A/N: Thanks to those of you that left reviews, PMs, favorites and follows for this. I appreciate them all.
Thanks to Captainrick944 for the beta. He did this while away from home, far quicker than I had expected. If you haven't started reading his "Sarah Walker's Awakening" I recommend that you do.
This chapter is a rewrite of "Chuck Versus the Seduction," the second episode of Season 2, with a few bits before it.
Linked
Chapter 13: Seduction
General Beckman set up a video call with Casey and Sarah. Chuck was specifically not invited. That worried Sarah, thinking that the general had changed her mind about his status change and that he would still be regarded as an asset.
"We'll cope with it if that's the case, Sarah," Chuck told her before she headed over to Casey's apartment.
She loved his confidence. She gave him a kiss, which she had to pull back from before it became heated. Then, she headed out.
Casey was grumpy because he had hoped to sleep in. That amused Sarah. It seemed she wasn't the only one that hated early mornings.
The screen came on, and the diminutive general was sitting at her desk. "Thank you for joining me at what must be very early over there."
That surprised both of them. She was never like this.
"Agent Walker, I don't know if the major has told you, but I have agreed with the idea that Mr. Bartowski should be regarded as an Analyst from now on. A Field Analyst. His involvement will continue much as it did before, with him going out with you into the field as required."
Sarah felt enormous relief on hearing that. She wasn't sure whether she should say anything in response.
The general continued, "He will be employed by the NSA and will need to come to DC to go through the paperwork."
Sarah inwardly tensed on hearing this. She didn't want to be separated from Chuck.
"The major suggested you bring him over. It would match your cover, and his sister wouldn't question why you separated."
Sarah felt like kissing her partner for this. "That does sound appropriate, Ma'am."
"He will also need some analyst training, so you will be here for two weeks. I understand you have an apartment here and assume you will use that during your stay."
"Yes, that's right, General."
"Very well. A flight is booked for later today," Beckman told her. "We've already recorded his vacation in the Buy More system."
Casey chuckled. "Big Mike won't remember approving that, but we'll remind him."
Their flight to DC surprised Chuck, but he appreciated having her with him. They held hands all the time except when eating.
When Chuck fell asleep, Sarah started thinking about the state her DC apartment would be in. She had been there during her recertification and was pleased that it would be livable. She knew there would be nothing to show from her time with Bryce. She never kept mementos apart from photos on her phone. Even photos of Bryce and her were long gone. After she had found them last year, she had deleted them.
She'd need to pick up some groceries, but apart from that, everything that was needed was on this plane with them. She looked at her sleeping boyfriend. He was top of that list of things she needed, and she knew she was top of his, too. He meant more to her than anything and everyone else.
She closed her eyes to get some sleep.
"You lived here?" Chuck was looking at the nearly empty apartment.
"I stopped here on the occasions that I was in DC," she corrected him. "Lived here implied a more permanent residence."
"It's so sterile," he stated.
She grasped his hands and pulled him around to face her. "My life was sterile before I met you, Chuck. Even if neither of us downloaded anything back then, you were already turning my head."
He grinned. "Of course I did. I'm such a catch."
She held his gaze, but he could read it in her mind anyway. "You are, Chuck. And I've caught you."
He swept her up in his arms and kissed her. It started gently but soon became passionate.
It wasn't long after that they christened her bed. It was the first time any man had even been in her apartment and the first time she had had sex there except solo. Of course, even if she had brought another man to her bed, sex with her amazing boyfriend would have made her forget that had ever happened. As she felt him in her and her around him simultaneously, she cried out as they both climaxed.
As they lay together afterward, she teased him. "With sex like that, I'd want to keep you, even if I didn't love you."
He pulled her on top of him. "But you do love me, don't you?"
She kissed him. "With all my heart, Chuck."
"So, we meet in person for the first time." General Beckman was shorter than either of them imagined, but what she lacked in physical height was more than matched with her presence.
Not surprisingly, reading Beckman's memory wasn't possible. She had it under very tight control.
Sarah suspected that there was a lot that the woman didn't want to remember.
"It's good to see you, General. When the new Intersect was going to be activated, I was worried about what was going to happen to me," Chuck stated.
Sarah looked at him. They hadn't talked about this, but she could tell what he was trying to do. 'Good idea,' she thought at him.
He then added, "Now that seems irrelevant."
What he did worked. Beckman immediately thought about her going along with Graham's plan, and she felt so glad it had worked out as it did. "Indeed," was all she said.
She pushed some papers across her desk to him. "Take these and read them. It's the paperwork you need to read and sign to cover your new status." She seeming to want to avoid mentioning his previous status of asset. "It's your contract etc. When you've signed them and brought them back to me, you will officially be an NSA Analyst."
Neither of the others could read anything but honesty in Beckman's mind. She really seemed to want this to work.
"Just to let you know, General. I will be submitting paperwork, too," Sarah stated. "Declaring my relationship with Chuck."
Chuck gasped. They hadn't discussed this either.
Beckman chuckled. "The equivalent form for you to fill in is in that pack, Chuck." Two jaws facing her dropped. "What? You didn't think I was oblivious, did you?"
"How- how did you know?" Chuck stuttered out.
Beckman looked at him. "You are good at analyzing data and deducing problems, but you are no good at hiding anything. You've been an open book from the start." She looked at Sarah. "You were obviously harder, but even your near-perfect mask dropped occasionally with how you looked at him."
Sarah blushed. She felt like a failure. She didn't know what to say.
"It didn't stop you from being the best team, so I ignored it. Graham, on the other hand, saw it as another reason to dislike you, Chuck." She grinned. "You broke his best agent."
Sarah had to smile at that.
Beckman's face then took on a more serious look. "However, you have to make sure your relationship doesn't interfere with your work."
"It hasn't yet, Ma'am, and we have been an item for nearly a year now," Sarah replied.
That caused Beckman's left eyebrow to raise. "Impressive. I didn't know it was that long. You do cover yourselves well."
Chuck seemed ready to speak, and the thoughts swirling around in his head worried Sarah. 'Do not mention the termination order, Chuck.'
'Why?'
'Because we will have to explain how we know,' she replied. 'We can't do that to Casey.'
Beckman was watching them. "It's almost as if you are communicating when you tighten your grip on each other's hands."
Sarah hadn't realized they were doing that. Both let go at the same time.
Beckman shook her head. "Chuck, you are scheduled for ten days of analyst training, starting tomorrow, so hopefully, you can get that paperwork back to me by 8:30.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good. Now go and take the rest of the day to explore." She saw the two of them look at each other and rolled her eyes. "Explore the capital, not each other. I'm sure you do plenty of that anyway."
They both grinned at her, and she waved them out of her office.
They did explore the capital. Sarah hadn't done this in all the years she had been in the CIA. Why would she? Although she had been in a sort of relationship with Bryce Larkin, it wasn't that sort of a relationship.
Chuck surprised her as he seemed to know all the places they should visit.
They finished the day carrying a takeout back to the apartment. He read the paperwork after they finished eating. He filled in what he needed to. Sarah helped him where he wasn't sure of things, particularly the form about their relationship. That led to them making love for the first time that day, which continued into the night. They only stopped because they needed to rise early to see the general before he started his training.
After the two weeks in DC and Chuck successfully completing his training, the two caught a flight back to LA on the Friday night.
Sarah was pleased he was now a fully-fledged analyst, but she had been bored when he was in training.
She visited the CIA headquarters and met with Graham's replacement, but as she was permanently assigned to Beckman and the Bartowski assignment, he had little interest in her. That wasn't just his words. In his thoughts, she was of no use to him. At first, she had felt upset by that, but when she thought about it, it suited her. There would be no requests for her skills from the CIA. She could stay with Chuck without any worries about that.
She'd had a one-to-one meeting with General Beckman in the time there. She had decided to ask whether Chuck had been seen as a threat before.
xxx
Beckman sat back in her chair. "Why do you ask?"
"He would have been a civilian with all our secrets in his head, at least while it was still relevant. I had worried that he might have been seen as a threat to national security."
Beckman's mind filled with those thoughts and how Graham was insistent on killing Chuck in spite of all he had done for them. Beckman agreed that he was a threat but was not keen on such an approach. Bunkering, maybe, but not killing. She had gone along with it, though, and the guilt she felt over that was visible to Sarah.
Beckman looked down, then started speaking, "Graham wanted him dead. I didn't agree but didn't fight it as I should have," She looked up at Sarah. "Graham and I didn't like each other, but we did respect each other. However, I should have fought against that. I am so sorry, Sarah. I'm also so glad it didn't come to that."
Beckman seemed to let thoughts seep into her mind from behind her barrier. Sarah was happy with this and was now reading the woman's mind as much as listening to her. The remorse was definitely there, as was the relief. She sat in silence for at least a minute. "Thank you for sharing that with me, General."
xxx
Sarah had told Chuck about the meeting that night. It was reassuring for the future, as well as informative.
Now they were on the flight back across the country, and Sarah could enjoy being with her boyfriend more.
She had no idea what missions would come up. She expected more clashes with Fulcrum, and she welcomed that.
She rested her head on Chuck's shoulder, just feeling like their life was really starting now. They had recorded their relationship with both agencies. They planned to find an apartment of their own, hopefully in the same apartment block as Ellie, Devon and Casey. Life looked good.
When Chuck went back to work at the Buy More, after two weeks out, there were a few things to 'fix.' However, he straightened them out fairly quickly with his direct reports, as there was a lot less wrong than the last time he was away.
After a couple of hours, Sarah showed up in the store.
As always happened, Chuck froze when he saw her. It seemed ridiculous. They had slept together, naked. They had dressed together, eaten breakfast, and she'd driven them in. The last two had been in this same attire, but it still took his breath away.
She smiled and walked up to him. Her thoughts conveyed amusement but also that she was pleased with how she affected him. As she got closer, she added, 'Close your mouth, Chuck. It's not befitting for an Assistant Manager to look like that.'
He did get his mouth under control by the time she reached him. She didn't need to get so close, but she wanted to kiss him.
As she pulled away, she said, "We have a new mission."
He was surprised. They'd had so little for ages. "We've only just got back!"
"Come over to Castle. Beckman's got the details."
She turned around and walked out. He watched her ass all the way. 'You used to be so respectful!' she teased.
'I've always respected you ass, Sarah!'
She had to control herself to not laugh at that.
Beckman started quickly. "Colt fed us a Trojan horse that blew up the Intersect. The real Cipher is still out there. Our intel tells us it may be in the possession of the former KGB operative, Sasha Banacheck." Her image appeared on the screen. Sarah looked down, and Chuck flashed on the woman. "We believe she's in town to sell it."
Casey frowned. "If we think she's got it, why don't we grab her and find out?"
"Sasha Banacheck was in a Bulgarian prison for seven years. They got nothing out of her." The images were disturbing, but so were the ones now in Chuck and Sarah's heads.
"The good news is one agent was able to get close. He's the reason she went away, and he knows more about her than anyone alive. That agent is Roan Montgomery."
"Crap," Casey muttered. "The guy hates me. He was my supervisor in operative training. Flunked me twice." Sarah and Chuck read his mind. She struggled to hide her smirk.
Beckman continued, "Well, he's off the grid now. Use the Intersect to find Agent Montgomery."
"All right," Casey replied.
Beckman obviously noticed Chuck's frown at her words. "You are a Field Analyst, Mr. Bartowski," she reminded him. "That means you go out into the field."
He knew that, but was actually reacting to her seeming to call him 'the Intersect' which he realized was wrong. He still didn't relish "going out in the field, though."
"Casey and I will still protect you like we always do, Chuck," Sarah said.
"You're just getting paid while being shot at now," Casey added.
Sarah glared at her partner. "Just look at his file and see if you flash, Chuck," she said. "The Cypher needs to be retrieved, and then we can move on."
It was strange that he didn't flash on Roan's name, but he did when he saw the photo. "Okay. Uh, the guy lives in Palm Springs." He paused and looked at the two agents. "And he has a lot of lady friends."
Sarah noticed the frown on Beckman's face as she leaned forward and ended the call. 'Looks like the stories are true,' she thought.
Much as he had moaned, Chuck wasn't separating from his girlfriend and went with her and Casey.
They arrived in Palm Springs at the address had found, using his analytical skills rather than his hacker ones or the Intersect.
As they walked toward the building, Chuck asked, "So, what's the deal with this Roan guy?"
He already knew, as Sarah had shared with him on the way, but he still needed to keep up the pretense of ignorance for Casey.
Sarah answered, "He's a legend in the department. Incredible spy. Real old-school James Bond type."
"Overrated if you ask me," Casey muttered.
She already knew but couldn't help prodding the NSA agent. "What was the class that you failed?"
"Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel," Casey replied.
She grinned. "Yeah, in the Academy, we call it Seduction School."
Casey snarled. "Yeah, like I need a class." They all saw the door ajar and Casey slipped out his gun and said, "Wait. Someone's already been here."
Sarah pulled hers out, too, as they entered. "Yeah, and they tossed the place," she commented as they looked at the mess.
As they walked further into the room, both Sarah and Chuck detected a sleeping person in the next room. They walked in and found a man under the table. It was Roan.
Then, Chuck sensed another person beyond a door at the side. He didn't have to say anything because they heard a toilet flush and a woman call out, "Sugar, I got a flight to catch."
A fully dressed, thankfully, flight attendant walked out of the bathroom to face two guns pointing at her.
Chuck was amused. If he had thought the Cypher was needed to enable him to lose the Intersect from his head, he would be feeling pretty pissed off right now. The drunken, snoring Roan Montgomery did not inspire confidence. He certainly was, as Beckman mentioned, off the grid now.
The two agents were facing the monitor with the general on it.
"The mission is the Cipher," Beckman stated. "The brains of the Intersect, the most important piece."
"If Sasha Banacheck has the Cipher, we got 24 hours max before she unloads it," Casey grumbled.
"What's wrong? Did you find Agent Montgomery?" Beckman asked.
Sarah replied. "We did. It's just... he's having a bit of trouble remaining... upright."
Casey spelled it out, "if we want Sasha Banacheck, it's up to us. I suggest going old-school. Torture it out of her."
"Torture will never work," Roan said as he walked down the stairs.
Sarah could tell he'd already had several drinks. She didn't need to read his mind for that. The alcohol smell that preceded him was enough.
"Hello, Diane," Roan said when he saw her.
"Hello, Roan," she replied with a flick of her hair. The two agents looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Shocked at Diane Beckman letting her hair down even a bit.
"The only way to get Sasha Banacheck is to seduce her," Roan said.
Casey thought that meant him. "Well, duty calls."
Roan corrected him. "Not you, Agent Frankenstein. She'll peg you as CIA or NSA in an instant. We need somebody innocuous. Someone with whom she can let her guard down. Essentially, the last person in the world she'd ever suspect of being an agent."
Sarah had read it in his mind before he said it. She hated Chuck's job title at that moment. "Field Analyst" forced out into the field. She groaned silently. Beckman looked at her and nodded. This was exactly what had concerned the general about their relationship.
Chuck looked at Sarah when he walked into Casey's apartment. 'Brace yourself, Chuck. You're not going to like this.'
She had to act as if he knew nothing, so she walked up to him and said, "So, your date tonight will be with Sasha Banacheck."
He had read this in her mind already, but it still surprised him. "Um, I'm sorry. What? You mean previously tortured in a Bulgarian prison Sasha Banacheck?"
She had to reassure him. "Don't worry. Casey and I will be there for cover. Just approach her at the bar, get her to invite you up, and see if you flash on anything in her room." She hated that he had to do this, but was trying to suppress those thoughts.
"One small problem. Why is she gonna choose me?" Chuck asked a perfectly valid question.
"Because you're not going to be you," Roan said as he walked into the room. "You're going to be me. I'll teach you everything you need to know." He walked around them, holding a glass. "First, the proper way to drink a martini. Hold it by the stem. Slowly tilt back." Both of them knew this was really just an excuse for Roan to drink another martini. "A moment to learn, a lifetime to perfect. Let's get to work."
Roan started to mix a new martini. The other two sat at the bar. "I need to see what I'm dealing with. Assume your partner is the mark. How would you seduce her?"
'He doesn't know about us, Chuck. Play along with that in mind.'
Chuck looked at Roan. He was feeling embarrassed doing this in front of the guy. He turned back to his gorgeous girlfriend. "I would probably start with the bedroom eyes. Then come in at you like this." He moved toward her. She just wanted to grab him and kiss him. "And then I'd start firing the guns at you, you know." He 'fired' his fingers at her.
Sarah giggled at his antics.
Roan glared at her. "Hey, don't encourage him! This isn't happy hour at Chili's. This is Sasha Banacheck."
Chuck sobered up. "I don't know, I-I would probably be myself, and I'd try and make her laugh a little bit, find a common cultural interest, like music."
Roan looked at him like he was a complete idiot. "Be yourself?" He pointed at Sarah. "You think a woman like this could ever fall for a guy like you?"
'God, yes!' Sarah thought.
'Not helping!' Chuck thought back. He looked at Roan briefly. "I don't know. Barring any national security emergency, I think I might have a shot."
Roan shook his head. "Be reasonable. This is a gorgeous, sophisticated woman, and you're..."
Sarah was getting pretty pissed off with Chuck being treated like this and interrupted. "Passionate and sweet and caring."
Roan rolled his eyes. "Really? Tall, dark, and caring. What a combo!"
Sarah glared at him. "I didn't mean it like that. He has a lot to offer."
"Fine. Let me see this caged passion." Roan looked at her. "Kiss him."
"Excuse me?" Sarah asked. "I thought this was about him seducing me."
"I don't think he can," Roan replied. "Okay, you kiss her," he said to Chuck.
'Imagine he's not watching, Chuck.'
Chuck leaned over, grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her to him. He opened his mouth, as did she.
The kiss was one of Chuck's best, and she started moaning into it.
When they separated, she was breathless and felt like she just wanted to drag him to bed.
"Bravo," Roan said.
"I better fix my lipstick. Excuse me." Sarah rushed out. It wasn't her lipstick that needed fixing, though. She needed to splash some cold water over her face. 'God! That was hot, Chuck!'
Roan looked at Chuck differently. "Something tells me that wasn't the first time that's happened."
Chuck couldn't hold up the pretense any longer. "We've been together for over a year. We fell for each other from the start."
"Well done, my boy. Well done."
That evening, after Sarah had made mad passionate love to her nerd, the two of them were back at Casey's apartment. Casey had just gone to sort out the weapons the agents needed.
Chuck was dressed like Roan and now had an earwig in place.
Sarah couldn't resist straightening his tie as she said, "Tonight will be fine. I wouldn't take Roan's advice too seriously. Just be yourself."
"I doubt Chuck Bartowski's gonna be charming anyone."
She stood back and held his gaze. "Why not? Worked on me."
He smiled at that. 'You're only interested in me for my mind.'
'And the sex,' she replied, then added, 'But that's not for Banacheck.' She was very serious as she thought that.
"We need to talk about protection," Roan said as he walked in.
Chuck could read what the agent meant. "I don't think it's gonna get that far, Roan."
"I mean a gun. Why do you think she's known as the Black Widow?"
Chuck replied, "She's African-American, and her husband died."
"No. Because she kills all her mates," Roan said with finality.
Chuck looked at Sarah in panic.
"We'll be there," she reminded him.
He was just about to walk into the bar.
"Don't be nervous, Chuck. We'll be watching your every move," Sarah told him through his earwig.
"Now, Charles, I'm gonna walk you through the world-famous four-pronged Montgomery attack. First, work the room." Chuck walked in and scanned the room. Casey was behind the bar and nodded to where Banacheck sat.
"When you enter a room, every eye should be upon you," Roan continued. "You could leave the bar with any woman you desire. But you have chosen her."
Chuck dodged a waiter, and sauntered further in.
Sarah knew he would be nervous as hell, so she said, "You're doing great, Chuck."
"Next, she'll need to be well lubricated. Ice-cold dirty martini, three olives."
Chuck saw her look at him briefly, so he walked over to her. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" She said nothing. "I'll take that as a no." He sat. "Charles Carmichael. And you are?"
"Bored," she replied.
Chuck didn't let that put him off. "Well, maybe I can change that. Garçon!" He called the waiter over.
"Yes, sir?"
"Two ice-cold dirty martinis, three olives. Thank you."
"That's very nice. But I no longer drink," she told Chuck.
Roan was shocked. He muttered to Sarah in the van. "Doesn't drink? That's absurd. How is this boy supposed to seduce her without alcohol?"
She glared at him. "Don't worry, Chuck. It'll be fine."
Chuck tried to be smooth. "I should probably cut back, too. Lots of calories in those martinis."
Banacheck stood up. "Enjoy your martinis, Mr. Carmichael."
Chuck hadn't expected to fail so quickly. Sarah tried to reassure him. "It's okay, Chuck. Don't get discouraged."
Roan added, "That was just round one. Remember, you're calm, confident, charming."
Chuck muttered. "Yeah, apparently not. She left after 12 seconds."
"You're still alive, aren't you? That's a victory." Roan's words didn't give Chuck a warm feeling.
"Okay, Chuck, here we go," Roan said. "A woman wants a man to take control. Even though she won't say it, she wants to be rescued."
Sarah knew that was bullshit. "Actually, that's not true, Chuck. Some women prefer a man who can take a backseat."
Chuck knew she was talking about their own relationship.
Roan turned to her. "I'm not talking about you, my dear. I'm talking about the Black Widow."
"So am I. Maybe he doesn't need to try and pretend to be someone else. I promise you, Chuck Bartowski, on his own, can seduce this woman."
Chuck loved the way she talked about him, but now wasn't the time for it. "I appreciate all of that, but I just need to concentrate."
Sarah realized he was trying harder to read the woman's mind, which was obviously not proving to be easy, so she said to Roan, "Let him think."
Chuck had indeed decided to use his special abilities to crack this. He probed into Banacheck's mind, searching for the Cypher.
It wasn't at the forefront of her mind, which wasn't surprising. She had, like the agents he knew, thoughts masked from others. She defended those thoughts with a barrier, even under torture. This pissed Chuck off, so he pushed against that barrier.
Suddenly, he found himself within her mind. That itself didn't help him, but he found he could use the Intersect capability to scan for what he was looking for. "She has the Cypher at the end of a necklace that she rarely takes off."
"Can you get it?" Roan asked.
"No, she's not wearing it at the moment. It's in her handbag. Maybe Sarah and Casey could grab her for it," Chuck replied. "But she also has a pretty scary blade in that bag."
"I'm going in," Sarah told Roan and rushed out of the van.
"She has two scary guards," Chuck mentioned to them.
"Not for long," Casey said. "I've just laced their drinks."
Chuck looked over to see the two guys slump onto the bar.
Sarah walked in. 'Go and start talking to her, Chuck.'
He walked to Banacheck to do just that.
Sarah approached.
'Be careful of that blade, Sarah,' Chuck told her.
'I know blades, Chuck. They're my specialty,' Sarah replied.
'Oh, I know,' he replied.
"Are you cheating on me?" Sarah demanded as she reached them.
Banacheck looked around at her and dismissed her. "Piss off, Blondie!"
Sarah pushed a gun into the woman's side. "I don't think so. You're coming with us."
Banacheck looked over at her men. On seeing them out of action, she reached for her handbag to grab her knife, but it wasn't there. Sarah had already swiped the bag. "Sorry, that's mine now."
Banacheck tried to grab it back, but Sarah threw it over to Casey and pushed the gun deeper into the woman's side. Enough that she gasped. "You have a choice," Sarah hissed into her ear. "You can walk out of here, or we could use a body bag."
Chuck sensed a third man creeping up on the two of them. Casey was distracted, and Sarah was handling Banacheck. He realized it was up to him to deal with the threat. He remembered Sarah pushing thoughts into his head, so Chuck tried it with this man. 'Throw the gun to the guy by Banacheck and drop to your knees!' He repeatedly threw that thought at the man.
The man shook his head, probably trying to get the thought out of his head, then suddenly did exactly as Chuck commanded.
Chuck caught the gun and rushed to the man, pointing the gun at his head. "Don't move an inch," he said and then reinforced that with a mental command.
Casey had tied the other two men up when he finally looked over. His jaw almost dropped when he saw what Chuck was doing. He rushed over and zip-tied the man.
Chuck looked over at his girlfriend, who was grinning at him. 'Nice!' she thought at him.
'Just you wait until we go to bed. I have the ability to tell people what to do.'
That sent a shiver down her spine. 'I can't wait!'
"Tell me about it, Chuck. I want to hear you say it, not just think it."
Chuck and Sarah had only just gone to bed. He looked at her. "I didn't want to go through with the seduction."
She grinned. "Really?"
He chuckled. "You know I could only do it with you."
"When you say 'it,' do you mean seduction or sex?" She was loving this.
"Definitely sex, but maybe the seduction too," he honestly replied.
She looked at him seriously. "I disagree. I think you could have seduced her if Roan hadn't been trying to get you to do it his way."
"Thanks for believing me," he said and leaned over to kiss her.
"So?" she asked.
"So, I managed to force my way into the parts of her brain she hid away from everyone."
She had sensed that. "Does that mean you could do that to me?"
He sensed her nervousness. "Are you hiding things from me?"
That wasn't her fear. She grasped his hands and pulled them to her chest. It would have had more impact if she had clothes on. As it was, he was distracted by her breasts pressing into the backs of his hands.
She pulled his hands away slightly, smiling at his reaction. "I have things buried that I don't want to face, Chuck. If you go there, I'll have to."
He took his hands away and held her head. "I would never pry, Sarah. If there's things I need to know, I'm sure you'll tell me."
She launched herself at him. "I love you, Chuck," she said before kissing him hard.
When they breathlessly separated, she said, "I want to tell you about my Mom, but not tonight."
He smiled at her. "Do you want me to tell you about the other thing I did?"
She nodded.
"You managed to push happy thoughts into my head before. When I saw that neither you nor Casey would be able to stop that guy, I commanded him to throw his gun to me and drop to the floor."
She hadn't actually seen this. Her eyes lit up. "Do you think I could do that too?"
"I'm sure you could," he replied.
"Could you do it to me?"
He shrugged. "Probably, but I was joking about tonight."
"Try me!" she said.
He laughed. "I don't think there's anything I could demand of you in bed that you don't do willingly."
Nor did Sarah. She knew he wouldn't command her to do anything that would hurt or upset her. However, this was exciting her more than she would have expected. "I'll try to resist!"
He looked doubtfully at her. "Really?"
Her eyes were twinkling as she nodded.
"Okay. Lie on your back with your legs together?"
She did that immediately and looked expectantly at him.
'Open your legs!' he commanded.
He could tell that she tried to resist, but slowly they parted.
'Wide!' he added to the command.
She now had her legs spread wide.
'Play with yourself!' was his next command.
She looked shocked at him. She'd never done that in front of him. She found her hand sliding down her body to do it. She really tried to resist, but couldn't. She actually found it exciting to do it with him watching, particularly how he looked. She was soon gasping and then climaxed.
Chuck had been watching her all the time. He definitely enjoyed what he saw. "God, that was hot!"
Her embarrassment had gone now. "You know I'd do that if you asked."
He smiled. "I know, but this was a test, right?"
She nodded. "Watching you watching me do it was pretty hot for me, too."
He grinned. "So, you're my personal exhibitionist!"
She nodded. "And you're mine!" She didn't qualify that at all, and they both knew she didn't need to. The passionate lovemaking that followed confirmed it.
In spite of having Castle, the next morning, they had another video call in Casey's apartment.
"Excellent work, team. Thanks to your efforts, we have the Cipher."
"General, you should know that Chuck was invaluable on this mission," Casey said.
"He also disabled someone that neither of us had seen. He saved us," Sarah added.
Beckman looked at him. "Your country thanks you, Chuck. Hopefully, we can now rebuild the Intersect, and this nightmare can be over for you."
"At no risk to me?" Chuck asked.
She shook her head. "I don't sacrifice my analysts, Chuck."
She waited to see if any other questions came up. When they didn't, she said, "Have a nice day," and ended the call.
Roan Montgomery was finally leaving. He spoke briefly with Casey, who smiled at the end of it, then walked over to the fountain where Chuck and Sarah were standing.
"Adieu, Agent Walker," he said before kissing the back of her hand.
"It was a real pleasure, Agent Montgomery," she replied.
He then looked at Chuck. "You impressed me, Chuck. Out there in the field and for being what this fine, fine woman wants."
"She's what I want, too," Chuck replied, looking lovingly at Sarah, who looked at him just the same.
"Have a wonderful life, you two," Ran said. "And invite me to the wedding."
Both blushed, but it was noticeable that neither said that wouldn't happen.
Chuck wanted to talk to her about that.
'You know I'd say yes, don't you!' she thought.
'I thought you'd be the one asking,' he teased.
She grinned, and Roan thought that was a sign that wedding bells wouldn't be far away.
'He might be right,' Chuck thought.
Roan's phone rang, and he answered it after checking the caller. They only heard his side of the conversation, obviously. "Hello, Diane… Yeah, on my way to the airport. Should be at Dulles by the morning."
'He's off to be with Beckman!' Chuck thought.
'Please don't think about that,' Sarah replied.
That evening, the two of them decided to go out for a meal. As Sarah was about to drive past Maison 23, Chuck noticed someone heading in. "That's Bryce!"
Sarah quickly diverted the car and headed into the hotel parking.
"Do you want to see him?" she asked.
His insecurities around Bryce Larkin kicked in. She hated it but waited for his reply. "If you see him, I'm coming too."
She leaned over and kissed him. "You know he means nothing to me now. You're the only man for me."
"I know I'm being pathetic, but both our histories with him trigger my insecurities."
"You're the one who I'm having sex with tonight, Chuck," Sarah reminded him.
He smiled at that, feeling better. It wasn't just the sex, but the fact that he knew Sarah wanted him, rather than Bryce. They headed into the hotel.
Bryce was at reception. They both heard him. "What do you mean she's no longer here?"
"Because I moved out, Bryce."
He swiftly turned to them. It was noticeable that he completely ignored Chuck. "Sarah! Great to see you. Where are we staying?"
"You can stay in the gutter you crawled out of," she snapped. She didn't like his attitude toward either of them. She clasped her boyfriend's hand. "I'm with Chuck."
"You're staying with him?" Bryce asked incredulously.
Sarah wanted to kick his smug ass but just replied, "I have been for over a year. Chuck's my boyfriend."
Bryce scoffed. "Yeah, sure."
Chuck pushed the thought of him making love to Sarah into Bryce's head. Nothing graphic, but it was clear what was happening.
'Not helpful, Chuck!' Then she thought again. 'But fun!'
Bryce looked at them, unsure where that thought had come from. It felt real but also nightmarish.
Sarah leaned closer to him, so the receptionist wouldn't hear. "Yes! We make love most nights. Usually, several times a night. It's the best sex I have ever had."
Bryce couldn't cope with this and staggered out of the hotel.
"He's here for a mission, Sarah," Chuck said, having read Bryce's mind.
"Yeah, I know. Looks like we're going to have to put up with him until it's done."
That put a rather sour tone on the evening. Neither felt like eating out, so they got some takeout and headed home.
One thing that didn't change, though, was their nighttime activities. Both were desperate for the other to know how important they were. They made love into the early hours of the morning. And, like Sarah had said to Bryce, it was the best sex she had ever had.
A.N: So, Chuck is pushing his new abilities further. That will help them both. And Bryce is back. He didn't upset Chuck as he did in the show, though. He will obviously be with us for the next chapter.
How was this for you?