The drive back to Chuck's condo didn't take long, before they knew it, he was pulling his car into his assigned space and pulling her overnight bag out of the trunk of the car. This was the first time Sarah was going to be in his condo, since most of their time together was spent either at her house or at his sister's place for family dinners and all their one-on-one time thus far had consisted of dinner out.
"Here it is, Casa de Chuck Bartowski," Chuck opened the door and gestured widely for Sarah to step inside. "We have the living room, kitchen, and my den down here. There's also a bathroom that is accessible from the hall and the den. Upstairs is my room, and the guest room which is currently junk storage. If you don't mind waiting while I grab some clothes, I can change in my ensuite so you can change in the bedroom."
"I can change in the den," Sarah offered, "I don't want to put you out."
"You're not," Chuck gave her a soft smile, "I just hesitate to let you use the den as my father has a very bad habit of initializing video calls at the most inopportune moments, I'm just trying to help you both avoid an awkward situation."
Sarah chuckled and nodded, "Okay, bedroom it is, then." She followed him up the stairs to his room. A large California King bed sat with the large walnut bookcase style headboard up against the far wall. It had a grey and slate blue striped down feather duvet that had pulled all the way up and was folded down just shy of the pillows that were decked out in grey fabric, the sheets were the same slate blue as the stripes on the duvet. Under the window on the attached wall sat a matching dresser, on top of which sat a wood and metal box that she assumed was used to hold his watches and cuff links. On the opposite wall held some artwork, including a framed, vintage, TRON poster that seemed to be well taken care of if the general lack of fingerprints or dust were any indication. Along the same wall were two doors which he explained were his closet and ensuite bathroom.
It was at that point that he excused himself to cross the room, setting her bag on the foot of the bed along the way. He then began opening drawers, pulling a shirt, a pair of jeans, and a couple of items she couldn't see but assumed were underwear and socks out of the dresser. He asked if she needed to use the rest room before he went in, when she shook her head 'no' he nodded and ducked through one of the previously closed doors. She waited a few moments until she heard the sound of a shower starting before opening her bag and pulling out her own change of clothes. Luckily, she had a lot of experience getting in and out of this gown for performances back in New York, so it wasn't difficult to divest herself of the garment. She lay the dress on the bed until she could hang it up properly. It took very little time for her to change into her favorite loose knit, oversized grey sweater. She had stripped off her stockings replacing them with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a pair of warm socks. She had a pair of tennis shoes, but she doubted she would have any need of them before the next day.
Once she was dressed, she pulled out her grooming kit, pulling out the pins from her hair, dropping them in the kit as she went, allowing her long blond hair to fall about her shoulders. She quickly ran her brush through to eliminate any tangles that may have occurred before pulling her hair back in a messy bun. She left the grooming kit on the dresser and turned back to the gown that was draped across her boyfriend's bed. Pulling a hanger from her bag, she quickly hung up the gown and walked over to the last door that hadn't seen use by them that night, opening it to reveal a large walk-in closet. Finding an empty space near the door, which was fairly easy as the side practically had nothing hung there. She hung up the gown until it was time to take it to be dry cleaned. Just as she was closing the closet door, she heard the door to the bathroom open, emitting a small amount of steam from Chuck's quick shower.
He had likewise changed into comfortable clothes, his favorite jeans, an olive-green Henley, the sleeves of which were pushed up to just below his elbows, and socks on his feet. Apparently, he likewise did not expect to leave the apartment, something that secretly thrilled Sarah. His hair was still damp from the shower and it was clear it hadn't really been brushed as his curls were mussed and going every which way indicating all he had done was rub them over with his towel. "You all set up here?" He inquired.
"Pretty much," She shrugged, grabbing her grooming kit and setting it in the bathroom, "Okay, now I'm set." She beamed triumphantly.
"Good, me too," Chuck returned the smile, having used her moving her kit to the bathroomt o put away his cufflinks and watch, "Pizza should be here soon."
"Yum!" She could practically hear her stomach roaring at her as they made their way down the stairs.
They were snuggling on the living room couch, listening to music and chatting, when the knock signaling the arrival of their pizza broke their reverie. Chuck begrudgingly slid off the couch and walked over to the door. He checked that the order was correct before tipping the driver and wishing him a good night. Setting the pizza box on the coffee table, Chuck made his way into the kitchen to grab plates, napkins, and utensils for their meal. "Do you want beer or wine? I have white zin, and pinot." He inquired from the arched entry to the kitchen
"The zin would be great," Sarah smiled as she rose to take the plates and utensils off his hands.
Chuck nodded his understanding and reached into the fridge to snag the open bottle of white zinfandel that had been sitting in his door since the last time he'd had his sister over for sizzling shrimp. Reaching up into the cabinet above the fridge, he pulled out two wine glasses and carried them all out to the living room again. He poured out two glasses and set the bottle on the table next to the now open pizza box and handed a glass to Sarah, "To kid-free date nights." He clinked his glass against hers.
"Here, here," She smiled and took a sip, "Does that make me a bad mom that I'm excited to have a Molly-free night?"
"Not at all," Chuck shook his head, "You just need a break from time to time to relax, let your hair down. Especially since you have Emma to help you out and babysit, now."
"Okay," Sarah physically relaxed against the couch, her plate which held a couple slices of pizza, balanced on her lap, her wine glass in her hand. Chuck grabbed a few slices himself and copied her posture as he grabbed a remote and turned on the television and satellite service. They scanned through the listings before finally settling on watching 'The Terminal' which had just started on one of the stations, before settling back to enjoy the movie.
Once the movie had finished, Chuck cleared away their plates, quickly washing them and setting them in the rack to dry. The pizza and wine had long been finished and the containers put into the trash. On his way back to the living room, he opened a bottle of pinot to carry back with him. He poured both of them glasses of wine as he turned on the stereo and a CD of bluesy jazz began to play. They were enjoying snuggling on the couch and sipping wine when one of Chuck's favorite songs began to play and he asked Sarah if she would like to dance. At her nod, he took her glass from her and set it down along with his on the coffee table before rising to his feet and offering his hand to her. He led her to a section of the living room with a bit of space and pulled her into his arms.
As they swayed along with the music, they slowly drifted closer to one another until their bodies were completely flush with one another. Neither wanted to step out of the other's embrace, enjoying the closeness they felt. When the music began to fade, their eyes met as Chuck ducked his head down to capture her lips with his. Sarah felt a shiver drift up her spine as she felt his hands slipping under the hem of her sweater, his warm fingers alternating between drawing intricate patterns on her lower back and pressing into the soft flesh found there. She allowed herself to be drawn deeper into the kiss, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue entry as she let her hands drift up to his shoulders, the fingers of one of her hands reaching up to cup the back of his head.
The kiss eventually led to them stumbling toward the couch where Chuck sat and pulled her down to straddle his lap. Their lips and hands slowly began to wander, much to Sarah's surprise, Chuck immediately found the sweet spot where her jaw and throat met, suckling on the point until goosebumps began to rise along her body as his hands continued their exploration. He had one hand holding and squeezing her thigh while the other caressed her back and side under her sweater. When the neckline of her sweater shifted to reveal her bare shoulder at the same time his hand had drifted further up her back, she could see his eye widen and cloud over at what he had realized. His other hand started its way up her side as his eyes met hers, a silent question in them that was answered with a nod a moment before she felt first the pad of his thumb trace its way around her nipple and areola before his warm hand encased her breast, massaging it as a gasp of pleasure escaped her lips. She could feel the effect it was having on him as she rocked her hips closer to his, as if his eyes crossing at the sensation wasn't a clear indicator to her.
Her hands made their way to the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head revealing his muscular chest and abs which were covered in a light dusting of hair that narrowed into a happy trail and disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans. Her sweater soon followed; she smiled at Chuck being transfixed on her half naked body, both of his hands framing her breasts, a little fuller now than they had been before she'd had Molly. "You are so beautiful," He whispered as his thumbs brushed over her hardening peaks, causing a shot of pleasure to shoot straight for her core. He began kissing her again, first on the lips then her jaw, neck, and shoulders before one of his hands slid around her back pulling her up and closer to him until he claimed one of herbreasts with his mouth as his other hand continued its ministrations on the other.
"Oh, Baby, that feels good," She moaned, lacing her fingers into the shorter curls at the back of his head, holding him in place as his tongue, teeth, and lips continued to memorize the curve and contours of her breast before he freed her other breast and, tracing soft kisses and licks across her chest, claimed her other breast, switching hands so that the one that had formerly been holding her close to him was replaced and now claimed the sister of the breast he was now suckling on.
"Hmmm," He hummed against her as his lips began their slow progress back up to her shoulder, neck and lips, "You taste delicious, Sweetheart."
Sarah blushed as she allowed her hands to trace along his abs and chest, tangling her fingers in the hair that adorned his chest while she began to kiss along his jaw and throat, giggling as he jumped and took a quick gasp when she nibbled on his ear. She continued her explorations as she felt his hands slide down to her lower back, one hand slipping just under the waistband of her pants while the other softly squeezed her ass. Soon her hands began their own southward migration until they were resting over the button of his jeans.
Chuck quickly grabbed her hands with his own and leaned back, "Are you sure you are wanting to do this?" He inquired.
"From what I can tell, I'm not the only one wanting this," She teased, one hand drifting to caress him through the denim of his jeans, feeling his excitement pressing back into her palm.
"I'm just worried it's too soon," He whispered, trying to focus.
"Chuck, I think nearly 10 years is long enough to wait," She smiled down at him before leaning in to press a kiss below his ear, "I think the better question is, do we continue this here, or are you going to take me up to bed?"
A soft growl came from her boyfriend's throat as he held her close to him and stood as she wrapped her legs around her waist and squealed happily at his behavior. She pressed soft kisses and was whispering ideas to him as he climbed the stairs and carried her into the bedroom.
When dawn broke, Sarah couldn't help the sated and happy smile the graced her face as she looked up from her warm pillow to see the sleeping form of her boyfriend who still held her in his arms. When she shifted, he pulled her closer to him like a child with a favorite teddy bear. Despite his hold on her, she was still able to move enough to straddle him, enjoying the feeling of him pressing against her as she leaned forward to place soft kisses along his chest.
"Good morning," He murmured sleepily up at her, "To what do I owe the pleasure of such a great wake up?"
"Well," Sarah gave him a saucy grin, "Part of you was already awake, so I figured the rest of you should be too," She rocked her hips against him causing him to groan.
"You are gonna be the death of me, woman," He growled, pulling her closer to him so he could kiss her
"Mmm," She agreed, "But what away to go." She sighed, then gasped as he flipped her onto her back as he hovered over her, one hand braced next to her head, the other encircling her hip.
"I couldn't agree more," He agreed, lowering his head to meet her lips as he joined her once more.
It was late morning by the time they pulled themselves out of bed and into the shower where they spent even more time enjoying themselves before actually getting clean in the rapidly cooling water. Chuck had just pulled on his pants when he heard a knock on his door and rushed down the stairs, shirt in hand, to answer. He noticed his shirt and Sarah's sweater on the floor by the couch as he passed by, pausing quickly to pick up the garments and toss them into his coat closet before going to the front door as he pulled on his shirt, nearly having it on as the door opened enough to reveal his sister.
Ellie took in his appearance from his bare feet, to his jeans, shirt he was just pulling on, and wet curls and gave him a knowing look. "I see someone had a good night."
"Not that it is any of your business, but we did enjoy ourselves last night," Chuck stepped aside to allow his sister entry to the apartment before ducking into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee to brew.
Sarah had heard the voices downstairs and, since her sweater was still in the livingroom, she grabbed one of Chuck's shirts at random, and headed out of the room. Ellie noticed as the younger woman descended the stairs, also bare foot, in jeans, and wearing one of her brother's shirts, a brown one with a picture of a floppy disk that read 'My Entire Life.' Ellie couldn't help noticing how appropriate that shirt was for the younger woman to wear as she was rapidly becoming her brother's entire life.
"Good morning Ellie," Sarah smiled at her boyfriend's sister, trying to project an air of confidence, but was nervous to be seen coming from what was essentially her boyfriend's bedroom by the woman who more or less raised him. "How are you?"
"I'm good," The older woman smiled at the slight hint of nerves she saw radiating from Sarah, "Did you enjoy your kid-free night?"
"Yeah, but I miss Molly too much to do it too often," Sarah shrugged.
"I know what you mean," Ellie agreed, "The first time we left Clara so we could attend a two-day conference, I must have called Chuck 10 times to check up on her."
"It was more like 30… the first night," He teased his sister as he handed a mug of coffee, doctored just the way she liked it to Sarah. "Good morning, beautiful," He greeted her as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "How did you sleep?"
Ellie just rolled her eyes, "Oh would you cut it out, I know you two slept together last night. She has a kid, and I already know you're not a virgin. You're adults in an adult relationship, you don't have to hide that you're having sex, just so long as I don't have to see it."
"I had to listen to you and Awesome before I moved out," Chuck countered, "Turn about is fair play, big sister." When he saw the look from his girlfriend which was a mix of humor slightly laced with nervousness, "Not that we would intentionally… or that you could… I think I should just stop talking right about now."
"Probably a good idea," Ellie chuckled, amused at the twin blushes that graced the faces of her brother and his girlfriend. "I just came over to see if you two wanted to join us for lunch, or in your case brunch."
"As much as I would love to, Ellie, I have to get home, relieve my mom of babysitting duty," Sarah shook her head.
"I have some coding to do on the new project at work," Chuck shrugged.
"Some other time then," Ellie shrugged and turned to leave. She was almost to the door when she looked over her shoulder, "Don't forget to get your shirt or whatever it was out of the closet that Chuck threw it into." Grinning at the embarrassed looks on the younger couples faces, she exited, waiting until the door was closed behind her to let out a laugh at them.
"Why don't you go upstairs and get your stuff," Chuck suggested, "I'll bring our shirts upstairs."
"Okay," Sarah nodded, bounding up the stairs to pull on her socks and shoes before tossing her things back into her overnight bag. Just as she was pulling her gown out of Chuck's walk-in closet, he returned with her sweater and tossed it over her bag before tossing his into the hamper that sat next to his dresser. "Thanks," Sarah gave him a soft kiss as she laid the dress down on the bed to stuff her sweater into the bag and zip it up, "I guess that's it."
"I guess so," Chuck shrugged, only slightly surprised at how much he didn't want her to leave. He knew where he wanted the relationship to go, and was sure she was on the same page, but also knowing that if he were to ask her to move in with him, he would want them to find a place that would be 'theirs,' and be big enough to house their family in both it's current 3-person iteration, and any amendments to that number in the future. Chuck grabbed his keys as the duo made their way down to the first level and out to the car. The short ride to her mother's home was spent in casual conversation about their plans for the upcoming week and planning out another family outing for them and Molly.
Chuck was soon pulling into the driveway at Emma's house, he helped her pull her things from the car and walked her up to her door, "I'm glad we were able to spend some time together last night. I…"
Sarah smiled as she softly pressed her finger to his lips to silence the spiral she could sense coming, "It was one of the best night I ever had too," She rose up on her toes to press a soft kiss to his lips, "We should do it again some time."
"And by 'it' you mean the sex, right?" Chuck grinned cheekily at her.
"Yes, and the dancing, the wine, the watching a movie while we cuddle on the couch," She smiled up at him, "I'll see you next weekend?"
"Yeah," Chuck nodded, pulling her into his arms to kiss her, "I love you."
"I love you too," Sarah pulled out her keys and was just about to insert them into the door when it flew open.
"Good morning," Emma looked from the couple to her watch and back again, "Or should I say good afternoon?"
"Hey Mom," Sarah rolled her eyes at her mother's antics, "How was Molly?"
"An angel, as always," Emma assured her, "But I got to get going, they called me in, apparently they're short staffed in pediatrics today. I just put Molly down for a nap and told them I would come in as soon as you got home."
"Alright," Sarah nodded, "Well you can go, I officially release you from Grandma duty for the day. I'm sorry I was so late getting home."
"Oh, don't worry about that, I like being on Grandma duty." Emma assured her, "Did you two have a good night?"
"Yeah, but I missed Molly," Sarah admitted.
"That's bound to happen, but it's only natural that you would feel that way," Emma nodded, "Honestly, I would be concerned if you didn't. You still need some time to yourself or at least some adult time outside of work and the Phil. I'm more than happy to baby sit," She turned to Chuck, "You tell that sister of yours the same thing applies to her, if she and Devon ever need a night off or a break, I'm more than happy to watch little Clara."
"I will, thanks, Emma," Chuck nodded.
Emma gave them both a motherly smile, hugged them both and headed down to where her car was parked. Just as she stepped off the last stair between the porch and the ground, "Come to think, there's this wonderful winery in Napa that Bill and I used to go to. It would make a nice couples' weekend, maybe the four of you could go up while the weather is still good. I'd happily watch the girls."
"We'll keep that in mind," Chuck waived at her as she continued to her car.
"Sarah, honey, remind me to give you the info when I get home," With that she got in her car and drove away.
"When we get married, remind me to keep her and Ellie away from all the planning," Chuck murmured as he turned back to his girlfriend who was looking at him wide eyed. "Er, that is, if we ever, mutually, after much discussion, decided to take that step… together, that is."
Sara's look turned into a smile, "I think I have to agree when we get married, those two will be a force to be reckoned with if they are ever given the chance to partner up." She pressed a kiss to his lips, "And just so you know it will be when, I've loved you for too long to ever let you go. I just don't want to go too fast."
"I think last night kinda threw the idea of slow out the window," Chuck snickered as he pulled her into a hug, careful to not dislodge the bags she was still holding, "But I think we shouldn't rush into things."
"Agreed," Sarah nodded, "Someday in the not so distant future."
"Just not tomorrow," Chuck agreed.
"I think I can work with that," Sarah grinned and kissed him again before ducking into the house, "Bye, Chuck."
"Bye, Sarah." Chuck couldn't suppress the grin that split his face as he practically skipped down the steps to his car and drove home, visions of Sarah in a white dress fading into images of her standing in front of a house, hand on her slight distended stomach as she laughs at Molly playing with a puppy, her looking up at him while holding a bundle swaddled in a light blue blanket, all playing rapid-fire through his head as he drove. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts as the light turned green, he didn't notice the truck that had run the light until it was almost too late.
