Tides Chapter 2
A/N: As always, it is an amazing feeling to write for this fandom. It is incredibly encouraging to read the reviews for something that you have created. It makes me want to skip work and finish up the next chapter to be published.
In this chapter, we have Sarah settling in to the start of her LA vacation. Time will tell if this chapter has more flirting between Sarah and Chuck. Ok, spoiler. There's more flirting between these two kids.
DAY FOUR
Sarah walked into the Buy More the following morning, feeling slightly ridiculous. The store had just opened, she wasn't having any phone trouble-it was still as good as new. Damn it. Plus, she had spent a full hour in her hotel room trying on one outfit after another, desperate to find just the right look. All of that work just to pick out a pair of jeans and a white snug fit, v-neck tshirt.
And to top it off, she had no idea of whether Chuck would even be working today. But she had felt this relentless pull to come back ever since leaving the store the day before. She knew that she should be freaked out over her need to see Chuck again, although she wasn't sure if she should be freaking out over the presence of the pull, the fact that she wasn't able to resist the pull, the fact that she had no interest in resisting the pull even if she were able, or all of the above.
She let out a long breath that she hadn't even realized that she was holding. Yet another thing to make her question her sanity. She was always supremely self-aware. There he was. There was another man next to the Nerd Herd desk gesturing wildly. For a moment, Sarah tensed, assessing the threat from the unknown man. But she quickly realized that the stranger was animated, not angry.
"But it's a digital camcorder! Why would it need tape?" Add idiotic to animated, Sarah realized. Sarah marveled at Chuck's patience as he dealt with the less than savvy shopper.
"It still requires digital tape. Sir." On the surface, Chuck looked like the model of patience. But Sarah could see the slight hint of a tick in his cheek as he clenched his jaw just at the idiocy of the man before him.
The man practically crumbled onto the desk. His head dropping onto his arms atop the counter.
"My wife is going to kill me if I didn't record our daughter's dance recital."
Sarah watched as Chuck's expression went from professional patience, to tolerance, to sympathy, before morphing into inspired.
"Where is your daughter?" Chuck asked as he looked around, oblivious to Sarah standing directly behind him. "Maybe we can recreate the recital, right here at the store. You'll be all set. We can set up over by the tv wall…and you can record it on…Uh, I don't see any little girls in the store." Chuck's look of inspiration morphed into one of confusion. He kept spinning his head from side to side, even though he had to know that there was no child in the store.
So hopeful. So willing to go the extra mile to help a complete stranger fix a mistake of their own making. So…Chuck.
"Oh, she's not here," the man waved a hand dismissively, as though Chuck had offered to tell him the time rather than shut down half of a retail store to help the guy out of a bind of his own making. "The recital was last month."
An animated idiot in need of a good divorce attorney apparently.
"I'm afraid that we…no one really…no one can help you with that," Chuck paused before putting on his customer service face. You could have just left it with 'no one can help you' there Chuck, "but if you'd like, one of our green shirts can help you pick up some digital tape so that all future dance recitals can be preserved."
The imbecile nodded as though he were the one helping Chuck figure things out. Sarah began debating whether it would be better for the wife for Sarah to send the woman the contact information for a good divorce attorney, or the contact information for a gun for hire who could solve her issue with her husband in a faster, more permanent manner.
It was still a toss up in Sarah's head when the man shrugged, reached out to pick up his (useless without digital tape that he still didn't own) camcorder, before walking out of the store while whistling off tune. Chuck had started to call out to the man to remind him to buy some digital tape in order to prevent a reoccurrence of the issue, when he turned to point to the aisle where the digital tape could be found. Chuck promptly forgot about the ridiculous customer as he saw Sarah standing directly behind him with a shy grin on her face.
I could really get used to seeing him smile at me like that. Damn, he knows how to make a woman feel good about herself without even saying a word.
"Hi there Sarah! Phone trouble?" Sarah had to bite back a giggle (I giggle now?!) as he tried to pull a screwdriver from the pocket protector on his shirt, but lost control of it, juggling to try to keep it from hitting the floor. She would have laughed out loud at his eagerness, but stopped herself when she saw how mortified Chuck was when he attempt at being suave wound up being a swerve.
Sarah felt herself smiling in response to Chuck, unforced and unbidden. For a woman who's every response was calculated and controlled, it was a shock. She was in awe as to how easy a simple act such as smiling came so naturally when the recipient was Chuck Bartowski. The emotionally constipated CIA agent, known with Agency circles (though only behind her back) as the Ice Queen and Graham's Wild Card Enforcer for some reason felt open and free when around Chuck. It helped explain why she felt compelled to return to the store so soon on the mere chance that she would see him again.
That wasn't to say that she was ignoring the lessons learned in her upbringing and honed at the CIA. She had checked on Chuck's background, but using open sources rather than the CIA database (it would be hard to stay off of Graham's radar if she was constantly tapping into CIA resources). His criminal record and driving record were spotless. Little was found in the way of any social media presence-although his sister frequently tagged him on her infrequent posts.
The only outlier was an old post from the Stanford University school newspaper, the Stanford Daily, that indicated that Chuck Bartowski, a scholarship student on track to graduate with honors, had been expelled following an expedited hearing into cheating. There was a passing question raised as to why there hadn't been any public hearing before the Judicial Charter Committee and why expulsion was merited on a first offense. No further details were provided.
It seemed sketchy at best that such a squeaky clean person who was set to graduate with honors and do great things would take such an uncharacteristic gamble as cheating. Then again, she had only known the man for 24 hours. There were plenty of details that she hadn't discovered.
Maybe Stanford had good reason for disregarding its own policies and procedures and lay down such a draconian punishment. Maybe. Stanford University's unusual conduct in its "investigation" into the alleged cheating by Chuck certainly didn't justify her desire to drive to Palo Alto to use some "enhanced interrogation" techniques on the Provost in order to find out the truth of what really happened. Maybe.
As Chuck stuck his hands awkwardly into his pockets, Sarah watched the emotions play across his face: excitement at seeing her mixed with wondering why she was back so soon, with a little concern blended in-considering the possibility that he had somehow messed up such a simple repair.
"After you saved the day yesterday, I noticed a deli in the plaza that looks pretty good," Sarah paused as an unfamiliar and unwelcome fluttering sensation grew to a fevered pitch in her belly. I can't believe that I'm this nervous about asking Chuck to lunch. Then again, this is new ground for me. Asking out a mark on a mission wasn't really a date. And that relationship with Bryce was more an evolution from post-mission hookups. Maybe devolution would be a more appropriate word. She took in a deep breath to focus herself. That plan backfired as the intake of breath drew Chuck's attention briefly to her chest.
Chuck quickly diverted his eyes as a blush rose from his neck up his face. To stave off his embarrassment, Chuck began rambling, "Lou's? Lou's is great. The end cut pastrami is a personal favorite, although it's not particularly healthy. And you look like you are in healthy shape. Great shape! And, um, you know, um, healthy. Uh…you should definitely give Lou's a shot."
Great. My first time asking a guy on a date and he doesn't even realize that I'm asking him out. The fact that Chuck was clearly just as nervous as she was made Sarah feel calmer. She reached out a hand to rest it on Chuck's forearm, intending to reassure him. While his nervousness was endearing, she felt an overpowering urge to comfort him. Overpowering, that was, until her hand made contact with his arm. A tingling sensation shot up her arm and into her chest. Her eyes flared open and heat bloomed in her hand where her fingertips made contact with Chuck's skin.
Chuck clearly felt it as well. His eyes snapped to hers in shock, his pupils rapidly expanding as he let out a quiet gasp. It was her undoing. Without a conscious thought, her left hand reached up and curled around his skinny grey tie, loosely looped around Chuck's neck. Yanking the tie down towards her, while raising herself up on her toes, Sarah captured Chuck's lips with her own.
The tingling sensation from the kiss was as intense, if not more so, that the sensation from touching his arm. She had to struggle to remind herself not only that they were in a public place, but that the kiss was supposed to come at the end of the first date, not before he realized that he had even been asked out.
A clattering sound broke through the haze that she had been surrounded by since touching Chuck's arm. Sarah glanced back over her shoulder, spotting a short bearded guy in a green Buy More polo shirt. He looked utterly gob smacked, completely unaware that the videogame that had apparently been in his hands was now resting on the floor by his feet.
In a voice far huskier than normal, Sarah demanded, "Clock out. You are coming to lunch with me." What happened to romantic? To flattering or sweet? My first time asking a guy out and I wind up going with bossy and demanding. Smooth, Sarah, real smooth. She finally turned to face Chuck, fearful of rejection that had to be showing on his face.
Instead she was greeted by the sight of Chuck who both had his jaw hanging open and a goofy grin on his face. Without breaking eye contact with Sarah, Chuck cleared his throat before calling out in a stupefied voice, "Morg, clock me out buddy!" Chuck then hurdled the Nerd Herd desk, clearly eager for the opportunity to spend time with Sarah.
Straightening up, Chuck suddenly looked nervously, casting his eyes about from side to side, realizing that all of his co-workers and a few shoppers were staring at him open mouthed. Well, staring at the two of them actually. Sarah reached over with a single finger and nudged Chuck's jaw until he was looking at her.
The moment that they made eye contact, the buzzing noise in Chuck's head-that had started the moment he realized just how much affection had been in his public display-faded away. He got so lost in the depths of her crystalline blue eyes that everything else blurred into the background.
"C'mon Chuck, let's go get something to eat," Sarah scratched out, her voice still husky and laced with desire. A broad grin again spread across Chuck's face, making Sarah's knees nearly buckle. Public place. Lots of people. Getting arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior will not keep you off of Graham's radar.
Might be worth it though. Nope. Definitely would be worth it.
Trying to tap into that infamous iron will of self-control, which she seemed to easily assert any time she wasn't near Chuck Bartowski, Sarah grabbed his hand, interlaced their fingers and then practically yanked him out of the store exit heading across the parking lot toward the deli. The walk across the parking lot passed quickly with small talk. It was one of the few skills that Sarah Walker hadn't mastered in ordinary life, as opposed to Agent Walker handling a mark.
But talk flowed easily between the two of them as they discussed the Case of the Most Misfit Dad-as Chuck had taken to calling it, although Sarah point blank refused to reciprocate. Apparently her refusal did nothing to dissuade Chuck, much to Sarah's amusement. She laughed easily and often, a genuine feeling as foreign to her as the ability to chit chat aimlessly. Except that both came so much easier when Chuck was around.
When they entered Lou's Deli, Sarah's hopes of a lunch where they could quietly sit at a table and talk (for as long as Chuck was willing to carry the torch of the conversation) were quickly dashed. The place was packed. Like Fire Marshal violation packed. It was wall to wall with people, where yelling was necessary just to be heard.
But some voices apparently could be heard just fine. "Chuck Bartowski!" Who in the hell was this woman who was able to be heard over the din of the crowd? And, more importantly, why was she so excited to see Chuck?
Sarah had to step to her right to see past the guy in front of her in order to spot who was calling to Chuck. Behind the counter stood a short woman with long, wavy brown hair. Given the distance that Sarah had put between herself and Chuck, Sarah no longer appeared to be with him. The mystery woman was beaming in Chuck's direction. Despite the crush of the crowd, she appeared to be in no rush to resume work amongst the chaos behind the counter.
"Hey Lou," Chuck called back affably, sporting an easy grin. Wait, that's Lou? Lou from Lou's Deli was supposed to look like Mel from the 70s tv show Alice. Not some twenty-something brunette making eyes at Chuck. Ugh, she looks perky. Chipper even. Is that the type of woman that Chuck is attracted to? No. There's no way he faked the attention to me, or how fast he hurdled the desk to join me for lunch.
"So, Chuck," Lou called out over the noise of the crowd, "you want my Special?" Her wicked grin and eyebrow bounce left little to the imagination as to what she was referring to. Sarah was tempted to pull out her S&W to teach "Lou" to stop with the double entendre and blatant flirting. She knew that move wouldn't go over well in a crowded restaurant, not to mention likely make Chuck run away from her in terror. A quick look at Chuck made it clear that he was oblivious to the flirting efforts of the misnamed, diminutive deli owner.
"Sounds good, Lou. But could you make it two?" Chuck threw a fond gaze Sarah's way, making her breath hitch. "And a couple of bottles of water?" Chuck had a goofy grin on his face and threw an overly exaggerated head nod in Sarah's direction. He clearly expected his "friend" to be excited for him over having lunch with a beautiful woman.
Chuck kept grinning goofily at Sarah, while missing the smile dropping from Lou's face to be replaced with a glare at the interloper daring to bring Chuck on a date to Lou's shop. Other women might have crumbled under the scrutiny, but Sarah Walker wasn't other women. The Ice Queen held near mythical status in the halls of Langley. Sarah directed her intense focus on Lou, channeling all of her training. International despots had broken under Sarah's glare alone.
Begrudgingly, Sarah gave Lou some credit. It took her 2-3 seconds before she looked away from Sarah's gaze. A silent contest to determine who was the Alpha in Chuck Bartowski's life had just taken place, and the winner was clear even though only two people in the deli were even aware that a contest had just been held. But it quickly dawned on Sarah that her forced work leave would end soon enough, and she would have to concede the field of battle. And Sarah was under no delusion that when she was gone, Lou would waste no time in assuming the crown.
Sarah's musings were cut short by the ringtone from Chuck's cellphone. "I'm so, so sorry. It's work. Some emergency has come up. I've just got to take this real quick. Don't leave. Please don't leave, don't go anywhere. Please." There was no questioning his sincerity. Although the request baffled Sarah. As if I could?
There was no way that she was going anywhere. There wouldn't have been regardless of where they had gone for lunch, but especially so after discovering that she had a rival for Chuck's attention. It wasn't surprising that there was a rival. Good looking, smart, funny, and so easy to talk with-even for someone who was horrible at just chatting. But if she left the field of play, that would leave Lou in position to win Chuck away. Her competitive side aside, Sarah refused to abandon the field of play because she had a feeling that if she did that she would never meet someone like Chuck again.
She had no real dating experience to speak of…and this first date was veering rapidly into inauspicious territory, between Chuck not realizing that she was asking him out, to her demanding that he go out with her, to him stepping out to take a work call. But there was something there between them, some pull that she couldn't explain. Why else had she thought about nothing else but coming to Buy More today to ask Chuck out? All night. All. Night. Or was the feeling just one sided? No, Chuck's reaction to the kiss had to show that there was some reciprocity at least.
But Sarah stopped to think. Chuck hadn't agreed to their date. She'd ordered him. He looked excited but he wasn't really there of his own volition. Was he? Suddenly, Lou materialized beside the table, looking hard at Sarah. Or, she would have suddenly materialized beside the table if Sarah wasn't a CIA agent who had been tracking the movement of the vertically challenged deli owner from the second that Chuck stood to walk away from the table.
Lou had been trying to catch Sarah off-guard. It didn't work. Instead, Lou gave her a hard look, "Don't hurt him."
Sarah was torn. Part of her wanted to confront this woman making a demand on her, especially a demand in relation to Chuck. But at the same time, this woman was making the demand because it was Chuck. Because she was looking to protect him. Because he engendered that type of concern due to the man that he was. And Sarah couldn't fault her for trying to protect Chuck. Sarah would do the same thing. However, Sarah did fault her for trying to protect Chuck against Sarah. It was hard not to be a little smug that Chuck had chosen her over Lou. He'd spent minutes with Sarah before she dragged him off to lunch, but worked daily across the parking lot from Lou.
"I won't. I can't. I…care for Chuck," Sarah admitted, as much to herself as to Lou. Lou continued to look at her in silence.
"Sorry," Chuck said as he rushed back to the table. "Crisis back at the store-"
"Which wouldn't be a crisis if any of them had any business being in business," Lou cut in. "I know that you and Morgan are like weird brothers, but that place is like a train wreck that is never ending. And let's face it, Burbank would be safer if Jeff and Lester weren't in retail." She stood there with her hands on her hips, daring Chuck to deny or refute her claims.
Chuck looked like he wanted to object, raising a hand with his index finger pointed up before curling his hand to a fist while grimacing as he couldn't think up a counter argument.
"What could have happened in the ten minutes since we left?" Sarah asks, disappointment clouding her features. Was that sympathy on Lou's face?
"They need an offsite install, but it's a Linux system. Jeff and Lester are on call for offsite jobs, but they claim that they'll only work on Macs," Chuck explained. Sarah recognized the fact that Chuck was speaking English, but that's about all that she understood.
"They work at BuyMore and refuse to touch PCs?" Something is wrong there. Is it all a cover? Could the CIA have set up a substation in a stip mall in Burbank? No, there's no way anyone would buy that as a cover.
"Most of the people who work at the store do anything they can to not work. It would be pretty impressive if it weren't so annoying," Chuck replied, his grin taking the sting away from the words.
"So how did you convince those guys to handle the install?"
Chuck looked away, avoiding eye contact by staring at the pattern on the floor tiles, "Welllll...I, uh, I...umm."
"You said that you weren't going to leave your date to do their jobs for them? Didn't you?" Sarah practically whispered, feeling a weight settle in her stomach. She was normally great at instantly reading people, but she was so confused by Chuck. On the one hand, she had had to order him to go on a date with her. On the other hand, he kept behaving as though he really wanted to be on a date with her. Sarah was having trouble figuring out what was going on.
"Well, no. Not quite. But is that what this is? A date? Like as in a date date?" Chuck tentatively asked, as if he wanted to get his hopes up, but didn't think that he should.
Lou looked at Sarah in commiseration, rolled her eyes at Chuck and walked back behind the counter to help with the lunch rush again. Chuck looked from Lou to Sarah and back again, aware that he had missed something, but clueless as to what it was that he missed.
"What other kind of a date is there Chuck? But yes. This is a date. Do you think I go around kissing random guys like we did at the BuyMore?" Sarah pasted a smile on her face, although inside she felt butterflies swarming in her stomach. Until she spoke, she hadn't realized how much she had riding on Chuck's answer.
"To be honest, I've been trying to not think about the kiss too much." He was staring at the food on the table, although Sarah thought that the tips of his ears had turned red.
Sarah worked to keep the hurt off of her face. For her it had been a toe curling kiss. One that she had been hoping to get another of after lunch. The ground had just dropped out from beneath her feet.
"If I left myself think about the kiss, I forget to do other stuff. Important stuff. Like, say, breathing. Remembering how to walk. The ability to speak," Chuck ticked off using the fingers from his hand.
Sarah's grin lit up the Deli, making Chuck grin just as hard. Sarah noted how Chuck's eyes seemed to shine every time that he smiled. How was it that I didn't realize how sexy he was when I first entered the BuyMore? And since when have I found a goofy grin to be 'sexy'?
"That's sweet, Chuck. But you need to be careful. Comments like that are likely to earn you another kiss," Sarah said, slightly out of breath.
"How is it that you are able to make me feel like I'm 8 by calling me sweet, then make me feel like I'm not 8 by mentioning another kiss. 8 year old me did not get kisses like that. Then again, neither did the 18 year old me," Chuck ruefully admitted.
"How about the 28 year old you?" Sarah asked in a tease.
"I'll let you know next year," Chuck shot back with another sunburst smile. Sarah cocked an eyebrow, wondering if Chuck realized that his answer implied they would still be kissing a year from now.
"As much as I hate to have to eat and run, especially after learning that this was a 'date', I had promised to get back to handle that install for work," Chuck sadly offered. Sarah felt for him, realizing that he hadn't intended to cut their date short. At the same time, she respected the fact that he was staying true to his word to his co-workers after promising to handle the install even though it meant that he was ending the date early.
"Did you want to come up to the counter with me? I've got to order a sandwich for Morgan," Chuck said, before backpedaling. "If you don't want to, I get it. I totally get it. After I ruined our 'date'. You've probably got better things to do. Places to go. That sort of thing."
Sarah didn't like to see Chuck beat himself up. It was an honest mistake that he clearly regretted. And, unlike so many men in her past, he owned up to his mistake rather than try to shift the blame. Because he regretted his mistake, maybe there was an opportunity present to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. "You could always make it up to me," Sarah suggested, tilting her head to look over at him through the side of her eye.
Chuck's grin was instantaneous, "Dinner?" Sarah smiled in response, building up his confidence. "Tomorrow night? Mexican? I know a great place."
"Sounds like a date," Sarah responded, smiling demurely. "So, why are we in line to get your friend a sandwich when he could just walk over himself."
She wasn't expecting to see Chuck wince at an innocuous question. "Well," Chuck coughed, before looking to see where Lou was. "You see, when Lou first opened her place, Morgan and I came over for lunch. Morgan was very…enthusiastic about his sandwich."
Sarah looked confused, "And this was a bad thing?"
Chuck's wince turned into a grimace, "Did you ever see When Harry Met Sally? It was like that, except it was me and Morgan…and that was definitely NOT a date. But Morgan was vocal about his pastrami on rye. Graphically vocal. To the point where I, and everyone around me for that matter, was really uncomfortable just being there. Long story short, Lou promptly banned him for life. But her sandwiches are so good that anytime someone from BuyMore comes over, we have to bring Morgan something back. Otherwise he sulks. For days."
Sarah thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Well, the sandwiches are good."
A/N2: I won't repeat the vital requests of so many of the writers to wash your hands and practice social distancing. But I did want to put in a request to think about those whose livelihoods have been crippled by the measures aimed at limiting the devastation that this pandemic has caused and will continue to cause. As I was polishing up sections of this chapter, I was streaming a show that a friend of mine was putting on through FB Live where he sat in his living room with a guitar and played songs. It was his second week of doing so. Up until a few weeks ago, he made his living teaching music. It's not something that you can do well remotely, or effectively online. He had set up a virtual tip jar where people could pay whatever they wanted (if anything) for his 90 minute sets. But he was then taking 50% of that money to give to the other music teachers, bartenders and servers, and others in his community who had lost their income.
So, while other writers are asking each of us to be responsible and do our parts to try to limit the medical devastation from the pandemic, I am asking the readers to think of those who can't earn their living during this shut down: whether it's a musician, bartender, barista, hair stylist, etc. There are lots of folks out there who lived paycheck to paycheck, or tip jar to tip jar. We can still take care of one another while keeping physical distance.
Chapter Three will be up soon.