Disclaimer: All music lyrics contained herein are the express property of Columbia Records, the characters portrayed herein are the property of Warner Brothers and NBC Universal, this story was written under fair use laws.

CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #1: Okay, who's ready for some Charah? After seven hard chapters, filled with tears and heartache, it's time for some joy! After a surprise reunion during a mission, Chuck and Sarah decided to runaway to Las Vegas and get married; now Mr. and & Mrs. Bartowski, the happy couple is ready for the future. Let's look in on our happy couple and see how they're enjoying married life.

CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #2: I want to thank my beta, Nev for going over the chapter for me, thank you Nev!

I Don't Want Your Desire

A Story by

CharmingCharles2896

Chapter Inspired by the Song

Almost Paradise by Ann Wilson & Mike Reno

Chapter Eight

Paradise

Paris Las Vegas, Room 844

Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

9:35 AM PST

I thought that dreams belonged to other men
'Cause each time I got close
They'd fall apart again

As the sun shone in through the curtains, bathing the room in a warm morning glow; a woman awoke to a new dawn, a new day, a new life, and she was feeling good. The newly minted Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Sarah Bartowski had spent many hours the previous evening, making love, neither willing nor able to keep their hands off the other. Eventually sleep overtook them both, and they fell asleep wrapped in the comfort of each other's arms. As Sarah Bartowski, finally succumbed to wakefulness, she rolled over onto her back and found herself laying in an empty bed, alone… Sarah sat up on her elbows and looked around the room; they'd somehow miraculously managed to get a room at the Paris casino, which Chuck had quipped was as close to the Eiffel Tower as he may ever get. That was a conversation she wanted to have with him later; she'd never known he was a fan of the Eiffel Tower.

The thing that worried Sarah, was that Chuck was nowhere to be found, she was all alone. Sarah looked towards her phone, intent to call her husband, only to find a hand written note sitting atop her phone, waiting for her. Sarah grabbed the note and read it silently.

I'm fine, just went out to get some supplies; I'll be back before you know it. All my love, your husband XOXO

Sarah smiled at the note and set it down on the bedside table where she'd found it. Her husband. Just thinking about what they'd done the night before was enough to make her glow. No matter what happened from here on, she'd always be able to say that she was Sarah Bartowski, the woman who loved Chuck Bartowski more than anyone else in the entire world. She did love him more than anyone else in the world, and she was going to show him in every way she knew how, before this was all over. That thought made her heart constrict, this wonderful moment would come to an end eventually, no matter how much fun the two of them had here in Vegas, eventually they'd both have to go home to their lives, at which point she'd say goodbye, likely for the last time. If that was her future, then Sarah Bartowski was going to make sure she had as many good memories as possible from this moment. She was going to uphold her vows and cherish every waking moment she had left with the man she loved.

I feared my heart would beat in secrecy
I faced the nights alone

As Sarah waited for her husband to return, she decided to get out of bed and freshen up a bit, she needed a shower and she had morning breath she wanted to deal with. The absence of her own toiletries meant that she had to use the stuff provided by the hotel, but she'd made do with far worse. While in the bathroom showering and brushing her teeth, Sarah admired her body in the mirror; now that the black cloud of self-loathing was gone, she had to admit that she looked good after gaining a few pounds here and there. Because neither of them had packed any bags for this sudden trip, and Chuck no doubt had the Maserati with him on his trip to the store, all Sarah had to wear was the uncomfortable dress. Sarah would rather walk around nude in an Iraqi prison than wear that dress and those heels all the time. Once Sarah was freshened up a bit, she heard the sound of the lock giving way; Sarah quickly ran to the door, ready to greet her husband.

Oh, how could I have known
That all my life I only needed you?

"Honey, I'm home," Chuck said as he carried in a plethora of bags. "God, I've always wanted to say that," he said with a chuckle; he had his back turned to her, he had no idea she was so close. When Chuck turned around, he saw his beautiful wife, standing there in her birthday suit, ready to greet him with a welcome home kiss.

"Hi-yo," Chuck muttered in surprise as he dropped all the bags onto the floor in shock; Sarah simply giggled and pulled Chuck in for a searing kiss. His poor nerd brain, melted in his skull, he never stood a chance as he felt her against him, her hand in his hair. When the two of them separated, Chuck simply stood there dazed and confused for a brief moment; Sarah simply stood there smiling, her bottom lip between her teeth to stifle the laugh that so desperately wanted to escape. Finally, Chuck rebooted and spoke coherently.

"If that's the greeting I get for returning home, I should leave for groceries more often," Chuck said to Sarah who simply shook her head knowingly and brought Chuck in for another loving kiss.

Oh, almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door

When the two of them separated the second time, Sarah felt his hands on her bare hip, holding her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up lovingly into his big hazel eyes.

"I love you," she whispered to him, he gave her a loving smile.

"I love you, always," he replied before kissing her again; when they pulled apart this time, Sarah stepped away from him and turned her attention to the bags. She could see that Chuck had worn the long pants and shirt of his tuxedo out and about this morning, but had left the jacket and tie behind. Bold styling choice.

"So, what'd you get for us, my fine, studly, husband?" Sarah asked Chuck with a smile as she watched him grab the bags and bring them over to the small dining table in the kitchenette.

"Because this was rather spur of the moment, neither of us have any clean clothes; obviously we both have different solutions to that problem," Chuck said, his eyes dancing mirthfully as Sarah stood next to him, almost challenging him not to look.

"You couldn't pay me to wear that dress again, casually or otherwise," Sarah said honestly; Chuck simply shrugged.

"I thought you looked great, but I can see how it would be uncomfortable; anticipating the need for clothing, I went and bought us some stuff, I had to kind of guesstimate on your sizes, but I think I did well. All of your clothes are in that bag, on the left," Chuck said, motioning with his eyes to a bag off to the far left; Sarah saw the bag and grabbed it. Looking inside, she instantly knew her husband had, had some fun with the shopping. The first thing Sarah pulled out was a package of Star Wars themed, women's boyshort panties. Sarah gave Chuck an amused look, but he simply blushed slightly and gave her an innocent look. Sarah gave Chuck a knowing smile and shook her head as she tore the package open. There was a set of three in the package, one black with yellow trim, one a navy blue with white trim, and one that was white with grey trim. The black ones said, "USE THE FORCE" in the typical Star Wars font. The navy-blue pair said, "THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH ME" in the same font, but in white instead of yellow. As Sarah saw the white pair, she instantly laughed; the white pair had a small Death Star on left butt cheek, while in big bold letters it said, "THAT'S NO MOON" on the right butt cheek.

"Okay that's really great, I'm wearing these today," Sarah said before she slipped on the white ones, which fit amazingly well; her husband had done a great job so far.

"Well now that I know my wife is a nerd, I had to get her some nerd underwear," Chuck said to Sarah who simply shook her head and went back to the bag, where she quickly pulled out a pair of tan capri's and a matching brown belt. Sarah checked the tag and sure enough, the capri's should fit well enough. After Sarah yanked the tags off the capri's she slipped them on, and the belt as well, before she moved on to the next items in the bag. First, Sarah pulled out a emerald colored button up blouse; Chuck had a keen eye for fashion apparently, but then again, he'd grown up with Ellie, so that wasn't too surprising. The emerald blouse looked flowy and comfortable, it reminded her of the blue one that she knew Chuck loved.

"Ooh, that's cute," Sarah said as she examined the top.

"It reminded me of that one you used to wear in Burbank," Chuck mentioned as he pulled out and organized some groceries.

"The blue one?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah." Sarah simply smiled to herself; she knew her nerd so well. Sarah set the emerald blouse aside and pulled out the next top she saw. The next top, was an elegant, crimson colored, short sleeved shirt, with a flattering sweetheart neckline. The shirt was slim fitting and looked like it would hug her curves well, her husband had a good eye.

"Who taught you about fashion?" Sarah asked as she eyed the crimson top appraisingly. Chuck swallowed nervously, unsure if he'd done good or bad.

"Um, well Ellie may think I'm fashion illiterate, but I did pay attention all those times when she forced me to go clothes shopping with her, when we were teenagers. Dad was always busy in his lab, and Ellie felt I was too young to be left alone, so she'd drag me to every clothes store under the sun. I picked up a thing or two over the years, contrary to what my sister believes," Chuck mentioned, with a small smile as he reminisced about all those times so long ago.

"Well, you did a great job with these first two tops, they're both really cute," Sarah said before she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss; Chuck gave Sarah a smile as she set the crimson top aside, and peered into the bag once again. When Sarah spotted the final top, she let out a genuine belly laugh. Sarah pulled out a white, women's cut tee shirt that said, "I Got Married in Las Vegas!" As Sarah admired the design of the shirt, which was a simple Las Vegas sign, with the traditional Vegas lettering in red and gold, she heard Chuck speak.

"I got one for myself too, I figure we don't have rings so these would do just fine in a pinch, for now at least. I didn't know your tee shirt size, so I guessed," he said nervously, still trying to not admire her half nudeness; Sarah didn't seem to care that she was still half naked. Sarah checked the inside of the shirt for the size and saw what size he'd gotten, it would've fit her six weeks ago, but who knows if it would fit her now.

"You did well for the other two, this one might be a bit tight, but it should work; thank you sweetie," she said before she slipped the shirt on and learned that it was indeed a tad tight around the chest area, but it fit and she loved the cheesy design. Sarah peered into the bag and ignored one item in particular, instead grabbing a cute pair of brown leather sandals, with a low chunky heel.

"I realized, that neither of us had any real shoes, other than the dressy shoes we wore yesterday, so I made a call and thought those would go well with everything I purchased for you," Chuck said. Sarah simply nodded and tried one on quickly, making sure that they did indeed fit.

"They look great, and they're not too aggressively high, so walking around all day won't be a chore; thank you," Sarah said, before she stole another quick kiss, Chuck simply gave her a smile. Sarah set the sandals aside and grabbed the final item. Chuck simply nodded at her words as he swallowed nervously, this was the one he was the most nervous about; this place had some really great pools, and neither of them had bathing suits, so Chuck had to make some choices. Sarah pulled out the two-piece bikini and admired it; it was a flatteringly cut, black number. The only problem, was that it was a teensy bit too small.

"It looks great, but it may be too small," Sarah said honestly, she saw the shocked look on Chuck's face.

"Really, I thought you were a 32B?" Chuck commented, much to Sarah's shock.

"How the hell could you possibly know that?" Sarah asked with amusement on her face; Chuck seemed to contemplate if he should answer that, before he sighed.

"Back at Stanford, Bryce and some of my frat brothers, would play this stupid game where they'd try and guess girl's bra sizes at clubs, or the library, or pretty much anywhere else we went. Then one of them would go up to the lady and talk to her and eventually find out." As Chuck spoke, he saw the amusement on Sarah's face simply grow.

"That sounds so much like something Bryce would do; but, where do you come in?" Sarah asked, Chuck blushed.

"It's just math, once I learned how to do it, it wasn't hard for me. I wouldn't play their game, because I was raised better than that; I was always right though, and they hated it. I'd glance one time for a second and I'd know instantly. They'd watch these girls for ages and never get it right, but I'd glance once and just know. Of course, it was all just a childish excuse for Bryce to stare at busty college co-eds all day, but that's no surprise from Bryce," Chuck said with a blush. Sarah knew her new husband didn't like to boast, but she did feel a certain amount of pride, he'd always been so damn smart.

Chuck saw Sarah get a sly smile on her face, he simply swallowed nervously.

"So, tell me Chuck," Sarah started, making she to emphasize the 'k' in Chuck. "When did you size me up?" Chuck's face turned bright red and he looked away in embarrassment as she closed the distance between them.

"Uh, this sounds like a moment where I should express my fifth amendment rights, to prevent myself from further incriminating… myself," Chuck rambled quickly, which only made Sarah giggle, he was so cute when he was nervous.

"Come on, tell me, when was it? You are always so respectful; I've never caught you looking, so when was it? When did my nerdy husband finally stare at my boobs?" Chuck simply laughed nervously.

"Is it hot in here all of the sudden?" Chuck asked as he saw Sarah's body come to rest against his, her hand reaching up to caress his cheek; Sarah could have sworn she heard a squeak come from her husband, but she couldn't be sure. "Lord have mercy," he whispered, as he looked away from her, only for Sarah to reach out and turn his head to look back at her.

"When was it, Chuck? Was it Halloween, when I was dressed like Princess Leia from Return of the Jedi? Was it all those times in the Wienerlicious, where my uniform would be unbuttoned just one button too many, so you'd see a little too far down my top, whenever I bent down to get you something? Was it at the Double O, in that flimsy little tank top, that I know you used to love me in? When was it, Sweetie?" Sarah said before she planted a searing kiss on Chuck that broke his brain; the poor nerd never stood a chance. When their lips parted, Chuck broke instantly.

"The shower! It was the time in the shower, when we thought we were poisoned. We were so close, and so wet, and you were just so hot, like oh my god! You wanted to rinse out my hair, so you just pushed my face into your cleavage, I couldn't help it, you're just so hot, and it was just all right there!" Chuck said quickly, much to Sarah's amusement. Sarah couldn't help but laugh at Chuck's frantic rambling response, the poor nerd just couldn't resist her.

"Did I really do that; I don't remember that at all?" Sarah asked truthfully; that whole moment was just one blurry minute of pure terror at the thought of Chuck being poisoned. Chuck simply nodded with a blush and a small smile.

"Yeah," Chuck muttered. Sarah simply snorted at Chuck's reply and looked at the bikini.

"Well, the bottoms look like they'll fit and cover everything, so let's see how much I pop out of this top," Sarah said before she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Chuck to unpack the other bags of groceries he'd bought. In the bathroom, Sarah took a moment to gather herself. She'd really been strutting around out there like a peacock for a bit. He was her husband and she enjoyed making him blush, but she didn't remember herself ever being so overt about her nudity. Another shock was the cute clothing that he'd bought for her. Who knew her husband had such a keen eye for women's clothes? As Sarah finished adjusting the bikini top, she stepped out of the bathroom and spoke to her husband, who was moving some bags around.

Almost paradise
How could we ask for more?

"So, what do ya think?" Sarah said, grabbing Chuck's attention; the second he saw her, his mouth gaped and he dropped the bag he was holding, onto the floor with a soft thud.

"Sweet lord…" Chuck mumbled at the goddess standing before him; she was a vision of beauty and while yes it was a tiny bit too small, Chuck was NOT going to complain AT ALL! Sarah saw the look on Chuck's face and had to giggle, he was broken again; part of Sarah was worried about the damage to his brain, all of these brain breaks were doing to him.

"I see you enjoy it; it'll work for the time being… so long as I don't run, or jump, or there isn't an earth quake," Sarah quipped, which got a chuckle from Chuck.

"Aw shucks, and here I'd seen a brochure for half naked horseback riding, that I just knew we'd enjoy!" Chuck said with mock disappointment, Sarah simply smiled at Chuck and walked to him, tossing her tee shirt onto the table along the way.

"Well then let me make it up to you," she said before she grabbed him and kissed him hard once again. When they separated, Sarah spoke once again. "What else did you buy?"

"Thinking ahead, I bought us a six pack of Powerade, and some granola bars," Chuck said as he produced a six pack of red Powerade and granola bars from a grocery bag; Sarah read the nutrition information on the back of the sports drink and simply nodded.

"Planning on needing to refuel, Chuck?" Sarah said in that voice she knew always got to Chuck, who simply swallowed and nodded.

"The thought had occurred to me, if last night was any indication," Chuck said, with a slight blush to his features; Sarah simply beamed at him as he continued. "Other than the Powerade, I also bought some clothes for me, some toiletries for both of us; travel sizes of course. I didn't know what lavender shampoo you normally use, so I had to guess." Sarah nodded at Chuck and unceremoniously pulled off the bikini top, causing Chuck to blush and avert his eyes, Sarah simply gave him an amused smile.

"Really? We're married, and we spent most of last night having sex, and you're still shy?" Chuck simply shrugged.

"What can I say, you're just too beautiful for us mere mortals to handle," Chuck said smoothly, Sarah gave him a sly smirk and nodded, as she turned to look through the bags, obviously looking for something. "Looking for something in particular?" Chuck asked Sarah, who turned back to Chuck with a confused look on her face.

"Where's the bra?" Sarah asked Chuck, whose mind ground to a halt.

"Oh crap," Chuck said as his hands flew to his forehead in surprise; Sarah looked at Chuck worriedly. "I cannot believe I forgot to buy you a bra, I think I just assumed you wore one with your dress, but I know you didn't, because I commented about it last night while we were um…" Chuck said back to her; Sarah simply sighed.

"Charles Irving Bartowski," Chuck swallowed at his wife who gave him a cheeky smile. "Are you trying to tell me, that Mr. Big Brain Stanford Graduate; the man who thought of literally everything else that we'd need, forgot to buy his wife a bra?" Chuck simply shrugged, as the blush on his face grew more intense.

"I guess," he said back meekly, Sarah simply shook her head in amusement and slipped on the tee shirt; the way his eyes bugged out of his skull told the story.

"Sure, you did Curls, I'm sure it was a totally innocent mistake; there is no way I can go out like this," she said honestly to her husband, who was trying not to ogle her, which only made her giggle. Every step she took in this shirt was a lewd display of her clothed assets. Suddenly feeling bold, Chuck spoke with a charisma he didn't know he had.

"Well then I guess we'll just have to find something to do here in our room, now won't we?" Chuck said with a sly smile, as he closed the distance between himself and his wife.

"What did you have in mind?" She asked breathlessly as Chuck stood mere inches from her.

"Last bag," Chuck said simply; Sarah turned her attention to the last grocery bag; inside the bag she saw a very big box.

"Wow, that's a lot," Sarah said in mild shock, she felt Chuck's hand on her hip, pulling her back in close.

"Well, after we ran out last night, I thought it was prudent to buy more," Chuck said huskily back to his wife.

"Didn't enjoy pulling out, last night?" Sarah asked teasingly. Chuck simply gave her a perturbed look and shook his head.

"Neither of us did, such a waste of time and energy; now I can focus on loving my wife instead of not getting her pregnant," Chuck said to Sarah, who gave him a sly smile.

"I like the way you think, Mr. Bartowski," Sarah said, before she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"It's the love of a good woman, Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck replied, giving her a kiss of his own.

"Take me to bed, or lose me forever," she whispered huskily, before their lips met a third time. Sarah squealed in shock, as she felt Chuck's hands grip her thighs and hoist her off the ground. Sarah grabbed the last grocery bag as Chuck carried her away.

"Who knew Chuck was so strong?" she mused, as her husband carried her back into the bedroom, where they would stay most of the afternoon.

I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise

~X~

Paris Las Vegas, Room 844

Las Vegas, Nevada

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

1:10 PM PST

It seems like perfect love's so hard to find

Chuck Bartowski was a man in love, and he was as dedicated as the next guy, but even a giving lover such as himself had his limits. The newlyweds lay in bed, the sheets pooled at their waist, curled up in each other's arms. Sarah had decided this was her new favorite position in life, her body nestled snuggly into her husband's side, her head tucked into his shoulder, just below his head. Their nude bodies separated by nothing, they were as close as they could be, without being one person. She could feel his left arm, wrapped comfortingly around her body, his hand tracing little circles along her spine. Her own fingers were doing the same in his chest hair. She knew she'd worn him out, they'd had sex many times the night before, and again all morning, into the afternoon. She hadn't had anything to eat since the middle of the afternoon yesterday, so she was starving. If Sarah was starving, she had no idea what her amazing, studly, husband must be feeling, considering how active he'd been during their love making.

The thing was, Sarah didn't want to move from where she was right now, she was too comfortable. Her muscles were tired from exertion, her body was satisfied from the amazing things the two of them were able to do together in bed. It was actually scary how amazing they were together; it was like they were just made for each other. Sarah knew they couldn't stay like this, they couldn't just lay here in bed forever; on the other hand, things were good in bed, they were together, they were in love, they were married. It was like their own little bubble, a little slice of paradise; part of Sarah hoped this was what heaven was like, just her and the man she loved more than life itself, together forever.

I'd almost given up
You must have read my mind

Chuck was content to stay like this forever, he'd never been so happy in his life, and that was all due to the wonderful woman nestled snuggly into his body. He'd been wandering in and out of sleep for a while now after their last bout of love making; she'd worn him out, that was for sure. Chuck was actually rather proud of his performance, if her reaction was any indication of the effectiveness of his efforts. The nerd herder hadn't had many sexual partners over the years, so his experience was limited, but apparently his lack of experience wasn't a problem for his brand-new wife. They'd had sex once before, six weeks ago, but that was different, it was angry, frantic, filled with pain; it wasn't enjoyable, it wasn't a moment where they could stop and learn each other's body, and what the other liked and disliked. Last night, and again this morning and afternoon, had been different; this had been slow, passionate, loving; this was two people taking their time with the one they loved.

And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day
They're finally coming true

The loud sound of Chuck's stomach grumbling broke the comfortable silence; Chuck struggled to contain his laughter, while Sarah giggled into his chest. He loved making her laugh, it just made his heart swell with love for her. Eventually, Chuck couldn't contain his own laughter and laughed hard at the whole moment.

"I guess someone's hungry," Sarah said with a soft voice, Chuck simply chuckled and nodded.

"You could say that," Chuck said, with a gravelly voice.

"I'm starving, but I don't want to move from this spot; you're too comfortable of a pillow," Sarah said, with a pout. Chuck huffed a laugh and shifted on the bed to reach the bedside table; Sarah grumbled as her cuddly Chuck shaped pillow moved away, leaving her alone on the bed.

"I'm just getting the room service menu; relax, Agent Grouchy Pants," Chuck said, with a laugh as he heard Sarah's indignant gasp.

"Tread carefully, if you plan on having any more sex with Agent Grouchy Pants," Sarah said in a singsong voice, eliciting a gasp of his own from Chuck.

"That's dirty pool," Chuck said back to Sarah, with an amused smile on his face, only to see Sarah bat her eyelashes at him innocently. Chuck just shook his head and handed her the room service menu, which she took and looked at for several moments. After a few minutes of deliberations, the newlyweds settled on the continental breakfast and some mimosas. After Chuck had ordered, he turned back to his beautiful wife, still sitting there on the bed, still a vision of beauty. Chuck joined his wife on the bed and in moments they were kissing again, it was just so easy to fall back into this wonderful moment with her, they just fit so well together. When Chuck felt Sarah's hands starting to wander, he laughed and reached downward to stop his amazing wife.

Chuck broke the kiss and spoke with a chuckle, "We can't do that." Sarah simply pouted adorably at him.

"Why not?" She asked, as if she didn't know the answer already.

"I'm only a man, Sarah, I have limits; I've had more sex in the last twelve hours, than the rest of my adult life combined. Trust me, the mind is willing, but I've only got so much to give before I need a break." Sarah seemed to toss that statement around in her head for a moment, before she finally acquiesced to his point.

"Fine, maybe you have a point; it's just so good, we're so good together, that I can't get enough!" she said, with a contented sigh, as she flopped back down on the bed adorably.

"Because the five times last night and the five times again today weren't enough? Woman, I think you're trying to kill me," Chuck said with a shake of his head and a laugh that Sarah matched with a giddy laugh of her own. As Chuck settled back down on the bed next to Sarah, she turned over and cuddled in next to him, like she had been earlier. Eventually a thought danced through Sarah's head and she couldn't resist, so she spoke as seriously as she could without laughing.

"There are far worse ways to die, oh husband of mine," Sarah quipped.

"Trust me Sarah, there is a lot I still want to do with you and to you, before I ascend to the pearly gates," Chuck replied.

"I mean, they say a near death experience is the best way to really feel alive," Sarah said as her hand started to wander. "Come on, lets' dance with that mortality of yours, I promise you'll only see the pearly gates, you won't pass through them." Chuck simply laughed and grabbed Sarah's wrists, and held them where they couldn't wander.

"Woman, you are insatiable! I am out of fuel; I NEED FOOD!" Chuck said loudly. By now, Sarah was crying, she was laugh so hard into Chuck's chest. "I'm pretty sure if we ditched the condom, you still wouldn't need to worry about getting pregnant… because I have nothing left!" Sarah howled with laughter, and it was like music to Chuck's ears, the most wonderful sound he'd ever heard. Finally, Sarah nodded into Chuck's chest and wiped the tears from her eyes, she'd been laughing so hard.

I'll share them all with you
'Cause now we hold the future in our hand

"Oh god, that's funny," Sarah commented before falling into another fit of giggles; she was so adorable, Chuck didn't know how he'd gone six weeks without her in his life; it was like he'd been walking in a vast desert, and someone had finally given him water.

"I'm glad you're enjoying my exhaustion," Chuck said with faux indignation; Sarah simply swatted Chuck on the chest.

"Okay, so my husband needs a break, got it; in your defense though, you're currently batting a thousand when it comes to performance," she said honestly, keenly aware of the confidence boost that bit of honesty would give her husband.

"Only the best for my girl," Chuck said, and gave her a kiss; Sarah settled back down into his side. From there, the two of them settled into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the peace and quiet that this moment afforded them. Eventually a question formed in the back of Chuck's mind, one that he was dying to know the answer to.

"So, Magdalena Lisa Wilson huh?" Chuck said quietly.

"For a few years at least," she replied.

"Does that mean you were Maggie Wilson in school?" Chuck asked, Sarah could practically hear the smile in his voice and she had one of her own on her face.

"Yeah, too tall for my age, and always willing to punch a bully," Sarah said back, which got a soft chuckle from Chuck.

"The mental image in my head is this feisty little girl, with fierce blue eyes, adorable blonde hair that is up in pigtails, and that same fiery look on your face when you're ready to throw down with a bad guy. Sound about, right?" Chuck asked Sarah, who simply snorted in laughter.

"Pigtails?" Sarah asked softly, Chuck simply nodded.

"With little pink ribbons in them," Chuck said back to her; she could hear a certain reverence in his voice that touched her.

"Not quite, I usually had a pony tail; my mother would put a little pink ribbon in my hair to hold the pony tail in," Sarah said as she remembered those early days, when her life was simpler.

"You've never talked about your mother before," Chuck said softly, noticing the new addition to his bank of Sarah knowledge. Sarah was quiet for a few moments before she finally spoke.

"We're estranged," she said sadly.

"I'm sorry, no child should have to grow up without a parent," Chuck said to her before he kissed her on the top of the head again.

"It's my fault," Sarah said much to Chuck's shock; he would let a lot of things slide, but not that.

"No, it's never a child's fault when their parents don't want to be in their lives," Chuck said adamantly. Sarah could see his own personal biases coming to the surface and, while she could admire his firm belief in that, in this case he was wrong.

"I had a mission go sideways and I had to include my mother; because the person who was after me is still out there, I can never see her again. So, yes, Chuck, it is my fault," Sarah said sadly. Chuck simply held her tight, there was nothing he could say to make that hurt go away. The two of them simply held each other for a long while, simply waiting for their late breakfast to arrive.

Oh, Almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door

"Even though I've never met your mother, there is one thing I know for a fact," Chuck said to Sarah, who pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

"What is that?" she asked quietly.

"If she knows what you do, then I promise you, she is proud of the woman you've become; because you're special Sarah, and every mother would be proud to have a daughter as heroic, and amazing as you are." Sarah heard the emotion and the pure unfiltered belief in Chuck's voice and it nearly broke her; this man always knew exactly what she needed to hear to feel better.

Almost paradise
How could we ask for more?

"I love you, so much Chuck," Sarah said tearfully, as she leaned in and captured his lips in a slow, passionate kiss that held all of her love in it. She'd waited her entire life for a person like him to come along and make it all okay, and now that he'd found her, she wasn't ready to let him go.

I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise

~X~

Paris Las Vegas, Room 844

Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

12:05 AM PST

Saturday, May ninth, two-thousand and nine, was a day that would live in Chuck's memory forever; the day he married the love of his life. It had been a full twenty-four hours since that wonderful moment and he'd never been so happy in his life. He'd spent the entire day, learning and loving with his wife. His wife… what a wonderful phrase that was. Ever since she'd walked into the Buy More some nineteen months ago, Chuck had never imagined he'd ever actually be married to the beautiful woman sleeping in the bed just a few feet from him. He'd loved her from afar almost from the moment he laid his eyes on her, but he'd never imagined that she'd ever love him back, let alone marry him. Oh, he'd hoped that his loved was requited, but it was always just a fool's hope.

Now, one full day into his marriage, he found himself sitting in a chair, simply watching her sleep peacefully. She looked so much younger when she slept; it was like years of horror, years of tainting her soul, years of sacrifice for the greater good, all just faded away and the real woman inside her came to the surface. The moon's glow shone in through the window, illuminating her beautiful form, clad only in the bedsheet; it gave her an ethereal glow. She almost looked angelic in this light; she was his angel. Her golden blonde locks almost glowed in the moons light, further adding to her angelic aura.

She'd been tired from the last few days; the red eye flight the day before yesterday, the late-night last night, it had all caught up with her in a big way and she'd fallen asleep at ten o'clock. She'd apologized profusely, before a massive yawn tore through her adorably, which had made him chuckle. Eventually he'd had to almost frog march her to the bed and push her down into it; of course, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she'd murmured that she loved him and then she hadn't moved since.

As Chuck sat there, three feet from his wife, he leaned forward on his knees, still clad in his tuxedo pants. Sarah had spent most of their clothed moments this afternoon, clad in her new Star Wars panties and the dress shirt he'd worn with his tux the day before. Chuck had spent that same time mostly shirtless, with the long pants from his CIA issue tux being the main garment he'd worn all day. For some reason, Sarah liked him shirtless; apparently, she enjoyed his scrawny chicken arms and non-muscular chest. She for sure seemed to enjoy his chest hair, if the amount of time she'd spend playing with it while they cuddled was any indication. All of these things he'd learned about her in the last twelve hours, things he'd never have learned about her otherwise. Of course, she'd quickly ditched the shirt as he was marching her towards the bed; she'd told him along the way that she wanted to be ready at a moment's notice, in case the mood struck. God, he loved this woman and her adorably nerdy, eccentricities; he loved this amazing, funny, playful, almost childlike personality, she'd kept buried under her ice-cold agent persona for so long.

She was so perfect, so much more than he could ever hope to deserve, and yet she married him. How was he ever going to live without her; she was the piece of him that he'd been missing his entire life? How was he supposed to just move on, knowing he could be this happy? How did everyone expect him to live on after this, to just go home and return to that hellish Buy More, like he hadn't experienced pure happiness? Was living even worth it? Was being a slave for the government even worth losing the love of his life? At least before, he'd had Sarah in his life; now he'd never experience happiness again.

"Chuck?" came the sleepy voice of his angel, Chuck tried to blink away the tears and sat up, to put some distance between them. Maybe then he'd be able to hide his low moment.

"Sorry if I woke you, go back to sleep," Chuck whispered in as level a voice as he could muster; apparently, Sarah was more in tune with Chuck's emotions than he'd thought, because all she did was roll over to her right, onto her back, and sit up on her elbows.

"Have you been crying?" she asked, suddenly well aware of his emotional distress; Chuck simply looked away from her as he spoke quietly in the dark room.

"I'll be fine, just go back to sleep," Chuck said, deflecting rather pitifully; Sarah was hurt that her husband felt the need to keep his feelings from her.

"Chuck, it's okay, you can tell me," Sarah said with concern. She had a feeling she knew what this was about, it was something that had been weighing on her mind as well, but she'd been trying her hardest to push it away. If his seating position was any indication, he'd been watching her sleep, likely thinking about the future, about how bleak their future looked. She saw him trying not to break down, and she felt for him, because she felt that pain too.

"It's stupid," Chuck said dismissively as he shook his head; Sarah sat up and reached out for Chuck, grasping his hand and squeezing it comfortingly.

"No, it's not stupid; marriage is a partnership, Chuck. If one of us hurts, we both hurt; that's why we took those vows," she said comforting. Chuck nodded and spoke softly, obviously embarrassed, which Sarah found preposterous.

"I don't want to sleep," Chuck admitted quietly, which wasn't what Sarah was expecting apparently; Chuck saw the confusion on her face, so he spoke again to elaborate. "Sleeping is wasted time, precious time I won't get back; our time together is limited and I don't want to waste any of it." Sarah's features softened considerably as she saw the pain in her husband's eyes, a pain she wished she could take away from him, but one that she knew she couldn't take away. That was a pain that was being imposed upon him by the universe, by that wicked bitch in DC. Her husband was hurting because he was being forced into a horrible situation, they both were; this was a pain that was inescapable, eventually this conversation was going to happen.

"Oh Chuck," Sarah said emotionally as she saw her poor nerd run a hand through his long, unruly curls.

And in your arms salvation's not so far away

"How am I going to do this without you? My life was so bleak without you, Sarah; after you left, it was like they'd torn all of my insides out, I felt so…" Chuck trailed off as he struggled to hold back his emotion.

"Hollow," Sarah said quietly, knowing exactly what her husband was talking about; Chuck simply nodded.

"I've never been so happy, than I was today. Being married to you has been the greatest joy of my life," Chuck began tearfully, as Sarah's own tears appeared in her striking sapphire eyes, stained red with emotion. "She's going to make you leave when we go back, and then I'll never feel this feeling ever again. How am I supposed to be okay with that; what's the point in living if I don't have you in my life?" Chuck said before his head fell into his free hand in despair and he let out a series of soul rending sobs. Sarah wanted to help him, to make it all okay, but she didn't know how. Sarah shifted in bed until she was sitting close to him, their knees almost touching. Sarah leaned forward and pulled her despondent husband into a comforting hug and felt him quickly wrap his arms around her and hug her like his life depended on it.

It's getting closer
Closer every day

As Sarah tried to calm her husband, visions of the beach, and the conversation she'd had with Joy, flashed back into her mind. In an instant, Sarah Bartowski knew exactly how to help her husband. The first thing Sarah did was break the embrace and grasp Chuck's head to make him look up into her eyes. The look of pure anguish in Chuck's eyes broke her heart, but as his wife, she was going to help him through this. Sarah leaned forward and kissed Chuck tenderly, she could feel his tears against hers; she was going make this all okay, she was going to be his baggage handler this time. When their lips parted, Sarah rested her forehead against his and simply looked into his eyes.

Almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door

"I love you so much," she started softly, before she continued. "The afternoon of our little mission, I went down to the beach in Malibu, our beach. At the time, I had a lot on my mind, still do in fact," Sarah said, before she noticed his confused look. "The new Director of Central Intelligence, Michael Hawthorne, offered to expedite my discharge from the CIA if I completed that mission, I accepted. Suddenly, I was staring down the barrel of my own freedom, and I had no idea what I was going to do. Where was I going to live, what was I going to do for work, could I possibly reconcile with my mother, if not, could I change my name to something else in order to reconcile with my mother? If I did that, then what about my Harvard degree? I didn't want to lose my Harvard degree, I worked hard on that degree. Lastly there was you, could I have you in my life, and if not, could I live in LA anyway and resist the temptation?" Chuck was enraptured by her story, so she continued.

"I had so many questions, and no answers, I really wished I had you to talk to, because you were always good at talking things out," Sarah said with a loving smile, before she leaned in and gave Chuck another kiss. "Just as I was about to give up on my solitude and leave, this nice old woman walked up to me, her name was Joy; she was from down south. I told her about my problems," upon seeing Chuck's shocked look, Sarah simply shrugged. "Losing you, changed me; I'm not the same person I was before this all happened. Anyway, after I was finished explaining my problem, she gave me a piece of advice that was so profound." As Sarah paused for dramatic effect, she saw Chuck hanging on, waiting for the advice.

"And?" Chuck asked impatiently, which made Sarah chuckle and lean in for another kiss quickly.

"She told me that my world had been very small for a very long time and suddenly it was very big. She told me that I suddenly had a large number of decisions I had to make, but I was focusing on too much all at once. I was stressing out about things that I couldn't control, like being in your life, or reconciling with my mother. Joy told me that I needed to focus on things I could control right now, like a job and a place to live, before I worried about the rest of my problems. Suddenly, it was like order had been given to all of my problems, where there had been chaos before." As Sarah finished, she watched Chuck's eyes and saw that he hadn't quite gotten there yet, so she gave him a loving smile and reached for his hands, giving both of them a comforting squeeze.

Almost paradise
How could we ask for more?

"Don't focus on what you cannot control; you and I have no control over what Beckman does with us, so stop thinking about it and focus on what you can control. Focus on loving me, focus on being here, with me, in this moment, for as long as we've got." She saw Chuck's eyes grow large in recognition, she simply nodded to him, she knew he'd get it eventually.

"Whatever is going to happen with Beckman is going to happen, so why worry about it?" Chuck asked himself quietly, like he was going over that thought in his brain.

"Come to bed, my love; hold me close and forget all about the future," Sarah said lovingly, as she pulled Chuck towards the bed. As she got comfortable under the bedsheet, she watched her husband slip the tuxedo pants off of his deceptively athletic legs, before he joined her under the sheets. After they were both in bed, Chuck pulled the comforter and other blankets up and over the two of them comfortably. Chuck was lying on his back quietly, while Sarah was presently snuggled into her favorite position. After several long moments of comfortable silence, Chuck spoke in a whisper.

"Sarah, are you asleep?" there was a short silence before Sarah murmured back.

"No, I'm here," she sounded half asleep, and now Chuck felt bad, but he had to say this.

"I'm sorry for waking you again, I just needed to say… thank you," Chuck said honestly. He felt Sarah smile into his chest.

"No problem, Sweetie," she said sleepily.

"I love you, Sarah," Chuck said, before he gave her a soft kiss on the top of the head. Sarah hummed in satisfaction and mumbled tiredly to Chuck.

"Love you," Sarah was asleep almost before she finished her sentence; Chuck simply smiled a small, content smile, and closed his eyes to sleep.

I swear that I can see forever in your eyes

Though his marriage was only one day old, it felt like he'd know her his entire life, she was the missing piece that made him whole. With that thought in mind, Chuck fell asleep as a whole person for the first time in his entire life; it felt wonderful.

Paradise

CHARMING'S AUTHOR'S NOTE #3: I cannot begin to describe how much fun I had writing this chapter and how necessary this chapter felt. I hope this chapter was the emotional payoff that I intended it to be; after the journey these two have been on, I felt that it was time for a moment of bliss and joy and fun. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much I did, because chapter nine is going to be more of this, before everything comes to a head on the final chapter in chapter ten! Stay tuned for that, but don't expect another update in the next two weeks, i'm going on vacation for two weeks so I won't be writing more than likely.

CHARMING'S AUTHOR'S NOTE #4: So, what'd you think? Let me know by leaving a review and sharing your thoughts.

UNTIL NEXT TIME :D