A Common Spy Problem
A/N: Stuff you should know:
1. This is The Twist – yes, I'm following canon, and no, no episodes will be 'dropped', but in order for my storyline to work, I had to rearrange an episode. Trust me.
2. Nervert is still beta'ing this, patiently helping with my tenses, correcting some word choices and smoothing out the flow. He has a lot of creative ideas too. And he also won the comma war – I now believe that it's okay to use one before the word 'and'. As always, he hasn't seen the rewrite, so any mistakes are due to my changes, or stubbornness.
3. If you have a Facebook profile, you can visit the "DogBlessYou" page and click on the Like button. For every 5,000 likes, 1 therapy dog will be donated to a war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
4. I don't own Chuck.
Chapter 11
It had been a quiet week on the mission front. Sarah had used the time to make a dent in her paperwork while Chuck had picked up a couple of extra shifts at the BuyMore to make up for all the hours he'd missed. It wasn't really necessary, as he was by far the most productive nerd of the herd, with the possible exception of Skip Johnson, but Sarah knew that his conscience had been bugging him, so she didn't say anything about it.
Between them, things were awkward. Their lunch dates had continued as usual, but always in the presence of the others, and Chuck still walked her to her car at the end of each day, sending her off with a quick peck and a 'drive safe'. Aside from that, they hadn't spent any time together in five days due to Chuck being on call every night. They had decided it was for the best, as Beckman had yet to raise the issue of a sanctioned relationship and Sarah was still under strict orders to act professional. Friday night, however, was a different story as this was family movie night and there was no way Ellie would let them get out it.
Sarah had mixed feelings as she sped along the highway towards Echo Park. She looked forward to spending time with Chuck. She missed him and couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't foolish on their part to keep a physical distance. Twice now they had almost spontaneously combusted when they were together and separation could make it worse. What if they slipped again? Frustrated, she slammed a palm into the steering wheel. She wished Beckman and the CIA would make their minds up already.
As she pulled up to the curb, Sarah took a calming breath. They could do this. They could convince Devon and Ellie they were a happy couple, because they actually were, and pretend for the cameras that they weren't 'too happy'.
Sarah burrowed deeper into her jacket as she made her way across the courtyard. It was an unusually cold night, even for winter. Before she could lift her hand to knock, the door swung open. Chuck smiled at her and she smiled back. Noticing Devon in the background, Sarah tilted her head slightly. Taking his cue, Chuck leaned closer, framed her face with one hand and kissed her. It lasted only a few seconds, but his thumb brushed lightly across her cheek, letting her know that it had nothing to do with selling a cover. When he raised his head, she shot him a wistful smile. He grabbed her hand and pulled her all the way into the apartment.
"Sarah, you're freezing."
"Just my hands," she shrugged, "I didn't think there'd ever be a need for gloves in LA."
"Well, this should help." Devon gave her a one-arm hug before handing her a large mug. She wrapped both hands around it and reveled in the warmth that spread through her fingers. Chuck rubbed her upper arms for good measure and led her further into the living room.
"Hey, Sarah," Ellie greeted as she emerged from the kitchen carrying a stack of plates.
"Hi," Sarah replied, raising her mug and an eyebrow slightly. "Hot chocolate before dinner?"
"Blame the weather." Ellie deposited the plates next to the pizza boxes on the coffee table. That was new too. They normally ate at the dining room table. "Tonight it's blankets and laps. I hope you don't mind?"
"Of course not," Sarah responded automatically, her eyes falling on the folded blankets lying on the couch. There were only two. We can do this, she reminded herself again, and then wished she knew more about baseball statistics.
An hour into the movie, Sarah dropped her head onto Chuck's shoulder. Ellie and Devon were curled up on the nearby chair, leaving them on the couch, or at least, on one side of it. The combination of a full belly, being snuggled up next to Chuck all warm and cozy, and their fingers idly stroking the other's out of sight of both the company and surveillance, was making her drowsy. She closed her eyes for a moment, but they shot open again when Chuck's hand left hers and was suddenly inside her shirt, splayed across her bare stomach. She grabbed his thigh and gave it a squeeze as sparks shot all the way down to her toes. Shifting her head slightly, she whispered only loud enough for him to hear. "Please don't start something we can't finish."
"I can't stop thinking about you," he confessed in the same tone, so when he began to extract his hand, her free one covered his, keeping it in place.
"Okay," she agreed, "not yet." Chuck responded by pressing his lips briefly to her forehead before turning his eyes back to the screen. Past him, she noticed Ellie's smile spread even though she wasn't looking directly at them. Sarah was fairly certain Ellie couldn't hear the exchange over the TV, but she could imagine what it had looked like. She would have blushed, had it not been for the fact that Ellie's reaction just validated their 'cover'.
By the time the credits started to roll, Sarah's face was completely nuzzled into Chuck's neck and his hand had remained where it was, his thumb drawing lazy patterns across her skin. She wished they could stay like that forever, but then Ellie broke the moment when she yawned rather loudly.
"And that's our cue to get to bed," Chuck teased, earning him a throw pillow to the side of his head.
"Who gets the bathroom first?" Ellie ignored his fake pout and shook Devon awake.
"Guess the excitement was too much for him," Chuck deadpanned as Awesome finally came around.
"The English Patient is a classic," Ellie shot back.
"Yeah, classically boring."
Sarah had to side with Chuck on this one, not that she had paid much attention to the movie, but she didn't want to hurt Ellie's feelings. "Why don't you two go ahead? The bathroom, I mean," she intervened.
Ellie gave Chuck a playful slap as she and Devon rounded the couch. "Thanks, Sarah. Good night, guys." Devon added a sleepy grumble as he followed his fiancé down the hall.
"Good night," Chuck and Sarah spoke over each other. When they were out of sight, Sarah inched away from Chuck and stretched before getting up to hunt for her shoes.
"I better get going."
"Stay," he responded immediately.
"Chuck…" She really wanted to, which was why she knew she shouldn't. All her nerves were still tingling from their cuddle session and the thought of sleeping so close to him under the circumstances edged on torture.
"Look, it's late and I'll never hear the end of it if I let you go out in this cold." His eyes told her he also didn't want to do that, but he had the sense to keep quiet. Sarah wondered if she'd ever get used to having someone who looked out for her well-being.
"I suppose it would look suspicious if I'm not here in the morning." She briefly considered sneaking out and back before anyone woke up, but that would mean getting up at an ungodly hour and then fighting her way through traffic in her usual state of morning grumpiness. Chuck gave her an I-know-what-you're-thinking smirk, but again kept quiet as she sank back onto the couch.
After they had brushed their teeth tandem-style, as Chuck called it, he had left her to change into a pair of his pajama bottoms and an old Stanford sweatshirt. She padded down the hall in her socks, pajama bottoms rolled up to avoid tripping, and found Chuck in bed, the covers already tucked under his chin. She slipped in next to him, pulled the sheet and duvet over her shoulders and immediately searched for his hand. Once settled, she closed her eyes and drifted off.
A faint pinging noise disturbed her slumber. Sarah thought she heard Beckman calling their names, but when she peered through one eye and noticed that it was just after two, she decided it must have been a dream. Then the distinct sound of someone clearing a throat sounded in the room and she turned towards Chuck. It definitely wasn't him.
"Bartowski. Walker."
At that, Chuck suddenly bolted upright. "General! Hey. What are you…what are you…"
Sarah's brain kicked into gear when she saw the glow from the television screen and sat up too, running a hand through her disheveled hair. She wasn't even aware that DC had a direct link to Chuck's TV, but it displayed the all too familiar face of their superior. It was downright disturbing.
"I wanted a private word with you two. Pardon the intrusion." The General almost looked apologetic.
"On this moment, or our lives in general?"
"Chuck," Sarah hissed under her breath, trying to remember the exact position they were in before Beckman unceremoniously woke them up. If it was compromising, Beckman didn't mention it.
"The CIA has made their decision," she stated flatly. Sarah searched for something to say, but came up empty. She wanted to know, but surely it could have waited until morning? "I'm sorry, Sarah," Beckman continued, "but they couldn't be persuaded."
"What does that mean?" Chuck asked first.
"They wanted Agent Walker to return to Langley as soon as possible..." Both Chuck and Sarah opened their mouths to protest, but Beckman raised a hand, cutting them off. "…but I advised against it. This is a sensitive assignment and as we are not sure about the extent of Fulcrum's infiltration into the Agency, I've recommended that you be given another chance. The director agreed, provided you pass a 49-B."
"And what exactly is a 49-B?" Chuck preempted Sarah for a second time.
"Agent Walker, I'll leave it to you to explain that. Major Casey had been ordered to cut surveillance until morning as I assume you two have a lot to discuss. Agent Alexandra Forrest will meet you tomorrow morning at zero nine hundred in Castle." Beckman's finger moved to disconnect the feed and paused. She leaned forward, peering over her glasses. "Pass this test, Sarah," and with that, the screen went black.
Chuck shifted to face Sarah. "Did you know she could do that?" He waved his arm in the direction of the TV. "Remind me in future to unplug all the electronics before we…" he realized where his babbling was headed and stopped himself. "Sarah, what's a 49-B?"
Something I never thought I'd be subjected to, she wanted to say, but didn't. Instead she gave the textbook answer. "It's an agent who will assess my performance and during the evaluation period she will assume the role of your handler."
"Okay," Chuck responded tentatively, "Would she know about the Intersect?"
"No. She won't know that top secret information unless her position becomes permanent." The words echoed in Sarah's head as she spoke them. Tomorrow she would meet the woman that might replace her on this assignment. The one that could take her out of the loop.
"What do you mean permanent?"
Sarah sighed and crawled back down the bed, turning on her side. Chuck followed suit.
"You can lose your job over this," he stated when she didn't respond. Sarah knew she should have expected the outcome, it was the most likely to happen, but it still hit her hard. Despite that, she tried to set Chuck's mind at ease.
"If you had to quit your job at the BuyMore to be with me, would you?"
"In a heartbeat, but you can hardly compare the two. Your job is important, Sarah, you save countless lives on a daily basis, mine included. You can't just walk away from that. And I don't want you to choose between me and the CIA."
Sarah propped herself up on one elbow. "Chuck, you once told me you don't want a relationship where I'm off in some foreign country quelling revolutions, while you stay at home waiting…"
"I didn't mean that," he interrupted.
"I know you didn't," she assured him, "but honestly, I don't want that kind of relationship either, and I also don't want to sit by while you're off on a mission without me and wait for when and if you come home. That's the reason I'm fighting so hard to keep my position with the Agency. I want to be the one who protects you. I can't trust anyone else to do that." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that she also wanted to be in the know when the burn order came through. When they had to make a run for it.
"Sarah…" he hesitated, but she had a strong suspicion what he was thinking.
"Chuck, no. We'll find a way to make this work. Just don't…if you want to break up with me, do it for the right reasons, not because you think it's the right thing to do. It's not, so, no."
Reaching up, he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay," he gave her a wistful smile, but dropped it instantly. "So I guess we need to take this one step at a time. How do we pass the 49-B?"
"We have to convince Forrest that our relationship is strictly professional and that I have you under control, so when I tell you to do something, you have to listen."
"So we're back to 'stay in the car, Chuck'." He thought for a moment. "Okay, if that's what it takes, but if you get into a sticky situation…"
"This is not a negotia…" The rest of the word got lost in Chuck's mouth. Sarah pushed against his chest and backed away slightly. "You're not going to win every argument this way."
"Who's arguing?" Chuck shrugged and leaned closer again. Sarah expected him to resume the kiss, but he stretched over her to reset the alarm.
She watched as the digits ran backwards and groaned. "Why?"
Letting out a chuckle, he dropped his arm around her waist. "I suspect we're in for a rough couple of days, so I need time to make sure you start the day in a good mood."
"I don't see how waking me at six thirty is supposed to…" she trailed off when his eyebrows started to dance up and down, making her stomach flutter. "Oh."
"Yes, oh," Chuck grinned and dove in for a kiss that ended far too soon. Sarah turned and moved back until they were spooning. Like earlier, his hand found its way under her shirt, but settled higher and more intimately this time. With a content smile, she closed her eyes, determined to handle whatever life and the CIA threw at them, because it was moments like these that made everything worth it.
Sarah fisted the sheets, her knuckles bleeding white, as Chuck swept her hair aside. His lips hovered in the crook between her shoulder and neck, his breath hot on her skin. He slid an arm around her waist to steady her then finally closed the distance, teasing the sensitive spot below her jawline before trailing soft kissed down her shoulder and back again. She shifted her weight to one arm, reaching around with the other, her hand on the back of his neck guiding him to her mouth. When their lips met, Sarah soared and he swallowed the low moan that escaped her throat. She buckled and Chuck tightened his grip to prevent her from collapsing. They broke apart for air and then Chuck finally stilled. Keeping his chest firmly pressed against her back, he gently lowered them onto the mattress and they lay tangled in the sheets and each other, desperately trying to catch their breath.
"That was…" Chuck tried to speak between pants, "It was just…"
"Wow," Sarah supplied, amazed that she could actually hear him over her still racing heartbeat. She turned in his arms and brushed her fingers along his cheek. "Good morning."
"That it is," Chuck smirked, eliciting a happy giggle from Sarah. He leaned in for another kiss, their lips barely touching when there was a knock on the Morgan door. "Go away, Morgan!" Chuck called without backing away, but Sarah did.
"Chuck, Morgan doesn't knock."
"Well, this better be good," Chuck groaned as he rolled over to his side and pulled on his pajama bottoms before sliding off the bed. He raised the blinds and opened the window slightly. Before he could say anything, she heard Casey's voice.
"Video's back up in ten minutes."
"And a good morning to you too," Chuck mumbled, letting the blinds fall back in place.
Sarah let out a small sigh as she got up to retrieve the sweatshirt from the recliner where it landed earlier and slipped back into it. Before it fell down her thighs, she noticed Chuck's eyes darting away from her hip. Without a word, he sank down onto the bed and she moved in between his legs, her hands on his shoulders. She wasn't sure how to start, but she knew she had to say something.
"Chuck, listen, please don't tell anyone. I'm not supposed to have that."
She had made a split second decision when she snuck off to the bathroom earlier to freshen up before the alarm went off, and had carefully removed the piece of latex that covered the small image of a violin wrapped in a lily. She didn't want to keep it a secret, so she had promised herself to tell him if he wanted to know, but he hadn't asked. At least he had seen it, which is more than she could say for any other man she'd been with.
"Why not?" His thumb stroked the patch of skin, now covered, in question.
"You know how many bad guys you've identified by their tattoos. It put's an Agent's cover at risk. It's just…I couldn't have it removed. I couldn't give up everything when I joined the agency."
Chuck gave her a lopsided smile. "Will you tell me what it means some day?"
"Some day?" He tilted his head in the direction of the camera and she nodded before mentally adding his question to the growing list of things she wanted to tell him.
Next time on A Common Spy Problem:
"If they make that woman my handler, I'm throwing myself in a bunker."