I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.

Just a reminder, this story is rated M. So as we wrap this up, there is some sex in this chapter. Nothing horribly explicit. It probably borders on the edge between T and M.

As always a big thanks to Michaelfmx for his beta services. I really appreciate it.

Off the Hook

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Sarah was in that comfortable zone that was half awake, yet still half asleep. It was one of those times that was still so rare for her. A spy was never more vulnerable than when they were sleeping. So they trained to spend as little time sleeping as they possibly could. Even though Sarah Bartowski was no longer a spy, old habits took a while to break. After the wild emotions of the morning, it felt great to relax. So she forced herself to take full advantage of lying there with her sexy husband, his arms wrapped tightly around her, making her feel warm… and safe… and loved. She actually waited until she could feel him stirring before she opened her eyes. Then she caught her very first sight of a conscious Chuck without an Intersect in his brain. If she expected him to look different somehow, well, he didn't. He had his face balanced on his hand, propped up on his elbow, silently watching her, an odd smile on his face.

Chuck waited until he was sure that she was fully awake. "I can't tell you how many times I've imagined this," he said. "You… in this bed beside me… wearing what you're not wearing… it was my main fantasy for a whole year. You're such a vision. You look like an angel. I feel like if I touch you, you'll disappear."

It was odd. This was her husband. He had seen her naked in almost every position known to man… now literally scores of times. Hopefully, by now, he knew that all he had to do was say the word any time of the day or night and be treated to the sexiest striptease Sarah could deliver… followed up by whatever else his imagination could dream up. Yet, if the tent in his boxers was any indication, and it probably was, he was getting massively aroused just watching her sleep in her bra and panties. If she had known this was going to happen when she dressed this morning she would have picked a much less conservative pair.

Sarah could feel the blush rising up her neck. She never blushed. In fact, blushing at the wrong time in front of a mark could be fatal. Oh, she could easily fake one on demand. That was a mandatory skill for a CIA Agent. But this felt different… exciting… wonderful. So she conspicuously moved her arms out of the way and posed, giving him the full view. "Maybe you should touch me in some strategic places… just to make sure that I don't disappear," she teased. "Something tells me there is more to this story. Please, don't take this the wrong way, but so far, as fantasies go, this one isn't all that wild. Maybe you'd like to tell me what happens next."

To Sarah's surprise, Chuck sighed. "I'm afraid that nothing happens next," he said. "There was always a fucking camera pointed directly at me. I knew that if I carried my imagination too far, I'd be tempted to… um… take care of things. The very last thing I wanted was for General Beckman to put up a video in Castle of me doing myself a big favor. She'd love to humiliate me in front of you in a briefing. So I always stopped."

Sarah knew that Chuck was mostly teasing. She did. But she found herself suddenly angry anyway. The unacceptable things that he had been forced to endure for an entire year… the most basic human right of privacy while you slept in your own bed had been denied him. And the worst part was that she had been a main instrument in that subtle, but very real, torture. She saw it as part of her duty. But she was always so consumed by the thrill of the mission that she never stopped to realize the huge price innocent people often paid for the 'greater good.' He was even right about Beckman. When it came to Chuck, she had a bit of a sadistic streak. They had always butted heads. She would have loved to show off her power by embarrassing him in a briefing. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I don't know what to say. You've been treated so poorly. I'm ashamed that I was part of that. Would it help if I admitted that for that first year I had nightly fantasies starring you as well? But at least I could take care of myself. You couldn't. That's simply inhumane. We have to think of a way to avenge that somehow."

That got Chuck smiling. "Something tells me you now owe me a story or two about what happens next in your fantasies," he said. "After all, I told you mine. It's only fair."

That got Sarah smiling as well. "It's very fair," she agreed. "I'll gladly tell you the stories. But I suppose you're going to want some reenactments. It's well documented that I'm not so good with words. It would probably be better if I acted it out for you."

Chuck didn't answer, at least not with words. He leaned down and kissed her gently. It wasn't a sexual kiss… not really. It was much, much better than that. It was tender… warm… loving. It was a kiss that plainly said 'I love you', and it lasted for a long time.

Perhaps the kiss wasn't intended to be sexual… but it had Sarah instantly on fire. Chuck taking the lead in bed was an instant turn-on for her. It probably always would be for the rest of her life. So she allowed him to set the pace. When the long kiss finally broke, she grinned up at him. "What was that for?" she asked. "Please note, I'm not complaining. It was fantastic. I just want to know so maybe I can learn to influence it happening more often."

Chuck looked at her for a long time. "Thank you for letting me off the hook," he finally said. "Making you worry about me for a whole day was unacceptable. I'm embarrassed. You have every right to be very pissed at me. Pastor Bob told me that I had earned a considerable amount of time in you doghouse. He told me to man up and accept whatever punishment you dish out with a smile."

Of course Chuck was off the hook… had really never been on it. How could she possibly be mad after he made such a dramatic and romantic gesture? But maybe some teasing would be in order. That might be a little fun. Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you really think that you're off the hook?" she asked skeptically. "After only one kiss? Chuck, you're not off the hook. I'm willing to cut you a little slack because of the circumstances. But you're not off the hook."

Chuck really hoped that she was teasing him. But with Sarah, you needed to be sure. Guessing and being wrong would be… bad. "Okay," he said sadly. "Like I said, you have every right to be pissed. I think that you know how much I hate it when you're pissed at me. But Bob was right. I have whatever you dish out coming."

Sarah looked at the sadness evident on his face, and immediately felt guilty for teasing him. One thing was for sure. Even if she had been pissed at him, those sad eyes would have quickly washed it away. But she did have a semi-serious point that she wanted to make. So she just shook her head. "The puppy dog eyes aren't going to work this time," she said, knowing full well that it wasn't close to being true. "I have to file a report. We have some serious work to do."

That was the last thing that Chuck expected her to say. They had ended any association with the Government. Sarah no longer reported to anyone. Who would expect a report? So his response was less than smooth. "Huh?" he asked. "Work? What kind of report?"

Sarah forced the stern look to remain on her face. "Very important work," she insisted. "We have to certify that you're no longer an Intersect. We're going to need to test your capabilities. You have been an Intersect since the day I met you. So I don't have any experience with normal Chuck Bartowski. I need to assess your performance now that you're not an Intersect and compare it to my baseline."

"Performance?" Chuck asked, clearly confused.

Sarah looked at him critically. "Do I really have to spell this out for you?" she asked in faux annoyance. "I'm talking about sexual performance. I have to assess endurance, recovery time, arousal techniques, stuff like that. I'm afraid that we're going to have a few fairly long days ahead of us."

So at least now Chuck was sure that she was teasing him. The grin that she could no longer hold back and was currently flashing at him made it official. "I never used the Intersect in our sex life," he protested.

Sarah continued to grin as she shook her head. "I'd like to believe you," she said. "I really would. But I'm afraid that's something you're going to have to prove to me… um, for my report. There was this amazing thing that you could do with your tongue. It would be very disappointing if that went away with the Intersect. I really hope you can still do it. Maybe we'll start with that test. It would also be a good way to begin your quest to get off the hook. It's a win / win."

Chuck grinned at his wife. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "For the record, did you file a similar report on Bryce? Ellie?"

"You must enjoy being in the doghouse," Sarah protested in faux frustration. "Because you're on the road to spending a very fucking long time there. You really haven't been paying attention at all, have you? I never had sex with Bryce as an Intersect. I've never had sex with Ellie at all. You know that full well. So I would have no baseline to compare. I don't have any clue on how to produce a report on Bryce… and frankly, your forcing me to even contemplate the idea is turning my stomach a little. Perhaps when we get home, we can get Morgan to do the required research and file a report on Ellie. You can be the one to suggest it to her." Responding to the horrified look on his face, Sarah playfully punched Chuck in the arm. "I'm a little confused," she said. "You say that you're willing to cheerfully take whatever punishment gets handed out with a smile. Yet all I seem to be getting is back talk. I'd suggest that you stop trying to piss me off even more and get to work."

Again, Chuck didn't answer with words. He just leaned down and kissed her. However this time, there was a lot more lust involved. Quickly enough, their tongues were dancing.

Since Sarah was already massively aroused, this activity had her quickly approaching Mt. St. Helens territory… for several reasons. They had been apart for a few days. Maybe someday that wouldn't be such a big deal. But they were currently newlyweds who were both making up for the last year of lost time… and right now a few days represented a long dry spell for them. Chuck reminding her of how much she meant to him by dramatically removing the Intersect for her was such a romantic gesture that it, alone, had her on the edge of ripping his clothes off… well, if he were wearing clothes anyway. And of course, it was well documented that Chuck taking the lead so decisively in bed always got her going.

Normally, she would have felt far too guilty to carry this gruff act through. She would have stopped him and spent some time making absolutely sure that he knew she was just teasing. But currently the accumulation of erotic events had her on the edge of being incapable of rational thought. So she just watched as Chuck reached behind her to unsnap her bra. Once he had it on the floor, he started working his magic on her rock hard nipples. After he had them both standing at attention, he kissed his way slowly down her stomach. "Sweetie," she moaned. "I was just teasing. You know that, right? I'm not mad at you."

Now it was Chuck's turn to display faux annoyance. He lifted his head from its current location at her navel to look at her. "You challenged me," he said. "You questioned if I still have a skill. Do you want to find out or not?"

Okay, so that stoked the already white hot fire in Sarah's loins to a level rarely reached. If her moan was intended to be an answer, it was an unintelligible one. But lifting her hips to help Chuck take off her panties was probably enough of an answer. She instinctively placed her hands on the top of his head to guide him to the proper spot… just in case he somehow forgot where to go.

Again, Chuck stopped his efforts to grin at her. "Do you want me to do this or not?" he asked. "I'm pretty familiar with the impressive anatomy currently in play. I really don't need any help finding my way. You keep asking me to be more assertive. Do you still want that? I'll tell you what. Put your hands behind your head, relax, and let me do my thing."

Sarah really didn't answer. But she did take her fingers out of Chuck's hair and placed her arms over her head, grabbing two fistfuls of pillow to resist the urge to grab his head. This wasn't an unusual activity for them… at all. It was Sarah's very favorite part of love making. She had never known a man who would make such an effort to make her happy in bed. All the others in her life had been pretty selfish. Not Chuck… he made her pleasure in bed a priority… even over his. It was one of the seemingly millions of things that she loved about him. Chuck knew all of that full well. Truth be told, he enjoyed making his badass, always in charge of any situation, wife lose control… almost as much as she did. He usually waited until she asked, mostly because he enjoyed the meek way she asked. Shy Sarah was an incredible turn on. But lately she was getting bolder. He'd have to find another way to get to see shy Sarah.

If there had been any question if he still possessed the talent, it was quickly answered. Sarah already had enough experience to know that he was a true genius at this. He would quickly get her to the very edge, but then he would slow down and keep her balanced on that wonderfully magical tightrope in the clouds for… well, seemingly as long as he wanted. But this time was even better than usual. He clearly had something to prove. Quickly she lost track of time as she allowed the incredible sensations to wash over her. It might have been a few minutes. It might have been a lot longer. All she did know was that when he finally, mercifully, allowed her release, her very loud orgasm could probably wake the dead.

Once Sarah had finally regained her bearings enough to be aware of her surroundings, she saw that Chuck was back in his spot beside her. His grin was that of the classic Cheshire Cat. "That's going to be some report," he said. "I take it that I'm officially off the hook."

Sarah was still catching her breath. She didn't answer, she couldn't yet. She just pulled him down for one of those long, affectionate kisses that as a couple they had gotten so good at. Once the kiss broke, she snuggled into him. "You're off the hook," she said. "With me, at least. I gotta tell you that Laura isn't very happy with you right now. She spent a rather frantic night looking for you, worried that I was going to take her head off for letting you escape. If I was you, I would avoid her for a few weeks until she cools down. Maybe you should apologize to her like you just did to me. I'm pretty sure she would accept that. Of course, once Joey finds out the erotic nature of your apology, she's going to demand one as well. I'm not sure about Alex. She will definitely try to get in line. But her demanding an apology would be a stretch. She wasn't even there."

"Wow," Chuck replied. "I thought that particular activity was reserved exclusively for you. This seems to be a no win situation you've presented me with. Is this part of the test for your report? I'd get out of Laura's doghouse… and right back into yours. No thanks. That doesn't seem like a good trade."

"Here's the thing," Sarah teased. "I don't think that you get how competitive Laura and I are. So I love that you have this amazing skill that is reserved exclusively for me. I do. But I also love gloating about your skills to Laura. She currently doesn't believe me. So I could see a very controlled scenario where you proved to her that I was right, just one time. I'd get a lifetime of gloating out of the deal. That's huge. Even you would have to admit, it would clear the air. If we don't do something, there's going to be a lot of tension on the island for a long time, with her constantly wanting to kick your ass. That's not good for anybody."

Chuck suddenly realized that she was only partially teasing. "You're really willing to whore me out?" he teased. "Are you saying that you want to open up our sex life to other people? I thought we had an agreement?"

"We do have an agreement," Sarah protested. "I'm not suggesting that we start having sex with other people. I'm not saying that at all. I wouldn't be okay with that. I'm not even telling you that I want you to do it. I'm fine with whatever you decide. But this is short of sex with Laura, isn't it? And it would solve several problems. Our deal is that we wouldn't do anything with other people that resulted in either of us having an orgasm. I still want that. Is this really that far away from what happened on the jet that time? We both really enjoyed that. So if this happens, I'd have to be there and we'd have to have fun with it. As long as you turned down her totally predictable offer to reciprocate, I think I'd be okay. I'll be the one to take care of you. Pastor Bob said that we'd be happier if we just relaxed and enjoyed each other. I think he's right. We've said before that we would lighten up and have fun sometimes as long as we didn't cross our defined line. Maybe it's time we started actually doing that."

Chuck still wasn't sure how much she was teasing. And he still didn't want to guess and get it wrong. "I'm pretty sure this not what Pastor Bob had in mind," he said. "I can hear him now telling us that it is a slippery slope. But I'm all for relaxing and having fun. So I'll leave it up to you."

Sarah's grin turned evil. "Thank you," she said. "I have to tell you… I'm really looking forward to the look on her face when she realizes that I was right all this time. That would take care of Laura. I'm not sure what Casey is going to want in way of an apology. But I am pretty sure that I don't want to be there when it happens."

"Seriously," Chuck groaned. "Why on Earth would you go there?" He looked down at his wife helplessly laughing at his expense. It was something that couldn't be allowed to stand. Maybe it was time for a counter attack. "What do you think the odds are that the camera pointed at us is still on?" he asked.

That quickly stopped Sarah's laughing as she pondered the rhetorical question. The project was officially over. There was no longer any reason for the CIA to monitor this bedroom. For the past ten weeks, whatever analyst was watching would have been looking at an empty room. But she also knew her ex-agency and its classic institutional overreach. So she had to admit, unless someone specifically ordered the camera be turned off, it wouldn't be. She had just shouted out a huge orgasm. She was lying there completely naked with her legs still wide open pointed directly at that camera. The odds were fairly high that some analyst in Washington was currently getting an eyeful.

But when she reached down to pull the sheet up, Chuck stopped her. "It's a little late for modesty," he teased. "Isn't it? You talked earlier about avenging my bad year. If we're really going to lighten up and have fun, maybe it's time for one of those stories you promised… with a reenactment. I kinda like the symmetry of it happening in the same bed. The scene of the crime, as it were."

Sarah was honestly stunned. But in an exciting way. She quickly came to the conclusion that she didn't have a good answer. He was right. She couldn't claim to be modest. He wasn't asking her to do anything that she hadn't done last month in her session with Carlos. Who knew how many people had seen those pictures? She always insisted that he could ask her for anything. She constantly pleaded with him to get wild. It would be unsporting to object. And she found herself not wanting to object. Anything that would turn him on, by definition, turned her on. If he wanted a show, he was going to get the very best one she could deliver. So she made very sure that he could see her slide her hand down past her stomach.

"It was a very frustrating year for me," she said as she pulled him down for a lingering kiss with her free hand, her voice little more than a whisper. "I was with the only man I had ever loved every single day. I would get so worked up wanting to rip his clothes off. But I knew that I couldn't. So I usually couldn't wait to get back to my room. I did this almost every night… most times more than once. It was the only thing that kept me from going crazy."

Sarah bit her lip as she picked up the pace a little. "I got really, really good at this," she said softly. "In fact, until we actually got together, I was my favorite sex partner. Men are too rough. They're only using their finger as a surrogate, trying to get you ready to fuck as quickly as possible. That's one of my favorite things about you. Even when you're taking the lead, you take your time."

Sarah took a deep breath and just enjoyed the moment. "A lot of my fantasies occur on the night we got infected with that truth serum," she said. "But if I had to pick a favorite, it was after we were finally back in bed that night. I had been trained to withstand sodium pentothal but for some reason it wasn't working. You quickly figured that out and kept asking me more and more personal questions. I couldn't resist admitting to you how much I wanted you. Pretty soon, your hand was sliding inside my panties. It was a great fantasy because I could lay in bed and pretend that my fingers were yours… simply doing magical things. You knew exactly what you were doing. You would start off slowly but then gradually pick up the pace until I was moaning. I knew that I should stop you, but I was helpless."

Sarah's breathing became more and more rapid as she worked her own fingers. "This is your time," she said. "I think that the ending to this story is no longer in doubt. I'll keep going all the way to the, um, climax if you want. But now that I have a real life husband, I'd really like him to do what he is so, so good at. Trust me. I'm very ready."

Chuck looked down at his wife. "I sure hope you have more of these stories," he said with a smile. "That was amazing."

"I'm ready too."

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Pastor Bob looked at his two friends sitting in his office with their positively beaming faces. "You guys really look happy," he said.

Sarah rested her head on Chuck's shoulder. "We are happy," she purred. "Thank you for the tour. Your mission for the homeless is amazing."

"You're very welcome," Bob said. "After all, it was mostly your money that made it possible."

"When you need more, just let us know," Chuck said.

"I will," Bob said. "I talked to your sister like you asked. We really hit it off. She was very eager to have someone unbiased to talk to. We made it a point to talk regularly going forward. She did talk to your mom. I'm not going to pretend that everything is okay. They have a lot of work to do to get over the past twenty years. But they are both willing to do that work. That's the main thing."

"Thank you," Chuck said.

"You're going to have to talk to your mom too," Bob suggested gently. "You also have some work to do."

"I know," Chuck said. "Maybe you and your wife can get away for a few days sometime," he said, clearly trying to change the subject. "I know you're busy. But we'd love to have you as our guests."

"That's a great idea," Sarah said. "With the jet, I can come and pick you up anytime. Everybody needs a vacation."

Bob just looked at them for a long moment. "Please don't take offense," he said. "Your offer is very tempting. But I'll take a vacation when the Devil does."

"None taken," Sarah said with a grin. "I understand a little something about being dedicated to your job. Maybe we'll figure out a way to make it a business trip. I think we're going to have some weddings on the island in the near future."

That got Bob's smile back. "Now that's a deal," he said. "So what are you going to do now?"

"We're going home," Chuck said. "Sarah was supposed to go to Denver for tomorrow's rally. But as it turns out, the President is happy that she's gone. The truth is that she makes him nervous."

That got them all laughing. "I hardly ever agree with the man," Bob said playfully. "But in this case, I have to admit. She's quite a handful."

"We're going to go across the street so Sarah can pick up some things from her room," Chuck said as he extended his hand to Bob to say goodbye. "We'll be in touch."

"Actually," Sarah said as she watched the men shaking hands. "Now that I think about it, there's nothing over there that I want. I've never had a home… not really. Now that I do, I want to seize every moment. It's time to start over, live one day at a time, and just enjoy this magical fairy tale that we share."

Chuck looked at his wife, sitting there beaming. She had never looked happier… or more beautiful. Any why shouldn't she be happy? She was absolutely right. They were young, healthy, rich, and most important, desperately in love with each other. Perhaps Burbank was where they had lived since the day they met, but it no longer felt like home. In a few hours, they would be back on their island paradise with a large, loving family… not to mention a private chef. Tonight they would be dining on lobster, cuddle around a bonfire on the beach, and sleep in their own bed on the Enforcer… well, maybe they would get some sleep. But honestly the gleam in Sarah's eyes made that questionable. They had it all. It was time to take a breath, relax, and spend every day just enjoying the wonderful life they had earned. So he nodded his head.

"Let's go home."

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The End

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A/N: This story was darker than my usual stuff. Some of it was hard to read. I get that. Some of it was hard to write. But I wanted to extend my range as a writer. I know many weren't happy. Some wanted more smut… and some less. Some stopped reading. And there is nothing wrong with that. Some were even harsher. That I could have lived without. But on balance, I'm happy with the results. So thank you to those who gutted it out to the end.

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