A/N: Editing this story was quite a bit more difficult than I thought it would be. It definitely changed the flow of the story
It was noted in Sarah Walker's personnel file that one of the things that made her such an outstanding field agent was her remarkable spatial awareness and her ability internalize her surroundings into a sort of 3D map in her mind's eye. And she was able to do this under intense stress, which was another thing that set her apart from her peers.
Using this innate ability, she could perfectly visualize the way whoever was currently groping her was standing. By using the placement of the thumb to extrapolate the position and twist of the wrist, she knew that it was the guys right hand. Then drawing a line up each intrusive finger and following that line up the arm to the elbow and then on-wards, she could completely visualize his position as it related to hers. She instantly built that three-dimensional picture in her mind with all the other extraneous information she might need. How close this person was to her and to the bar and to Chuck, and she instantly noted all the various bottles and glasses that were within her reach on the bar but knew she wouldn't need any of them. She took it all in in less than the blink of an eye.
"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, noticing that Chucks eyebrows tried to climb off his face and the people around them went very quiet with the shock of her outburst. She had reacted the instant she felt strange hand on her – before the words were even out of her mouth. It almost wasn't even a conscious act, just pure muscle memory from a decade of intense training. She had already reached around and grabbed the offending thumb that was attached to the offending hand that was attached to the asshole who was about to have a very bad night. Men had literally died for less.
She gave the thumb a vicious twist and was gratified to feel tendons pop and separate in the gropers hand. She knew that was going to need surgery to fix, but she wasn't done. She spun around and used nothing but leverage on the thumb to twist the guys hand up and behind his back, forcing him to go on his tiptoes to avoid a dislocated shoulder and possibly elbow as well.
The guy screamed at her in Russian. "Aaaah, fuck! You broke my fucking hand! Let go of me you bitch, I'll kill you!" At this point the area around them was almost completely silent, focused entirely on the unlikely drama unfolding at the bar. Nearly all of them understood at least some small part of what was happening. Another man was standing next to the one who'd grabbed her, and Sarah saw his shoulders tense as if he were going to make a move to protect his friend.
Sarah looked him dead in the eye and without blinking, spoke to him in Russian. "You make one move towards me and the two of you will be leaving this club in body bags," Her voice, flat with rage, held an unmistakable authority that the young man responded to instantly. He put his hands up slowly and took a step back.
She turned her attention to the guy who's thumb she was still considering taking with her. Talking to him in Russian, she said, "And you, you disgusting pig. You'll be lucky to leave this club with that hand still attached to your arm!" She twisted even more and knew she was perilously close to breaking something else loose that would require yet more surgery to fix. Whether it was his elbow or shoulder, she wasn't quite sure. He screamed in agony. "Stop your wailing you walking piece of trash!" Sarah yelled at him "You are completely at my mercy now, you get that right?" She twisted the thumb another fraction of a millimeter, eliciting another desperate cry of pain. "Tell me you get that!"
He screamed, his humiliation almost on par with the agony in his hand. "Yes! Yes, I get it!"
"Now, how about I walk you around this club and let all the other women you've violated in here humiliate you the way you deserve! I'll let all the women here who've had their asses grabbed show you exactly how much they appreciate it!"
Sarah new from cold hard experience that Russia was still very much a male dominated society, and arrogant, misogynistic Russian men, especially young men like this, had a chauvinist streak a mile wide, and that being led around like that would destroy him - the mere thought of it was enough. It would be a humiliation from which there would be no recovery. And he knew she could do it.
It was psych-warfare 101. Before she could let him go, she had to dominate him body and mind, or he might try to retaliate. She knew this would do it. The guy was a predator, but he was also a coward. He didn't stand a chance.
He cried out, still in Russian, "Please God, no! Don't do that! Please just let me go!" He begged. And as quick as that, she had him. If he was attached to the local Russian mafia, she could flip him. Make him an asset, wring him out, extract every ounce of information from him, then burn him and flush him down the sewer. She knew in her bones that she owned this piece of shit now and it made her sick to her stomach.
At that point, the bartender seemed to come to his senses and address her. "Ah, ma'am? Uh, we can't have you breaking that guys arm, ah, okay?" He said respectfully.
"Don't worry…" she paused as she looked down at the bartender's name tag. "Frank. I'm not going to break his arm, much as he deserves it. We're just having a little educational time regarding what happens when someone grabs my ass without first seeking my PERMISSION!" She had been getting gradually louder until the end, which she screamed in the Russian guys ear. He simply whimpered, his eyes squeezed firmly shut, tears of pain and humiliation leaking from the corners, still standing on his tiptoes.
At that point, a couple of bouncers moved in quickly and seemed a little perplexed as to how to proceed. Sarah looked at the bouncers and said forcefully, "This guy, that guy, and anyone they came in here with need to be escorted out, immediately," nodding her head towards the other man with his hands still up and a greasy sheen of fear on his face. Then she simply walked the groper in a tight circle and with a push towards the bouncers, let go of his thumb, which was the only point of contact she'd had with him. At least, after the hand had left her ass. If the bouncer hadn't caught him, he would have probably collapsed.
"You heard the lady," one of the bouncers said to the other man. "You have any other friends in here?"
The guy looked at Sarah. She met him with the same dead eyed stare she'd given him a moment earlier. She could see him deflate as he broke her gaze and looked at the floor. "No, it's just the two of us," his English was clear, but Sarah heard the very slight Russian accent. They had probably immigrated to the US with their parents as young children and she realized that from their similar appearance, they were almost certainly brothers, within a couple of years of each other.
"Ok then, let's go," the bouncer said as they started walking the two of them out of the bar, the younger one moving to support his brother who cradled his ruined hand against his chest. After a few more moments of silence, one of the women at the bar started slowly clapping and within a few seconds a wave of applause made its way around the bar with some people whistling and hooting. Luckily at that point the band came back on stage and started in on their last set for the night.
Sarah knew she couldn't avoid it any longer. She had to turn and look at Chuck. She had to see the expression of absolute disgust and mortification she knew would be there. She'd given just the barest glimpse of the monster that lived in her skin. What's she'd said to the brother about them leaving in body bags had been the unfiltered truth and he'd known it. She didn't know which she hated more at that moment, the Russian asshole for piercing the illusion of the evening or herself for trying to create it.
She slowly stepped back to her place at the bar, everyone around them getting back to their own concerns. She was trying to draw out it out a little longer. She didn't want this night with Chuck to end, as crazy as that was. The last three-odd hours with him had been some of the best she could remember. Especially that last few minutes of conversation, and the time spent dancing with him. Chuck hadn't been wrong, something had happened to them. Some rare kind of connection where everything else just faded away. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
She had to end it quick. She finally turned toward him and looked into his eyes. She was shocked when she didn't see what she expected to – not at all. He wasn't horrified in the least. She couldn't quite tell what he was feeling, but it most certainly wasn't horror.
She wasn't sure what to say. "Uh, hi, Chuck."
Chuck was still for several moments, the he very deliberately picked up his beer, proceeded to empty it and set it back down, each step looking measured and thoughtful. Then he looked at her and calmly asked, "Sarah, were you yelling at those guys in Russian?"
She didn't really know what to say, so she just gave a small nod and shrugged but held his gaze. What was that look he was giving her?
They were already standing so close they were almost touching, barely inches apart, but he closed that distance between them, put one hand on the side of her face and the other around on the small of her back and pulled her into him and then kissed her full and firm on the lips.
It took Sarah a quick couple of heartbeats before should understood.
Oh, wow. That's what that expression was. That was desire!
Sarah Walker didn't think she had ever reciprocated an emotion, or more accurately, a raw physical need, quite so much as she did in that moment with Chuck Bartowski. He wanted her with a ferocious desire she had never experienced before and she wanted him at least as much, if not more. She returned his kiss with the full force of her desire. She desperately wanted him to feel it, needed him to feel it the way she felt his. She heard herself whispering his name even as his lips were pressed against hers, their kiss rapidly becoming something not suitable for a public venue.
A smattering of applause and some whistles from those standing nearby broke the spell. The laughter and applause only grew as she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him from the bar and up the stairs.
They spilled out the front door of the bar and thankfully the line was gone now because they would stop every ten feet or so and just start making out again. Finally they got to the Nerd Herd mobile and Sarah said, "Give me your keys, Chuck!"
He was startled but pulled them out of his pocket. "What, why?"
"Nothing personal, Chuck, but you drive too slow and we need to get back to my hotel as fast as possible. That means I'm driving, so give me the keys!" She saw that look in his eyes again as he threw the keys to her and she snatched them out of the air.
She didn't think anyone could have made that drive from the club to her hotel any faster, and except for a few squeaks of fear from Chuck, their ardor was not quenched in the least. At every stop light during the ride they were kissing like hormonal teenagers. In the elevator ride up to her room, which was blessedly empty of creepy dads, they had to slow down before things got really out of hand, and the knowledge that there was video surveillance kept her in check, but only just.
Once the door to her room closed behind them, Sarah realized that she was in uncharted territory and she could tell that Chuck was as well. Never before had she felt such an urgent need to physically connect with a man as she did at that moment, and it terrified her almost as much as it thrilled her. She let the flames of her desire engulf her and felt the fear melt away.
They left a trail of clothes that led from the doorway to the bedroom, and Sarah had an awkward moment where she had to unsnap the knives from her calf and hide her gun as she took off her pants, Chuck's eyes never leaving her for a moment. She rolled them up and dropped them in a chair as she continued kissing and pushing him towards her bedroom as he pulled off and dropped his own clothes along the way.
The next couple of hours were a revelation. She opened herself to him more than she had to anyone, letting her guards down further than at any point in her life. She let herself go, made herself vulnerable in a way that she thought should have scared her to death, but which only increased the heights of pleasure she was able to share with him. It was a mind altering physical pleasure, but it went beyond that. She could help but acknowledge the emotional connection that heightened the physical as it exceeded it.
At some point in the small hours of the morning, she fell on top of him, both of them panting with the exertion and the release. They were completely spent, exhausted both mentally and physically. Without speaking a word, they simply crawled under the covers and curled up together, Sarah's back pressed against his chest, one of his arms under her in the gap between her shoulder and pillow, the other curled around her body, his hand cupping one of her breasts, and they were both asleep within minutes.
Sarah woke up late the next morning and felt him still pressed in behind her, his breathing slow and regular, still asleep. She didn't want to move, just wanted to bask in the afterglow that even hours later still remained of their night together. Of not just what was by leaps and bounds, the most amazing sex she had ever had, but also the most physically intimate connection she'd ever experienced. But nature called and she desperately needed the bathroom, so she slowly unraveled herself from him and stood up, making her way to bathroom to take care of business, grabbing a robe along the way. She wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed, knowing that she wanted more of him not just today, but many more days to come. She was brushing her teeth when she heard him waking up. She quickly rinsed her mouth, fast walked into the room and jumped on the bed. Chuck rolled over and looked at her with a shy smile on his face.
"Good morning, Sarah," he said sleepily, happily.
"Good morning, Chuck," she replied with a grin.
He suddenly got a startled look on his face. "Oh my god, what time is it?"
"It's like 9:30, why?"
He put his hands on his face and groaned. "Oh crap, my sister is probably freaking out. I need to find my phone," he glanced around the room and she could see the reality dawning on him that all his clothes were scattered in the front room. His phone was probably in his pants pocket.
He blushed and Sarah couldn't help but crack up. "You just realized that all your clothes are in the other room didn't you?" She said with unrestrained mirth.
He nodded. "Uh huh," he looked at her pleading. "Can you get them for me? Pleeeease?"
She shook her head and said, "Nope."
"Please? She's probably really worried. I've never done this before. Gone out on a date and then stayed out all night. She was definitely waiting up to see how things went."
Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed. "Ok, fine. But I'm seeing you naked again at some point today, just so you know," as she was walking away from him, she opened her robe and let it drape down off her back, just barely concealing her behind, exposing the fact that she was naked too. She heard him groan with new desire and was supremely satisfied with herself.
She brought him his pants and shirt and could hear his phone vibrating while she was carrying them.
"Yeah, someone is trying to get a hold of you. Your pants are vibrating."
Chuck laughed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket, then groaned at the number of missed calls and texts. A bunch from his sister, several from Morgan, and even a couple from Captain Awesome. Yeah, they were worried.
"Are you going to call them or just text them that you're ok?" Sarah asked.
"I could probably get away with just texting Morgan, but Ellie will call after I text, so I may as well just bite the bullet and call first," Chuck looked at her. "What do I tell her?"
"Well, the truth is generally the best policy in this case. You could say we went out to dinner and had really amazing conversation and really connected, and then we went to a club and got lost in each other's eyes for like an hour while we were dancing, then I broke some Russian dude's hand, then we came back to my hotel, had what I could only describe as mind blowing sex," she made the exploding hands gesture next to her head. "And then fell asleep in each other's arms," she paused thoughtfully. "Did I leave anything out?"
"Uh, no, you pretty much just summed up the best night of my entire life in like three sentences. But here's the thing – Ellie is never going to believe that. It happened to me and I barely believe it."
Sarah laughed. "Yeah, I'm sort of with you on that. Ok then, parse it down into a story that she can believe."
Chuck sighed. "You're going to sit here the whole time, aren't you?"
Sarah flopped down onto her stomach, propped her chin on her hands with her feet up in the air behind her and blinked at him innocently. "Nope. I'm going to lie here," She said sweetly.
Chuck blushed again and called his sister. Sarah's eyes got wide when she heard a feminine voice screaming through the tiny speaker. She knew he did not have it on speaker phone, but the voice was as clear as a bell.
"CHUCK IRVING BARTOWSKI, what in the name of God is wrong with you?! Where the hell have you been? I stayed up late waiting for you to see how your date went! Why didn't you call or at least text me you inconsiderate jerk! I've been going out of my mind!"
Chuck winced. "Hi Ellie! I know! I'm so, so sorry I didn't call you but I'm calling now, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm OK, everything is OK!"
"That's not good enough, Chuck!" His sister yelled through the phone. "I need to know what happened! How it went? Did it go terrible? Is that why you stayed out all night? Where did you go? Tell me you didn't hang out at the beach all night by yourself?"
Chuck was blushing like his face was about to catch on fire. "Please, El, can we talk about this later?"
"Come on, Chuck," Sarah hear the voice pleading earnestly. "You've gotta give me something here, please. I was really worried. I just need to know that you're OK. Morgan told us after you left that you thought this Sarah person was the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen, like in real life. I'm your sister, Chuck, talk to me."
Sarah heard an involuntary squeak leave her throat and covered her mouth, looking at him with big eyes.
"What was that, Chuck!" The voice exclaimed. "Is someone there? Are you with her now? Can she hear me?"
"Ellie, they can hear you at Disneyland!" Chuck exclaimed. He took a deep breath and said, "Ok Ellie, if I tell you where I am, will you leave it at that for now if I promise to give you more information later?"
"Ugh, fine!" Sarah could hear the pouting in his sisters voice.
"I'm in Sarah's hotel room… Where I've been… All night," Sarah thought she might need to start carrying around red cloth swatches of various shades so she could compare them to his face.
She immediately heard some kind of screech through the phone, which she could only assume was a cry of joy.
"OH MY GOD, CHUCK!" Sarah heard the voice talking to someone else in the background and a very deep voice came on the line. "Good for you, Chuck! That's awesome, bro!"
Sarah could barely contain her glee at hearing the famous Captain Awesome's voice.
"Ellie, you promised!" Chuck said warningly.
"I know, I know! I'm just so happy for you, Chuck," his sister said excitedly. "You better call me as soon as you can!"
Chuck laughed, relieved. "I will Ellie, I promise. I just don't know exactly when that will be, OK. So, uh, just be patient."
Sarah hear the screech of joy again before Chuck disconnected the call. He groaned and pulled the sheet up over his head.
Sarah climbed up on top of him and started poking him in the sides. "The most beautiful woman you've ever seen, huh?"
Chuck was laughing and flailing under the sheet and yelled, "Oh, this is so unfair!"
Sarah laughed and said continuing to tickle him through the sheet, "It absolutely is, and I intend to take full advantage of the situation!"
She squeaked as he yanked the sheet off his head and somehow flipped them both over, so he was now on top of her. He looked in her eyes, then proceeded to kiss her deeply. She sank into the kiss and realized that she was getting more of him sooner than she anticipated.
Nearly an hour later they lay next to each other, a sheen of sweat glistening on each of them from their exertions, both of them breathing heavily.
After several long moments, Chuck looked at her and asked quietly, "Sarah.. What is this?"
She smiled up at him. "I don't know, Chuck," she said softly. "I think I'm as bewildered as you are. Maybe more so. It's not like this has ever happened to me before."
"Oh, wow," he whispered, kissing her softly.
She let out a contented sigh, and they just kissed lightly and not so lightly for several minutes, his hands stroking her face and hair, hers running up and down his back.
She whispered his name softly, "Chuck?"
Between planting soft kisses on her neck, he whispered, "Yeah?"
"Who's Vicky Vale?" She asked quietly.
He stopped kissing her and looked at her with those eyes that made her heart beat faster. "You are Sarah," he said quietly. "You are."
Sarah smiled at him as she ran the tips of her fingers down his back. She decided she wasn't going to analyze whatever this was. She was just going to enjoy it. She was due for some happiness, and she knew Chuck was too.
She lay on her back with the mid-morning sun streaming in through the bedroom window feeling the warmth of it on her body, with Chuck lying on his stomach next to her, one arm draped over her, blinking at her slowly with his long eyelashes.
"I have to work the next three days," he said slowly, sleepily. "I want to call in sick those three days and spend as much time with you as I can," he opened his eyes wide, realizing the implications of what he'd said. "Ah, I mean. I can do that, ah, if you want me to do that. Or not, you know either way. My brain-mouth filter sort of short-circuited there."
She rolled over to face him, bit her lip and gave him a shy, pensive look. "Chuck, would you mind taking the next three days off work and spending as much time with me as you can?"
He responded with one of his amazing smiles. "You know, I think that could be arranged," he said happily.
"Ok then. It's settled. Today is Friday. I'm taking today off, pff, obviously," she said waving her hand. "Seeing as how you've nearly sexed me into a coma. When do you have to work again if you take the next three days off?"
"Wednesday. My schedule is typically Wednesday through Sunday."
"So, if I take off Monday and Tuesday, we could have five glorious sex filled days together, couldn't we?" She laughed as the redness spread up his cheeks. "Oh my God, Chuck! Still with the blushing? We're literally lying naked right next to each other."
"It's an involuntary reaction! I can't help it!" He said, pulling a pillow over his head.
She laughed and started running her fingers down his back when her stomach made a loud gurgling noise. Chuck pulled the pillow off his head and looked at her with open mouthed astonishment.
"Chewie?!" He exclaimed, jumping up on his knees and looking at her stomach. "What have you done with Chewbacca!" He demanded, looking up at her. He then started making strangled throat noises at her stomach. "Hang in there, Chewie!" He shouted, making additional throat noises. "I'm going to get you out of there!" At which point he grabbed her and started biting playfully all over her stomach.
She shrieked with laughter as his bites tickled her mercilessly. "Stop that you insane nerd!" She yelled, gasping for breath. "No, no, no, no, stop! I'm going to pee!" Just as she yelled this, the smallest of farts escaped from her, sounding almost delicate.
Chuck looked up at her again with genuine amazement as she blushed bright crimson from pure mortification. It was her turn to throw herself down on the bed and cover her face with a pillow.
"Oh my God!" Chuck exclaimed. "That might have been the most lady-like fart in the history of flatulence!"
She pulled the pillow off her head for a moment and yelled, "You are forbidden from mentioning this, ever!" And slammed the pillow back down on her still boiled lobster face.
"You should hear when Ellie lets go!" He said. "It's more like this," he proceeded to blow his open mouth hard against her belly, making loud, obnoxious fart noises.
Sarah shrieked again, squirmed out from under him and jumped off the bed. "We are getting dressed now and we are pretending that the last 30 seconds never happened. Is that clear Chuck Bartowski?" She said, wagging her finger at him.
He eyed her hungrily as she realized she was standing over him while he kneeled on the bed, both still completely naked. She calmly picked up her robe, slipped it on and ignored the blush that was once again creeping up her face. "I am starving. You are taking me out for burgers and a milkshake," she said plainly.
He flopped back on the bed dramatically. "Oh, that sounds so freaking wonderful!" He moaned. "Tell me you've been to In'N'Out Burger?"
"Of course, you nerd!" She laughed. "I don't live in a cave," she gathered up her clothes that were still strewn by the front door, being careful to keep her gun and knives securely hidden in her pants. She pulled some new clothes out of her suitcase and went into the bathroom. She gave Chuck a warning look. "You are not allowed in here to distract me," she said firmly. "Do not mess with my burger time, Chuck."
"Yes ma'am!" He said, giving her a salute.
After a flurry of activity taking quick showers – separately on Sarah's insistence, even though Chuck didn't specifically ask – and getting dressed, they were pulling out of the hotel parking lot in Sarah's Porsche, when she gave him a mischievous grin. "Do you trust me, Chuck?" She asked.
"Of course, why?" He asked, confused.
"Well, do you remember how many times you squeaked last night on the way to my hotel in your Nerd Heard mobile?" She asked.
"Uh, I guess," he said nervously.
"Well, this is a much faster car, and I'm almost as hungry for burgers now as I was for you last night. You don't get car sick, do you?"
"I nev-" he started, but before he could finish, Sarah revved the engine, popped the clutch and Chuck found himself slammed back into his seat as the car rocketed onto the street, tires and engine both screaming from behind him. He added his own cries to the mix as she careened past other vehicles, flying down the road at speeds he didn't think possible. He couldn't believe how fast they made it to the restaurant and as he saw the parking lot entrance coming up fast, he thought maybe she didn't realize that's where they were going.
"It's right here, Sarah!" He yelled, holding on to the grab handle of the car.
"Yeah, I know," she said nonchalantly. Chuck felt G-forces push him into his seatbelt as Sarah down-shifted and braked the car hard, then whipped into the parking lot, pulling it cleanly and smoothly into an open spot in front of the restaurant.
She looked at him as she turned the car off and released her seatbelt. He was still sitting there, white knuckling the grab handle and the small center console.
"Are you OK, Chuck?" She asked, amusement tinkling in her voice.
"Um, yeah, pff, sure. All good. I'm good," he said, trying to play stoic. "Uh, do you always drive like that?"
"No, of course not!" She said. "Sometimes I like to drive really fast. That was just 'I want a burger' fast."
"Haaaaa," Chuck looked at her flatly. "And you said you're not a funny girl."
A few minutes later, as they were sitting at a booth, devouring their burgers, Sarah said openly, "I'm sorry if I freaked you out, Chuck. I'll chill out in the future if it bothers you."
"It did freak me out a little," Sarah gave him a knowing look. "Ok, maybe more than a little," he said in between bites. "And I do trust you, of course," he waved his hand towards the window. "It's everyone else out there I have trust issues with."
"Thank you for being honest with me. I will endeavor to rein in my lead foot while you're in the car with me," Sarah said apologetically.
"I appreciate that."
"So, were you serious about the time work off thing?" Sarah asked. "I mean, I know you said that in a sort of afterglow befuddled haze. If it's something you really want to do then just know that I'm on board. There's nothing I'd rather do than spend more time with you. I really didn't have any plans, so as your friend Morgan might say, I've got nothing but time on my hands," she said smiling.
"I was completely serious. And I'm so due for some time off, Sarah, you have no idea what that place can be like," Chuck sighed tiredly. "Anyway, I imagine a few days with you, and I'll be a new man."
"You better not be a new man," Sarah said narrowing her eyes at him. "I like the current man sitting in front of me the way he is, thank you."
"Ok, how about a reinvigorated man!" Chuck said laughing
"That works," she said with a smile. "So, do you need to make some calls?"
"Yes, planning phase, I dig it," he said crumpling the paper his burger had been wrapped in. "First step is to call Morgan and arrange for him to come pick up the nerd herd mobile and get it back to the store. I also need to call big Mike and tell him about the next three days. Morgan can help with that, too."
A thought occurred to Sarah and her eyes widened as she remembered what Chuck had said earlier about Morgan putting a couple of extra condoms in his wallet. She couldn't remember the last news she'd received that had made her as happy.
"Oh, wow, Morgan! Oh, wow!" Sarah said laughing. "I like, want to find a way to say thank you to him without him knowing exactly why I'm saying thank you. But I really, really want to say thank you!"
Chuck realized what she was referring to and blushed. "It's so crazy that he did that, I mean what would be the odds that would happen, that we would need it?"
"What are the odds that would happen or what are the odds that it would happen on the first date?" She asked with a knowing smile.
He looked at her and swallowed. "Uh, both I guess?"
"Chuck, I knew I wanted to be with you after you fixed my phone," she said plainly. "The only real barrier was if you were already involved with someone. Once I learned that wasn't the case, it was just a matter of time for me. I was sort of thinking it would be the second date," she smiled at him as she drank more of her milkshake.
Chuck looked a little stunned. "I'm sorry. I'm having a little difficulty processing this. Bear with me for a moment. So, Wednesday when you came in with your phone. I was this like, fumbling, awkward guy, and then I fix your phone, and you like, knew you wanted to sleep with me?"
"You doofus!" She said, punching his shoulder playfully across the table. "It's not that simple!"
Chuck laughed. "I mean, of course I know that, but my perspective on this must be so different from yours."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Of course, your perspective is different, but probably not in the way that you mean," she paused thoughtfully. "First of all, you have no idea how frustrated I was dealing with that effing phone. It seemed like every time I needed to use it, the battery had fallen out somewhere and I had to go hunting for it. This went on for weeks and any time I brought it up with our internal IT group, they'd just take the SIM card and put it in a new phone that had the same damn problem!" She chuffed with remembered irritation.
"But even before that, you were so weirdly charming," she laughed. "I mean, you literally dropped the phone when you saw me, and it went bouncing across the desk. Did you ever call back whoever you were on the phone with?"
"I completely forgot about that!" Chuck said laughing. "No, I was on hold with a supplier checking up on parts we hadn't received that day."
"And that whole 'Vicky Vale' thing you did before you saw me there," Sarah said trying to imitate his voice. "It was just this tall, gorgeous nerd being his nerdy self in a completely unguarded moment. It was so freaking adorable, I almost wanted to kiss you right then and there!"
Chuck's mouth was hanging open and he closed it with a snap. "Wow. I can't tell you how crazy it is for me to hear you say these things," he said, awestruck. "I mean when I saw you, I just kind of phased out for a second. I barely remember dropping the phone and I totally didn't care. But then I realized I'd been doing that little beatbox thing and I in my head I was like, "way to be an extra giant nerd just when a beautiful woman steps up to the counter", and then you gave me a little grief about it, remember? When I tried to explain? You said, "Cause that makes it better."
"Oh, Chuck. You poor, sad nerd," Sarah said, leaning forward and stroking his arm. "I wasn't giving you grief. I was flirting."
"Pff, I need to take a class or something because I missed that part."
"Chuck! I left you my card!" Sarah exclaimed, laughter spilling out of her. "I even wrote that little note – Chuck, you're cute, call me for drinks – I mean, you did get the card, right?"
"Yeah," Chuck said abashedly. "But that was later. I mean up to that point, I wasn't really picking up on it. I do remember that I wanted to strangle Tang."
"Who's Tang?" Sarah asked.
"Harry Tang. He's the sales supervisor, my counter-part on the sales side. I'm the Nerd Herd supervisor. He's constantly trying to act like he's my boss though and it drives me nuts."
"Wait, is he the guy that just started randomly yelling at you right before I had to leave?" Sarah asked. Chuck nodded. "Yeah, that guy seemed like a dick. Other than just general dickishness, why did you want to strangle him."
"Well I was coming back over to talk to you, and then he takes that moment to go into hyper-douche mode and by the time he got through his rant, you were gone."
"But. I. Left. You. My. Card!" Sarah said giving him a pointed look.
"I'm not living down the fact that I didn't call you anytime soon, am I?" Chuck asked
"Uh, no, you're not," she said. "And I'm not buying you're whole 'Have you seen you, Sarah?' line-" she said, affecting a deep masculine voice and rocking her arms side-to-side. "-as an excuse for not calling me back."
Chuck coughed to keep from spitting milkshake on the table. "I don't know, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. No bullshit, Sarah – I've never had a woman ask me out. It felt pretty amazing."
"Uh-huh. Good for you, Chuck. On the other hand, not getting a call back from a cute nerd didn't feel great for me," she said giving him a pouty look, making her chin quiver.
Chuck's eye's got wide and he looked genuinely bad for a split second and then his eye's narrowed, "Oh, you are pure evil!"
Sarah laughed brightly. "I can't believe you almost fell for that!"
"Ooh, you've got a mean streak in you," Chuck said wagging a finger at her.
"Ok, so make your calls you need to make to get your days off. I want you all to myself!" Sarah said smiling.
"First step is to call Morgan," he said as he pulled out his phone and dialed Morgan. He put it on speaker and put it on the table between them.
"Dude!" Morgan yelled as he answered his phone. "It's about damn time you check in with your best friend! What is going on, man? Ellie was super freaking out last night then she texted me this morning saying, 'Chuck's fine, he'll call you later'. I mean come on, were you out all night with Vicky Vale? And I don't even get a text? In what universe is that cool? None, man. In no universe is that cool."
"Morgan buddy, first off, you're on speaker phone, so watch the cross-talk, right?" Chuck said smiling at Sarah
"I'll have you know that my cross-talk is first rate, buddy. I have no idea what you mean by cross-talk, but it's still first rate."
"Morgan, I need some favors from you pal."
"Consider it done, buddy, consider it done."
"I need you to take the bus to the Marriott Suites on San Fernando Boulevard, pick up the Nerd Herd mobile there and take it back to the Buy More."
"Say no more, that… Wait, why don't you just drive it to work today? Wait, why is it at the Marriott Suites on San Fernando? Duuuuuuuuuude, did you get la-"
"Cross-talk Morgan!" Chuck said suddenly, blushing. "That's what I mean by cross-talk. And I'm not done asking for favors yet."
"Hit me. I mean don't literally hit me you know hit me with the question. What's the next favor?"
"I need you to dial up the Nerd Herd phone tree. Chuck Bartowski is calling in some chits. I'm taking the next three days off to go on a little… Sabbatical. I'm going to need a list of Nerd Herders that can fill in for me for the next three days."
"A sabbatical? Is that a religious thing? Chuck, tell you me you didn't join a cult, come on man we always said we'd do that together!" Morgan said sounding disappointed.
"No, Morgan, I didn't join a cult, I just need a few days off ok. I've earned it," Chuck said shaking his head. "Anyway, I gotta call Big Mike and I want those names in hand to give to him when I do."
"Ok, I got you. It's about noon now, your shift starts at what, 1pm?"
"That's correct, buddy."
"Ok, I'll get dialing for dolla- wait. Not, not dollars, but dialing for Chuck."
"Thanks Morgan. Text me the names and the days they can fill in. Speed is of the essence!"
"Then why are you still talking?" Morgan said, hanging up.
Sarah giggled. "He is so strange! Cute and quirky strange, but still!"
"Yeah, Morgan is sort of a noun and a verb. Actually, that's true of a lot of the Nerd Herders too."
Sarah laughed in earnest. "How long have you guys been friends?"
"We've known each other for, what, 21 years now? Since we were 6. Yeah, Morgan was there for all the big Bartowski events."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he was there when mine and Ellie's mom bailed. I was 9 and Ellie was 13. Our dad was around for a little while, but her leaving hit him pretty hard. He was already sort of an introvert, and he just kind of crawled inside himself and his work, I guess. He started leaving on 'business trips', whatever that meant, and he'd be gone longer each time until eventually he just never came home. That was my senior year of high school. Ellie basically raised me."
"Chuck, that's terrible. I'm so sorry," Sarah said, putting her hand over his.
"Yeah, I suppose. It is what it is. It's why Ellie and I are so close, and why she worries about me so much, like a surrogate mom which she kind of is."
"Wait, you're mom left when your sister was 13 and your dad basically disappeared as well, and your sister still managed to get herself through high school, then through college and then through medical school while helping raise a young brother who got into Stanford?"
"Yeah, in a nutshell," Chuck said simply.
"Chuck, that's…." Sarah just made the exploding hands gesture next to her head.
"Yeah, Ellie's the best," Chuck said proudly.
Chuck's phone buzzed between them. "It's the text from Morgan. Looks like he came through for us!"
Sarah felt warmth in her chest at his statement that it was for "us" instead of him. It was a small thing, but his unconscious use of language showed how his mind worked. This was something he was doing for them.
"That's great!" Sarah said excitedly. "There wasn't really any doubt, right?"
"Not really. Morgan can be flighty and unreliable but when it comes to the important stuff, he always shows up," Chuck said proudly. "Now it's time to call Big Mike. This should be interesting. I hope he's not napping at his desk. He's always grumpy when someone wakes him up from one of his many naps."
"The manager of the Buy More often naps on the job?" Sarah said, confused.
"Uh, yeah. Big Mike is basically Morgan in 20 years," Chuck said.
"Ah, got it."
Chuck dialed the Nerd Herd direct line that wasn't published. "Burbank Buy More Nerd Herd desk, this is Skip," Sarah heard a bored voice say.
"Skip, it's Chuck."
"Hey Chuck. Congratulations, man. I heard you eloped with an Amazonian priestess last night. Some guys have all the luck," the man somehow sounded bored and envious at the same time.
"What? No, never mind. Skip, I did not elope with an Amazonian priestess. Just put me through to Big Mike."
"Ok, Chuck. Thank you for calling the Burbank Buy More Nerd Herd Desk. Please hold."
Sarah snorted a laugh. "Is he high or drunk or what?"
"Skip? No, he's fine, he's just.. Skip," Chuck said with a shrug.
"BARTOWSKI!" The voice on the line shouted, causing them both to jump a little. "What's this crap I hear about you taking three days off? In a row!"
"How did you know that Big Mike?" Chuck asked, surprised.
"I've had Nerd Herders calling in for the last 10 minutes asking if they could fill your shift! You know how much I hate talking on the phone, Chuck!" Big Mike said angrily.
"Well, so we're good then – you've got coverage and I've got some days off. I've got some sick days built up, so I'll use those," Chuck said quickly.
"All right, Bartowski. You've got your time off, but you better be back here at sharp o'clock on Wednesday," he barked. Then in a quieter voice, said, "Don't leave me holding the bag with these Nerds, Chuck. You know they scare me!"
"I would never do that to you, Big Mike! Thank you, sir. See you on Wednesday," Chuck hung up and Sarah watched a smile of joy bloom on his face. He was so happy that they suddenly had five days that they could spend together. Sarah found herself overjoyed as well.
"Well, Miss. Walker. I am now at your disposal," Chuck said, still smiling. "What's next on our agenda?"
"You tell me, LA boy," Sarah smiled.
"Do you have comfortable walking shoes on?" Sarah propped one of her low-heeled pumps on the seat next to him. "No, that's not going to do at all. Would I be wrong if I said you probably have jogging shoes back at your hotel room?"
She smiled at him "You want to go back to my hotel room? Chuck Bartowski, you're insatiable!"
Chuck smiled into his blush. "I'm not even going to try and hide from my blushes any more with you because, when it comes to you, you're right, I can't get enough. I sort of love it when you make me blush, and that sounds silly to say out loud-ugh, sorry!"
"Don't apologize, it's endearing, Chuck. I love making you blush," Sarah said with a smile.
Chuck cleared his throat. "Ahem. So, anyway, I was thinking we could go back to the hotel, you could change into shoes more suited for walking and we could maybe go to Venice Beach or the Santa Monica Pier. Maybe do some touristy things today, walk around for a bit, then grab some dinner later."
"That sounds perfect, Chuck. But we have to make one stop first," Sarah said, thinking she didn't really care what they did. They could curl up on the couch in her hotel room and watch C-span. As long as he was there.
"What's that?" Chuck asked.
"The pharmacy," she said, winking at him. "We've used the supply that Morgan gave you."
Chuck smiled broadly. "Oh. Yeah."
Back at the hotel room, they both fully intended to for Sarah to simply change her shoes. But as they walked into the bedroom, and Sarah kicked off her shoes, she found herself looking at Chuck and very quickly found him returning her gaze. There was desire there and it was undeniably powerful, but it felt different this time. It wasn't as savage as it had been the night before or that morning. Sarah thought it somehow felt a little softer now.
She realized at that moment, more than anything else, she just wanted to feel his lips on hers. She walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. He put one hand on the side of her face the other on the small of her back as he leaned down to meet her. The kiss was firm and wet and absolutely delicious. Their lips seemed to slip together like the pieces of an intricate puzzle, easily finding some new form to mesh into each time they touched. Her mouth slipped over his lower lip, sucking ever so gently, their tongues doing an elaborate dance. It seemed incredibly complex but somehow effortless, their lips ever so slightly breaking apart then immediately finding a new form. And yet still so soft, none of the urgency they'd had before. Slower, infinitely more intimate, sexier somehow, not overwhelmed by bottomless need.
While he kissed her, she felt his fingers brushing around her ear, slowly along her jawline, delicately painting gentle patterns along her skin. She found herself tenderly running her fingers through his soft curls and remembered wondering what they felt like as he'd been fixing her phone just two days earlier. She reveled in all the sensations this simple act of kissing him was creating in her; his lips, his tongue, his hand on her face, his hair and she suddenly felt a hint of the savagery of her desire for him leak through as a soft whine escaped from her throat.
This generated an immediate reaction from Chuck as he pulled her tighter against him. They fed off their own desire for one another, as his hand on her caused her to slowly but deftly unbutton his shirt. He pulled her blouse out of her pants and started undoing hers in return. Before they realized it, both their shirts were on the floor. It wasn't long before all their clothes were added to the pile, Sarah once again having to hide her knives and gun surreptitiously in her pants.
The angle of the sun rays slanting through the window told Sarah that nearly an hour had passed as they enjoyed their second round of lovemaking that day. She marveled at how alive she felt, how aware of herself. She realized that not a hint of the anger she'd been dealing with was present in her. She felt completely content in that moment. She rolled over and started running her fingers through the hair on his chest.
"Chuck Bartowski, how in the hell are you still single?" She asked quietly.
He gave her a wry smile. "You mean, how is a video game playing, comic book reading, twenty-seven year old but still living with his sister, nerd extraordinaire still single?" Chuck asked laughing softly. "It's one of life's great mysteries, right up there with quarks and muons and gravitational waves."
Sarah sat up a little straighter and looked at him. "Chuck look at me," she said waiting for him to make eye contact. "You've got a bad habit of knocking yourself down and I'm going to start calling you on it. You've been dealt some shitty circumstances in your life, but you've started to let those terrible things come to define you a little bit, and that is so, so wrong. You are so much better than the shit that has happened to you."
Chuck nodded and looked thoughtful for a few moments. "I know you're right. I can look back on it now and sort-of see how it happened. After Stanford, I was a little lost. A lot lost, actually. I went back to the Buy More because it was familiar and comfortable. I didn't intend to stay there, but I also didn't know what else to do. I felt like not having that degree diminished me. At some point I think I came to believe that such a bad thing would only happen to someone who deserved it, even though I absolutely know I did not deserve that. Am I making any sense, at all?" Chuck sighed, confused.
"Of course, I get it. It happens to everyone, Chuck. Bad things happen and you tell yourself that you deserved it, that it's your fault. It's human nature," Sarah said. "But you're right, you did not deserve this. It has no bearing on who you are as a person or what you have to offer or what you're capable of doing with your life. I've known you for less than 24 hours and I already know that much about you."
Chuck smiled deeply at her. "Thank you, Sarah. That feels really good to hear," his face took on a serious expression. "The crazy thing is, I know right where things went wrong at Stanford I just don't know why. There was this pivotal moment at one point during the conversation, I was just filled with outrage at the injustice of what was happening. That I was being accused of this terrible thing, and even though I had a spotless record up to that point, they were just going to throw me out. I wanted to sue them, I wanted to fight them, I wanted to know who was accusing me and why. I felt setup, but it didn't make any sense. It's not like I had any enemies or anyone I had wronged in any way. It was a fraternity house, we were all friends, literally fraternity brothers, we studied together, partied together. It just didn't make any sense."
"So, what happened to that righteous outrage? What made you walk away without a fight?" Sarah asked.
Chuck paused, remembering. "It was really strange. When the Dean first made the accusation, I thought it was some sort of weird joke. But then he asked me what I had to say about it, and I realized he was completely serious, so I told him, 'That's total bullshit. Anyone could have put that answer sheet under my bed.' We had locks on our doors, but nobody used them. We were all constantly going into each other's rooms to borrow clothes or books or whatever."
"That's a perfectly valid argument," Sarah agreed. "What did he say?"
"He kind of flipped it back around on me, like I was accusing the anonymous tipster of lying, and not just lying but also planting the answer sheet in my room. Like what motive could this person have to do that? And this is where it gets strange; he made a kind of veiled threat against Ellie. She was a fourth year med-student at this point, and he said something to the effect that if I fought their decision to expel me, that I would lose but then it would be out there in the public record and that it could somehow reflect badly on Ellie. Like it could hurt her chances to find a good internship or something. Like somehow if I'm a cheater, it makes her a cheater by association. But the way he phrased it was a little more threatening. Like if I fought him, there was a subtle implication that he would make sure things would be difficult for Ellie."
Sarah's mouth had fallen open in outrage. "Chuck, that is so completely and totally fucked up!"
Chuck looked at her. "I know and I agree, but at the time I was just blindsided and confused, you know. In the end it was an easy decision. I just couldn't risk it," Chuck sat up in the bed, pulling her up with him, giving her the sheet in case she wanted to cover her nudity. "Sarah, I can't begin to tell you how hard she worked, how much she gave up, sacrificed for both of us to get to that point. She was so close to finally being a doctor – the thing she knew she wanted to be since she was a little girl. You said it yourself earlier today. What she was able to do is mind-blowing, nothing short of miraculous. There was no way in hell I was going to risk that. So, I packed up my shit and I came home."
Sarah was so filled with impotent rage that she felt like she was on the verge of tears. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I'm so angry for you, Chuck, I can barely stand it."
He hugged her back. "Thank you, Sarah. So much. I can't tell you how good it feels to finally talk to someone about this."
Something isn't right here. They're not going to get away with this, Chuck. Not on my watch.