A/N: Welcome back
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck
"Bryce, Chuck… Sarah's here," Carina yelled out. Sarah suddenly felt a stab of embarrassment. She had felt anger, and more importantly, jealousy at seeing Carina at Chuck's. She knew Chuck was still close with Carina, and she was sure he was the kind of man who wouldn't sleep with his best friend's girlfriend. However, her mind had made an irrational jump that she tried to ignore.
"Chuck's in the shower," she heard Bryce yell. "I'm standing outside to make sure he doesn't fall."
"Apparently the thought of me going in there with Chuck wasn't something Bryce appreciated," Carina said, winking at Sarah. She paused and chuckled, heading to the kitchen. "You either, by the look on your face."
"I don't know what you mean," Sarah said, trying desperately to school her features.
Carina poured herself a cup of coffee, leaned back against the counter, and sipped it with both hands, eyeing Sarah as she did. "It would have been me in a bikini but, I get why he would have been upset, seeing all of Chuck's business and all."
Sarah stood there, not sure what to say. "May I have a cup?" she asked, feeling a little out of her depth.
"Sure," Carina chirped, getting her a cup from the cabinet. She felt Sarah's eyes on her as Carina moved like she knew where everything was. She did. She and Chuck had spent a lot of time together here, and Carina couldn't help enjoying watching Sarah squirm. Carina poured Sarah a cup of coffee, and pushed the sugar and creamer over to her. "You know, he's still my friend, right?"
"Yeah, of course, as he should be," Sarah said, fixing her coffee. "And thank you for staying with him last night." She looked up at Carina. "He really scared me when I found out he was alone. I don't think he realized how dangerous it was."
"No, I don't know that he does, still," Carina said, sipping on her coffee. "I do know that he found out how dangerous it was to go against your orders."
"It wasn't orders," Sarah protested.
"Sweetie," Carina said gently, putting down her coffee and looking Sarah right in the eye. "We both know it was orders, and it's fine that it was. He's a damn genius… and at times a damn dumbass." Sarah snorted laughter at that. Carina reached over and laid her hand on Sarah's arm. "I'm glad he's got someone. He's been hurting for a while."
"Can I ask you something?" Sarah asked nervously. Carina nodded. "Did that whole thing with his mom at his party… did that run you off?"
"No," Carina said, shaking her head. "Curls was fun, and then he wasn't. He tried to not be upset around me, but what happened at that party… it hurt him deeply. I was upset about how his mother treated him, but not the way I thought someone who was in love would." She paused a second, a thoughtful look on her face. "Let me correct that; someone who loved him, as in always and forever. I love the idiot, I do, but not in that way. And that's when I began to realize it."
"Did you think about breaking up with him then?" Sarah asked.
"No," Carina said, shaking her head. "Again, he and I were about having fun and just enjoying things. And even though he was a bit of a grumpy Gus, he still was Chuck. He still cared about me, and I about him." She paused. "What it did make me do, was realize I wasn't forever with him, and that probably saved us both some heartache."
"How's that?"
"Well, if I hadn't realized then how I felt, I might have moved in when he told me he loved me," Carina admitted. "I mean, I was already over here a lot…" Carina watched Sarah rub her hand on her neck, looking a little uncomfortable. "Wow, you've got it bad."
Sarah looked up at Carina and started to protest. Carina tilted her head slightly, and Sarah sighed. "It makes no damn sense about how I feel about him."
"I mean, he is cute," Carina pointed out. Sarah nodded. "Some would say, freaking adorable."
"I could see some saying it," Sarah replied, grinning.
"And he's kind."
"Very kind," Sarah agreed. "What he did for those cancer kids…"
"He felt like he had to," Carina replied, shaking her head.
"Why would he think that?" Sarah asked. Carina shrugged, mystified. "I've never felt for anyone like him before. And the worst of it is…" she trailed off, and shook her head, seemingly almost irritated with herself. "Everyone kept telling me about him, and I thought they were wrong." Sarah looked Carina right in the eye. "They were."
"They undersold him," Carina said, understanding. "I don't say this out loud to anyone, so understand that this is the first time I'm acknowledging these words." Sarah nodded. "I wonder if something's wrong with me, for not loving him."
"You love who you love," Sarah said with a shrug. Carina grinned at her, and Sarah looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Sarah!" They both turned, hearing Chuck coming into the kitchen. He stopped, grinned, and opened his arms as if asking a question.
"What, you do what you're supposed to, and you think you're gonna get a reward?" Sarah asked. Carina pulled back her chin, a little surprised by Sarah. "A hug, Carina. A hug."
"I mean I gave him better rewards than that," Carina muttered. Sarah slowly turned to Carina. "A kiss," she said, unconvincingly.
"I'm gonna keep my damn mouth shut," Chuck muttered, making everyone laugh.
"Come on, Carina, let's get out of here, and leave these two alone," Bryce told her. Carina walked over to Chuck and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you for calling us. Blondie is right, you need to listen to her," Carina told him. She pulled away, Chuck's arms still open for Sarah. Carina shook her head, walked by, and slapped him on the ass, making him jump. "Listen to her, you idiot."
Chuck turned to Bryce, who shook his head and followed her to the bedroom to get their things. Chuck turned back to Sarah, who came over, hugged him, kissed him on the cheek. She then pulled away, gave him a grin, and slapped him on the ass.
"Ma'am!"
"You liked it," she told him, winking.
"I did," he admitted, making her laugh. "How do you feel about me making you pancakes?"
"Chuck, aren't you moving a little fast?" she asked, winking at him. She walked over to the counter, and sat down.
"You're just gonna sit there and watch me make you pancakes?"
"You damn skippy, I am," she said sipping her coffee.
"Well, I was gonna make chocolate chip pancakes, but propriety says I shouldn't," he told her, beginning to gather the ingredients.
"Scandalous," Sarah said.
Chuck pulled the chocolate chips out of the cupboard just as Carina and Bryce walked in. "We need to leave," Carina told Bryce. "Chuck is trying hard to get laid, apparently."
Sarah and Bryce burst out laughing, as Chuck just stared at Carina.
}o{
"If this is you pitching woo, Chuck, you feel free to at any time," Sarah said. She nearly moaned, eating her chocolate chip pancakes.
"Sorry about Carina," Chuck said, not able to look up at Sarah. "She's… she's something."
"She is," Sarah agreed. "But I will say, if you making chocolate chip pancakes equates to you trying hard to get laid…" She trailed off, laughing, as Chuck joined her. "Oh, God, the look on your face when she said that."
"I had a reply to her, but it would have just started a war and I would have ended up embarrassed," Chuck admitted, shaking his head. He was silent a moment. "So, I take it you're my ride to my doctor's appointment this morning?"
"I am," Sarah told him. "Is that okay? And, you can tell me that it's private, and I would understand."
"No, no, it's fine. And I'm glad you're going to be there, because if Zondra goes into neurosurgeon speak, I'm either going to have to have you or Ellie interpret."
"Gladly," Sarah told him. "But I'm pretty sure Zondra won't do that." Chuck nodded, staring at his plate. "You know, if you are scared, that would be completely normal."
"I just can't help thinking about how what I'm best at, I may not be able to do the way I used to," Chuck admitted. "Between that, and the memories of the dream… gah, I just stay stuck in my head, and it's like I can't move forward."
Sarah got up and walked over to him. "Chuck, it's going to be okay, no matter what happens. You have Ellie, and Morgan, and me… if you want."
"I do, Sarah, I do. But I am scared, and I just can't get out of my own head. You're a brain doctor, do you have any ideas as such?" Sarah shook her head. "I'll take any non-doctor ideas, at this point."
"Any?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, any, because I'm telling you-"
That's as far as he got, because suddenly his face was cupped in her hands, and she was kissing him. For the first time since he woke up, he knew one thing; that all those amazing kisses in his dream… they had nothing at all on being kissed by the real Sarah Walker. She pulled back and he sat there, befuddled.
"That help?" she asked.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why?" Chuck blurted out.
"Couple of reasons… one, I wanted to, and two, to get you out of your head." She studied him. "Did it work?"
"When my brain finishes rebooting, I'll let you know," he said, blinking.
"Okay," she hummed, as she went back to her seat to finish her pancakes.
}o{
As Sarah drove Chuck to Zondra's office, she could feel the nerves radiating off him. She couldn't imagine what kind of a wreck she would be if someone told her she couldn't do her job the way she wanted. If she could only see patients, and not actually do surgery to help them… she suppressed a shudder. Chuck had built a company, regardless of how he got the seed money to start it. If he were to be prevented from working with it, that just wouldn't be fair.
She looked over at him, and wondered again, what it was about him that attracted her. She had met nice guys before. She had met funny guys, charismatic guys before. She remembered what her father had once told her; "Darlin' love is madness. There's a reason for it, but it's madness." She discovered when she was older that her father had borrowed that quote and paraphrased it, but it was true.
She couldn't be in love with Chuck. It just wasn't possible, right? She found herself taking his left hand into her right one and squeezing it, trying to give him some of her strength.
"That newsboys hat looks good on you," she told him.
Chuck grinned. "Well, it helps keep the questions away from the scar on my head, and the shortness my hair," Chuck told her.
"Sorry about that," Sarah said, wincing as she parked the car.
"What, saving my life? I'm not," Chuck told her.
"Some people can get quite upset about their hair," Sarah replied, shrugging. She went to open the door, and stopped as she realized he hadn't let go of her hand.
"Sarah, you saved my life. Thank you."
The gratitude in his voice nearly floored her. "My pleasure. Now, quit stalling."
"Stalling," he protested, grinning as he got out of the car. "Why would anyone protest? Whatever is going to be said is going to be said." Sarah gave him a look over the car that screamed I know that, but have you accepted that? Chuck sighed. "Fine, I was stalling." Sarah laughed. She took him by the hand, and led him inside.
Some ten minutes later found them sitting in Zondra's office. The door opened, and she came in, carrying a chart. Sarah thought she knew what Zondra was going to say, but she wasn't sure.
Zondra sat down, and looked Chuck in the eye. "So, I'm going to tell you, there is good news, and bad news." Chuck nodded. "Which do you want first?" Chuck looked over at Sarah, not sure which to hear first.
A/N:
Next Time:
"Did I piss myself?" Chuck asked.
"No," Sarah replied. "Although, that would have been better than, BREAKING YOUR SKULL AND HAVING MORE SEIZURES!"
"When you put it that way," Chuck muttered.
Zondra shook her head some more. "Do you two need some alone time?"
It doesn't matter when are where these two meet, they just are who they are. Hopefully I'll see you soon. Take care all. Feel free to drop a review.
