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

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 Agreement

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As soon as they were back in the room, Sarah led Chuck to the couch, basically pushed him to sit, and plopped down beside him. "I don't feel right about the way we're leaving this," she said softly. "Maybe you don't fully understand where I'm at. I really don't know how to be a spy without using my body. It's part of my spy instincts. I'm not sure that I can stop."

Chuck was already grinning. "I sense that discussion 1,001 on this topic is imminent," he teased.

Sarah didn't laugh. She just sided into him. "I'm sorry that I'm so needy about this," she sighed. "This isn't something normal couples ever have to discuss. If you had half a brain, you'd leave, find that normal girl who is out there someplace, and never look back."

Chuck was still grinning. "Probably," he agreed. "Here's my problem. I don't have half a brain. It's been eaten away… overwhelmed. I'm in love with a beautiful badass… one who is out of my league. She'll never be called normal… because she's not. She's extraordinary. Even better, this badass has a high octane sex drive. I love that we're not a normal couple. That would be boring. We live on the edge and I'm having a blast. So take a breath and tell me what's bothering you."

Sarah paused for a long moment. "I'm in love," she said. "Those are words I never thought would come out of my mouth… thoughts I never entertained even in my daydreams. And it's more than just with you. I'm in love with the idea of being in love with you. My life is completely different now and I love everything about it. I love laughing all day and making love all night. I love sitting here and snuggling with you. I love to sit at night and watch you sleep. I love the gentle way we make love. I also love the, not so gentle, games we play. You just said that I have a high octane sex drive. Believe me, you don't know the half of it. I'm actually holding back because I'm afraid of scaring you. I'm always… constantly on fire. But that is a very recent development for me. And it is only because of you. If you had said that to Bryce he would have laughed at you. The thing is, I'm not equipped to deal with those feelings. I really don't know how to act. All I do know is that we've hurt each other in the past. That was too hard. It simply can't happen again. I'm just not sure what might do it. There's a very good reason why spies shouldn't be in love. So I'm a little panicked that you are ever going to be surprised by something I do as a spy. I know that you've been jealous before. If we're going to be spies, I think we need to talk specifically about where our lines are."

Chuck nodded. "Okay," he said. "Where are our lines?"

Chuck was still trying to keep this light, and Sarah wasn't helping. "I think you know where my line is," she said. "I've always avoided the long term seduction assignments. Giles was my first actual sex on a mission. Now I understand why I've avoided those assignments. I suck at it, no pun intended. That didn't work out so well… for anybody. So I think I'll leave that activity to the other ladies who are better at it."

Chuck shook his head. "That's not our line," he said flatly. "You're not even close."

Sarah was clearly surprised. She just looked at him.

"Our line is that we're soul mates," Chuck continued. "Whatever we do as spies has to fit within that framework. If it ever doesn't… for either of us… it's gone. I like that we're doing good things for the world. I know that you've dedicated your life to that, and that makes me proud of you. But understand, you're the most important thing in the world to me. Being a spy isn't even on that same page. I assume that I'm the most important thing in the world to you."

"Of course," Sarah said, now honestly offended. "Me more than you. Me a lot more than you. Chuck, you seriously can't be questioning that."

"I'm not questioning that," Chuck protested. "It's not really a contest. I was just making a point. I'm never going to choose to do something for a mission over protecting you. I trust that you feel the same way. As long as that's true, we really don't have anything to worry about, do we?"

Sarah had maybe never needed to hear anything more in her life. She buried into him even closer. "No," she admitted. "Not really. If you knew me as well as you think you do, you'd know that most everything is a contest to me."

Chuck grinned. "And if you knew me as well as you think you do," he teased. "You'd know that you're not winning at all. I've just discovered that it's better for everyone if I allow you to think so."

And there it was. Today's reminder. No matter how down… or angry… or just plain scared she was… he could always make her laugh. "But as long as I'm winning," Sarah said. "I do want this on the record. I only know one way to be a spy. Sex was always off the table for me. But I'm a product of the CIA Seduction School. I've certainly allowed marks to think they were going to get sex… up to necking and sometimes even taking off clothes."

"I'm fine with that," Chuck said. "Can I tell you something without you judging me?"

At least the mood had changed. Sarah grinned at him for a long moment. "Probably not," she said. "But somehow I don't think that's going to stop you."

Chuck ignored her, not so subtle, shot. "Before we were together, I'd go crazy watching you with a mark," he teased. "You just said I was jealous. I don't think you understand how badly. They were getting something I wanted but couldn't ever have. I even resented you sometimes because you seemed to give what I wanted to other men so easily. That first time you spent the night, you showed up in a skimpy negligee and expected me to sleep in the same bed and not be able to touch you. You never seemed to understand what you were doing to me."

"I know," Sarah said. "What you just said is exactly what I fear. I didn't have a clue. Even that isn't the entire truth. I was on a mission. I didn't stop to think about you. I was a bitch. I still don't have a clue… but at least now, I know that I don't have a clue. So if I err, it's going to be on the conservative side."

"You didn't let me finish," Chuck said. "You weren't a bitch. I really wish you would stop saying that. You were doing your job. Now that I know we're always going to be together, it's different. I can make you doing your job a game. If anything, I actually think it's kinda hot. This isn't my proudest moment, but I love that I'm with the most beautiful woman in the world. I enjoy showing her off in her skimpy outfits… or even less. I might even ask for the occasional private re-enactment. If I thought you were being actually aroused, that'd be different. But you're not. You're playing them… getting them all hot and bothered, willing to do whatever you ask, and leaving them to burn. It's a major part of why we're effective. I get to laugh at them. And the best part is that I get to come along and help you work off your guilt. It seems too good to be true. So my main concern is that I don't want to see you degrade yourself like what happened with Giles or paying off Shaw. But up to the actual sex line, I'm perfectly content to allow you to decide how far to go."

Sarah still didn't laugh. "Thank you," she said. "That means a lot to me. It's good that you think it's hot. I hope that you know that you always get private re-enactments, or even semi-private ones, whenever you want. That's something I'm going to use regularly for your amusement. But it's not my only concern. Here's the deal. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't see you with a mark and think it was hot. Watching you being charming with that Hannah bitch was very hard for me. I still want to kick her ass. If I ever get the honest chance, it's going to happen. In fact, I don't think I'm prepared to see anything like that ever again without it seriously affecting me. Okay, call me a hypocrite. Tell me how unfair I'm being."

Chuck was still laughing. "I can live with that," he said. "I'm not good at that kind of thing anyway. I think we'll leave the flirting assignments to you. Please don't kick Hannah's ass. She isn't the bad guy here. If anyone, it's Shaw."

Sarah got up and sat on Chuck's lap, straddling him with one knee on each side. Since they were both wearing only the bare minimum of swimming suits, there was next to nothing separating them. She pressed her lips to his. "You're such a nice guy," she said between kisses. "You're a perfect husband. I'm horrible at telling you, but if you really knew how intensely I feel about you, you'd know that I'm winning big. It's more or less a rout. And that leads me to my second problem."

Chuck really couldn't ask what her other problem was. He found that she had his mouth full. Technically, he wasn't her husband yet, not that it really mattered. He wasn't in any position to concentrate on the problem anyway… almost no matter what it was. When Sarah wanted to, she could get an erection from a corpse… and she clearly currently wanted to. She was working it as hot and heavy as Chuck had ever seen… not that he was complaining. Quickly enough, the main problem was that she was wearing far too many clothes for where they were plainly heading. Fortunately, with her bikini top being held in place by only two slip knots, that was easily fixed. Unfortunately, the lack of blood flow to his brain caused Chuck to forget that they currently had a houseguest.

They had only been at their, hot and heavy, second base necking for a couple of minutes before Zondra walked in, still naked as a jaybird… if you didn't count the towel she was using to dry her hair. "Fuck," she said as she watched the couple for a long moment. "That is hot. Well done, Chuck. Maybe I've underestimated you. I didn't think that blondie here had anything like that in her."

Poor Chuck didn't know what to do. Both of his hands were in their normal position when they were necking… currently affixed to Sarah's chest, one on each breast. Normally that's something he wouldn't ever do in front of an audience. Then again, he wanted to respect Sarah's wishes. She had been traipsing around the cay for the past month pretty much perpetually naked. She was currently wearing her bikini only because she didn't want to be naked in front of her ex-roommate. Dropping his hands would provide exactly the huge eyeful she had been claiming to try and avoid. Sarah had plainly already figured out his conflict and was doing absolutely nothing to help his decision. In fact, she sat back a little and grinned at him, obviously enjoying his discomfort. "Right on cue," she said… and waited for his choice.

Finally Sarah stood up and faced her friend. "You wanted to check out his package," she said, fighting to keep a straight face. "Well, here you go. Trade places with me. It's all primed and ready to go."

Zondra nodded. "I can see it from here," she said. "Most impressive. It looks like those trunks are about ready to explode." Then she frowned. "I thought that we had an understanding about this," she said sadly as she indicated Sarah's bare chest with a nod. "I would refrain from groping you, and you wouldn't tease me like this."

So now Sarah's battle to keep a straight face was lost. "If we did have that deal," she said. "From where I'm standing, you've violated it many more times than I have. For what it's worth, I'm sorry if I'm teasing you."

"Apology accepted," Zondra said as she moved to where Chuck was sitting. "I think this means I get one freebie grope. What do you think, Chuck? That's fair, right? Although maybe you could step up for her and pay off. I see that you have blondie here standing at attention."

So now poor Chuck really didn't know what to do. He really, really didn't want this naked woman sitting on his lap… not ever, but especially not in front of Sarah. But he was frozen, unsure of what to do. She was only a couple of steps away when the girls couldn't keep it up any longer. They collapsed into each other, laughing helplessly.

For a long moment, all Chuck could do was to watch the tears streaming down their faces as they laughed. He made no attempt to keep the annoyance from his voice. "What's going on?" he finally asked.

Suddenly, Sarah was back on his lap. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said as she fought to regain her composure. "We were just playing. This is a routine that Zondra and I worked out in the CAT days to keep men off our backs. Zondra's not really a lesbian. Actually, she's pretty much always willing to have sex with anyone… or anything. I guess that the technical word would be slut."

So now Chuck was officially annoyed. "So all of that crap on the beach was just an act?" he protested. "I was right. That was a husband test."

Well, that ended Sarah's laughing. "It's not exactly like that," she said softly. "Most everything I told you was true. She does have sort of a crush on me. I have had to peal her hands off my body pretty much whenever she is drinking. I haven't talked to her about it, but I'm very confident I could make the threesome happen. I can see now how you would see that as a test. Your thinking that I would test you makes me feel horrible. It's one of those wife things I'm so horrible at. I will admit that a huge part of me is happy and proud that you turned me down. But it was an honest offer. It still is on the table."

Chuck shook his head. "Tell me the truth," he said. "You don't want this, do you?"

Sarah paused for a long moment. "You put up with so much crap from me," she finally said. "You watched a tape of me on my knees with a mark. I want to make sure that you get something out of this too. So I'm willing to put up with a little crap for you. Zondra is probably the only woman I'd consider this with. Part of me actually wishes that you would take me up on this… if for no other reason that it would tell me that you're comfortable enough in our life going forward that unusual things wouldn't bother you. I'll even try and make myself get into it. I might need a little help. I'm not sure what will be harder, you watching an uncomfortable session with Zondra gloating with me… or me watching you with her."

Zondra was finally able to control her laughing. "You do realize that I'm standing right here?" she asked playfully. "Slut is a little harsh, don't you think? And what makes you think it will be uncomfortable? I've got twenty bucks that says you do one line of Coke and that's all the help you'll need. I'll have you moaning in the first five minutes. Still, if you're going to offer me up for kinky sex, at least you should feed me a fancy dinner first."

Sarah shook her head. "Please," she said sarcastically. "Fancy dinner? Who are you and what have you done with my partner? From what I've seen over the years, you'd give it up right here and now for the future promise of a Taco Bell."

That got Zondra laughing again. "Maybe," she admitted. "It's true. Getting blondie here on her back begging me not to stop is something that I've been looking forward too. But I'm hungry. I don't think I could do this justice on an empty stomach… and I don't think there's a Taco Bell here on the island. A fancy dinner will have to do."

Chuck shook his head. "Not happening," he said. He reached out to Sarah and pulled her closer. "Listen to me very carefully," he said. "Hear what I'm saying to you. I'm very grateful that you would be willing to make a sacrifice for me. I am. I'm just very happy with my sex life just the way it is. A threesome with two beautiful women is probably a common fantasy. Most men would probably want it. To me, that would be pretty awkward. If that was something you really wanted, I might be open to it. But here is what you don't seem to get. I have the most beautiful woman in the world spending her days thinking of ways to excite me. I'm already living my fantasy. The last thing… the very last thing I would ever want is for you to force yourself to do something you didn't want to do for me. Even if I wanted it, and I don't, knowing you were forcing yourself would take all the fun out of it for me. If this was a mission and together we decided it was worth it, maybe. I get that being married and being a spy doesn't always mix well. But I'm having the time of my life. You owe me nothing."

He turned back to Zondra. "I do think we can come up with the fancy dinner," he said. "I'm sorry for the teasing. I'm afraid that I'm going to reserve her begging to not stop for myself."

"But first we need to talk to Beckman."

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It took Chuck a bit of time to set up the secure conference. Sarah was adamant that they not give Beckman any hint of where they were. If this didn't work, they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. Even if it did work, there was a definite limit to how much they could trust Beckman, so she wanted the option of a safe hiding place.

According to Zondra, it was still assumed that they were someplace in Europe. So that meant bouncing the feed off of a dozen different satellites to make it look like they were there. She made sure that they were in a plain, windowless room and were fully dressed in mission garb so that the CIA analysts wouldn't be able to see their tans. She even went so far as insisting that Chuck darken the room and make the feed slightly out of focus.

Of course, it didn't take long for whoever the Officer of the Day was to find Beckman… and even less for her to join the conference. It wouldn't have been Beckman if she hadn't started off the meeting with an attempt at intimidation. "Where have you two been?" she all but shouted. "Agent Walker, Agent Bartowski, I expect you back in Castle immediately."

They had agreed that Sarah was going to do the talking. She wasn't really in a mood to take any crap. "If that is your tone, this is going to be a really short fucking conversation," she said. "Frankly, what you 'expect' doesn't impress me all that much. I do think there is something we can work out that would advance our mutual objectives. I guess you get a vote. But understand something. Things have fundamentally changed for us. We're never again going to be your mindless robots. That day is over."

Beckman took full measure of Sarah's tone. And even though she would never admit it, truth be told, she was impressed. Walker was a warrior… a warrior who followed unpleasant orders without question. For her to be so openly insubordinate was very telling. "Okay, Agent Walker," she said. "I'm listening. Tell me what you have in mind."

"This conversation has to begin with the agreement that Ellie Bartowski spends tonight in her own bed," Sarah said. "She'll need a certified letter, copied to her employer and lawyer, stating that it was discovered that the evidence against her was flawed, all charges have been dropped, and apologizing for her inconvenience. If we can't start there, I'm afraid we have nothing to discuss."

Beckman tried to hide the smile. She knew that this would work the second Shaw suggested it. For as powerful as Bartowski with the Intersect 2.0 was, he had a fatal weakness. There was no way he would allow anything to happen to the people he cared about. Maybe Agent Walker thought that she was calling the shots here. But his weakness was a weapon she would always have in her pocket. "Assuming I agree and we continue this conversation," she said. "What do I get?"

Sarah had no smile to try and hide. "You get a ton," she said. "You get your best team back. Chuck fully in control of Intersect 2.0 is a force more powerful than I would have ever believed."

Beckman nodded. "I sense a 'but' coming," she said.

Sarah was in no mood to be coy. "There are several 'buts' coming," she said. "You underestimate us by a mile. Chuck and I want to do the right thing. We feel called to be spies. We'll accept any reasonable assignment. But we refuse to allow that to interfere with our personal relationship. We are going to be married as soon as we can work out the details. Neither of us will be ever having sex with anyone but each other. So that rules out any seduction missions… for either of us. We never want to be separated on assignment. Agent Miller is the only one we honestly trust, so we will report directly to her. This last one is personal, but Agent Shaw is an issue. He needs to be sent packing."

Beckman sat in thought for a long moment. "I don't like this," she finally said. "What we do is hard enough without adding any external considerations. But you are an amazing team. I suppose we could make some concessions in assignments. Separating you won't be a problem. You make him effective. Agent Shaw simply has to be involved. He's our main Ring expert. You'll have to work out your personal issues."

Sarah sat for a long moment in thought. "One condition," she said. "Agent Shaw needs to truly understand the nuances of this situation and where the lines are. Unfortunately, he only truly understands one language. So before we agree to work with him, he meets me in the ring at Castle… mono y mono."

Chuck had kept silent till now. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "He's a pretty big guy. What makes you think he'll agree?"

For the first time, Sarah flashed her, soon to be, husband a knowing smile. "You're the one who pointed out that he was the bad guy. If I can't kick Hannah's ass, Shaw will have to do. I'll bet that you can talk him into it."

"Consider it a wedding present."

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