A/N: Another chapter for all of you beautiful people….and you to, Prince Boo Boo…hey, esardi…pfffffttttt! Got some Swimmer and TRFW percolating, hopefully soon…thanks to everyone who's taken to this yarn, despite the title…I won't promise a change but it might happen…hell, stranger things have happened…been doing some re-reading and it's funny how many great storytellers have referred to Bryce as a DB…the list is to long for me to mention… poor Bryce, he sure ain't a beloved character…not really in a ramblin' mood…not sure why…sure, I started one of them blog thingies but it couldn't possibly sap all of my ramblin' energy…probably just the fact that I stayed up past my bedtime…9:45...holy crap, I keep forgetting how old I is…before I forget to mention it…I don't own Chuck or anything in the 'Chuckverse'…and I'm steadfastly refusing to make money doing this, the whole writing thing…Onec again, a thanks to STN for all of the contributions to my sloth-like improvement as a writer…the help is greatly appreciated, I'm just sorry that the results of that help are so slow in appearing…you know…old dog, new tricks…blah, blah, blah…never been one to do shout outs but here goes, thanks to frea,BAW,quistie, retro panda, aerox,gray alchemist,msromancewriter,bdl,docinoz…and I know I'm forgetting many more of you who write such great stories that put a smile on my face…thanks for keeping me on my toes(sorryP.B.B., don't go getting all worked up because I said toes…dammit, there I go again)…remember, reviews and /or suggestions are always welcome…heck, I don't even mind negative reviews…ok, caught me…just a desparate cry for attention…I sure feel bad about that…you can mention that in your REVIEW if you must.
Jim, thanks for the nudge. JT
Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 10
"SARAH!" Chuck heard himself call out, the sudden, blinding blast of white light had robbed him of the vision of the beauty who had been inches from his face. He felt his fingers grasp for her and, finding nothing, he called for her again, panic giving his voice more volume. Just as he readied himself to call for her again he felt hands gripping his shoulders and begin shaking him. He heard a familiar voice calling his name and he struggled to understand how his sister had become part of the explosion that he'd been unable to stop. "Ellie, NO!" he cried out, the sudden burst of fear for his sister giving him strength as he fought against the hands that had a hold on his shoulders.
"Chuck" Ellie said as she tried to shake her brother from the dream that had him in such a panic. She wondered what could possibly have caused her little brother such terror. She couldn't remember him ever having such a bad dream but she was pretty sure that the woman whose name he had been calling out was at the heart of the problem. "Chuck, wake up" she said again, her hands still gripping his shoulders as she watched tears begin to seep from the eyes that where clenched shut. Noticing the sudden tension in his upper body, she let go of the shoulders she'd been shaking and then stepped back just as Chuck sat up, his eyes suddenly wide open but clearly not seeing anything. Watching while he blinked his eyes several times before slowly looking around him, she waited, desperately wanting to know what had upset him but knowing better than to push him about it.
"So…morning , El" Chuck said when his eyes finally settled on his sister who was standing beside his bed with a worried look on her face. "Checking to make sure that I don't have some hot blonde stashed in here…again?" he asked, hoping that his voice sounded lighter than he was feeling.
"Chuck, you didn't have a blonde 'stashed' in here yesterday morning, she was sitting on your lap, trying to eat your face while you were demonstrating what a horrible pick-pocket you would make."
"What are you talking about, El?" he asked, secretly glad that she had backed off even though he knew that she must have been dying to ask him what he'd been dreaming about. "Bad pick-pocket?" he asked and then, remembering where his hand had been, he smiled, "oh yeah…never mind. Next time, maybe you'd better knock first."
"I did knock, Chuck. I'm sorry that I didn't wait but it's never been an issue before, the whole 'finding you with some chick in your bed' thing. Is this something that I'll have to start expecting more of?"
"Ellie…" Chuck started, only to be interrupted by a knock at the front door.
"Are you expecting someone?" Ellie asked as she looked over her shoulder towards the front of the apartment. Look back at her brother, she saw her answer in the confused look on his face. "Alright, I'll check the door. You take a shower and then we'll have breakfast and you can tell me what had you yelling for Sarah in your sleep" she said over her shoulder as she walked out of his room, the tone in her voice letting him know that her request wasn't really a request at all.
Chuck threw back the sheets and swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting his feet rest on the floor as he debated just how much of what had happened the night before he would actually tell his sister. He was so lost in thought that he didn't her his sister answer the door with a less than happy, 'oh, it's you. Well, c'mon in, Chuck's in his room'. He'd just gotten to his feet and shrugged out of his t-shirt and boxers, getting ready for a quick shower when the sound of someone taking a quick breath behind him snapped him back to reality. Already pretty sure what he'd find, he looked into the mirror above his dresser and had his fears confirmed.
"Good morning, Miss Walker" he said, sure that she'd notice the slight stammer in his voice and the bright red color that he was sure covered his entire face. He watched in the mirror and when Sarah didn't seem to notice his greeting, her mouth hanging open and her eyes staring straight ahead, he cleared his throat…twice. "If you're here to help me get dressed, do you mind waiting until after I take my shower?" he asked with a smile, realizing that it was a little late to 'duck and cover'. He almost burst out laughing when Sarah finally realized that she was staring and spun around so quickly that she almost collided with his bedroom door.
"I'm so sorry, Chuck. I didn't mean to…I didn't know that your were…not that there's anything wrong with you being…I didn't mean that I liked seeing you…I did…I do…I…uh...I'm just going to go and find your sister and have her kill me now" she stammered to a halt and started to walk away.
"So. You're not here to pick out my clothes for me?" Chuck called after her as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. "I'll be in the shower for at least ten minutes if you really feel like making sure I'm wearing the right clothes" he yelled towards the kitchen as he made his way into the bathroom.
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Ellie looked up to find a red-faced Sarah Walker walking into the kitchen, her eyes looking a little glazed. Trying not to laugh, the older brunette opened one of the cupboards and reached in, grabbed a coffee mug and offered it to the shell-shocked blonde. "What happened, Sarah?" she asked and waited as the blonde took the offered cup and made her way to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. Despite her feelings for the woman, she couldn't help smiling as she watched her pick up a salt shaker from the counter and proceed to liberally 'salt' her beverage. She waited and, sure enough, the first swallow from the cup shook Sarah out of her fog, the sudden sour look on her face causing Ellie to snort and then begin to laugh.
"It's not funny, Ellie" Sarah said as she poured the ruined coffee into the sink, which only lead to more laughter. "You could have warned me that he was naked".
Ellie struggled to catch her breath, finally managing to regain control. "I didn't know, Sarah." she replied. "Honestly, I didn't know. Are you going to be ok?" she asked, the smile still on her face.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'll recover" she answered as she poured herself another cup , making sure she checked before adding anything to her drink this time, not in a hurry for another mouthful of salty coffee. "Um…did he tell you about what happened last night?"
"No, but if it was the cause of his nightmare, I'd like to hear about it."
"Nightmare? What nightmare?" Sarah asked, concern replacing the memories of what she'd seen just a few minutes before.
"He was calling out your name this morning and when I went to check on him, he was in the middle of what looked to be a really bad dream. When he woke up after I shook his shoulders, he looked like he'd been through something terrible."
Sarah took another swallow of her coffee and then seemed to be considering what to say. "Your brother saved a lot of people last night. It was a close thing…closer than I like to admit."
"What was a 'close thing' Sarah? What exactly did you and my brother do last night?" Ellie asked, wanting to know just what her little brother had done that had 'saved a lot of people' , as Sarah had put it. She waited patiently for Sarah who seemed to be lost in thought, a distant look in her eyes. Just as the woman who was sharing the kitchen with her seemed to have reached a decision, Chuck wandered in with a towel wrapped around his waist and another one draped over his shoulders. Judging by Sarah's reaction, Ellie knew that the story about the previous night would now have to wait.
"Well, Miss Walker, I didn't see any clothes laid out for me so I just wanted to check and make sure that my sister hadn't pressed you into service, helping her cook breakfast" Chuck said with a smile.
Ellie struggled to keep the smile from her face as she watched Sarah's reaction to her brother's appearance. When Chuck had to snap his fingers in an attempt to get the woman's attention, Ellie couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing. She watched as the agent looked from Chuck to her and then back again, the pout on her face looking out of place and only causing her to laugh harder.
"I'll …uh, I'll just go and see what I can find for you to wear" Sarah said as she turned quickly and almost ran from the kitchen, leaving a confused Chuck and a bemused Ellie in her wake.
Chuck watched the blonde leave and then turned to find his sister staring at him with a smile on her face. "What?" he asked which seemed to cause his sister a great deal of amusement.
"She's helping you get dressed now?" Ellie said as she grabbed the 'Darth Vader : Universe's Strangest Dad' coffee mug and, after filling it, handed it to her brother. "Is this the first thing you want to explain" she waited as her brother took a sip from his cup and when he seemed hesitant to start talking, she added "or would you prefer to start with what happened last night?"
"Well, Sarah asked me out to dinner and…"
"So, you're gonna start with what happened last night?"
"Well, I'll get to that but first, I have to explain the whole 'dressing' thing. So, Sarah asked me out and she was going to pick me up after work yesterday and then give me a lift back here so I could get changed. I was teasing her about helping me get dressed. Well, the date didn't happen and that leads us to this morning. Sarah knows I have today off and I volunteered to finish the 'Chuck Bartowski Nickel Tour of Burbank' and, I guess, she wanted to get an early start so, that's why I was teasing her about picking out my clothes."
"Well, I suppose that explains that, but why did she stagger into the kitchen with an embarrassed look on her…wait, did she walk in on you…"
"Yeah, naked as the day I was born, only taller and hairier. I had my back turned but I was standing near my dresser…"
"In front of the mirror?" Ellie finished for him with a snort.
"Yeah, I think she may have gotten the 'full Bartowski', as it where."
"Well, that explains a lot" she replied and then noticed the confused look on her brother's face. "She wandered in here, blushing like crazy with this strange look on her face, like a cross between embarrassment and…"
"And what, El?"
"Chuck, I'm going to say this and then, hopefully, we'll never speak of it again because, honestly, it's a little weird to say. She looked like she was ready to attack you."
"Attack me? Like hurt me, El?"
"Chuck, I know you're a genius and all but sometimes, you can be so dense. She looked like she wanted to find a flat surface, any flat surface, and screw your brains out. And then, baby brother, you walked into the kitchen…like that" she said as she wave a hand in his general direction, obviously talking about his choice of coverings, "and I thought she was gonna go all 'cavewoman' on you, club you on the head and then drag you off somewhere."
"Ah, come on, El. You can't be serious" Chuck said with a shake of his head.
"Chuck, I know you don't see it, and that's probably part of the reason, but I've heard it from lots of the nurses at the hospital…you're a 'hottie' and Sarah Walker has the 'hots' for you." Ellie shook her head when she saw the look of disbelief on her brother's face. "Chuck, you're 'John Cusack and she's your 'Sure Thing' and that's the last we'll speak of this. Now, I want to hear about what happened last night. Sarah said you 'saved a lot of people' and I want to know what she was talking about. Is that what gave you that nightmare?"
"El, let me go get changed and then I promise to tell you what I can, ok?"
"Ok. You better hurry. Sarah's been alone in your room all this time…maybe she's been hypnotized by your underwear drawer and now she's just waiting for you to appear so she can pounce on you" she said with a smirk. "Pancakes?" she called after him as he headed towards his room.
"That sounds great, El" he answered, "give me a couple of minutes to get dressed."
"Want me to come 'rescue' you if you're gone for more than five minutes?"
"Ha ha, very funny, El" he yelled back, sure that his sister would be teasing him about this morning for years to come. Stepping into his room, he froze at the sight before him. His bed had been made and Agent Sarah Walker was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands resting in her lap. Next to her , a pair of jeans, a blue stripped, button down shirt, a pair of clean socks and his cleanest pair of Chucks sat waiting. "You really did pick out some clothes for me to wear" he said with a smile. "What, no underwear? I hope you're not expecting me to go 'commando', are you?"
'I thought that you should make that decision yourself…not the 'commando' decision…just the whole 'underwear' decision…although, I do like those dark blue silk boxers that are in the back of the draw…or, the dark blue 'underarmour' would work" Sarah said as she continued to look down at her hands.
Chuck stepped over and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "Sarah, I was only kidding. Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, Chuck, I fine and you…you haven't done anything wrong. Um, Ellie said that you were having a nightmare this morning. Was it about last night? Do you want to talk about it?"
Chuck got to his feet and walked around the bed, stopping in front of the dresser drawer that had been left open. "The dark blue 'underarmour' you said?" he said as he pulled the pair from the drawer. Turning back, he found Sarah staring at him, a sad look in her eyes. "Ok, if it means that much to you, I'll wear the boxers" he said with a smile, hoping to get a smile in return. When the sad look didn't leave her face, Chuck went back around the bed and sat back down. "Sarah…it was so fucking close last night, and, I still can't believe that stupid idea worked. What if it hadn't? "
"But it did, Chuck, it did."
"All of those people…and Major Casey…and you" Chuck said softly as he looked down at the floor. "The dream was so real, so horrible. I was looking into your eyes and I reached for you but…you were just gone."
"Chuck" Sarah answered softly as she slid closer to him and gently put an arm around his shoulders, "I'm right here. You saved everyone…you saved me. I know about bad dreams but it'll get better. I promise you it will" she said and then used her other hand to gently pull his face around so she could look into his eyes. "I promise" she said again and then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She wasn't surprised when Chuck didn't respond to her kiss but she surprised herself when she kissed him again, with a little more urgency than the first kiss. Just as she was about to break the kiss, Chuck started to respond and then she felt his hand find it's way to her cheek. When his thumb lightly grazed her ear lobe, Sarah deepened the kiss, her tongue asking for and being granted access to his mouth. She felt Chuck's hesitancy give way and within moments the kiss had become hungry and urgent. Her hand slid from his cheek to the back of his neck where her fingers soon wrapped themselves around his curls, digging in and pulling him tighter against her. She felt his other hand against the small of her back, moving in slow circles as he drew her to him while her own hand that had been resting on his shoulder, slipped lower and tried to find purchase against his bare back, her nails digging in as she tried to pull him even closer.
Chuck felt Sarah moan into his mouth as his hand dipped down into the back of her jeans. The kiss had taken him by surprise but when he'd responded to Sarah's tongue, the visions from his nightmare rapidly faded, leaving only the desire to hold Sarah as close to him as he could. As his hand slid further into her jeans, he felt her moving against him, lifting a leg up so she could swing around and straddle his lap. Pausing to take a breath, he was pleasantly surprised when the hand she had at the back of his neck slid away and then found his hand and pulled it towards her breasts. Once she'd found where she wanted his hand and moaned approvingly as he began to gently play with the nipple that strained against the material of her t-shirt, Sarah renewed her attack on his mouth, first nipping at his lower lip and then plunging her tongue back into his mouth. He felt Sarah's hand begin to slowly slid down his chest and just as her hand began pulling at the towel around his waist, it happened…again.
"Hey, do you guys want some chocolate chips in your …holy crap! Sorry guys…but, the door was open" Ellie said as she held her hand over her eyes. "Chuck, just so you know…the stuff I was telling you this morning?, this is way more uncomfortable. I'll be in the kitchen. "
Chuck watched over Sarah's shoulder as his sister turned around and headed back towards the kitchen, leaving his door open which, he was sure, had been a really subtle 'Ellie' hint. He felt Sarah's hand release the edge of the towel just as he realized what he still had in his hand, uh, make that hands he told himself as he remembered he actually been 'multi-tasking', at least as far fondling went. Once he'd returned his hands to their usual, un-occupied positions, he felt Sarah's hand begin their own withdrawal, leaving them leaning against each other, both trying to catch their breath.
With a sigh of disappointment, Sarah climbed back out of Chuck's lap and then slid back to the place she'd been sitting in when he'd walked in. "I'm sorry, Chuck" she said softly as she looked into his eyes.
"Sorry for what, exactly? Sorry for the whole 'attacking Chuck and driving him crazy with desire' thing? Or sorry that I've just discovered that my sister's new nickname is going to be 'CB'?"
"Well, not for the 'attacking and driving' thing because, to be honest, I really liked that…a lot, and not for Ellie's new nickname because I'm not sure what CB even means…" and then Sarah paused and giggled when she realized just what 'CB' did mean, "yeah, ok, I not sorry about her new nickname but I think I'll wait to see how she reacts to you calling her that before I start using it, ok?"
"That's probably a good idea" Chuck replied, a smile on his face as he imagined Ellie's reaction to Sarah if she was actually the first one to use the nickname. "So, what exactly are you 'sorry' about, Sarah? I don't mind you picking out clothes…hell, I don't even mind you going through my 'delicates'…in fact, that's sorta cool, the whole 'clothes picking thing' because my sister would be the first to say that I have no fashion sense and she wishes they made 'Grrranimals' in my size so she could trust me to not screw up whenever I go shopping for new clothes…" and suddenly Sarah was kissing him again.
"Would you please stop rambling" she said after the brief kiss. "I'm sorry that you had the nightmare because of last night and, I'm sorry because Ellie's right…about me, I mean. I sorta overheard what she said to you earlier, about me, and I think what just happened and what would have happened if she hadn't walked in just goes to prove it."
"Proves what, exactly?"
"Chuck, she's right about you being 'dense' about women and she's absolutely right about me wanting to 'attack' you. In fact, if you don't get up, right this instant, and put some clothes on…I'm going to get up and walk over and close that door and then I'll lose what little control I have right now and …no!" she said as she got to her feet and walked to the door. "You get dressed, right now! I'm going to help 'CB' with the breakfast, if she'll let me" she said before she turned and walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
Chuck sat on the edge of his bed, amazed at what he'd just experienced. Not only did an unbelievably beautiful woman seem to have trouble keeping her hands off of him, but the same woman was now going to risk 'Elliewrath' by walking into her kitchen. He found himself shaking his head while he fought to keep a huge smile from splitting his face. Getting to his feet, he walked back around the bed and stood in front of the still open dresser drawer. He been given three choices and he just stood there, unable to make up his mind. Just as he was about to reach into the drawer, there was a soft knock at his door. "Yeah" he called out and the door opened , just a crack and he heard Sarah's answer to his unasked question. 'The 'underarmour' she said and then, after a few moments, the door was closed again. 'I'll have to ask her how close she was to walking back in' he told himself as he grabbed the requested underwear and started getting dressed.
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Chuck found his sister and Sarah sitting on opposite sides of the dining room table, both smiling as they talked about something, 'or someone' he silently added. "So, how do I look?" he asked, his voice seeming to startle the two women who both looked towards him.
"Very nice, Chuck" his sister answered with a nod of approval, both towards him and towards Sarah, obviously liking the clothes she'd selected. "Now, come sit down and have some breakfast…and then you can tell me all about what happened last night."
A/N: redux-Guess who's coming to breakfast? Can you say 'Mr. Grumpy-pants? Is 'CB' gonna like the guest or…ah, just wait and find out. However, if you don't mind, now would be the perfect time to do that reviewie thingie….pretty please…with sugar on top….mmmmmm, great, now I have a craving for éclairs…gotta go. JT