in for one quick peck on the lips, leaving both of them wanting more.
"That was nice," she whispered as she hugged him tightly, not wanting to move.
"Nice? Golly gee, thanks! Are you going to give me a check for twelve dollars on my birthday?" He teased. She drew back and punched him in the shoulder, laughing throughout.
"You have to go and ruin every intimate moment, don't you?" She teased back.
"Oh I ruin every intimate moment?" He was slightly taken aback, but still had humor in his voice. "I wasn't the one who called our first kiss uncomfortable, seconds after the fact!"
"Hey!" She took offense. "I did not call the kiss uncomfortable, I called the moment after it uncomfortable. There's a difference, Chuck. That kiss was…..magical."
"I thought that kiss was a mistake?" He asked, quoting her rant from that fateful Christmas years ago. She sighed heavily, remembering her harsh treatment of him. All he wanted was confirmation, and she stomped on his heart. She'd regretted it ever since.
"No, Chuck," she admitted softly. His ears perked up, seeing the honesty in her eyes. He'd wanted to ask her about this for years, but it never was the right moment, and in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter all that much. "I lied," she said barely above a whisper.
"You lied?" He asked, seeking clarification.
"Of course," she quickly stated. "After we kissed, I was confused, Chuck. At that time, I was still trying as hard as I could to suppress what I felt for you. When we kissed, I knew it would change things, and I was terrified of getting reassigned or of you losing interest in me. I had to make a choice, and I chose to hurt you. I've regretted the words ever since I said them, baby. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Sarah," he tried to reassure her, rubbing her back lovingly.
"No it's not!" She almost yelled. "I was so horrible to you! You, the man who loves me unconditionally. I treated you like shit, Chuck. Why? Why am I such a bad person?" She was now sobbing, clutching onto Chuck's shirt for dear life, her cheek pressed against his chest. He could feel the dampness through his cotton shirt.
"Shh, it's okay, Sarah. It's okay. It was years ago, honey. I don't care about that. We're so far past that. It's okay, shhh," he cooed, trying to calm her down in vain. She cried harder, refusing to acknowledge Chuck's words of forgiveness.
"Chuck?" Her voice sounded soft, innocent. Like a child's. He gently took her face in her hands, making eye contact. He saw the fear and remorse in her eyes. He hated seeing that in his angel, and he'd do anything to fix it. Once he had her attention, she spoke. "I lied to you."
"I know, you already told me," he replied, matching her soft tone.
"No, not about that, about something else."
"What then?" He asked, making sure to not sound demanding or angry, but curious.
"When you asked me if we were going anywhere, the thing under the undercover thing, when we were under the influence of sodium pentathol."
"But I thought that drug made us tell the truth?" He was confused now.
"I'm trained to withstand it," she explained, avoiding his gaze.
"Wait," he was putting dots together in his head. "Sarah, you lied when you told me 'no'?"
She nodded slowly, begging for his forgiveness with her eyes.
Chuck sighed, running his hands through her hair with one hand and softly stroking her cheek with the other.
"I'm not gonna lie," Chuck ironically said, "but that hurt a lot." Sarah's face fell at his admonition, tears returning to her eyes. He lifted her chin with his index finger. "Hey, c'mon baby. That was so long ago. And you married me, didn't you?" She nodded with the smallest of smiles twitching at the corners of her mouth. "It's okay, Sarah, really. I forgave you a long time ago for everything that happened between us. Don't forget, honey, that I wasn't a saint either. We get past it, and we move on. It's really not a big deal."
"But Chuck," she pleaded, "I lied to you. A lot. And I hurt you even more times. I pushed you away, made you feel inferior, made you think I didn't love you."
"Whoa, whoa whoa," he stopped her. "Did I not come back every time?" She nodded. "Exactly. You might have pushed me away, but it's not like I wasn't asking for it. You made perfectly clear the limitations of your job, and I continually tried to get you to break the rules. I knew what I was doing, Sarah."
"Why did you keep on coming back?" She asked timidly.
"Isn't it obvious? Because I love you, Sarah. I've always loved you. And, even back then, I had this subconscious feeling that I was more than an asset to you, no matter how much my brain said it was impossible."
"Why would your brain say it was impossible?" She asked, genuinely curious.
Chuck laughed heartily, shaking his head side to side.
"C'mon, Sarah. I was a nerd working at the Buy More. You were a drop dead gorgeous super spy who literally could have any man you wanted. It seemed….improbable, to say the least."
"You stop that, Chuck," she poked him in the chest for emphasis. "There was never any doubt, Chuck. It was always you. From that first second I walked into the Buy More. You went from mark to…I don't know what in about a second. I still feel guilty for thinking of you as a mark." She lost her confidence in the last sentence, barely eking it out sheepishly.
"I was a mark?" Chuck asked, confusingly excited.
"Um, well, yeah," she admitted. "When I got the orders to make contact with you, you were nothing but a mark that I thought I had to get intel out of regarding the Intersect and Bryce." She sounded unsure, like Chuck would somehow change his opinion of her. She was wrong, of course.
"What changed?"
Sarah chuckled. "I saw you. I know it sounds cliche or whatever, but it's true. The first time I saw you, everything changed. You were a 'mark' for all of a millisecond. I knew instantly you were one of the good guys, and I felt an inexplicable urge to protect you."
"Some things never change," Chuck muttered under his breath. Sarah smiled.
"You're damn right. I'll always protect you, like you'll always protect me."
"So, it was love at first sight?" Chuck asked hopefully.
Sarah looked at him, determination in her eyes.
"Chuck Bartowski, I've loved you since the moment you called me Vicki Vale and dropped the phone you were talking into. It just took me a while to fully realize and accept it, and for that I'm sorry."
"Oh, Sarah, please don't apologize anymore. I told you, you've long been forgiven for any and all past transgressions. And for the record, I've loved you since that very moment too. I guess I just figured it out quicker."
"Mmhmm," she agreed. "I love you," she said firmly.
"I love you," he reciprocated, giving her a kiss. She moaned into him, deepening the kiss, and they made out for a few minutes, frantically trying to pour all their emotions into it.
They finally sat back, both satisfied and feeling loved. They had some time before they had to head back, and they were happy to spend it just enjoying their date.
"Chuck?" Sarah asked after a few minutes of silence. He squeezed her to let her know she had his attention. "Can we listen to some music?" She grabbed the iPod Touch and earbuds off the blanket. "I have an idea," she postulated. "We both pick a song that has meaning and share it."
Chuck snapped his head and looked at his wife, adoration all over his face. She blushed immediately under his gaze.
"That's a great idea, sweetheart," he told her. "Would you like to go first?"
"Okay," she said happily. She went into the library on the iPod, Chuck's massive iTunes library she had made sure she uploaded before they left Burbank, and looked for a song. She already had a specific one in mind.
"Okay, Chuck," she said once she apparently found what she was looking for. She handed him the left earbud and he put it his right ear, while she took the right earbud and put it in her right ear, allowing them to snuggle close while they listened. "I used to listen to this a lot before we were a real couple. It gave me hope. I thought it wouldn't apply once we, you know got together, but now I realize it still has meaning."
She hit play, and the music filled their senses. Chuck knew exactly what song it was within five seconds, recognizing the flute and acoustic and electric guitars. He smiled, knowing clearly why Sarah had chosen it. They listened quietly, hands firmly entwined.
So here we are tonight
You and me together
The storm outside, the fire is bright
And in your eyes I see
What's on my mind
You've got me wild
Turned around inside
And then desire, see, is creeping
Up heavy inside here
And know you feel the same way
I do now
Now let's make this an evening
Lovers for a night, lovers for tonight
Stay here with me, love, tonight
Just for an evening
When we make
Our passionate pictures
You and me twist up
Secret creatures
And we'll stay here
Tomorrow go back to being friends
Go back to being friends
But tonight let's be lovers,
We kiss and sweat
We'll turn this better thing
To the best
Of all we can offer, Just a rogue kiss
Tangled tongues and lips,
See me this way
I'm turning and turning for you
Girl just tonight
Float away here with me
An evening just wait and see
But tomorrow go back to your man
I'm back to my world
And we're back to being friends
Wait and see me,
Tonight let's do this thing
All we are is wasting hours until the sun comes up it's all ours
On our way here
Tomorrow go back to being friends
Go back to being friends
Tonight let's be lovers, say you will
And hear me call, soft-spoken whispering love
A thing or two I have to say here
Tonight let's go all the way then
Love I'll see you,
Just for this evening
Let's strip down, trip out at this
One evening starts with a kiss
And tomorrow
back to being friends
Lovers...love...lovers
Just for tonight, one night...love you
And tomorrow say goodbye
As the song finished, Sarah had tears in her eyes again, but this time they were tears of pure joy. She had listened to this song dozens of times, dreaming of having just one night where she could show Chuck how she really felt. One night where they didn't need to worry about protocols and asset/handler relationships. One night where they could just be Chuck and Sarah, two people in love.
"I came close a lot of times, Chuck. I would listen to this and then have my phone in my hand, ready to call you and just say 'screw it, get over here'," she told him with a gorgeous smile.
Chuck blushed, knowing if she'd called he would've probably already been on his way over.
"But then, Chuck, I realized if we had done that, we would've never been able to go back. So, in a way, I'm glad we took the time and did things right."
"Me too, Sarah," he agreed wholeheartedly.
"But do you see how it still applies?" She asked curiously.
"Explain it to me." He thought he knew, but preferred to hear it from her beautiful lips.
"Okay. I look at it like this. When we are in bed, we're lovers. Everything else disappears, at least for me, and all I can think about or feel is you. But then, we go back to being best friends. Of course, you could classify us as always being 'lovers', but do you get what I'm saying?"
"Of course I do. I get it. We're not only passionate lovers, but each other's best friends, and neither of those will ever change."
"Exactly, Chuck!" She said excitedly, giddy that he understood.
"Okay, baby, my turn," he said as he gently took the iPod from Sarah, expertly flipping through the library. "Ready?" She nodded. Chuck hit play, and the distinct sounds of Jack Johnson filled their ears.
Hey little girl
You might not know this song
This is not the kind of song
That you can sing along to
Hey little girl
Maybe some day
At least that's what all
The good people will say
Hey little girl
Look what you've done
You've gone and stole my heart
And made it your own
You've stole my heart
And made it your own
Hey little girl
Black and white and right and wrong
Only live inside a song
That I will sing to you
You don't ever have to feel lonely
You will never lose any tears
You don't have to feel any sadness
When you look back on the years
How can I look you in the eyes
And tell you such big lies
The best I can do is try to show you
How to love with no fear
My little girl
You've gone and stole my heart
And made it your own
You've stole my heart
And made it your own
"Oh, Chuck. That was beautiful."
"I thought it fit you and I perfectly," Chuck softly said. "Especially with the life we've lived so far."
"Mmhmm," she agreed. "But I also think it would perfect to sing to….I don't know….a baby daughter?"
Chuck froze, and Sarah felt it. She let out a giggle, and Chuck understood she was just talking about the future.
"Yeah, it would," He told her.
A/N: The songs featured in this chapter were "Say Goodbye" by Dave Matthews Band (Sarah's) and "My Little Girl" by Jack Johnson (Chuck's). Two of my very favorite artists.