Ch 12 The Botanical Gardens
A/N: I'm a little sleep deprived, but I'm pretty sure that I proofed this chapter. The question posed to our favorite couple in this chapter is: how many dates have they been on?
Enjoy.
"This place is amazing," Chuck said as they watched a flight of geese fly over the Carillion tower at Longwood Gardens, the site of a former mansion where the grounds were a horticultural showpiece and the house had been converted to a customized conservatory. The geese were almost gone from view beyond the tower as he turned to look at his date. Chuck had so wanted to see the top of the bell tower only to be stopped by a locked door within the tower, a lock Sarah had picked in under 5 seconds. She had been more focused on getting Chuck something he wanted to experience rather than considering the fact that she was demonstrating her skills at B&E.
But Chuck just looked at her in awe and promptly declared her the coolest person in the history of persons. Once back down on the ground level, the two had walked on quietly for a while, although a comfortable silence, before they sat down on a bench near the topiary gardens, quietly watching the afternoon draw to a close. They had wandered through much of the indoor conservatory before heading out to the various outdoor gardens.
The majority of the visit had been spent in companionable silence, often interrupted by Chuck's exclamations over seeing something spectacular, or sharing some obscure knowledge he had picked up while at Stanford. Whether silent, chatting or laughing with each other, there had been one constant throughout the visit, since being handed their tickets at the welcome center, they had been hand in hand throughout their explorations.
"How can Longwood be both world famous and a hidden gem?" Chuck asked with a laugh.
"Well," Sarah replied, "it's world famous among the horticultural crowd, not so much the general population. Except for their Christmas displays. Then it's jam packed."
Chuck spun to look at her, "How do you know how crowded it gets at Christmas? I thought that Ellie giving you the pamphlet was the first time that you'd heard of this place?"
"Well, when she described how romantic it was, getting intel on it was just proper mission planning."
"So, are we considering Longwood a mission or our first date?" Chuck asked with a broad grin as they stood up to resume their stroll around the grounds.
"Well, if it's okay by you, I was kind of hoping for our third first date? I mean…Our visit to Jessop's Tavern included me telling you that I'm a more accomplished killer than one of the world's most elite assassins. I may not have that much experience with relationships, but even I know that isn't the most romantic conversation topic for a first date. But, yes, I was considering Jessop's as our first date. Then the whole morning in Philadelphia was kind of a date in itself. The visit to Jim's. The photo in the Post that really sold the cover- because to me the cover was already real by that point."
"No. I mean yes. I mean that it's okay by me. I was just asking for anniversary purposes. Good to know," Chuck replied, looking a little flustered at the idea of discussing dating her. "And when you think about it, it means that we're farther along in our relationship, so I don't have to worry as much about the typical first date screw ups. I mean, I've met, and am now on my third date with the most incredible woman in the world."
"I don't know, Ellie is pretty incredible in her own right," Sarah said with a laugh.
"That she is," Chuck acknowledged with a bob of his curly head. "But I really don't want to date her because eww."
Sarah laughed aloud at Chuck's grimace, "True. I'd much rather date you than Ellie. Wait," Sarah said as her heels practically skidded to a stop on the ground as Chuck's earlier comment finally filtered through her head. "Anniversary purposes? I thought you had said it was a first date?"
"All anniversaries first start out as a first date, anniversaries happen when the dates just don't stop coming," Chuck stated matter of factly, while draping an arm across her shoulders as they turned down a sun-dappled path leading back towards the main conservatory.
"Oh look," Chuck suddenly called out as they looked through one of the multitude of windows of the Conservatory. "Casey's bonsai trees!" He dragged her into the room. They looked at the gnarled, ancient trees (both trying to figure out Casey's fascination with them), before moving on to the tropical plants and trees room. Halfway through that room, Sarah realized that they were hand in hand. Thinking back, she realized they had been since entering the gardens through the tunnel like Welcome Center. What was not disconcerting was the realization that she really didn't want to let go. Hand in hand with Chuck, exploring the world. It didn't just feel comfortable. It felt like home. Suddenly the thought of anniversaries felt less overwhelming and more like something to look forward to.
"So what now?" She tried to keep her tone light and unassuming, as they wandered out of the lower entrance of the conservatory and toward the fountain display that was just starting its marquee show.
"Well, after a bit I'll head back to Burbank. First I'd like to explore the history of this area a little more. A little ways up the road from here is Brandywine Battlefield. A little further along is Valley Forge, where George Washington and his men camped out in the bitter cold. So much history, all so close together. It's pretty incredible."
"But first," Chuck said as he once again became lost in Sarah's eyes, so alive with happiness and laughter while they were on their official date. "I've got to solve the issue of what the next part of my date with Sarah Walker is going to involve. I don't know if you've met her, but she is one amazing lady. So whatever comes next has to be pretty spectacular."
"Actually Chuck, I've already booked us a table at a little restaurant nearby. When I got lucky enough to land a date with this incredible guy named Chuck Bartowski, I realized that I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could. And he's far too much the gentleman to deny a woman food after such a romantic date in such a beautiful place as these botanical gardens."
"Well, I hope he appreciates how lucky a guy he is."
"It's up for debate who's the lucky one here."
"No more debates! Unless it's a debate about where we should have our second date-or fourth date?" This was said with a smile but with eyebrows inching skyward-giving away his nervousness that she might say no, instead of it coming across as some line from a smooth operator.
Sarah's CIA training kept her expression unchanged even though she was doing a happy dance on the inside.
Chuck and Sarah strolled back through the Italian Garden section of the property, quietly admiring the natural beauty subtly enhanced by the landscape architecture and botanists. While the summer heat hadn't fully set in, the temperature was pleasantly warm in the sunshine. The skies overhead were a cloudless brilliant blue that served as a constant reminder to Chuck of his companion's (date's!) incredible eyes.
Chuck finally broke the comfortable silence that had existed since the end of the incredible fountain display by the main conservatory. "So, what's in store next for Agent Walker? Are you going back to the CIA? Or has Ron tempted you sufficiently into staying on with him at the Secret Service?"
Sarah's head spun to Chuck in surprise. Ellie hadn't told him? As excited as Ellie had been about Sarah's interview for the Lockheed job opening? "I had assumed that your sister had already said something to you." The look of confusion on Chuck's face was so adorable to Sarah that a light giggle escaped. Since when do I giggle? Actually, that's an easy answer. Since Chuck. Graham would lose his mind if he saw his Enforcer walking hand in hand with a man through botanical gardens and giggling. "She walked in on me when I was on the phone. Next thing I knew, she had ferreted out all of the details. If she ever wants to quit being a doctor, The Farm should hire her to teach interrogation skills."
Chuck tilted his head back and laughed out loud, thrilling Sarah in the process as she had always felt that she was simply not funny. "El's not usually too nosy, but man, when she wants to know something there is no way of keeping it from her. Whether my homework was done in high school, my plans for work after I finished college, any time I was interested in a girl." The last one caused one of Sarah's eyebrows to raise in interest. "It is an impressive skill," he admitted, "even if it was sometimes embarrassing to me back when we were kids." As Chuck shook his head in fond recollection of his older sister's interrogations, they headed over to the pond to feed the koi fish living there.
"So, I should go to Ellie to find out about all of the skeletons in your closet? The ex-girlfriends?"
"It would be a pretty short conversation. Not much to talk about besides Jill, who Ellie never liked, come to think of it."
Sarah's response was a flat, "Oh. Her." Maybe before I go to the SkunkWorks interview I should track her down. Then again, I kind of owe her. Not only did she screw things up between her and Chuck, but he was so scarred by the experience that he wasn't interested in any other woman. Until me. Until me.
While Sarah was stuck in her own head debating whether or not to unleash the Ice Queen on Jill, Chuck let out a quiet laugh, surprising himself with the realization that, for the first time since their breakup, he was about to think about Jill without any heartache. There was still a dull ache from the betrayal itself, but even that now seemed to be more about the idea of her being unfaithful rather than the debilitating pain that used to accompany the thoughts that she was no longer a part of his life. But he had someone else by his side now. While Jill was also smart and beautiful, she paled in comparison to Sarah in every way. Jill was now nothing but a distant memory for him, and he was perfectly fine with that. Now he just had to figure out how to convince Sarah to go on a date again with him after this. Although, according to her this was already their third date.
Chuck knew that Sarah wasn't perfect, but she was really damn close. She didn't open up about her past much, not even her days before the CIA. He knew that most of her CIA work was highly classified, but that it somehow haunted her- similar to what went down with her last mission. She likely wouldn't be able to talk to him about much of it, even if she wanted to. But given how she had subtly steered the conversation in a different direction each time it had come up, she clearly didn't want to open up about her CIA past any more than she already had. Which was apparently far more than she was allowed to. The fact that she was willing to take such a chance, not just with him but with Ellie as well, was truly humbling.
But Sarah also gave better than she got in their lighthearted banter. She knew so much about what was going on all over the world around them (a skillset that had proved extremely helpful in Chuck's preparations for the foreign policy questions during the debate). And her performance at the breakfast fundraiser had been incredible. She had a way of taking each fact she was given and instantly analyzing it from multiple different angles. She was, in a word, amazing.
Chuck finally broke the short silence between the two, "I take it you are familiar with my history with Jill Roberts." It was a serious question, but one relayed with a smile.
"Research. I needed to know if she might have been the one behind the Cruz threat. I couldn't leave any stone unturned in trying to find out who was a threat to you." This admission worried Sarah a little. Would this detail make Chuck finally realize how much they had invaded his privacy? How they had turned his life upside down in the name of protecting him? How she knew pretty much every detail of his life before she showed up, yet he knew next to nothing about hers?
But Chuck just gave her one of his trademark grins. "Of course you did. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected anything less from you. Ron was one hundred percent right when he said that I was much safer having you protecting me."
I ransack his privacy, forcing my way into his life and inner circle of family and friends, and he is grateful to me for it. Unreal.
"I was incredibly lucky to have Ellie in my life growing up. I was just as lucky to have you here when Cruz decided to come after me." Sarah felt a little lightheaded at that simple statement. Chuck had just put her on equal footing with his one blood relative, who had pretty much raised him during his formative years. Sarah's eyes widened at the implication, even though Chuck appeared to be oblivious about the significance of his comment. He was focused on kneeling down to scatter the fish food, trying to make sure each fish got some. Because that was Chuck. He couldn't help but take care of everyone around him, including random fish.
Straightening up, Chuck turned to Sarah with a mischievous grin, "So, do I get to learn what my sister apparently already knows about the future plans of Sarah Walker? Or do I need to break out my secret weapon?"
"Hmm, now you've got me curious," Sarah sassed back, causing Chuck to grin even wider. "I think I need to hear about this 'secret weapon' of yours." Having said that, she tilted her head to the sideways and pretended to squint at him in challenge.
"You want to learn about the famous Bartowski eyebrow dance?" Chuck huffed in apparent disbelief. "Maybe I should show- no, no. You're not ready. After all, no one expects the Bartowski eyebrow dance."
"Bring it, Bartowski."
Chuck laughed at Sarah's open challenge. He then started pretending to shoot at her with his fingers while simultaneously bouncing his eyebrows up and down. Sarah had to wrap her arms around her waist as she doubled over in laughter at Chuck's silly antics. She couldn't remember, for the life of her, when she had last felt so free, so relaxed. Chuck brought light and laughter into a life that she had spent hiding in shadows since joining the CIA. She didn't want to go back to that old life, or what had been a pale imitation of life before she had met Chuck Bartowski. As long as he would let her be part of his life, she would dance in that light and laughter.
That realization also showed her that it was time. Chuck had always been open and candid with her. It was time for her to return the favor, praying that he would want her in his life as much as she wanted to be in his. "A friend of mine got me a job interview. According to her, the job is mine for the taking if I want it."
Chuck gave her that grin that always made her tingle. "Sarah, that is such great news! You can step away from the CIA, and you get to work with a friend. That is, well there is no other way to say it, that is awesome."
Sarah couldn't help but smile. The big idiot. He was happy for her because he assumed that she would be happy. Well, she hoped to be happy, very happy. But Zondra wasn't going to be the reason for that happiness.
Reaching up to smooth the already smooth collar of his shirt (and pleased to see him swallow and blush a bit in reflex), Sarah stepped closer to him and in a slightly huskier voice continued, "I wouldn't be working with my friend Zondra. The job would be head of security for a division of Lockheed-Martin." She paused to look him in the eye for a moment, willing him to pick up on the significance of the job offer. "The job is in Palmdale."
"But Palmdale is…" Chuck's voice tapered off as if he didn't want to jinx himself by saying it out loud.
"Less than an hour's drive from Echo Park," Sarah finished for him.
She watched his face closely as his expression turned from a guarded hope (as though he really wanted to belief that this was real) to rapture at learning that it was real. Oh Lord, if he thought that goofy eyebrow dance was irresistible, he should check out this look on his face. I did that. I made him that happy. Wow. Just. Wow.
Chuck cut off any further thoughts of Sarah's, quickly closing the gap between them and planting a kiss on her that caused her toes to curl up in her boots. It was a kiss of promises to be kept in a future with them together.
They were standing before the Eye of Water. The bubbling sound of water being trapped in the copse of trees on a low hill overlooking the property. Sarah couldn't hold back. With a slight tug on their joined hands, Chuck moved closer-because he was Chuck and giving Sarah what she wanted or needed was already second nature to him. She ran her free hand up through the riot of curls (been wanting to do that all day) and closed the small gap between them. The spot was just too damned romantic, and they had it all to themselves.
She felt such contentment in the kiss- as though the two of them together was a natural, yet previously missing component to each of their lives. Contentment wasn't the only feeling she got from the kiss- but those other feelings would need to wait for a spot that was a little more private. She didn't imagine that the job interview that Zondra had arranged would go well if she said that she had to delay her job start date by eight to twelve months to serve as a guest of a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania correctional facility for lewd and lascivious behavior. Although it just might be worth it. Scratch that. It would definitely be worth it.
She had felt heat with kisses in her past, but never accompanied by that feeling of contentment. As she ended the kiss, she watched as Chuck's eyes fluttered open and she allowed herself to get lost in his eyes. She allowed herself a quick daydream of what it would be like if the botanical gardens were their property, with the conservatory as their home. Why don't I just picture us living our lives at Pemberly…that's what I get for reading Austen in my down time on an assignment with Chuck. But the thoughts formed pictures flashing across her mind. The two of them walking the grounds, arm in arm with a couple of little girls with ringlets of gold hair and honey brown eyes laughing as they played nearby with a pair of young boys with stick straight brown hair and cerulean blue eyes.
She had briefly considered, during the debate, what it would be like to have children with Chuck. The thing that was freaking her out was that she wasn't freaking out over the idea of having children. What had her spooked was how much she liked, longed for, the idea of forming an idyllic family. Okay, Sarah. Settle down. This is only our third date. Until this morning, Chuck had thought this was our first date. Wait, third date! And with that realization, the feeling of contentment took a back seat to her more lascivious thoughts.
Without telling Chuck what she was thinking or doing, Sarah pulled out her phone, located and booked a room at a local bed and breakfast in nearby Kennett Square. Thankfully, years of training meant that she kept a go bag in her car at all times. After all, what self-respecting couple would check in for an overnight stay without any luggage?
"Let's go, Chuck. We can grab a late lunch and then I've got a surprise for you."
Sarah tugged Chuck's arm as she quickly moved down the path towards the main entrance and her car. "Woah, Sarah, what's the rush? I didn't realize that you were that hungry."
"You have no idea," Sarah mumbled, mostly to herself. "We're going to need to keep up our energy."
As Chuck and Sarah headed back through the tunnel to the welcome center to get to the parking lot, a man and a woman got up from the bench by the arboretum where they had been discretely watching the couple.
"You'd make a fair spy if you ever decide to change careers," Casey grudgingly admitted to his co-conspirator.
"Thanks, but the only spying I've done is to make sure my little brother is safe and happy. From the looks of things, I can hand off those duties to Sarah. I think she's better qualified for the job," Ellie admitted, a soft expression showing her own care and respect for her brother's date-someone who Ellie could also see becoming a close friend of her own. So much better than that scheming skank Jill. Never did like her, or see why Chuck was so taken with her.
"Well, they're sorted. I'll be admiring the bonsai collection if you change your mind and want to keep following them." Casey stood to walk inside the Conservatory to his beloved collection of gnarled, ancient trees.
"They're already gone. How would we find them?
"Oh, I laced their breakfast this morning with nanobot GPS trackers," Casey shrugged as if it were an everyday occurrence to spike someone's food with trackers.
"John!" There was so much for her to learn about the life of spies. But it looked as though one was going to be with them, hopefully for a long time. And Casey may not have realized it, but Ellie had already adopted him into the extended Bartowski clan. Poor sucker never stood a chance.
"Hold on for a moment, Chuck," Sarah said as she pulled out her cellphone to shoot off a quick text as they walked out to the tree lined parking lot. "Ok, all done. What do you say we go grab some food and maybe a glass or two of wine?"
Chuck's grin was his only response. It said a lot to her that he didn't even comment on her texting someone. No question as to who she was contacting or what she said. No jealousy, no insecurity. Just trust. His trust in her was total, and heartwarming. He was truly special, and she couldn't be happier about that fact.
Ellie stared at her hands in stunned silence. Casey realized that something was wrong and came back over. Peering over her shoulder, he saw the screen still open on her phone cradled in her hands, the message from Sarah reading "That color green is lovely on you. You should wear that blouse more often. Although wouldn't you have preferred to spend the day in such a beautiful spot with Devon instead of Casey?"
"Well, damn," Casey grunted out. "She made us and I never even knew. Walker is good. I'll give her that. She is good."
Chuck and Sarah sat at a table at the outdoor deck to the Four Dogs Tavern just down the road from Longwood Gardens. The setting seemed appropriate with the neatly trimmed hedges and flower pots bursting with color. Given the time, between lunch and dinner crowds, they had the deck entirely to themselves. To be safe, Chuck had covered up his wild curls under a baseball hat sporting the mascot for the University of Delaware. Sarah had given him a hard time about risking protests from PETA for wearing a hat that referenced rooster fighting. Chuck, however, had said that he couldn't resist buying it to show appreciation to the University for hosting the debate. Sarah called him out over the fact that the Fighting Blue Hen mascot also served as a historical reference to the Revolutionary War.
"So, Chuck, how are you doing now that the campaign is over? Really?" Concern had leaked into her tone, but Sarah found that she was becoming more comfortable at showing her real feelings, at least when it came to Chuck. Maybe someday he would realize what a unique experience that was for her.
"A little disappointed that the campaign is over, to be honest. But I'm also a little relieved. I'm still kind of confused at how all of this started and how it got this far. Also, I think that anyone who becomes President should have dreamed about being president their whole life. I hadn't ever seriously considered it until I was halfway through the process."
"Did I tell you that before the debate, Morgan and I got to meet Joe Biden? He has such a passion for public service that it made me really want to win. Mr. Biden told me not to be intimidated by Jed Bartlett, but also that Jed is a good guy. I've to to admit, Joe was right on both counts. After the debate, after the handshake on stage for the cameras, Jed shook my hand again in private. He told me that I had made some outstanding points, and he was going to reconsider some of his own beliefs based on what I said. Then he looked me in the eye and said it had been an honor debating against a good man with a sharp mind."
"While I could have done without the live audience and the national television audience, I enjoyed debating against Jed. He mentioned that he wanted to stay in touch, to get my input on some things and bounce ideas around," Chuck said as he reflected back on the end of this chapter in his life.
Sarah looked at the man across the table from her and decided it was time to let him know just how important he already was to her. "You know Chuck, despite what I said to you when we first met," Chuck looked up at her with a look of slight confusion, "back when Cruz was coming after you, I would have taken a bullet for you." Her admission was both intimidating in revealing how deeply she felt for Chuck, but also so incredibly liberating. Chuck may not have realized it, but it was his presence, his belief in her, that made her willing to open up emotionally. It was an exciting and terrifying new world for the former Ice Queen.
Chuck had a slight grin on his face as he looked deeply into Sarah's eyes, "Me too, Sarah. Me too."
Their plates empty, and their wine glasses nearly so, Chuck leaned back into his chair, "This was an excellent spot to eat. How did you find out about it? Knowing you, this was planning, not pure luck" Chuck looked around the mostly empty deck, not surprising as they were eating midway between the dinner and lunch crowds. The tall hedges had twinkling lights woven through the branches, creating an intimate feel.
"Morgan, actually. When Ellie suggested Longwood…" Sarah said, having difficulty keeping a straight face. Thank God Chuck is the only one to affect me this way. Some spy I would have made otherwise.
"You researched the area surrounding Longwood Gardens, didn't you," Chuck asked with a knowing smirk. He already knew her better than those who had worked together with her for years.
"Anyway," Sarah said, moving the conversation forward rather than confirm the information they both knew to be true. "It was close to the Gardens and sounded perfect."
"Speaking of which, who knew that botanical gardens could be so fascinating? It was like its own little world that exists outside of time. I think I could spend weeks just wandering through the rooms and different gardens. It has really helped to get my head out of the campaign. Of course, the company may have also helped. Just a smidge"
"Well, I had figured that with the Stanford logo depicting a tree you wouldn't be adverse to a little time communing with nature."
"You know me so well already, don't you?"
"Not nearly well enough, Chuck. Not nearly well enough," Sarah replied as she leaned forward to kiss him. Given the fact that they were in public, Chuck kept himself restrained in the kiss. But Sarah was fine with that. After all, the bed and breakfast was just down the street. Sarah made a mental note to order more food when the server came by. She had no plans to make it out to dinner that night. Maybe they'd make it out of the room in time for breakfast. A late breakfast. Well, maybe brunch…
He looked at her questioningly as she hustled them out the front door and over to her car, but he didn't question her. His trust in her was, and always had been, absolute. Just another example of what an incredibly special guy Chuck Bartowski was.
Sarah didn't know how she would react if she ever met up with Jill Roberts. Would she beat her to a pulp for hurting Chuck? Or would she thank Jill for screwing up so hard that Chuck avoided women until Sarah came along? Or would she thank her first, then pummel the horrible excuse for a human being? That sounded good. But Sarah knew at least one thing with absolute certainty: she would be by Chuck's side for as long as he would have her. And since Chuck seemed more than happy to be by her side for as long as she would have him, that should work out just fine.
Enough thoughts about Jill. This place is basically a small village. How could it take so long to get to the bed & breakfast? It's been…two minutes since we left the restaurant. Oh. Wait, there it is up ahead on the left. And I forgot to tell Chuck about this part of the date, not like I had planned on it before Longwood, but…
"Umm, how do you feel about postponing our return to New Castle until, say, tomorrow?" Sarah asked, surprisingly timidly. She watched the confusion on Chuck's face give way to understanding as he looked from her to the quaint B&B. "Late tomorrow?" She practically growled out. She couldn't help but laugh as Chuck fumbled with the door to her Porsche, cursing out German engineers for making it difficult to get out. She reached over to her own door to push the button to unlock the doors. "I'll take that as a yes?"