A Common Spy Problem
A/N: Happy Freedom Day to the other South African reading this. I wasn't going to post until tomorrow, but all your kind words on the previous chapter have inspired me. I will be sending replies tomorrow during my study breaks, so check your inboxes. Again thank you to Nervert for the beta, he had some awesome ideas for this one. As per usual he has not seen the rewrite, so any errors that might have slipped through are mine. Chuck is not.
Chapter 7
Sarah awoke when the mattress dipped. Her eyes caught sight of the alarm clock Chuck had given her last Christmas. It read 3:37. Chuck was sitting with his back to her, pulling on his shoes.
"Where are you going?" she yawned.
Chuck jumped, whipping his head around. "Oh, sorry, I didn't wanna wake you."
Sarah pulled herself up against the headboard and grabbed the sheet before it slipped down her naked form. "That doesn't answer my question." She yawned again.
Chuck gave her a sheepish look. "I just figured it would be better…uhm…given our current situation, if it didn't look like I've spend the night here. You know, with Beckman watching."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Sarah sighed. "It won't be forever." The consolation was more for her benefit than his.
"Hey, you know the government," he joked as he bent over to tie his laces, "All that red tape to get through."
"I kinda told Beckman to hurry along."
Chuck straightened and shot her a shocked look. "Did you tell the director of the National Security Agency that you want to break protocol and that she should get her butt in gear and approve it?"
"Not in those exact words," Sarah defended herself and then thought of something else. "How are you going to explain to Ellie that you didn't come home last night and then, all of the sudden, you're there for breakfast? It's not like you've got an early shift at the BuyMore as an excuse."
Chuck shrugged. "I'll just tell her that you're a horrible cook." His quip earned him a pillow in the chest. "Owww."
"You big baby."
"That's not what you called me last night, at least not the baby part," he retorted and jumped to his left to avoid being hit again. "I guess someone's not a morning person," he mused as he retrieved the pillows from the floor and put them back on the bed. He grabbed his wallet and phone from the night stand and stuffed them into his pockets.
"It's about to get worse," Sarah mumbled and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She wrapped the sheet around her, walked over to her cupboard and pulled out her overnight bag. Then she picked up her clothes from the floor, shed the sheet and started to get dressed.
Chuck frowned. "Where are you going?"
"Same place as you," she answered as she gathered her hair into a messy ponytail. "Can't have you wandering the streets this time of day all by yourself."
"I'm not going to wander, I have my car. And I'll be fine, honey. Can't you just follow my little red dot on your phone there until I'm home and go back to sleep?"
Sarah's hands stilled and she raised her head to meet his eyes. A small smile formed. "That's nice."
"My concern for your beauty sleep?"
Her smile grew at his confusion and she shook her head slightly.
Chuck's eyes widened. "Oh, that," he shrugged and then gave her a matching grin. "Yeah, I like it too." After a beat he continued. "Not that I didn't mean it when I called you 'sweetie' before, it wasn't just for the cover, well, not every time…"
"Chuck, you're babbling."
"Oh, yeah, right," he pressed his lips together and looked down at his shoes and then back up again. "Uhm…I should go."
"We," Sarah corrected, finishing tying her hair.
"That's really not necessary. I'll be fine."
"If I come with you," she started to explain, but paused when she ducked under the bed to retrieve a shoe box, "then we could sneak into your bedroom and Ellie and Casey would think we were just out late. That way we can sell the cover and the non-cover."
"You're not making any sense."
"That's because it's not even four in the morning." This time she stifled her yawn. "Just follow my lead." She opened the lid, took out a stuffed evidence bag, closed the box again and stowed it away. "Just give me a minute," she spoke over her shoulder as she disappeared into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face, quickly brushed her teeth and emerged feeling a little more alert. Chuck had already shouldered her bag and was holding out the evidence bag to her.
"What's this for?"
"You'll see," she answered cryptically as they left the room.
Chuck leaned with his hands against the Herder's roof, lifting one foot and then the other. "Has anyone ever told you you're crazy?" he asked, looking around to make sure no one saw what they were doing. His fear was pointless as the parking lot was deserted this time of the morning.
"No one who lived to tell the tale."
He swallowed. "Point taken."
Sarah straightened. "All done. Your turn."
They switched places. "I still think this is ridiculous," Chuck complained as he took a handful of sand out of the bag and rubbed it on the sole of her shoe. "No one is going to look this closely. Besides, it's all probably gonna end up in the car anyway."
"Well, telling people we were at the beach and lost track of time is kind of lame, so there's got to be sand somewhere to sell it. We should probably rub some on the wheels as well. Get the car mats too."
Chuck made a displeased sound in the back of his throat. "You do realize Emmett's gonna take the cost for detailing this car out of my pay check?" Sarah responded with a smirk. "Why do you even keep sand in you room?"
"Because I'm always prepared. Now hurry up."
"Note to self," Chuck mumbled as he got to work, "never wake girlfriend up before seven in the morning."
"Eight," Sarah corrected.
"Again, point taken."
Chuck quietly unlocked the apartment door, but Sarah's hand on his arm stopped him from entering.
"Wipe your feet," she whispered.
Chuck rolled his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." She couldn't hold it in any longer. Mindful that the neighbors were asleep, no sound escaped, but she couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking. Chuck gaped at her.
"You were messing with me?" he accused in a low voice. All she could do was nod. "Not cool, Sarah," he pouted.
"That's what you get for trying to sneak out on me, I don't care what your excuse is," she whispered back and shoved him through the door. "Now let's get to bed. I still have a few winks to catch."
The covers stretched awkwardly, pulled up around Chuck's shoulders as he lay on his back and tucked under Sarah's arm, who was facing away from him.
"You know you're going to be cold in an hour, can't you just pull the blanket higher?" Chuck whispered in the dark.
"I can't fall asleep if my arm is under the covers. It makes me feel like I'm trapped." She pulled at the blanket again, but it didn't help. "Do you have to be snug as a bug in a rug?"
Chuck didn't answer and she knew why – he was filing away another tiny bit of information he learned about her. The thought made her sad. She knew how desperate he was to get to know the girl under the hardcore agent, but he had accepted that she had secrets to keep and stopped pushing for information. If her reasons for keeping him in the dark were simply to protect her cover, she wouldn't feel so guilty about it. She trusted him and he had proven himself to be an excellent secret keeper, a reluctant one, but nonetheless. But she was scared. Scared that if Chuck ever found out who she really was, what she had done, that he'd look at her differently. She meant it when she told him his opinion was the only one that mattered and she wasn't about to risk changing it, which is why she was going to have to keep yet another secret.
Sarah pushed the thoughts away and shifted again. "Why haven't we had this problem before?"
"Because we cuddled. You kept me warm." Sarah's frustration eased a little. "Maybe if you moved closer…" Chuck suggested.
"Then the angle would decrease, making it even more uncomfortable. Didn't they teach you that at Stanford?"
"I guess I missed the class on the best geometry for sharing a bed with your girlfriend." He was quiet for a moment. "Would you try something for me?"
"What?"
"Put your arm under the blanket, just for a minute." Sarah suppressed a sigh and did as he asked. Chuck's hand found hers, linking their fingers. His thumb rubbed soothing circles over the back of her hand. "Now close your eyes and relax."
Sarah rolled over onto her back and did as he asked. Apart from her racing mind, her body was actually still gooey from their earlier activities and she felt herself sinking a little deeper into the mattress. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.
"Is this okay?" Chuck asked softly.
"Mm hmm," she responded, tightening her grip a little. Though she'd much rather have his arm around her and snuggle into his chest, she still felt oddly safe and drifted off soon after she had closed her eyes.
Sarah groaned when the first rays of the sun hit her face. Awareness slowly seeped through her body as she willed herself awake. Given that she'd only got a few hours' sleep, and in shifts to boot, she was nowhere near ready to get up, but unfortunately life didn't care much about that. She had to work an early shift in the morning as compromise for taking some personal time off later. And she had yet to figure out what to tell Chuck. The thought of him prompted her to open her eyes. He was still in the same position as when they went to bed, as was she. By some miracle they hadn't shifted in their sleep to end up in a compromising position. Hopefully the rest of the day would go smoothly as well. That notion was short lived.
"Good morning," Chuck grumbled sleepily when his eyes caught hers. Sarah responded with a small smile, sliding her hand out of his and immediately missing the contact.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" he asked when the silence stretched too long. Sarah tensed immediately, but then berated herself. It was a normal question to ask, there was no way he could know what was really going on.
"Nothing special," she lied and cringed inwardly.
Chuck propped himself up on one elbow and turned to face her. "Well, in that case, you wanna come over later for a fake date with Awesome and Ellie? I promise fake cuddling but real pizza." She knew his phrasing was purely for the benefit of the surveillance, so she didn't dwell on it. There were more important things to worry about.
"I'm sorry, Chuck. I have plans." That was as close to the truth as she was willing to get, but she could immediately sense the wheels in his head starting to turn.
"Oh. Is there a mission tonight? I don't remember getting the memo."
"Uh, nope, no mission. Just plans." It sounded lame, but she hoped that he'd put it down to the fact that she wouldn't want to reveal too much in front of the cameras. No such luck. Chuck was nothing if not persistent.
"What kind of plans?"
"I'm sorry, Chuck, but it's personal." She felt a pang of guilt shoot through her chest when his face fell. If she had been a normal girl, telling her boyfriend that she was having dinner with her father wouldn't have been a big deal, but for her, unfortunately it was.
Sarah served the last customers before closing time, her smile faltering the minute their backs were turned. It had been a boring day, leaving her with ample time to reflect on this morning. Chuck had been unusually quiet at breakfast and the drive to her hotel had been even worse, especially after she had asked Chuck to drop her there instead of the Orange Orange as she would need her car later. And he had barely returned her goodbye kiss.
Switching the yogurt machine off, she glanced over at the BuyMore. She desperately wanted to stop by before she left, but she had no idea what to say to Chuck. Thanks for a magical night and sorry for repaying you with a lie? Still at a loss, she flipped the light switch and locked the doors. She fished her car keys out of her orange clutch. The BuyMore door slid open and she looked up instinctively, only to notice a burly man hauling a plasma screen to his SUV. With a stab of disappointment she got into the Porsche and revved the engine a little more than necessary. Perhaps it was better to give Chuck some time to cool off. Knowing her father, he'd be gone by tomorrow anyway and then she could focus on fixing things with Chuck.
Jack Burton hadn't changed much. He was still the smooth and charming man Sarah remembered from before he was arrested nearly ten years ago. His face had aged and his hair had greyed slightly, but the deep baritone voice was familiar, unlike the hug he greeted her with when she opened the door. They never used to that, say a proper hello or goodbye. Sarah took it for what it was – a man who hasn't seen his daughter in almost a decade.
There was a comfortable silence in the car, the kind they were used to, as neither of them spoke much. Though they had a lot of time to catch up on, Sarah couldn't tell him much about her life without blowing her cover and she was better off not knowing what he was up to since his release from prison. It was enough just being with him, even if it was just for a little while and even if she was temporarily on the ousts with Chuck. Her dad was the only family she'd really gotten along with and despite the path he'd chosen, she loved him.
When they reached De Biasio's, Sarah shrugged out of her dad's jacket and handed it back to him. With a small smile he held his arm out again and led her to a table in the middle of the restaurant. Once seated, Jack ordered a bottle of wine. The waiter returned promptly, pouring a sample for Jack to taste. He nodded his approval and the waiter filled their glasses before fading into the background.
"So, Burbank?" Jack did a sweep of his surroundings. "Not the worst place we've ever been."
"No, it isn't," Sarah responded quietly and took a sip of her wine. Her dad had good taste.
Shooting her another smile, Jack picked up the menu. "Let's eat."
Just as Sarah reached for hers, a beeping sound from her phone distracted her. Though it was her night off, she'd kept it logged into the tracking software, just in case. Her heart jumped into her throat when she realized it indicated that Chuck was close by. He must have followed them. She cursed herself for letting her guard down and not noticing sooner. Looking around, she spotted him immediately.
"Uh, excuse me just a moment." She pursed her lips and got up, walking straight to where Chuck was attempting to hide behind his menu.
"Yes, I'd like the linguini with the clam sauce, please." Normally she would laugh at his horrible accent, but she'd spent the better part of the day in anguish over keeping the truth from him and now he was going to find out anyway. She grabbed the menu, placed it back on the table and folded her arms again. "How did you find me?" Chuck asked when she didn't speak.
"The GPS on your watch," she answered tersely. "What are you doing here?"
He looked like a kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Look, I'm sorry. I came for backup only."
"I told you it was personal."
"I know, I know, but I flashed." She wasn't surprised, given her father's colorful record, but she didn't want Chuck to find out that way. She didn't want him to find out at all. Before she could come up with a response, Chuck was by her side, filling her in on what he had seen. "Look, I'm all for a little time off, and God knows you deserve it, but I think that you should know that the much, much, much older gentleman that you're having dinner with right now is a very bad man, Sarah."
"Chuck…" It turned out worse than she thought – Chuck had jumped to the wrong conclusion. She tried to set the record straight, but Chuck didn't give a chance.
"Let me finish. The guy is a total loser, alright. Absolute bottom-feeding scum of the earth have I mentioned considerably older man?"
Her response was again cut off and she jumped slightly when her dad spoke behind them. "All true, but I'm a hell of a dancer."
Sarah knew she had no choice but to introduce them and she hoped that Chuck's discomfort that was sure to follow, would keep him from asking any further awkward questions. They turned around slowly.
"Chuck, I'd like you to meet my dad, Jack Burton." As she predicted, Chuck looked like he'd swallowed his tongue. "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Chuck." Jack was a little harder to read. His eyes darted from Sarah to Chuck and he had merely raised an eyebrow at the word 'boyfriend'.
Chuck cleared his throat nervously, but remembered his manners and offered his hand. "Ahem, a real pleasure, sir."
"Man, I feel like an idiot." Chuck broke the silence first while they were waiting for Casey. Sarah burrowed deeper into her father's jacket against the brisk night air.
"It's okay, Chuck."
"No, it's not. Look, I really didn't know what to think when you were so cryptic this morning, but that's no excuse. I shouldn't have intruded on your evening." He gave her a wistful smile.
"I should have told you I was having dinner with my dad. I'm sorry."
Chuck shook his head. "There's no need to apologize, I know you don't like to talk about your past."
"You're my boyfriend, Chuck, you have the right to know. This is just…it's new territory for me." Sarah knew she owed him a better explanation than that, but standing on a sidewalk outside of a crowded restaurant was hardly the place.
"Hey, at least you didn't skewer anything with a pencil this time. That's progress."
She chuckled and Chuck looked relieved that he was able to lighten the mood. "Thanks. So how did you convince Casey to come and fetch you with the surveillance van?" she changed the subject.
"I promised to do a couple of hours of community service to compensate for the wasted tax dollars. And I might have mentioned that it would reflect badly on his record if the Intersect got hijacked from a bicycle on his watch after giving him the slip."
"He is going to make you pay for that."
Chuck sighed. "I know."
A/N: I haven't written enough of Chapter 8 to give you a spoiler this time around, but I may post a couple on Twitter as the chapter progresses. Now as you've probably noticed, where I merely skimmed canon in the previous chapters, this one is gonna go into a little more detail, given that DeLorean was pretty much a Sarah-centric episode and this is written from her POV, so I hope all the Sarah Walker fans are going to enjoy it.