I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.
There were several times in the show when Chuck and Sarah considered running. The first was in Colonel, but they also considered it in Pink Slip, American Heroes, and Honeymooners.
The thing is they never really discussed what running would mean. The government was never going to just allow the Intersect to walk away. How could they ever see Ellie or Morgan again? How would they live? What would they do for money? Did Agent Walker really allow them to get caught in Colonel because Chuck used his cell phone?
I think the show maybe missed a good opportunity. Let them run for an arc, maybe even a season. Show desperate life on the run with the CIA in hot pursuit. It could have been very romantic. Maybe Sarah gets that job waiting tables at Applebee's. Maybe they use the Intersect and take some of Beckman's slush fund. They almost certainly would run into bad guys for Chuck to flash on. What would they do? Would they fight as closet spies?
The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything.
The Honeymooners
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Chuck watched as Sarah placed the tray of food on the table. "Did you really answer the door dressed like that?" he asked. The… well, you'd probably call it a nightgown wasn't quite as invisible as the blue teddy last night. But it was probably a distinction without a difference. The way the top clung to her soft curves left little of her figure to the imagination and was maybe even sexier. "I sure hope the porter didn't expect a tip."
Sarah was laughing as she sat at the table. "Why don't you come and eat your breakfast while you still have a chance?" she teased. "I keep telling you this. Agent Walker has been trained to not worry about men seeing her without many clothes. It's one of those things that are probably going to carry over to Sarah Bartowski. I'm not necessarily trying to flash strange men, I really just don't think about it. The last thing I would want would be for my lack of modesty to cause problems for us. So if it ever bothers you, you're going to have to remind me."
Chuck sat at the table next to her. "Maybe this is something that is going to get me in trouble someday," he said. "But I kinda like it. Why have an original Rembrandt that nobody gets to see? It reflects well on me. Anyone who could share such a small cabin with a babe this hot must have something going for him, right? It'd be almost impossible not to touch in some way."
That got them laughing. Both were pretty hungry, so for a long moment they just sat silently eating their eggs benedict. "So where does this train go anyway?" Chuck finally asked.
Sarah was still giggling. "Does it really matter?" she asked. "I think somewhere in the Swiss Alps. Wherever it goes, you're unlikely to see any of it unless you peak out the window. As long as the porter is assuming it anyway, I intend on keeping you fully occupied. You had your turn last night. By the way, you were an absolute pig. I'm very proud of you. And here I thought you'd be shy about this sort of thing. Your demands were most impressive. It takes a lot to get me to blush. I didn't think you had that in you. I'll have to remember that the next time I offer to become your sex toy."
"You said that you owed me something," Chuck said. "I have no idea what that could be… but what moron would turn down the chance to collect on that debt?"
"I didn't say that I owed you something," Sarah corrected. "I said that Agent Walker did. Giles got something from her that you never did. That is beyond unacceptable. I've treated you so horribly. Sweetie, you've been so great at not holding what you saw against me. I know now that I couldn't do it. So the least that Agent Walker could do was to spend her last sex act making that up to you. Consider the debt paid in full."
"Paid in full?" Chuck teased. "Wait a minute. You were with Giles for weeks. I get one night?"
That got Sarah laughing again. "I'm afraid so," she said. "He might have gotten more quantity. You'll have to settle for quality."
"Can we talk about this?" Chuck teased. "Hopefully we can negotiate."
Sarah stopped laughing. "Not about that," she said. "I had an epiphany last night. I'm asking far, far too much of you. I've been asking things of you that I would have no hope of doing. That has to stop. So here is my promise. Unless you insist, Agent Walker is never going to have sex again. I'm afraid that you're now stuck with Sarah. Luckily for you, there will be little need to negotiate for more sex role playing with Sarah. She is actually looking forward to it more than Agent Walker was. She can't wait for the first playtime when she assumes the role of your toy. Play your cards right and that could turn into a semi-regular thing. I'm thinking with a little bit of planning, we can break out some toys and you could push the envelope even a little further."
Chuck looked at her. Sure, she had just been laughing, but she was also deadly serious. "Are we running?" he asked. "Aren't we currently AWOL?"
Sarah slid over to sit on his lap. "That's exactly what we have to decide," she said. "You get an honest vote. In fact, the real truth is that you get to make this decision. I'm just going to tell you where I'm at. We're not currently AWOL. Hannah is on her way back home. Carina is covering for us. But we have a day… two tops before we will have to make a decision."
"Okay," Chuck said. "Talk to me. Where are you?"
Sarah immediately got serious. "This is the time for complete honesty," she said. "My instinct is to keep my feelings bottled up. Your instinct is to tell me what you think I want to hear. That usually works out for us… but it doesn't help us here. It'll lead us to bad decisions that we'll be stuck with. So I'm going to work really hard at opening up to you. You have to work really hard at telling me the truth. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Chuck said. "In my defense, what you want to hear is always going to be a huge factor in what I truly want."
Sarah was now blinking tears from her eyes. "Here's the deal," she said. "I get that you feel called to be a spy. There are a couple of things I fear, but that's mostly a very good thing. I'm proud of you. The last thing I would want is to get in your way on that. But… Chuck… please don't make me go back to the way things were in Prague. I can't do that."
Chuck put his arm around her and pulled her close. "That really messed you up," he said. "I feel horrible."
Sarah snuggled comfortably into his neck. "I'm not trying to make you feel horrible," she said. "Yes, it messed me up… more than understood… more than I ever thought possible. Some of that is still there. You shouldn't feel horrible. You had valid reasons for what you did that I just misunderstood. All I'm saying is that things are different for me now. Don't get me wrong. I've loved you for a long, long time. I absolutely have. Nothing has really changed. I'm just now learning how intense the feeling is. Now that I understand how wonderful this is, I'm panicked at the thought of losing it. I get that we agreed to set aside our agent lives from our personal ones. I'm really struggling with that. I've never thought of myself as clingy before. I'm a little embarrassed. But the truth is, seeing you all charming with her last night was tough. Knowing that you were watching Shaw kissing my neck and feeling me up was tough. Seeing the 'jump me' look on her face all night was even tougher. I get that we're proud to be spies. I still think that's a noble thing. It's just going to be very hard watching you sleep with other women. Okay, call me a hypocrite. I get that."
Chuck just held her for a long moment. "Listen to me very closely," he said. "There is no need to panic. I can't go back to the way things were either. Your happiness is my top priority… over being a spy… over anything… no close second. I don't think you're a hypocrite. Not even close. It would bother me to see you have sex with another man. Maybe I was trying to put a positive spin on it, but I never said that seeing that tape of you and Giles didn't bother me at some level. Something would be seriously wrong if it didn't bother me. I just said that I was willing to set it aside as part of the price we'd have to pay to be together. If we're no longer willing to pay that price, I'm more than fine with that. But the reason we're doing this in the first place is that Beckman was going to charge you with treason. What's changed?"
"That's not the only reason," Sarah protested. "You don't think I'll be happy if I'm not a spy, remember?"
"Okay," Chuck admitted. "Let's deal with that. I've known you for a while now. You are all about the next mission. Are you sure you can be happy when there is no next mission?"
"I'm sure," Sarah said. "Yes, when we first met, you were exactly right. It hasn't been true for a while now. The truth is I'm tired. I've given them everything I have. I don't have much left. So we can deal with that pretty simply. You're just wrong… dead wrong. You were wrong in Prague and you're wrong now. Please stop thinking that. But the answer to your previous question is Shaw. He's what changed."
Sarah saw his look. "Please count to ten," she quickly said. "Shaw hasn't done anything unprofessional. I would tell you if he had. He knows that he doesn't have to. He can keep you on assignment romancing Hannah Watkins for weeks… months if he wanted."
"She doesn't know anything," Chuck protested. "This is a waste of time."
"I know," Sarah said. "Shaw knows it too. But he is well within his rights to assign you to make sure. Maybe Roberts will contact her. But the real reason is that Shaw thinks I owe him something. He is punishing me, wants me to pay off."
Chuck pounded the table. "That sonofabitch," he shouted. "He told you that if you would sleep with him that he'd end the assignment?"
Sarah shook her head. "He'd never say that," she corrected. "Please calm down. Shaw is a dick, but he's not stupid. He understands the rules perfectly. He knows that if he ever went on record trying to coerce a subordinate into sex that I'd have him in front of an ethics disciplinary panel faster than he could blink. He doesn't have to do anything like that. He's holding all the cards. He's just going to wait until I come crawling to him."
Chuck looked at her and sighed. "So you go to him and offer him sex," he said. "Suddenly he decides that this assignment is a dead end and we move on?"
"You've got it about right," Sarah admitted. "Just that it would be more than just sex. He wants me to crawl… figuratively and literally. Carina thinks one night would do it. Shaw would accept my groveling, save face, and move on."
"Maybe," Chuck said. "Or he decides he likes having a sex slave and comes up with another assignment in a couple of months… and another… and another."
Sarah nodded. "It's possible," she admitted. "I do think he's smart enough to know that he can't play that card more than once. We'll figure out a way to trap him. For all of its faults, the agency understands that female agents are vulnerable and tries to protect them when possible. They take any harassment very seriously. If we could prove any attempt at a quid pro quo, he'd be toast."
"What are you going to do?"
In spite of the tense situation that got a smile. "You don't get this, do you?" Sarah asked. "This is your decision. The way I see it, we have three choices. You can continue doing what you're doing and simply wait Shaw out. We can pay Shaw off and hope he's satisfied with my single night of surrender. Or we can run. All of those options have serious ramifications."
"I could kick his ass," Chuck said.
Sarah nodded. "You could," she said. "Easily. I'd love seeing it. But we'd win a small battle and lose the large war. If they lose confidence in their ability to control you…"
"I don't want you spending the night with Shaw," Chuck said. "It's not just the sex. Under the right circumstances, I could probably put that aside. I don't want that smug bastard to feel like he won something."
"Agreed," Sarah said. "It would be awful. The only way I would do it is if you asked me. Likewise, I don't want you spending the night with Hannah. It's not just the sex… it's everything. I don't want you to date her, to smile at her, much less have sex with her. I never thought that I'd be this possessive… but I am."
Chuck paused for a long moment. "Can I tell you something?" he asked. "I don't want you to feel jealous. I know what that feels like. I lived it constantly for two years. Here's the deal. If you really understood how strongly I feel about you, you would feel silly for being jealous. Yes, I'm jealous of Shaw. Guilty. But I feel silly. You've done nothing wrong."
At least that got Sarah smiling again. "That was nice," she said. "You're right. I do feel a little silly. You've also done nothing wrong here. But it's also not going to change anything. I don't really share very well. You're my guy and the rest of the world can just stay away. The good news is that, unlike Shaw, we have little to lose by me kicking her ass."
Chuck looked at her. She was smiling, but she was also deadly serious. "Please don't kick her ass," he said. "She hasn't done anything wrong."
Sarah shook her head. "She's ready to bear your children," she protested. "You could have easily sealed the deal last night. Bryce would be eating room service breakfast with her as we speak. You're just not experienced enough to read the 'jump me' signs she was flashing. For me, right now, that's a capital offense. An ass kicking would be getting off easy."
"I guess that just leaves one option," Chuck sighed.
"I agree," Sarah said. "But let's get everything on the table. Running means some things. Beckman isn't going to just let us walk away… not with you being the Intersect. We'll have committed treason. She has unlimited resources to hunt for us. So we're going to have to assume new identities and lay low. That means we're not going to be able to contact Ellie… at least for a while. That will be hard for us both. It means you're not going to get your big wedding. This is a lifelong decision. Is it what you really want?"
Chuck nodded. "I want you," he said. "I always have. If this is the only way, we'll make it work."
Sarah's sigh of relief was plain. "Agreed," she said. "As long as we're together."
"What about money?" Chuck asked. "How will we live? We're really not going to work at Taco Bell, are we?"
"I have some money put away," Sarah said. "I planned on this happening in Prague, remember? I have new identities prepared for us both. By the way, our new identities are married."
Chuck grinned. "I guess that makes this our honeymoon," he said. "Welcome to the family, Mrs. Bartowski."
Sarah grinned back. "I'm afraid it's not Bartowski," she said. "We're Chuck and Sarah Conner. Welcome to the family, Mr. Conner."
"They're going to be looking for us," Chuck said. "How much money do you have? Can we stay ahead of them?"
"We're going to have to be very careful for the first couple of months," Sarah said. "It's probably best if we stay out of the country for a while. I'm thinking someplace in the Caribbean. There are tons of small islands where money can buy privacy. We'll lie on the beach drinking rum until the CIA's scent grows cold. I have to tell you something. Making love in the surf has always been a fantasy of mine. I expect you to make that come true for me… multiple times. I'll make a fantasy or two come true for you in return."
"You so have a deal," Chuck said. "I'm thinking that not many clothes are going to be worn, but other than that, this sounds expensive. How long will our money last?"
"We have assets," Sarah said. "You're the most powerful man in the world. Men are still going to want to try and look down my shirt. As long as those things are true, we might as well take advantage. Tons of drug deals go down in that part of the world. Millions of dollars in untraceable cash belonging to some not very nice guys is just sitting there for the taking."
Chuck grinned. "Now I get why you won't be bored," he said. "You would enjoy taking Giles's money."
Sarah's smile turned upside down. "I'm not looking for the next mission," she insisted. "I won't be bored either way. It's got nothing to do with that. Giles is dead but there are plenty others like him. You have to admit. We'd be doing a good deed and become fabulously rich at the same time. Once the heat is off, I'm very content to find a house in some quiet suburb someplace and start our family. I'm not sure what it's going to take to get you to believe that."
"I believe it," Chuck said. "I was teasing. I'm sorry if you think I'm questioning you. So doesn't playing Robin Hood with the drug cartels need some intel? I'm not crazy about being on the inside of that culture. We just touched that hot stove."
"Nothing like that," Sarah said. "We're not looking for evidence to put anyone in prison. We're retired from that. We're just going to hit some deals going down, take the money, and destroy the drugs. With the Intersect, that will be like taking candy from a baby."
"Understand something," Chuck said. "I get that we're underground fighting for our freedom. I really don't mind taking money from drug runners. Although technically illegal, it seems like the right thing to do. Taking candy from a baby? That's where I draw the line."
And there it was. Today's reminder. He could always make her laugh. "Duly noted," Sarah said. "A few million and we're set for life. Carina will feed us the DEA Intel. She'll still be on the inside. There are tons of deals that they know about, yet can't do anything because they happen outside the country. It's very frustrating for them. So, in a way, we're doing them a big favor. Suddenly, you and I are free from those sorts of rules. That's something I won't miss."
"Won't she be committing treason?" Chuck asked.
That got Sarah grinning again. "Of course," she said. "We have established off the grid ways to communicate. This is all pretty much her idea. She knows exactly what to do and not do. She'll never get caught. In case you hadn't noticed, she will do almost anything for me. Rules don't bother her much. Of course her first choice was for me to go pay Shaw's price last night and just never tell you about it. Nobody's perfect."
"She's a good friend," Chuck admitted. "I've underestimated her."
"So," Sarah said. "Now that we've got that settled, I'm thinking it's time for some serious honeymoon action. We're being cheated out of so many things. The things we do get, we're going to have to seize firmly with both hands."
"I agree," Chuck teased. "I've actually never been on a honeymoon before. I'm not sure what to do."
Sarah planted a quick kiss, handed him the hem of her nightgown, and raised her arms in the air in a clear signal.
"I'd suggest that you seize this firmly with both hands… and figure it out."
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