Hello my dearest Chuck friends. I've done a little polishing (or a lot, depending on how you view it) of the story to make it more readable. I also changed a few things as I may have gotten a little ahead of myself at the time in having Morgan fight five Marines at a bar for example. (LOL!) Also, in Chapter 23 having looked back at the story after my sabbatical, I wholly concur with reviews that stated that baby wasn't the right term even though that's what Sarah had always called Chuck- So I decided to change it to something much more powerful (and should have thought of at the time, as I had already structured something powerful in 19.) These are just a few examples of small changes that don't have any effect on the actual story.

My reason for being gone for two years? I wish I could state that it was something glamorous and that I'd gone off and got married to the love of my life (still waiting for him to ask so if you're reading this hurry up) or something but the truth is this: depression, sadly. I'm not afraid or too private to admit that as I feel that if you face and confront your problems head on then they're easier to deal with so yeah, that's why I've been gone as it caused severe writer's block and I didn't feel up to publishing on this website primarily because somebody would not leave my story alone and kept attacking it throughout the course of the story and I didn't want to face any more of that negativity in my already difficult state of mind, so that's why I left.

Previously;

"Well in that case, I can update you on the situation. I'm afraid that I have some concerning news Agent Walker, Ibrahim El Shabrawy has been found dead along with several other of his associates inside a suburb of Baghdad." Upon finishing his revelation, the Director immediately once more began to survey the body language of his intelligence employee.

Sarah's face immediately turned to mock shock as she visibly gasped as she attempted to cover all of her tracks. 'Just what does he know? Does he know what happened? Does he know what Chuck and his men did, what I did?' Sarah's mind raced to itself.

"We need to talk." Sarah whispered into Chuck's ear.

Chapter Twenty Five

The Cover Up Finale

4 October

FOB Midnight

Iraq

Sarah was now outside Chuck's Quarters and was waiting patiently for him to answer and while she waited Sarah breathed out a deep sigh to herself as she attempted to gather her thoughts. In Sarah's mind, the upcoming discussion that will be shared between Chuck and Sarah will play a pivotal role in allowing both Chuck and Sarah to map out how they intend to bury what had happened in that safe house that Chuck had rescued Sarah from just five days previously...

Sarah is certain the CIA Director suspects her with some involvement in the death of her informant Ibrahim El Shabrawy but she is also convinced that he does not possess a single shred of proof and nor will any potential investigation by her bosses turn up any evidence so ultimately, Sarah believes the only way that herself and Chuck can be caught out is if they dig themselves into their own grave by slipping up. The safest thing for Sarah and Chuck to do right now is to simply play it cool and to allow any flames currently lit to just extinguish themselves on their own without any help from either of them at all, and to stay completely away from anything related to Ibrahim whatsoever and Sarah is about to suggest this course of action to Chuck.

Sarah was still in deep thoughts over her course of action when Chuck hurriedly appeared from behind the now open door to his portable cabin several moments later and Sarah's entire thought process that she had collected prior to Chuck answering has just been decimated as Sarah's brain melted entirely at the sight of her long-term lovers physique as he stood shirtless in the doorway.

Seeing the physical change that Chuck had undergone since they were last together in college is something that Sarah will never get used to, or at least not until they reconnect intimately at least, as Sarah is still full of a lust and an immense yearning that she has carried on her shoulders for many, many years after her deep and consequential mistakes six years previously.

Sarah continued her state of reverie with her breath held and it continued for a brief moment until it was finally interrupted by a humorously and pleasantly baffled Chuck as he couldn't understand what would cause somebody as beautiful as Sarah to ogle over him as she was doing.

"Hello? I'm up here." Chuck stated in a very tongue in cheek manner.

Sarah snapped out of her trance and raised her eyes up to make eye contact with Chuck and as she did she began to smile shyly at him.

"Uh, sorry, uh, hi!" Sarah replies as she struggles to overcome her fluster and she began to giggle like a love struck puppy.

"Hi" Chuck laughed back at how cute Sarah was behaving before proceeding to extend out his arm to invite Sarah inside. "Come in," Chuck states while ushering her inside with his hands.

"I'll be back out in a few minutes, make yourself at home."

"Okay." Sarah replied as she moved to sit on Chuck's bed to wait patiently for him to return so they can have their conversation.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Chuck returned minutes later from the second room now fully freshened up from his operation and was now wearing some casual loose fitting clothes as the humidity in the air of this country was sapping them of energy.

"Okay, I'm all yours," Chuck stated on arriving back inside the same room as Sarah.

"Uh-huh, yes you are." Sarah happily states before proceeding to smirk in great satisfaction on hearing his remarks even though they were intended in a different context as she then stands up from where she was seated to move towards him and proceeds to wrap her arms around his sadly now clothed torso as Chuck reciprocates the action leading to even greater satisfaction from Sarah on feeling his manly arms locked around her lower back and holding her firmly in place. Sarah then moved to lean her head to rest on his shoulder before feeling his chin resting on the top of her head in reply as she began to revel in the touch of the man she should never have left and will spend the rest of her life making up those mistakes to him and even then she's not sure that they would be forgiven and even...

"So Sarah, not that I don't love to break numerous military regulations by having the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen in my whole life here in my quarters with me, but dare I ask what you wanted to talk about?" Chuck says while continuing to enjoy the embrace that the young couple had locked themselves in.

"First, this." Sarah states as she moves her head back from where it was resting and briefly regretting the loss of contact but not for long as she soon moved to lock her lips together with his own. "Mmm." Sarah moaned into Chuck's mouth which almost caused his eyes to pop out of their sockets on just how attractive that noise had sounded to him as his body temperature increased about a gazillion percent...

And after a long moment of Sarah doing things with her tongue that Chuck didn't even think possible, their mouths came apart gasping for air but not without telltale facial expressions that gave away the passion they'd just experienced as they shared eye contact between one another that only two people that had deeply fallen for one another would make.

"Sarah, if we're going to have a serious conversation any time soon then I don't think you should make noises like the ones you just did in my mouth any more." Chuck stated eventually after a long moment of trying to kick-start his brain into gear once more.

A very contemplating look appeared on Sarah's face as she attempted and successfully got her brain working enough to understand dialogue as she was so smitten by the man of her dreams "Oh?" came Sarah's response eventually, with her mind not even registering the very important conversation they needed to have as a mischievous look now appeared on Sarah's face as she contemplated going in for seconds and giving him more.

"Don't you even think about it Missy!" Chuck warned on sensing she was about to go right back in for more. "Do you know what would happen to me if we got caught like this?" Chuck stressed.

"Wouldn't it be worth it?" Sarah moans seductively while giving him come to bed eyes.

"Yes!" Chuck eagerly states under her hypnosis.

On hearing his response Sarah immediately giggles sweetly feeling very satisfied with herself.

"I love you." Sarah suddenly vulnerably states to him as they continue that same compromising eye contact that neither of them break once.

"I love you too." Comes Chuck's response in the very same vulnerable tone.

And on sensing that Sarah was now about 2.1 seconds away from dragging him onto his bed and having her way with him which Chuck still wasn't ready for he proceeded to try to put their expressions of love on the back-burner. "I have a funny feeling the next conversation is about to be a whole lot deeper Sarah."

Sarah immediately poked at Chuck's chest in response with a finger in a very offended manner because he didn't think her previous conversation was deep enough, 'I'll show him deep!' she thought before snapping out of it at the last second and attempting to get serious and kick-start her brain that had been turned to mush by her lover, though he'd not really done anything and it was generally her fault but she blamed him anyway! It's his own fault for being so darn handsome!

"Sarah?" Chuck inquired after a few seconds of not getting a response.

Sarah snapped out of her thoughts about the very same man that had just disturbed her. "Sorry," Sarah replied sheepishly. "You're just so beautiful I get all hazed." Sarah states truthfully.

Now Chuck began to get flushed as he blushed before he gave his head a good wobble from side to side. "Sarah, as our minds are pretty mushy right now, let's try this again..." Chuck says before he turns from Sarah and begins to walk back to the door leading to his second room before walking through the door and closing it briefly after him before coming right back out again causing Sarah to laugh at his humour.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Chuck says with a wide grin causing Sarah to burst into laughter harder than just previously, followed by Chuck joining in with her as the lovers now finally after what seemed like an eternity, got started on their intended conversation...

"Sorry, we got a little carried away there didn't we." Sarah admits.

"A little?" Chuck retorted.

"Ok, a lot." Sarah replied as she continued to laugh.

"One minute we're hugging and next we're going Back to the Future." Chuck replied jokingly.

Sarah burst into laughter once more and luckily she hadn't took a sip of a drink, else it would have been all over Chuck's quarters right now.

"Ok… Serious faces only now for the next two or three minutes if we can make it that quick." Sarah said with a bit of mischievousness still attached to her tone and facial expressions before putting her thoughts of Chuck to the back of her mind for now...

"Ok," Chuck agreed as they then moved to sit together next to one another on Chuck's bed and begin their conversation.

"While you were out on operations earlier I had a call from Director Graham and other heads of the CIA." Sarah paused to look into the eyes of Chuck as she began to notice a look of worry appear on his face which was matching her own.

"Go on." Chuck replied as he encouraged Sarah to continue.

"He asked me if I had any knowledge of what happened to that bastard." Sarah replied, unwilling to call that traitorous pig by name.

"And what did you tell him?"

Sarah paused dumb-founded briefly at Chuck's question. "What do you think I told him? I told him I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. I told him the last contact I had from him was at the failed meeting that you pulled me from."

Chuck immediately shook his head disapprovingly at Sarah before replying, "Sarah, I wish you wouldn't have done that. You agreed not to say anything until you had spoken with me."

"What other choice did I have Chuck? You weren't there. You were out on mission."

"Sarah, I'm not comfortable with lying to the head of the CIA, it's dangerous. I think you're being a bit reckless." Chuck replied worryingly as he didn't like cloak and dagger stuff and he thought it was the wrong way to operate.

Sarah shook her head in disagreement with what Chuck had just said to her. "So what, you wanted me to tell him the truth?" Sarah scoffed at the suggestion she had just made because of the sheer consequences that would surely accompany it, before continuing again, "I had no other choice Chuck. I can't let anything happen to you and besides it's done now, it's too late."

But Chuck was prepared to accept all of the responsibility. Chuck was prepared to say he had acted alone and had rescued Sarah and he would take the blame. But how was Sarah supposed to accept that? There would be an investigation and Chuck would almost certainly go to jail for something that he didn't deserve to be jailed for. The investigators didn't have to witness the state that Sarah was in but Chuck and his team did have to. Ninety nine percent of all human-beings on the planet would have reacted in a violent fashion on seeing first-hand a loved one being in the condition that Sarah was in at that horrible moment that she never wants to think about ever again. Chuck didn't deserve to be punished for that. Plus her and Morgan had also killed somebody, and Chuck was prepared to take all of the blame? Even Morgan would have done the exact same thing that Sarah did in that communique with the CIA Director.

"Sarah, you did have another choice you should have told the truth. I was prepared to accept the responsibility on my own shoulders." Chuck said in disagreement with Sarah.

Sarah immediately shook her head disapprovingly in response. "Are you being for real Chuck? Do you know what the consequences of that would be?" Sarah said as the lovers began to quarrel in a heated debate inside the confines of Chuck's quarters.

"Of course I know the consequences Sarah. I was there!" Chuck snapped back at his girlfriend.

Sarah had now stood up on her feet in the middle of Chuck's cabin. "Were you there Chuck? Because you don't sound like you were! Unless you've forgotten the fact that your best friend Morgan executed somebody! I suppose that was you too?" Sarah shouted in close proximity to Chuck as she began to get angry at Chuck's ridiculous behaviour.

"Leave Morgan out of this!" Chuck demanded and was now also on his feet as they continued to quarrel while not breaking eye contact with one another.

"OK, I will! Then what about me? What about who I killed Chuck?" Sarah paused as the couple glared daggers at one another, before she continued, "Are you going to take the blame for me also? Because I won't let you! How is that telling the truth Chuck? You wouldn't be telling the truth either, you would be doing the exact same thing that I did! So stop all of this hypocrisy bullcrap!" Sarah snapped back into the face of her boyfriend as they continued to go back and forth.

"Sarah, I was not brought up to lie or deceive. For a few minutes I lost control. No, I was completely out of control and I should have faced responsibility for my actions!"

Sarah shook her head in disagreement. "I'm sorry Chuck. But I'm not prepared to see you go to jail. You're a hero and regardless, I love you too much. I would do ANYTHING to protect you!" Sarah stated vehemently.

Now it was Chuck's turn to disapprovingly shake his head. "Sarah, I can't believe what you've just said. You would cover up unlawful killing?!" Chuck paused for the briefest of moments as the lovers still not breaking eye contact continued to stand face-to-face in the middle of Chuck's cabin as they heatedly argued with one another. "That's just wrong Sarah. You're willing to engage in a cover up? I don't think I know who you are right now! You're not behaving rationally!" Chuck argued at her.

"I'm not behaving rationally?! I'm not the one trying to take the rap and cover up for your best friend and lover who also unlawfully killed people just like you!" Sarah screamed back into the face of Chuck as the heated debate turned into an almighty one.

"Sarah, we wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't did what you did and not trusted me!"

"That's a completely different thing! Don't change the subject because you know you're wrong!" Sarah snapped back into her boyfriends face.

"No, it's not a different subject! What you did Sarah was stupid and reckless! You nearly got yourself killed!" Chuck fired right back at her.

"I know it was!" Sarah snapped back in response as they continued to exchange glaring daggers.

"Do you?" Chuck snapped back immediately.

"Yes!"

"I don't think you do Sarah, you need to understand that your actions have consequences." Chuck said in a calmer voice to attempt to diffuse the situation between the quarreling lovers.

Sarah laughed mockingly at him. "Oh, so you want to speak about actions Chuck? Well what about your actions when you kill people on missions and bottle up your feelings and wont let me in?"

"Sarah, my actions have nothing to do with this!" Chuck snapped back defensively.

Sarah laughed ironically as they continued to stand rooted to the spot trading verbal blows with one another. "Oh, but mine have? What makes you immune from the criticism but not me?!"

"I didn't nearly get myself killed Sarah!" Chuck shouts back as they continue to tear at each others throats.

Sarah pauses from the onslaught and takes a deep breath to calm down from arguing with her nerd who she would sooner do a hundred different things with than argue. "Chuck, can we please not argue? I can't bear it when we fight!" Sarah admits dejectedly as she tries to make it up with him.

Chuck shook his head no in disagreement, before responding "No Sarah, this has been coming all week. I need to hear you say it. I need you to promise me that you won't ever make a decision like that again before consulting and respecting my professional opinion first!"

Sarah eyes began to get glossy and she got emotional not being able to hold it in any more as Chuck sent her fully over the edge. "OK! Fine!" Sarah snapped. "You want to see me broken? Well here it is! I was stupid! I almost got myself killed, and you, but more importantly you! Is this what you wanted to hear Chuck? Are you happy now?" Sarah paused and she now began to wipe the tears that had came from her face with her arm "But at least I'm not an emotionless robot like you that won't let me in!"

"I would sooner be a robot than an idiot Sarah!" Chuck said as he began to now turn away from Sarah and look in the direction of the second room of his quarters.

"Chuck, where are you going?!" Sarah demanded.

"I need to go into the other room to cool off!" Chuck replied before attempting to walk towards the door.

"Chuck, don't walk away from me! This conversation is not finished!" Sarah yelled as she forcefully pulls at his arm to force him to turn back around to face her which causes their bodies to now crash into one another with their faces inches apart once more when suddenly, Sarah moves to kiss him and Chuck responds instantly as the lovers began to kiss one another in an intense passion greater than anything they had witnessed before as all of their frustration channeled itself into the kiss that they were now sharing with one another. The instant their lips had locked together they had forgiven one another for their outbursts and instead they attacked each others mouth while their hands roamed freely all over one another until having to part their mouths as they began gasping for desperately needed air with their foreheads now touching one another.

"I'm sorry." Chuck practically whispered into Sarah's mouth when he had got his breath back as their lips were just a few small inches apart from one another.

"I'm sorry too baby." Sarah replied, before they began to passionately kiss one another again but this time more soft and tenderly as Sarah began to lift up on Chuck's shirt as the intense kiss that they had just formerly shared had lit a deep fire inside of her as she once more began an attempt to consolidate their relationship status.

"I want you." Sarah had moaned to Chuck at some point during the second kiss and Sarah had now gotten Chuck's shirt off and over his head but her boyfriend was now doing barely anything in response to Sarah's deeper attempts at intimacy causing Sarah to eventually move back away from him completely and to head towards the exit door to Chuck's cabin.

"Sarah, where are you going?" Chuck asked in a concerned whisper.

"Chuck, if we aren't going to make love and I strongly doubt we are because of how unresponsive you're being to my attempts, then I'm going to go and have a cold shower or two or ten in my quarters and then I'm going to go to bed sexually frustrated once more..." Sarah said before pausing as she lowered her head dejectedly in resignation at her revelation, before looking back up at him again. "It's decision time Chuck... You're not a boy any more. You're a man and I love you more than anything in this world but I don't know if I can wait for ever for you to let me back in..." Sarah paused for a final moment to look at him sadly. "Good night Chuck..." and with that, Sarah was gone leaving Chuck alone in deep contemplation…

End of Chapter

Next chapter: I have just two words for you – Daniel Shaw... BOOOOOO! NOT THAT 2x4!

Actually, next chapter is going to end in an almighty cliffhanger that I'm absolutely not going to ruin for you sweethearts, just make sure you tune in!

My inspiration for the final kiss scene in this chapter was Chuck vs the Hard Salami In where Sarah kissed Chuck after becoming mad at him briefly, before proceeding to kiss him. That scene was one of my favorite moments in the series :)

Please review, THANK YOU! PM's also greatly welcome if you want to chat. It may take me a few chapters to get back into the flow that I had. The story has about twenty more chapters left before it's complete.