Chuck VS The Unknown
Part 14
***555***
Sarah opened one eye and realized 3 things right away: this was not her bed, she was naked and her husband was looking at her. The last item she knew despite the fact that she couldn't see Chuck who was behind her on his side, head propped in his hand watching the delicate rise and fall of her back as she slept.
Once those 3 realizations came and went she noticed the unbelievable view of turquoise water out the wall of windows beside the bed. The bed she stretched out in, enjoying the exquisite softness of the sheets.
"Morning," she could hear the smile in Chuck's voice before she fully rolled over to take in his scruffy face.
"Morning," she practically mewed as she stretched and rolled and wrapped her arms around him all in one graceful movement.
"Sleep well?" he smiled against the warm soft skin of her neck.
"So well," she assured him.
"Me too," he replied as he kissed behind her ear.
"Been awake long?" she snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes again.
"Not very," he teased his fingers along her bare back and felt her tremble slightly.
"What time is it?"
"Don't know. Don't care. Daytime, morning still. I ordered breakfast a bit ago, they were still taking breakfast orders so morningish," he babbled adorably.
"Mmmm, good, I am hungry," she nipped at his shoulder.
"Me too," he chuckled.
"This is real, right?"
"The most comfortable bed in the world with the best view imaginable in a suite like I have never seen before for the next 5 days? Yes, real," Chuck covered all the potential bases.
"I am a lucky girl to have snagged you, Chuck Bartowski," she stretched up to kiss him properly.
"We're both lucky, very lucky and I don't ever want to forget that," as he deepened the kiss they were interrupted by the suite's doorbell.
"I am not wearing clothes," Chuck stated obviously.
"Closet, there is sure to be a bathrobe," Sarah pointed out, thinking it quicker than trying to find the clothes she had stripped off of him last night.
"My wife is so smart," Chuck said as he went to the closet and wrapped himself up in fluffy white terry cloth.
Chuck greeted the room service attendant, but offered to take the cart into the bedroom himself. That turned out to be a good call for while Sarah had the sheet pulled up to cover herself, it was very obvious she had nothing on. She had propped all the pillows up against the headboard and Chuck realized quickly that this was going to be breakfast in bed.
Sarah wasn't used to people taking care of her, or she wasn't before she met Chuck. It was strange at first, getting used to the idea that people would do things for you just because they wanted to be nice, to make you happy. The first time Sarah noticed it, really noticed it, was when Chuck showed up at her hotel with a vegetarian pizza with no olives. He liked olives, but knew she didn't and made sure he specifically left them off just to be nice. Sure he was trying to endear himself to her, but it was such a small thing, such an easy to miss thing that it made her heart swell now just remembering it.
"Are you planning to wait on me all week?" she smiled as he brought her a cup of tea.
"No, I thought we could take turns," he grinned as he sipped some coffee.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Bartowski?" Sarah asked, her eyes sparkled.
"Eat first and then we can discuss our…options," Chuck swallowed thickly as he looked at his wife covered by a thin white sheet.
"You know what I was just thinking about?" Sarah said as she speared a piece of fruit from one of the plates Chuck arranged around her.
"What?"
"The time you brought me a pizza…"
"We eat a lot of pizza, which time?" he grinned.
"The first time, you showed up at my hotel with a pizza and you had noticed that I didn't like olives."
"Oh yeah, I watched you pick them off on a couple of occasions," Chuck shrugged as he finally crawled carefully on to the bed so as not to upset the food.
"Well, it was very thoughtful," Sarah smiled and leaned close enough for a quick kiss.
"You know, we have spent a lot of time reliving some of our less pleasant memories with Dr. Dreyfus, maybe we could spend some of this time alone together, remembering the good times."
"Like the time I brought you pizza?"
"It might seem like a little thing now after all the grander gestures of our illustrious romance, but at the time it was the sweetest thing anyone had done for me in some time," Sarah admitted.
"I liked doing things for you. You saved my life on a regular basis back then, seemed the least I could do was pick up chocolate croissants every now and then."
"Well, I appreciated them," Sarah squeezed his hand and then returned to eating off the variety of dishes he had ordered for them.
The pair of them tore through the delicious food, an egg white omelet, a plate of French toast, fruit and bacon. Sarah got up from the bed and cleared some of the plates, walking naked across the sunlit room.
"We need…I cannot believe I am saying this," Chuck paused as he watched Sarah look back over her perfect shoulder, "we need to order some clothes and things."
"I started a list on my phone on the plane," Sarah pointed to her phone on the nightstand.
Chuck reached over and clicked it on, thumbing in Sarah's password and finding the note pad. Sarah finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and slipped in to the bathroom.
"I added some stuff, give it a once over and I will send it to Jeanine with my Amex," Chuck fretted a bit at how extravagant they were being, he never really got used to having money before it was gone and now that it was back he wanted to be smart with it, but his soul felt so good spending this time with Sarah.
"That's good, once we have some stuff we can always go out and pick up some other things if we need them," she smiled and handed the phone back.
Chuck sent the list to Jeanine as Sarah sipped another cup of tea. Within seconds he had a reply that everything would be delivered by 2:00 pm.
"We'll have the stuff by 2:00," Chuck reported, shut off Sarah's phone and tossed it back on to the nightstand.
"So whatever should we do until then?" Sarah asked coyly.
"I can think of a thing or two," Chuck smiled, his genuine smile with his gorgeous teeth.
"Yeah?" Sarah put down her tea and approached the bed.
She put a knee on the bed at the foot of it, the soft sheets and duvet puffing up around her, so comfortable under her body. She crawled up the bed, to Chuck's feet which were crossed. He wiggled his toes at her adorably and she laughed before placing a kiss on the inside of one of his ankles.
Sarah continued to kiss up his calf to his knee, parting the soft terry cloth robe he still had on.
"Oh, Sarah," Chuck sighed.
"Shhh, lay back, relax. We have hours before we'll have any clothes to put on," she giggled and continued to kiss along his body.
"I love you," he gasped as she scraped her teeth on his hip bone.
"I love you too," she stopped and looked up to his face, loving the love she sees reflected back at her.
"Come here," he reached for her, cupped her chin and encouraged her up to his lips, kissed her deeply, tenderly as he rolled her under him and she used the shift to strip the robe off of him completely.
***555***
"Jeanine has really good taste," Sarah grinned as she walked out of the bathroom in a lovely new bathing suit and cover up.
"Yes, she did a very good job," Chuck agreed in his own new swim trunks and tee shirt.
"You sure you don't mind laying low today?" Sarah asked as she found a towel and her book.
"Not at all, that was the point of all this, relaxation and alone time," Chuck said almost shyly.
"How are you the sexiest person I know and the most adorable at the same time?" Sarah approached and pulled him close let her hand snake up under the back of his tee shirt to gently scratch her nails along the tender skin at the small of his back.
"It's a gift," he grinned and leaned in to her touch.
"You're a gift," Sarah said remembering their wedding vows, "a gift I am starting to realize I might actually deserve after all."
Chuck opened his mouth to say something and then, fearing he might say the wrong thing, just flung his arms around her and held her tightly.
"I know," Sarah nodded against his chest, agreeing to his silent declaration of love.
"Let's go sit by the pool before I start crying," Chuck teased.
Sarah led the way out of the bedroom through the enormous living room to the sliding door. In the light of day the pool area was even more magnificent, with the same gorgeous view of the ocean beyond and stunning arrangements of flowers and plants providing exquisite privacy.
"We could have come out here before our clothes arrived," Sarah joked as she assessed the sight lines with the eye of an agent.
"Any time you want to go skinny dipping you just say the word, Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck lowered his sunglasses and looked her up and down.
Sarah laughed, but did not refute the offer outright as she climbed up to the shallow area where the chaise lounges sat in just a couple inches of water. A table between them was nice for putting their stuff, keeping it dry, but Sarah had another arrangement in mind. She lifted the small table up.
"Sarah, let me get that," Chuck lunged for the table.
"It's very light Chuck, move the chairs together?" she tilted her head to one side as Chuck realized what she was asking.
"On it," he pulled the chairs together as Sarah placed the very light side table on the side next to hers and put their phones, books and sunscreen on it while Chuck arranged the towels on the chairs just so.
Sarah settled in to the chaise as Chuck retreated back to the room. He returned moments later with 2 bottles of water and a bag of very high end looking trail mix. When he joined her on the chaise Sarah turned on her side, pressed her belly against his side and kissed his ear.
"This is heaven," she informed him as she rested her head on his chest and looked out at the pool which stretched in front of them seemingly falling off their balcony into the ocean below.
"Have you thought about names?" Chuck said quietly.
"For the baby?" Sarah looked up.
"Yeah," he smiled at her.
"Sure, I keep running things over in my head. I have the list I made when I thought I was pregnant before," she reminded him.
"Oh right, it was alphabetical," he teased.
"I'm organized," she pinched him lightly and then instantly soothed the spot with her hand.
"So are there any leading contenders?"
"No, but I do have a few rules."
"Rules about the baby name?"
"Yes. I actually have very strong feelings about this," Sarah said as she sat up and Chuck instantly missed the warmth of her body against his despite the very warm temperature outside.
"Really?"
"I know, it might seem strange, a woman with dozens of names in her life has strong feelings about names," she shrugged.
"OK."
"Maybe it is because of my own disposable names I want this baby to have the perfect name."
Chuck nodded, "So what are some of the rules?"
"Well, I don't want to name the baby after anyone. Maybe a middle name, but I don't want the baby to start out with anyone else's story, even people we really love. I want the baby to have a blank slate," Sarah said tentatively.
"I completely agree," Chuck turned on his side to look at her, fully engaged in the conversation.
"Really?" Sarah nibbled on a nail, she was unsure how Chuck would feel about this.
"Yes, I love my dad, but I wouldn't want to put his legacy – good and bad – on to an unsuspecting little kid."
"You delight me," Sarah giggled and leaned close enough for a kiss.
"OK, other rules," Chuck prompted.
"Well, that was the tough one. The rest are easy. No first name with same initial as last name. No Benny Bartowski or Barbie Bartowski."
Chuck nodded.
"No first names that should be last names: Anderson, Kensington, et al," she actually shuddered.
Chuck laughed, "But Kensington Bartowski sounds great!"
"No names that rhyme, which is easy in our case. Not much rhymes with Bartowski," she teased.
"And?" he nudged her knee with his.
"That's it. And believe me, I have every intention of consulting you on the name, but I don't want to nail it down until we meet the baby."
Chuck smiled.
"We can narrow it down, but I want to look in the baby's eyes and know the name is right," Sarah had migrated back in to Chuck's arms and smiled against his neck as he squeezed her tightly.
***555***
"I could call Jeanine and get you a float," Chuck teased from his chaise where he sipped a glass of wine from their kitchen.
"Huh?" Sarah sat up a little from her position of floating like a starfish on her back in the middle of the pool.
"Would you like a floatie thing?"
"Nope, I'm good," she smiled and tilted her head back again to feel the filtered sun through their awning.
Chuck was in awe of their private pool area. There were shady spaces, filtered sun and full on sunny spots if you wanted to tan. The flowers smelled so good and the water of the pool was so sparkly, it was seriously magical. So magical he had to get in with his wife. He stripped his tee shirt off and folded it over the back of his chair and then he stepped down from the shallow platform to the chest high water of the pool.
Sarah noticed the disturbance in the water and lie in wait patiently for the moment when Chuck tried to sneak up on her. She felt him actually swim underneath her like a shark or a seal and pop up on the other side shaking the water off of his hair and all over her.
"Goof," she stood up now and grinned at him.
"This water is perfect, cool enough to be refreshing but warm enough to be comfortable," he swam up to her and pulled her close.
"When we get a house, I want a pool," Sarah pressed her sun-warmed cheek to his cool wet one.
"Sure," Chuck agreed easily, picturing how much fun Clara had in Ellie & Devon's pool.
"And we'll need one of those cool swing set, fort things."
"We can have one of those, Morgan & I can handle that," Chuck offered and laughed at the skeptical look on her face.
"What? We handled the crib," he squeezed her close and she wrapped her legs around him under the water.
"You did and we'll see how that works out," Sarah was totally joking and Chuck could tell by the glee in her eyes.
"You're so silly today," Chuck noted.
"I needed this, Chuck, I didn't realize it, but you did. Of course you did. I needed this, just us, just you," she kissed him softly.
"It isn't going to be just us any more in a few months," Chuck noted.
"I know," she didn't sound sad, but it was a quiet response.
"I promise you, that no matter how hectic it gets and even if we end up with a houseful of kids, we will always have this. We will always find a moment every day to just hold one another and remember all we fought for to have this."
"I'm scared," Sarah admitted.
"Of losing us?"
"No, no of being a mom. And not all that left over spy crap, I'm dealing with that, just normal stuff. I'm worried about dropping the baby or screwing it up or making the wrong decision about school…"
"I have those worries too, but we'll be doing it together and if we have learned anything over the past 6 years it is that we have different skill sets…."
Sarah laughed at his approach to the issue.
"That's diplomatic."
"It's true though, we made such a good professional team because we each brought something different to the equation. That is going to help us as parents too, it already makes us a good couple," he flipped on to his back and Sarah followed suit next to him.
"It does," she agreed finding his hand and lacing their fingers together.
"I never like when you are worried about something, but I do like that you are worrying about more traditional things and not spiraling over the CIA stuff."
"Dreyfus has really helped and you too, I feel at peace with some of it actually," she squeezed his hand.
***555***
"You are actually pruned," Chuck held Sarah's hand in his as they relaxed on the chaises.
"I like the water, it is liberating," Sarah said sleepily.
"In literature water symbolizes rebirth," Chuck said as he trailed his fingers through her wet hair.
"Is that what's happened to me? Have I been reborn? From badass ninja assassin to wife and mother," she looked up at him, not joking, genuinely asking.
"You are not now, nor have you ever been, one thing, Sarah. You are the most complex human I have ever met, with a depth to your soul and a mind that never stops. You are fierce and you are, despite your claim at our first first date, funny as hell. You are so brave and so bright. I love you so much," Chuck finished and couldn't keep the tears from falling from his long lashes on to her face.
Sarah closed her eyes, felt Chuck's tears on her face and understood, she truly felt like the woman he described.
TBC….in a while…I am off on vacation at the end of the week, back in August!