The Trapped Assassin

By SarahsSupplyCloset

Author's Note: Hi again. Sorry these chapters roll out so slowly. There's a lot going on, and I'm sure I'm not the only one having a hard time dealing with the world in general right now. But at least there's fan fiction. Really hope this is worth the wait for you all. :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own CHUCK. I'm not making any money from this.

She was wide awake.

But she had fallen asleep. And that was what startled her.

Sarah wasn't sure what time it was, but she knew it had been a few hours since he'd asked her to stay with him, to sleep in his bed, with him…all night. "Okay," she'd said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. Like he'd asked her if she wanted pickles on her burger or something.

But the thing was, she'd never fallen asleep next to someone before. She'd never dared to. She was too careful. Agents who let their guard down were the ones she heard about in the hallways at Langley, the ones who ended up dead. And Sarah knew she'd let her guard down in a big way, made herself completely vulnerable to an attack.

She stared at the ceiling, wearing one of his T-shirts and a pair of his boxers, the covers pulled up to her chin.

As they'd climbed into bed together, she'd thought of what she might do. Just lie there while he slept? Could she sneak out again once he fell asleep? She'd nixed that idea as he scooted close to her, careful not to take her in his arms like she knew he wanted to. It was awkward for a few moments. He'd seemed at a loss just like she'd been.

And she'd wondered if he regretted asking her. And did she regret it? No, she really didn't regret it. She couldn't make herself regret it if she tried.

Because the moment she'd decided to roll onto his side of the bed and entangle her body with his, feeling his warmth against her front and his arms tighten securely around her body, she'd felt really good.

She'd been grateful that he hadn't said anything, hadn't forced conversation. There was no deep discussion in the darkness of the bedroom. Just quietude and contentment.

And then she'd felt his breathing even out.

So, she'd thought at the time, then would start the waiting until morning, staring at the wall, watching him sleep maybe—although that was a little creepy.

She didn't know when it had happened, or how, but she'd fallen asleep as well.

Much to her surprise.

She was awake now, though. And she wasn't sure she'd fall asleep again. She and Chuck had broken apart in sleep and he was now on his side, facing away from her, close enough that she could reach out and touch him.

She didn't.

Instead she folded her hands together over her chest.

She'd driven herself half mad with terror as she'd climbed into bed with him, wondering if she'd seen her last sunset, wondering if after all of this time, the master assassin that was Chuck Bartowski would finally kill the rival assassin who'd fallen for his charms, let herself be manipulated into his bed where she'd fall asleep and let her guard down.

Ridiculous.

He was harmless.

And then he wasn't harmless.

Because while she knew he'd never do anything to hurt her physically, there was a lot of emotional danger in all of this. She already knew she'd gotten in way too deep. She'd fallen asleep in his arms. The comfort level she felt with him had surpassed what she thought she was even capable of. She had sought him out when she'd been feeling ill at ease, when she'd felt a loss of control.

And she'd never done that before. At least, not since over a decade ago when she'd needed her father and sought him out. He hadn't been there. In one way it hadn't been his fault. And in every other way, it had.

She couldn't let herself need this man sleeping beside her.

Only in the physical sense would she allow that.

Because the moment she needed someone in the emotional sense, she would get royally fucked over. So she repeated it in her head, over and over as she lay here staring at the ceiling still. She didn't need anybody. She didn't need anybody.

What she did need was to make a damn decision. This was incredibly unhealthy, continuing to seek Chuck's company with such a massive thing hanging in the balance. Her life was hanging in the balance. Practically. Her future was, at least.

She could feel how different this was, though. Whether she needed him or not, whatever this was that had happened between them was something she'd never thought she was capable of.

The intimacy between them, the explosion that wasn't just lust like she'd had with other men she found hot before but something so much deeper…This wasn't within her character. The warmth, passion, and…happiness. No, it wasn't happiness. That wasn't something she'd ever needed or wanted before. Sure, there were plenty of moments in which she'd enjoyed life, but…happiness?

Was she happy in the times she spent with Chuck? Or was she just enjoying the moment? And mistaking it for happiness because lately that was something she…wanted? She wanted happiness. She really did.

The problem was that she was absolutely certain she didn't deserve it. And certainly not with this man.

The woman he deserved was the woman he thought she was. No, even that woman wasn't good enough for the likes of Chuck Bartowski. He deserved someone even better.

He deserved happiness that was purer. And less dangerous.

But how could she help wanting this? She was human, wasn't she? …Sometimes she was. Lately a little more than usual. She wanted to feel good and God, did he make her feel so good. He drove her half mad he made her feel so good. And not just in bed, but with the way he looked at her sometimes. Or the way he seemed genuinely pleased when he made her laugh. Or how good she felt when something she said had him laughing.

The way she wanted to say nice things to him, if only to see that soft smile and the wrinkle in his brow. That hint of passion in his features when he called her beautiful. Or the fact that he was probably the only person on the planet capable of making her blush.

And when something makes you feel that good that often, it's only natural to want to be around that something as much as possible. That was why she was here. That was why she'd agreed to stay the night with him. And…God, that was why she'd fallen asleep as easily as she had, wasn't it? Almost like being with him made her feel like she hadn't a single care in the world.

That was so dangerous.

And yet, she wasn't budging.

She wasn't getting out of this bed, even though part of her was screaming at her to just do it. To just get out of here, disappear…let Chuck move on with his life and hate her if that was what it took for him to find someone else and be as happy as he deserved to be.

Nope.

At least not yet.

This was the first time she'd considered sleeping with someone. Actual sleeping, not sex. And she thought maybe she owed it to herself to see it through. She'd taken huge strides in separating herself from the mechanical existence she'd had for so many years of her life. A lot of them had come since Chuck made his way into her life with some really bad and yet still very cute attempts at speaking French, but not all.

As she felt a spike of fear go through her at the realization of just how much and how quickly she was changing, and how much of it had to do with her, versus how much it had to do with Chuck, the subject of much of her pondering shifted in his sleep.

She turned her head to watch him as he let out a soft grumble and turned onto his back so that she could see his profile. But he didn't stop there, rolling even further towards her, a hand reaching out for her unconsciously.

The assassin wasn't sure what to make of that. He was reaching for her in his sleep. She was afraid of what it meant. But she wasn't afraid of the way heat trickled out from her heart and started to fill the colder places in her body, until she was simply infused with warmth.

The moment Chuck's fingers landed on her stomach, he squirmed amidst the sheets and his brow furrowed. There was confusion there, she thought. And then his eyes blinked open and slowly lost the cloudiness. In the dark of the room, she watched his gaze settle on her.

His fingers wandered under the hem of his shirt she was wearing where it rode up against her belly, his touch so soft, his hand warm. She reached up and put her hand on the shoulder that was nearest her, feeling the warmth of his skin radiate through the T-shirt he wore.

Deafening silence was broken by his soft sigh. She didn't say anything. She couldn't. Something was happening, though. Something inside of her. And she mistook it for something she was more comfortable with.

She nibbled her lip and saw his eyes flick down to stare before sliding back up to meet her gaze.

The crackle between them became a roaring fire, and then they surged together like a rubber band that's pulled tighter and tighter, before being let go, the ends snapping together almost violently.

That was what it felt like to Sarah.

With maybe a little less violence.

But his lips were incredibly insistent, his hands cupping her head. And he shifted on the bed until he was half on top of her, dragging his lips down her face to her neck and shoving his arms under her torso to cradle her close. She wrapped her arms around him and clung, sighing at the feeling of his lips on her skin.

They took their time, in direct contrast to what had happened the night before. She felt the adrenaline, the rush of need and lust, but there was something different there. She didn't notice it, willfully wrapping a leg around him and turning them both over so that he was on his back. She sat in his lap looked down at him for a moment.

He grinned tiredly up at her and rested his hands on her thighs, stroking up and down her leg, slowly…excruciatingly slowly.

Sarah pulled the shirt she wore up her body and tugged it off over her head, dropping it on the floor and watching as his eyes swept up and down her torso, before draping her body over his and kissing his neck, scooting down enough to thrust her groin against the bulge under his boxers.

He groaned as she continued her thrusts, slipping his fingers under the boxers she'd borrowed from him, snapping the waistband to make her giggle.

They undressed one another, taking their time, rolling back and forth over the mattress, and when she finally sank down onto his cock, straddling him from above, she felt herself drift off into a realm of undeniable bliss. Everything that was broiling in her mind flitted off somewhere and she was left only with desire, and how best to make him feel everything she wanted him to feel.

She held onto the headboard and worked her body hard, arching her back, swinging her hips, varying her rhythm, her pattern. She tried to be unpredictable, reveling in the surprised gasp of awe or the pleased chuckle he emitted. And then he would give her a dose of her own medicine, jerking his hips, bumping her, or touching her in a certain way.

They lost track of time.

Nothing else mattered to Sarah but what was happening in that moment, in that bed, in the darkness of that room.

Eventually her body shook with release as she hunched over him, and she lowered herself to lie on top of him again, rolling onto her back and tugging him with her, urging him to keep going, meeting his thrusts with her own.

And as passionate as it continued to be, the intimacy between them was rivaled by pure enjoyment. She was having fun in his arms, laughing as he teased her, teasing back, engaging in a few wrestling matches that were almost challenging enough that it caused a spike in how turned on she was, upping her adrenaline. She won each time, save for the one time she let him win to be a good sport, and by the look on his face, the way his body hummed under hers, he was enjoying losing to her.

It made her crazy with lust, and she ignored the underlying emotions. This was a man who practically got off on her power, on her strength. He was in awe of it, sometimes amused by it, and never ever intimidated by it. She was too focused on him to let her next thought throw her off her game, but part of her wondered if this man could be trusted with her secret after all, if he was a man who wouldn't be frightened or run away if he knew what she did, what she was capable of.

She shook again, her climax causing her to emit a high-pitched gasp of ecstasy into his hair as she clung to him. And then she panted a breathy, "Keep going, Chuck. Please keep going."

And he did, thrusting his arms under her back to grab onto her shoulders and practically going to town on her.

Much like the night before, she felt pure, unadulterated lust overtake them both. And the slow pace, the intimacy, the face to face stares and smiles quickly faded to clenched jaws, gritted teeth, and grunts of ultimate pleasure as the grace and beauty of their coupling made way for nails scratching and teeth biting. Their bodies lurched together, jerking, the wrestling for control a little rougher.

When she came a third time, she didn't have to ask him to continue. He drove into her even harder as she cried out her pleasure, the waves still spilling through her as he shifted her legs to prop them on his shoulders.

Her fists twisted in the sheets at her hips as she watched him through narrowed eyes. Chuck's handsome features were pinched in ecstasy, and she could see his face reddening, his shoulders hunching and muscles tightening.

When she felt him come, she rode it out, rocking up into him as best she could at the awkward angle, but when he lowered her legs back to the mattress and pulled out of her, she pushed him onto his back again and slid down his body, the sheets tangled at their ankles. She buried him in her mouth, and kept him there for quite some time, tasting him, teasing and groping him, until he was hard again.

Without even taking a breath, they were back together, clinging, gyrating, growling, working through the aching muscles, ignoring the twinges, not caring that each of them were panting hard.

The room slowly lightened as the sun began to rise hours later. And when they finally stopped, their bodies so spent that they could barely move, Chuck somehow found enough strength to roll himself half on top of her, his breath hot and sexy against her neck that was damp with sweat. And they fell asleep again, still tangled together, Sarah's mind blissfully empty save for how delicious his weight felt on top of her.

—

She knew it had to be late morning, most likely.

And the clouds must have eventually left because she could feel a beam of heat from the sun against her bare back.

She also knew she wasn't alone in bed. For the first time in…ever, really…the assassin was waking up in a bed with someone else. She'd slept with him. They'd slept together.

And he was still here.

Moreover, she was still alive.

In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been this alive.

A slow smile grew on her face as she felt him shift on the mattress next to her. Was he awake, too? Or just moving in his sleep? She was too lazy to open her eyes just yet, though. She didn't have to. There was no reason to. So she wouldn't.

She was warm in spite of not wearing a single shred of clothing. The sheets were bunched up at her waist, and one foot poked out over the edge of the mattress.

But she didn't want to move.

Mostly because she wasn't sure if she even could move. Her limbs had that post-workout ache in them that always reminded her that she was getting stronger. Not only was she getting stronger, but there was such an insane thrill in her, still leftover from early this morning when they'd essentially ravaged one another for hours until they physically couldn't anymore.

Her slow smile became a grin then, because she felt Chuck move again, and this time his lips were against her shoulder. He was definitely awake.

"G'morning," she drawled, her voice scratchy and a little muffled by the pillow.

"Oh, hey," he drawled back, his lips at her ear, kissing her temple, moving into her hair, and then he dove in to kiss her neck slowly. "Sleep well?"

All she could do to answer was let out a long, satisfied hum that turned into a happy giggle when his teeth teasingly clamped down on her shoulder. "I get you probably worked up quite the appetite this morning, Chuck, but please don't eat me."

He laughed softly, his chest bouncing against her arm as he draped himself over her back and cuddled close. "If I ate you, who would I hang out with for the rest of my vacation?"

"Exactly," she murmured, fighting to keep from dwelling. She didn't want to let thoughts of her impending decision and her potential disappearance from this place with no warning for the man currently nibbling on her earlobe ruin the happiness and contentment of the morning.

So she pushed it away.

Agent Walker had fallen asleep in bed with a guy, and had woken up a better person for it the next morning. If that was even possible. It had to be possible, because it happened. She felt so good. Like she was untouchable.

And maybe she knew how dangerous it was to feel that way, especially for someone who worked in the field for the CIA, regularly making enemies wherever she went, having to strap weapons to her body for every situation—even just going down the street to get a coffee. But she still felt that way.

In spite of the danger, he made her feel safe. So safe.

And he squeezed her arms comfortingly in his large hands almost as though he could hear her thoughts.

She shifted under him then, and he moved a little, letting her roll onto her back and into his warmth, her hands landing on his biceps. She dragged one of them down his body to tuck under the sheet at his waist, drawing a slow circle on his hipbone.

The soft murmur of satisfaction from him made her smile.

He was so scraggly in the morning, and she supposed she'd never actually seen a man like this. She'd never stayed long enough to. She didn't regret it, though. She hadn't wanted that with them. There was something so pure and innocent about this particular man in the morning.

Chuck looked so disarmingly vulnerable, with his hair sticking up everywhere, his eyes heavily lidded and a bit puffy, the scruff on his face from not shaving yet, the lack of proper alertness. And she had never wanted to protect anybody in her life as much as she wanted to protect him.

The way he ever so tenderly brought two fingers up to gently maneuver her hair away from her eyes made that desire to protect him increase exponentially.

She understood, then. She got why people did this. There was something so intimately binding about waking up next to someone. Both of them were so vulnerable, tired, bedraggled…

She was more herself in this moment than she'd ever been. And instead of being scared, she felt…Whatever the opposite of empty was. The opposite of alone.

Sarah didn't say anything to him. Instead she leaned up, propping herself on her elbow, and cupped him by the back of his head, pulling him down for a warm, slow kiss.

His face was scratchy, but she kept kissing him, teasing his lips with her tongue until he opened his mouth and gave her full access.

Sarah slowly pushed both arms around him then and clung, her torso hovering over the mattress as he held her to him with one hand, the other propping both of them up.

And then he removed that arm and they both fell to the bed with a satisfying thump, Sarah letting out a giggle and pulled back to take a deep breath. He took the opportunity to press his lips to her skin under her jaw, moving down lower and lower, making her giggle even more. And then his mouth closed around one of her nipples and he gifted her with a glorious long stroke of his tongue over her sensitive nub.

Just as Sarah arched her hips up against him in a totally unsubtle hint, ignoring the slight ache in her muscles from before, there was a sharp, loud knock on the door to Chuck's suite in the other room.

Chuck halted mid-groan, his voice strangled in his throat, it sounded like.

He pulled his mouth away from her breast and looked down at her, his brow furrowed.

"Room service?" she asked.

"I didn't—"

Knock! Knock! KNOCK KNOCK!

"Chuck?"

Chuck's body froze over hers as the feminine voice called him. She could hear it even while lying here an entire room away from the door.

"Chuck, are you in there? You awake?" came the muffled voice.

She knew inherently it was Ellie. It didn't take a genius to figure that out with how rapidly Chuck leapt off of her, scrambling from the bed and standing there, looking back and forth as he figured out what to do. He was both alarmed and completely naked, it had to be said.

Sarah took the initiative, carefully swinging herself out of bed and scanning the floor for something to put on.

But then Chuck was there with her clothes clumped up in his hands, her bra, panties, shirt, jeans, even her socks. And then she was being hastened towards his bathroom. "Be right there!" he called over his shoulder even as he walked her to the shower and gestured for her to get in.

She did so, biting her lip to keep from laughing, even as she shared in his alarm. And then he slid the curtain shut to further cloak her presence in his suite.

A few moments later, as she stood there in the shower, totally naked and holding her clothes in a ball against her chest, she heard Chuck open the door in the other room.

"What the hell took you so long?" she heard his sister say as the door shut again. He'd let her inside, then. That was smart. She had to be intelligent and observant, considering what Chuck had said about her so far, and she was a neurosurgeon, after all. If Chuck ushered her away without letting her in, she'd definitely be suspicious.

"I was asleep!"

"It's, like, 10:30, Chuck," Ellie droned. "I know for a fact, you're up and at 'em at like…8 at the latest."

"9," he argued. "But I'm on vacation. Doesn't a guy deserve a nice lazy morning in bed when he's on vacation?"

"Of course he does. You do. You're always overworking yourself at home which is why I wanted to invite you on this trip in the first place. I'm just surprised, that's all. You must have really been enjoying yourself, if you stayed in bed this late."

"I definitely was."

Sarah lifted her fist to her mouth and bit down on her knuckles, grinning madly. Even at this moment, when Ellie's appearance had startled him and made him incredibly nervous, he was being cheeky. Part of Sarah thought he maybe knew she could hear all of this and was specifically saying it for her.

"Well, good. Glad to hear you're taking this vacation thing seriously and not slaving away on SOLO stuff."

"I…Actually, I'm not sure I've done anything work-related this whole time. Be proud of me."

She laughed. "Okay. Well. You ruined it by telling me to be proud of you."

"Damn it!" She laughed again. "So, uh…What's up? What's goin' on?"

"Uhhhh I haven't seen my brother in awhile, and he's literally half the reason I took this trip in the first place. The hell you been doing? Avoiding me on purpose?"

"No! Of course not. But I want you and Awesome—"

"Devon."

"—to have the nice romantic experience of having a couple's vacation instead of worrying about me tagging along like a ready-made cockblock," he continued as though Ellie hadn't corrected him at all. Sarah wondered if that was the routine with these two; Ellie correcting Chuck every time he called her boyfriend 'Captain Awesome' and him totally ignoring her.

"Wait, wait…Did you just call yourself a cockblock?"

"I did. Yeah."

"Hold on. Because that means you are actively acknowledging the fact that I am a woman with physical needs, and that I satisfy those needs with the man I'm engaged to."

"Oh Godddd, Elliiiiiiie."

"No, no. This is big. Huge even. I'm so proud of my grown up boy." She feigned a sniff and Sarah shut her eyes tightly, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Fine, fine," she relented, and Sarah imagined Chuck must have given his sister a significant look that made her drop the teasing. "I came over to drag you to brunch. You have no choice. Devon's busy and I'm hungry and I want to hang out with my brother."

He chuckled. "What's Devon up to? He's not talking someone through doing a heart surgery on the phone while he's on vacation, is he? That's a malpractice suit waiting to happen."

That made her laugh. "No! His parents called. Well…Honey, in particular."

Sarah could hear in the woman's voice that she probably didn't have a great amount of admiration for her future in-laws.

"Oh, he's talking to Honey? I love Honey. She's so…"

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?"

"Yep," he chirped.

Ellie snorted.

"Alright, let's do brunch then," Chuck said. "But only if you promise not to take me to a brunch buffet. You're so embarrassing at those places." Sarah heard a loud smack. "Ow! I was just kidding!"

"You deserved that."

And she was right, Sarah mused, he did deserve it. The assassin had no problem admitting she might like this woman already.

"Meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes, okay? I have to get on the phone and let Honey know that my vacation in Nice is exponentially better than whatever country club wine party she's no doubt blabbing about to my fiancé right now."

Chuck laughed. "Damn, you're feisty today."

"I'm feisty every day," she chirped. "Anyways, see you soon. Don't be late, I'm freaking starving."

"I won't, I won't."

"Good."

Sarah heard the door shut, and mere moments later she heard the sound of Chuck rushing into the bathroom. He yanked the curtain back.

The look of pure amusement that must've been on her face greatly contrasted with the concern and regret on his.

"Oh my God, Sarah, I am so sorry."

"…What? Why?"

"I shouldn't have done that. I just acted like a freaking high schooler whose mom is about to bust in and find him in bed with his girlfriend. Seriously, I'm sorry."

"Chuck, it's okay." She giggled at him, taking his hand so that he could help her out of the shower.

"No, it isn't. I shoved your clothes at you and pushed you into the shower. It was incredibly rude."

"No, it wasn't! I get it, Chuck. You don't want your sister meeting me like this. It would've been a lot worse for me especially than standing in the shower for a few minutes."

He covered his face and groaned, almost as if he hadn't even heard her words. So she rolled her eyes and shifted her clothes into one arm, grabbing his hand with the other and leading him out into the bedroom again.

"I'm sorry," he repeated one more time. "Seriously, Sarah."

"I know, and if it makes you feel better to hear it, I forgive you. I also think your sister is pretty funny."

That got him to lose the wince on his face, and instead he rolled his eyes and smirked. "Yeah, she thinks she's pretty hilarious."

"She isn't any worse than you are in that respect."

His jaw fell open and then he laughed as she grinned cheekily at him.

Sarah carefully stepped into her underwear, pulling them up her legs and eyeing him as he watched a little closer than maybe he knew. She didn't exactly mind.

"So I guess we don't get to finish what we started, huh?" he asked, regret in his voice as he pouted and tilted his head.

She smiled, putting her hand on his chest that he'd covered with a white T-shirt between pushing her into the shower and opening the door for his sister. "No," she answered. "But that's okay. You need to spend time with your sister for once."

"I've spent plenty of time with her," he answered with a shrug.

She pulled her jeans on and finally shrugged her shirt on over her bra, buttoning it up, all the while giving him a doubtful look.

"Okay, fine. I've spent some time with her."

Sarah giggled and pat his chest again, sweeping past him and walking into the other room. She felt him close on her heels. And as she neared the door, she felt a sweeping sense of gloom settle over her.

As her hand settled on the doorknob, he caught up to her, his hands on her hips, his lips pressed to her temple from behind. She turned in his arms and hugged him tightly, kissing his jaw and shutting her eyes for a moment.

She wanted to keep this in her memory. His arms around her, the warmth of him, the feeling of his chest rising and falling against hers as he breathed. The way she felt in his embrace.

And then he ducked his head and kissed her. It lasted a long time, and Sarah fought the urge to pull away for a long while. Because she needed it, didn't she? She needed to feel him kiss her like this in case…

Well, just in case.

She refused to think the rest of her thought, and finally did pull back. "You'll be late. And your sister said not to be late."

He grumbled and she giggled. And then she stepped out of his arms and opened the door. Before she could leave, however, Chuck shoved in front of her and peeked down the hallway, first right, then left, making a show of it before he ducked back and nodded confidently. "All clear."

Sarah grinned at him one last time and gave him a quick kiss, feeling his stubble under her hand as she put it on his cheek. She memorized that, too.

And then she slipped past him in the hallway and kept walking. She didn't turn and look back. She just kept moving.

There is some really good stuff coming up next. I think a lot of you might get what you've been asking for in your reviews. And speaking of reviews, please leave me some. It's feeding my muse. Thank you!

SarahsSupplyCloset