It's a Wonderful Cover Life
A/N 2013: Just a short note to say thanks for the continued interest, the reviews, and the super duper fast beta, Nervert. So, let's read.
A/N: Eleven months and four days from now, it's Christmas, but this will be finished before then, I hope. Sorry for the delay folks. My housekeeper had an accident and most of my free time went into trying to make things shiny. The thing is – they don't stay shiny. Anyway, now I have a temp, everything is sparkling and nothing is where it's supposed to be, but at least I'll have time to do this. I have included an extra scene to make up for the time delay and the previous chapter being shorter than normal.
I'd like to thank my two beta's for this chapter – Nervert, who taught me you can never have too many comma's, and quistie64, who was willing to step in his absence for the last few scenes. You guys are great.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. Though I don't reply to all of you, I can assure you that I've read and loved every one.
I don't own Chuck.
26. Rules of Engagement
Relaxing in her chair, Carina took a slow sip from her orange juice as she studied Sarah across the rim of her glass. She swallowed, swirled the glass around to mix the pulp and then sat it down on the table in front of her.
"You seem a little distracted this morning."
Sarah admired Carina's patience. It had been a whole ninety seconds since Beckman had excused herself to go powder her nose.
"I'm just worried about the deal," she replied, knowing it was a lie. "I'll feel better once the contract has been signed."
"Nope, that's not it," Carina drawled, reaching for her juice again. Sarah picked up her own glass to mask her smirk, but was deliberate to not completely do so. Carina caught it and her eyes grew wide as she almost sputtered. "You did the nerd!"
"A little louder, Carina, I don't think the people in San Diego heard you."
"Yeah, whatever." Carina waved it off and leaned forward. To Sarah's relief, she dropped her voice. "You don't have that morning afterglow, though," she remarked with a pensive frown. "Did he pull the trigger too early?"
"That is none of your business." They might have been best friends for fourteen years, but there were some things Sarah liked to keep private. She scowled at the redhead, but Carina showed no signs of backing down, and Sarah decided that it was more fun to get even than get mad. "If you must know," she said, "he was amazing. Great stamina. I barely got any sleep." Which technically, Sarah thought, was the truth.
Carina's jaw nearly hit the table. Then she snapped her mouth shut and narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you."
"Would I lie?" Sarah asked innocently.
"Yes," Carina replied without missing a beat. "The only thing I can't figure out is why."
"Well, now you'll never know," Sarah said, not bothering to hide her grin this time. "Rules are rules."
"I wasn't talking about his performance," Carina replied. Then she shook her head slowly. "I think you're lying about the whole thing."
Sarah cocked her head to the side, her eyebrows drawn together in fake confusion. "Why would I do that?"
"Because anyone is fair game until one of us crosses the line. You don't want me to go after him." Carina tilted her glass in a salute. "How very devious of you." She actually sounded proud. "Of course," Carina continued, "you do realize that now I have to make a play for him, given that you are clearly interested."
Sarah had no choice but to drop the act. "And if I ask you not to? He has a kid, Carina," she added when it didn't seem like Carina was taking her seriously. A very sweet kid, even when she was all sticky and hyped up on sugar.
"Okay, fine," Carina said. "That's a rule breaker anyway. I'm not gonna do the time if I haven't done the crime." She took another sip of her juice, contemplating something. "You should probably back down too."
Sarah blinked in surprise. "What? Why?" It was the first time in the history of their friendship that Carina had actually advised her against going for a guy. Even with Bryce, she'd just hinted, but she'd never come right out and said it.
"Rebounds and kids don't mix."
Reluctant as Sarah was to admit it, Carina had a point. Once Beckman was safely on her way back to D.C., she should just give Chuck his check and let him and Maggie get on with their lives. A heaviness settled in Sarah's stomach at the thought.
27. Employee of the Month No More
Sarah was glad to see that the store was busy. Beckman couldn't have picked a better time for a site visit, given that Christmas was a little over a week away and everyone had gone shopping mad, even at the Buy More.
"It's very green," Beckman remarked, her tone not giving any indication whether that was a good or a bad thing.
"My dad wanted to keep it authentic," Sarah informed her. "He even went as far as to buy out the brand when the company started selling off its franchises." She didn't want to go into further detail than that.
"I see. Why don't you show me around? I'd like to get an idea of the layout."
"Of course." Sarah indicated for Beckman to lead the way when a movement caught her attention. As she turned to see some Green-shirts tossing a box around her gaze fixed on something far more worrying behind them. She grabbed Carina's arm, jerking her head towards the source of the trouble. Carina shot her an 'oh crap' look.
"Distract her," Sarah mouthed and Carina nodded just as Beckman turned around to see why they weren't following.
"Diane," Carina picked up the cue, "why don't I introduce you to Mark?"
"Mike," Sarah corrected. "He's the store manager." She made sure to stand between Beckman and the Employee of the Month wall as she spoke. "I'll catch up with you in a second."
Beckman looked perplexed but allowed Carina to usher her in the direction of the manager's office. Sarah, on the other hand, wasted no time to get to her destination. She threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before removing Chuck's picture from the wall. She folded it in half and slipped it into her purse. The name plaque followed.
"What are you doing?"
Sarah spun around, her heart in her throat from being startled. Seeing it was just one of the nerds, she quickly schooled her features, not that it mattered, as his gaze was nowhere near her face. She folded her arms across her chest, spoiling his view.
"Excuse me?" she asked icily. The short Indian man's eyes traveled slowly upwards, causing her to shiver with disgust. She was used to receiving similar treatment from most men, but that didn't mean she liked it. Then the beady eyes fixed on hers.
"I'm asking," he said pointedly, folding his arms to mimic her stance, "why you are vandalizing our Employee of the Month wall." He flicked the greasy bangs out of his eyes with a twitch of his neck. "Well?" he asked, attempting, and failing, to inject authority into his tone.
Sarah was about to ask him if he knew who she was when they were joined by a taller, older nerd who apparently didn't know one end of a comb from the other. A cloud of alcohol breath hit her, giving fair warning that he likely had no sense of personal space either. "I guess Employee of the Month is no more, huh?" he slurred, swaying slightly on his feet.
"What are you talking about, Jeffrey?" the Indian man asked. "She doesn't make the rules around – " He trailed off and Sarah could tell the exact moment when realization dawned. "You're one of them," he breathed in awe. "The supermodels." He brushed his hair back with his hand and stuck out a greasy palm. "Lester Patel, the best nerd herder you'll ever have the pleasure to employ."
Sarah made no move to shake the proffered hand. Just the thought of touching him made her stomach churn. It remained extended for several awkward seconds before beating a grudging retreat.
"Are we interviewing for new Green-shirts again?" Jeffrey asked, having trouble following the conversation. He wasn't the only one.
"Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey." Lester shook his head before turning back to Sarah. "Excuse us a moment." He steered the taller man away, but not quite out of earshot. "Remember that little bet I was telling you about? She's the other one," he whispered loudly, pointing at Sarah.
"Oh," Jeffrey replied, though he still looked confused. "I still don't get why you can't leave the redhead to Chuck and go after the blonde." Now he was pointing. "You know he has a way with the ladies."
Sarah wanted to make her escape, but the words 'bet', 'Chuck' and 'redhead' kept her rooted to the spot. The duo either didn't notice, or they just didn't care.
"Yeah, but Chuck doesn't know that," Lester said. "I swear, if a naked woman jumps into his lap, he'd offer her his jacket. Besides, there's only room for one assistant manager." He jerked his head in Sarah's direction. "Plus she's married," he added, almost as an afterthought.
Sarah's eyes drifted involuntarily to the engagement ring and wedding band glittering in the fluorescent light. It didn't take a genius to do the math and she really didn't want to hear any more. She took a step forward.
"Gentlemen," she said, keeping her voice even, "I believe there are computers in the cage that still need to be fixed." It was a safe assumption, given the backlog she'd encountered a few days earlier.
"Chuck usually takes care of that," Lester informed her, but then crumpled under her steely gaze. "But he's not here…really unreliable that one – " He grabbed his partner by his shirt sleeve and started to pull him in the direction of the double green doors. "We'll get right on that." He thumped his chest with the side of his fist as he walked backwards. "Best nerd herder," he reminded Sarah again.
28. Hold the broccoli
Chuck lay on his stomach to check under the bed. Satisfied that there were no stray socks, shoes or hair ribbons lying around, he got to his feet.
"I guess we have everything," he told Maggie and clipped her suitcase shut. She was sitting next to it on the bed, pulling absentmindedly on Mr. Oink's ears.
"Dad?"
Chuck steeled himself. He recognized that tone. Maggie only resorted to it when she knew the answer to whatever she was going to ask would most likely be no. For good measure, she added the slight head tilt and puppy dog eyes.
"Do we have to leave?"
Part of him wanted to stay too and get to know Sarah better, but he'd spent the whole morning lying wide-eyed next to her in the same bed, listing reasons of why that would be a very bad idea. It was a fairly short list, but there was no denying that Sarah Walker was way out of his league. He'd blamed the almost kiss on them getting caught up in their own con. He also he had a daughter to consider, one who'd apparently grown attached to her in merely a day, or an ice cream-movie-game night, to be precise.
He tried to sidestep the question. "Don't you miss Aunt Ellie and Uncle Devon?"
"They're probably at work," Maggie pointed out.
"I know," Chuck replied and sat down beside his daughter. "But we have to go back. That's our home. This is Kitty's, we can't just invite ourselves to stay."
"Kitty is nice and her house is the biggest ever. She won't mind."
"What won't I mind?" Sarah asked from the doorway.
Her sudden appearance caught Chuck off guard and before he could act, Maggie wormed down from the bed then, with an excited "Kitty!", she headed straight for Sarah, wrapping her little arms around blonde's legs and resting her chin on Sarah's thigh. If Chuck had to guess, Sarah was being subjected to the same pleading blue-eyed-treatment he'd received.
Sarah smiled down at Maggie and ruffled her fringe. "Hi, sweetie."
"Where were you?" Maggie asked, openly curious.
"I told you she was working, Boo," Chuck interjected, hoping to save Sarah from a flood of questions, or at least one in particular, but he wasn't having a very successful day as a parent. Maggie hadn't even acknowledged him with as much as a look when he'd spoken.
"Aunt Ellie fixes brains and Uncle Devon fixes hearts," she told Sarah. "And Daddy fixes computers. What do you fix?"
"I run a business," Sarah replied, clearly amused.
"How do you do that?" Maggie asked.
"That's enough with the questions, Mags." Chuck stepped up behind her and loosened her grip while flashing Sarah an apologetic smile.
"Maggie," Sarah addressed the little girl, "do you like mac 'n cheese?"
"Does it have broccoli in it?"
Sarah wrinkled her nose. "Who puts broccoli in mac 'n cheese?"
"Aunt Ellie."
"Oh." Sarah hunched down to Maggie's level. "I don't like broccoli either," she whispered conspiratorially, "so why don't you run down to the kitchen and make sure Lou makes it without?"
"Okay," Maggie nodded solemnly, accepting her mission. Then she turned to Chuck, lifting her chin victoriously. "See, told you she's nice."
29. When a bet comes back to bite you
"You have a fan for life," Chuck told Sarah once Maggie had wandered away and they were alone.
"Which is probably not a good thing," Sarah said. "I'm sorry, Chuck, I should've checked with you first."
"It's okay." What else could he say when Sarah was giving him the exact same innocent blue eyes Maggie always did to get her way? "I guess we're having lunch with Diane?" he asked in a conscious effort to stop comparing Sarah and his daughter.
"No, actually our meeting ran late. Carina is taking her directly to the airport. Casey just left with her luggage."
"So it's just the three of us for lunch?" Chuck asked.
Sarah shrugged. "We need to eat. Plus you and I still have to conclude…business." She reached for the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a folded envelope which she handed over to Chuck. "For a job well done. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Chuck replied, tucking it into his shirt pocket. They stared awkwardly at each other before he cleared his throat. "Well, that's it, I suppose."
"I know about the bet," Sarah said out of the blue. "The one you made with Larry."
Chuck frowned, shaking his head. "Sorry, I have no idea – "
He stopped talking when Sarah raised an eyebrow. She evidently didn't believe him. Chuck racked his brain, but the last bet he'd made that he could remember, was with Morgan. It had involved a lot of sizzling shrimp and Chuck had lost. Twice. His stomach roiled at the memory.
The silence became uncomfortable and he was at a loss. "Sarah, I really don't know what you're talking about. Who's Larry?"
"From the Buy More," was the only explanation he got. Chuck mentally ran through the list of coworkers and regular customers. He didn't know any Larry's, though Sarah seemed to think he should. Then it dawned on him.
"Do you mean Lester?" he asked. He shuddered to think how that conversation had gone. Or worse. "Did he come on to you?" The question was out before he could think it over.
"No." Sarah held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger. "This put him off. Not that it mattered. From what I understand, Carina is your target." Chuck was momentarily distracted by the fact that Sarah was still wearing her rings. "Well?" she said, planting her hands on her hips. "Care to explain?"
Chuck shook his head slowly from side to side. "Yeah." Then he blinked himself out of his stupor, catching up with the turn the conversation had taken. "It's not what you think."
"Where have I heard that before?"
"Not from me," Chuck said. Judging by the annoyed look on Sarah's face, that didn't help his case at all. "It was Lester's crazy idea and I only agreed to it to get out of the conversation and away from his fish curry breath. Besides, have you met Carina? She would shoot him down so fast, Annie Oakley would be jealous. And I only suggested Carina because –" He stopped abruptly, knowing he'd said too much, but if he thought Sarah would just let it go, he was sadly mistaken.
"Because?"
"Because it seemed like she could handle herself."
That was clearly the wrong thing to say, he realized, when Sarah's lips tightened into a grim line.
"And you didn't think I could?"
Chuck opened and closed his mouth without saying a word. He had a feeling telling the truth at this particular point would not go down well, so instead he diverted. "Sarah, look, I respect women – " He paused, gauging her reaction. Her face gave nothing away. "What I'm trying to say," he continued, "is that I would never make a serious bet like that. I know you don't know me very well, but that's the truth. If I was that type of guy, I would have tried something last night."
"Maybe I'm just not your type."
"Are you kidding me?" Chuck said before he could stop himself, and because he was apparently on a roll, he added, "I really like you, Sarah. That's why I didn't want Lester to make a pass at you."
So much for keeping that tidbit to himself, Chuck thought. A look crossed Sarah's face which he couldn't quite decipher.
"I see," was all she said, then she sank down onto the bed and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry, Chuck." She dropped her hands to her knees and looked up at him. "As far as arguments go, this one is really stupid."
Chuck sat down beside her, bumping her shoulder with his. "Hey, Morgan and I once debated for four hours about which is the best sandwich to bring to a deserted island." She didn't look directly at him, but Chuck didn't miss the small curl of her lips. "It's okay to look out for your best friend, you know. I would've done the same," he added more seriously, hoping to distract her from his earlier confession.
Their gazes met.
"Yeah," Sarah said, "but I'm still sorry. I tend to jump to conclusions sometimes."
"Totally unnecessary apology accepted," Chuck replied. He rose, offering Sarah his trademark grin and his hand. "Now how about that broccoli-free lunch you were bragging about?"
Before Sarah could react, Carina came rushing into the room.
"There you are," she said, backtracking to poke her head into the hall before closing the door behind her. "We have a problem."
30. The terminator isn't the only one
"What do mean, 'she's back'?" Sarah asked. She was standing next to Chuck, who was obviously not taking the news well, although he didn't say anything.
"I don't know what happened. She got a phone call from her son on the way to the airport which turned into an argument – something about skiing and Henrietta. The next thing she tells him is that she's staying in L.A. and that Christmas was cancelled and 'Henrietta can cook his turkey and fill his damn stocking'. Her words, not mine." Carina shuddered. "It was very disturbing."
"So you invited her to spend Christmas with us? Which is still another ten days away." Sarah would've hyperventilated, had it been in her nature.
"I couldn't just drop her off at a hotel," Carina replied in her own defense. "We're her hosts."
"Correction." Sarah waved her hand between Chuck and herself. "We are her hosts. You get to go home at night while we have to play happy family."
"Maybe Diane will insist on going to a hotel," Chuck said. "Surely she'll realize she'll be overstaying her welcome."
His comment earned him a glare from Carina, before she turned to address Sarah. "If she's angry at Emmett, there's a really good chance that she might call off the deal."
"What are we supposed to do about that?"
Carina shot her a 'do you have to ask' look.
Sarah shook her head. "Oh no. No, no, no." But even as she protested, she knew she didn't have much choice if she wanted to get rid of the Buy More.
"The choice is yours, Sarah. Without this sale –"
"I get it," she cut Carina off. Selling the Buy More was the last loose end that needed tying before she could liquidate the company. If she couldn't, it would have to be liquidated with the rest of Walker Industries and Chuck and his coworkers would all lose their jobs. That was not something she wanted on her conscience.
"So what's the plan?" Chuck asked. "Are we going to find this Emmett and make him apologize to his mother?"
"No, Schnook," Carina replied sarcastically. "You and Sarah are going to wine her and dine her and do whatever it takes to convince her to buy the store."
Chuck head snapped around so fast, Sarah thought he might have hurt himself. "You're selling the Buy More?"
Sarah was losing control of the situation and fast. "I think we have bigger issues than that," she replied to Chuck before turning and addressing Carina. "Help Beckman get settled back in and ask Lou to keep an eye on Maggie." The redhead wanted to refute the request, but Sarah didn't give her a chance. "Carina, please."
Not one to let the opportunity go by without getting the last word in, Carina left with a begrudging "fine".
Once alone, Chuck took a step back from Sarah, as if he was scared of her. "No," was all he said.
"We've done great so far."
"It was one day," he said. "What you're asking now…it's not going to work. We can't do this." He held his hands out in front of him, counting down on his fingers. "One, I don't like lying or subjecting Maggie to it. Two, she's already getting too attached to you, which in itself opens a whole host of problems, and three, it means missing Christmas with my family. The Bartowskis have traditions. Ellie cooks a nice family dinner and we have movie marathons in our pj's in front of a fake fireplace. If Maggie and I are not there, she'll never speak to me again, and as my only family aside from my daughter, I'm not risking that. We can't do this."
Chuck raised valid points, but that didn't help Sarah out of her predicament. She folded her arms across her chest, thoughtfully chewing on her bottom lip. Every problem had a solution, including this one. All she had to do was sell it properly. She took a steadying breath.
"Chuck, Maggie has no idea what's going on. She hasn't told any lies, we haven't asked her to tell one, and the only lie you told her was that we were friends. Plus you told me yourself that she barely interacts with strangers and I very much doubt that Beckman is going to interrogate her." There was always the possibility of an innocent comment creating suspicion, but she would deal with that if and when necessary. First of all, she had to convince Chuck to stay.
"Ellie and Devon are more than welcome to spend Christmas here. You can still do all the things you're used to, just at my house instead of yours. We can even turn the air conditioner on cold and have a real fire in a real fireplace. Unfortunately, Beckman and I would be crashing your party, but that can't be helped."
"You wouldn't be crashing."
Sarah was touched by the comment and it didn't even occur to her to tell Chuck that she didn't really celebrate Christmas. The picture he'd painted sounded idyllic, and she was kind of looking forward to being part of that, even if it was just to keep up appearances. The realization that it might be all for show was somewhat depressing, so she pushed it aside and focused on the issue at hand.
"I will try and keep my distance from Maggie." She didn't explicitly promise. She wasn't one to go back on her word, which was why she chose her promises carefully. Though it would probably be for the best to not get too involved, Sarah thought. She didn't want to find out that she took after her mother at the expense of an innocent child.
"Sarah, it sounds simple when you put it like that, but I don't know – "
"I'll pay you more, obviously," she quickly interjected, then waited for the predicted 'how much'. Chuck didn't ask and she couldn't discern anything from his expression. "Does fifty thousand sound fair?"
"One hundred," Chuck replied.
"Okay."
She wasn't going to quibble about the money. She got what she wanted and that was enough.
"Wait, what?" Chuck asked, surprise clearly written across his face.
"I said one hundred thousand is fine," Sarah replied.
"No." He held his hands out apologetically and for a second Sarah thought he was going to change his mind. He did, but not in the way she'd expected. "Fifty thousand is good."
Sarah cocked her head to the side, frowning. "But I've agreed to give you a hundred."
"Yeah, but I didn't mean to…I don't even know where that came from."
"Chuck," Sarah said patiently, "I'm paying you a hundred thousand dollars. End of discussion." She gestured toward Maggie's luggage. "But then you'd better start unpacking."
All he did was nod, seemingly still trying to wrap his mind around his upcoming paycheck. Then he reached into his shirt pocket for the envelope she'd given him.
"Keep it," Sarah told him. "Consider it a down payment."
Chuck's hand dropped to his side. "Okay. Thanks."
Sarah offered him a small smile before heading for the door. Halfway, she stopped and turned. "Remind me to teach you the basics of haggling," she teased, attempting to lighten the atmosphere. His smile wasn't as bright as she'd become used to, but he was making an effort.
In the hallway she stopped and slumped against the wall. With Carina's warning still fresh in her mind, her intuition told her that Chuck had a point earlier – this was not going to be as easy as she'd made it sound. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. At least she hadn't admitted to Chuck that she really liked him too – that would really complicate matters.
A/N: Well you didn't think they were gonna fall in love in a day, did you? Or maybe they did? Time will tell. What I can tell you is that the next scene is entitled "The beginning of a beautiful friendship". See you back here later in the week.