A/N: So if you're doing the math at home, this would be the period of the show that's Christmas, that there was nothing on about Christmas. Did I just turn this into a Christmas fic….or was it always a Christmas fic?

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Big Mike opened the door to his office, walked in, and stopped. Anna was sitting in his chair, feet propped up, smoking a cigar. Casey was across from her, his feet also propped up, smoking a cigar.

Big Mike looked at the two, turned, and left.

"So, what do you think?" Anna asked Casey.

"It's insane. It's ballsy as hell," Casey replied, taking a drag off his cigar.

"It might get you out of here, or get to stay here, and shoot more people," Anna reminded him.

"It might," Casey agreed. "Are you talking to the General and Graham?"

"I will. Are you going to take care of Ellie, and the other one?" Anna asked.

Casey snorted a laugh. "Ellie." He snorted again. "Bartowski and Walker… together… their first Christmas…" Anna began to laugh. "Christ, I ought to charge admission for people to watch," he said, as he grinned and took another pull on his cigar.

The door opened. "There's some air freshener in the bottom drawer. Do you two mind spraying it, when you're done?"

"Sure thing, Big Mike," Casey said. "Let me finish this, and we'll be out of here."

"Are you two working on fixing Bartowski?" Big Mike asked.

"Yup," Anna replied.

"Thank God. He's been moping around here like someone kicked his dog, and then shot the poor thing in the face." Casey gave Anna a what the hell? look. Anna shrugged. "That hot girl over at the Weinerlicious too much for him?"

"They're moving in together," Anna told Big Mike.

"Boy's gonna pull something," Big Mike said, shutting the door.

"Not yet," Casey said, making Anna laugh.

}o{

"So, uh, how are we gonna do this? I sleep on the floor? The couch?" Chuck asked. Sarah crossed her arms, and looked at him. "I'm in the… bed?" His voice rose an octave as he spoke. Sarah nodded. "So… which side do you normally take?" He turned back to Sarah and then quickly looked back at the bed, and then back at Sarah. "This is such a baddddd idea," he muttered.

"You know I can protect myself from you, right?" she asked, seemingly amused.

"But who's gonna protect me from you?" Chuck asked. Sarah's eyes widened. He winced at what he'd said. "You know what, you are trying to do your job, and be a professional, and…" She walked over to him, and took his hands in hers.

"Hey, stop," she said gently. "I understand." Chuck tilted his head and gave her a look. "I speak spiralese, Chuck."

"That's why they put you on this assignment," Chuck replied. She looked down at their hands and then back up at him. He looked down and realized he had been rubbing the backs of her fingers with the pad of his thumb. He let go of her hands like they were a hot potato. "Gah!" he exclaimed. "I am so sorry-"

"It's fine," Sarah told him. "Listen, here's the good thing; there are no cameras here, so whatever slip-ups we have, no one will know about them." His eyes widened. "Not like that!"

"Because everyone will know," Chuck muttered.

"Wait," Sarah said. "How will everyone know? Would you go around telling everyone?"

"What? No! I wouldn't have to." Chuck looked away, a bit of a blush on his cheeks. "I'd probably be glowing so hard that everyone would know." He heard a snicker, and he turned to her. "Laugh it up, but they'd figure it out."

"Yeah, you would give it away," Sarah agreed.

"Yeah, God knows you wouldn't," he muttered.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing," Chuck replied. "Listen, back on subject: How much of my stuff do I need to move over here?"

"How about just some of it, for now," Sarah said. "They're looking for an apartment for us, so we can say there's not a lot of room."

"Will it have two bedrooms?" Chuck asked.

"If it does, you probably can't sleep in the second one," Sarah told him. "There would be too many questions when Ellie and Devon visited."

"Got it," Chuck said, nodding. "So, we get to go face Ellie and tell her I'm moving out." Sarah and Chuck both looked a bit nervous. "You know what, this is one of those times I should stay in the car." Sarah shook her head at him. His shoulders slumped. "This feels like karma."

"You said it, I didn't," Sarah said, walking toward the door. Chuck glanced back over at the bed, shook his head, and followed her.

}o{

Chuck and Sarah walked into the apartment, to find no one was home. "There's a note," Sarah chirped. "Chuck, got called in on an emergency." She looked up at him. "This happen a lot?"

"Not a lot, but bad wrecks…" Chuck trailed off, as Sarah grimaced. "I'm gonna get a few things. I don't think it's right to take a lot of clothes, and then her come home and wonder what's going on."

"Right," Sarah said, nodding. Chuck went into the bedroom, and Sarah stayed where she was. She turned toward the trimmed tree, staring at it. The past began to play through her mind.

What happened was a mistake. One I won't make again.

"All I said was tell him the truth."

"I get it, Sarah. We have rules, for God's sake. You've done terrible things, and so have I, but I have a wife and a family. Why can't you?"

"Love's the biggest con there is, Darlin'"

"Sarah, you okay?" Chuck asked.

Sarah spun around to Chuck, a smile plastered on her face, one that did not reach her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Good," Chuck said, looking nervous.

"Now what?" she asked, chuckling.

"We're living together, Sarah," Chuck told her. Sarah nodded. "Sarah… we're going to have to be here on Christmas Eve Night. In our Christmas pajamas."

"Our what now?" Sarah asked.

"Ellie is going to insist we all be together, in our matching pajamas she has bought for us," Chuck explained.

"Maybe she didn't buy me a pair," Sarah began, and then stopped. "You know what, that sounded stupid just coming out of my mouth." She was silent a second. "Chuck…" she trailed off.

"What?" When Sarah didn't respond, he continued. "This is a bad idea, isn't it?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… with us living together… we may have to show more…" Sarah trailed off, a slight wince on her face.

"Is it okay, if I really pretend like I enjoy it more… you are talking PDA, right?" Chuck asked. Sarah chuckled.

"Yes, Chuck, but I do worry about us, and what new problems this may bring," Sarah admitted.

"What problems are that, Sarah?" Chuck asked.

"I worry that we get lost in the cover," Sarah told him.

"Would that be so bad?" Chuck asked her.

"What if they reassign me?" she asked softly.

"Didn't you say they wouldn't?" Sarah nodded, hesitantly. "You don't trust them?"

"I don't know who to trust," Sarah admitted.

Chuck reached over and took her hand. "How about me?"

She looked up at him, in shock. "Of course, I trust you," she insisted.

"Then we do this together." She nodded.

"Christ," Casey muttered, watching the surveillance he hadn't taken out yet. He stood and grabbed his stuff. "I was hoping to avoid this, but watching that… Christ."

}o{

"Chuck," Sarah said, coming out of the bathroom to find him standing there, staring at the bed. He spun toward her, and she sighed. This was going to be awkward. His eyes widened.

"Oh, no, nonononononono," he got out. "Not that." He swallowed and closed his eyes, as if to collect himself. "That night, at the apartment…"

"Yeah," Sarah said, glancing down at the tee shirt and shorts she was sleeping in.

"No!" Chuck said.

"Chuck, take a deep breath, and just tell me whatever it is. Because God knows, it cannot be more awkward than this."

"Iusuallysleeponthesideyouslepton," Chuck rushed out.

Sarah stared at him, and then she couldn't stop the chuckle. She tried to control it, and it became a full-on laugh. "That's… that's it?" she asked, trying to get control of herself.

"Well, it felt…" he began, trying to sound indignant, but as he spoke, she laughed harder. He began to smile. "It seemed like a big deal," he said, grinning.

She got the laughter under control, finally, standing upright from where she'd been doubled over. She tried to nod, as her face threatened to spasm and break out all over again in laughter. "Mmmhmm," she hummed. "Really big deal."

"I mean, I can see from your point of view how that must have looked," Chuck admitted, smiling. "God, why does this have to be so hard?"

"I tried to warn you," Sarah pointed out.

Chuck stood there, smiling. "I think you miss the point," Chuck said gently. "I was talking about us and communicating, but this," he said gesturing between them. "This, about…well… That!" he said, gesturing to the bed with his thumbs, assiduously avoiding looking at it. "That moment we shared, the laughter…" He trailed off, a warm smile on his face that she thought was going to melt her into a puddle. "That's all I ever wanted."

Sarah smiled at him. "I mean, if you want that side of the bed that badly," she began, as he grinned at her. She stepped towards him, took his hands in hers. "Chuck… this isn't going to be easy."

"But is it worth it, Sarah?" She was silent, but gave a nod. A slight one, but a nod all the same. "Then we deal with it."

She snorted. "We don't deal well."

"We do not," Chuck agreed. "But, I got my side of the bed," he said, dropping her hands and sliding across the bed to the other side. He left her standing there, her jaw slack. "What? I got a certain set of skills."

"You do, Bartowski… you do," she agreed, climbing into bed, and shutting off the light.

A/N: Will I get this done before Christmas? I have no idea, but if it goes a little past, you don't mind, do you? Reviews are…what? You want a sneak peak? I spoil you all.

"You are drunk," Sarah told him. "But it's okay, I gotcha."

"You do?" Chuck asked, grinning at her.

"Mmmhmm," she hummed, grinning at him. "Why does your hair make these animal shapes?" she asked him. "Cause they're really cute, not as cute as you, but cute. I could just eat you up."

Oh. My. *pulls collar away from neck* Is it getting a bit warm in here, or is it just me? Come one back next time. Reviews…yada, yada.