A/N: This is a two-chapter AU Charah story. There is no Intersect, CIA or NSA involved. Sarah Walker isn't a spy or even American. Chuck Bartowski stayed at Stanford University after getting his degree, got his doctorate and finally became a professor. He is now in his first year as a visiting professor at Oxford University in the UK, having been seconded there. He decides to go on a day excursion to Bath and Stonehenge. He obviously meets Sarah, a significant event which changes both their lives.
Shout out to Capt LiL who beta'd this for me. Thank you, my friend.
Chuck vs The Excursion
Chapter 1: The Coach Trip
Since moving to the UK, Chuck had basically been relearning how to drive. This weird opposite way around confused him. He was a genius with technology, part of the reason he got his Oxford placement, but manual dexterity only extended to his hands. He was clumsy as hell with his feet and legs. His brain didn't seem to want to adjust to the shift to the right-hand seat and the controls being on his left. He'd had two near accidents when his thoughts had drifted off and he'd found himself on the wrong side of the road. Swerving back to the left amidst blaring horns was not a happy experience.
Of course, he could just take buses, coaches and trains and not drive at all, but when he saw how long it would take to get anywhere, he gave up on that idea. Not only that, some places couldn't be accessed that way.
However, he had found that he could take a day-long excursion to Bath and Stonehenge. He liked the idea of visiting these and had signed up for it, getting the last space on this tour.
As he stood at the coach station waiting to board, he thought about his sister and brother-in-law. They'd love this as well. He missed them and couldn't wait for the holidays when he would return to the States to see them.
He was so distracted thinking about them, that he didn't realize the queue had started moving. The man behind prompted him and, after apologizing, Chuck shuffled forward.
He hoped he could get an aisle seat, so he would be able to stretch his legs out, although he would have also liked to have a window seat to see the English countryside pass by, maybe taking photos.
Once his ticket had been stamped, he walked along the small coach to find a seat. He was lucky and found a pair of empty seats, so he quickly sat there. He couldn't help hoping the other person failed to turn up. He knew that was mean of him, but he would then have both more room and a better view.
He settled down into his seat and pulled out his phone. He hadn't had time to check his emails before leaving his apartment to get here, so now was a good time to do that before they set off.
"Excuse me, can I get in there? It's the last seat." A female voice asked. The accent was Welsh, and the lilting tone was so lovely.
Chuck looked up and froze. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was standing there looking down at him. Her blonde hair was long and wavy. Her face, absolute perfection. His jaw must have dropped because she put a finger under it to push it up. The amused look on her face showed that she wasn't upset with him, but she did point to the seat next to him with her other hand.
"S- sorry," he stammered out as he scrambled to get out of his seat. Of course, he failed as he had already strapped himself in.
She chuckled as she watched him desperately undoing the belt and then rising.
In his rush to get up, he forgot in his rush that he needed to avoid hitting his head on the luggage rack above, due to him being so tall. Consequently, he bumped his head and winced.
She looked sorry for him, but quickly moved into her seat so that he could sit down again. Once he did, he immediately started apologizing again. "I'm so sorry I froze, but I guess you must get that a lot."
She looked at him with those gorgeous blue eyes. He felt himself sinking into their depths. Her smile was lovely too. "Not usually so obvious," she replied, smiling. "Thank you. it was definitely a boost to my ego."
He felt flustered again. How was he going to be able to sit beside this vision all the way to Stonehenge and back? "I should get another seat," he said.
That brought a frown to her face. "Why?"
He chuckled. "I don't think you need someone drooling over you during the tour."
She laughed out loud. It was a glorious sound. "Wow! A lovely image!" She held out her hand. "Sarah Walker, nice to meet you, Drooler."
The sparkle in her eyes was adorable. She seemed to like him, which was very unusual. He shook her hand. "Chuck Bartowski."
"Wow! That's an unusual name."
He smiled. "I'm American." As if that explained everything.
She grinned. "Really? I'd never have guessed."
Knowing she was teasing him, he replied with a serious voice, "I know I hide my accent really well."
She laughed at that, the lovely tinkling sound again.
He smiled. "You know I'm going to want to make you laugh more. That sound is music to my ears."
She patted his arm. "Charmer."
He grinned. He liked her calling him that. "Your fault," he replied.
"You know, I was thinking I'd be sitting on my own," she said, looking down.
He couldn't tell how she felt about that. "I'm sorry. Did you want some solitude?"
She smiled sadly, then shook her head and the smile grew noticeably happier. "I had wanted to, but not now. You've already changed my mind about that."
He had to think that through, then said, "So, you don't mind me sitting and maybe talking to you?"
She grinned, and that showed off her lovely teeth. He stared at them as she said, "Don't forget you're supposed to make me laugh as well."
"I could just tickle you," he replied, wondering where this confidence was coming from.
"Don't you dare!"
He held his hands up. "Not a fan of being tickled, then?"
"I hate it," she said emphatically.
"Okay. I'll have to amuse you with words, then," he replied.
She smiled. "Don't try too hard, but I do like chatting with you."
He smiled. He liked just being with her. He'd never seen such a beautiful woman before.
"Where you to?" she suddenly asked.
He looked at her. Why was she asking their destination? She should know. "Stonehenge?"
She laughed. "No. I was so relaxed, I forgot that you wouldn't be used to phrases from the Valley. Where are you from, in the States?"
Bemused by the phrasing the first time, he answered the second question. "Los Angeles."
"Ooh. Are you a film star?" Her eyes were sparkling.
He scoffed. "Do I look like one?"
He was a bit embarrassed as she looked him over. "You're certainly very handsome."
He looked at her in surprise. "You- you think so?"
It was her turn to look surprised. "Of course. You don't think so?"
He shook his head. "I'm too scrawny, my hair is a mess that I can't control, and my face just isn't attractive."
She shook her head. "Wrong on all counts." She was going to expand on that, when the driver's voice came over the speaker system.
"Everyone's on board now, so we'll set off in a minute. Let me just run through some safety words." He proceeded to tell them about staying seated unless they needed to come to the front and tell him something.
He then set off and continued talking. He told them about the stops they'd make on the way, emphasizing comfort breaks, and what would happen when they got to Bath first, and then Stonehenge. For both, he told them how long the stay would be.
All in all, it was a lot to rattle off and certainly too much for some passengers.
"Any immediate questions," he asked. No one replied. "Okay. I'll let you settle into the ride now," the man said and switched off the microphone.
Sarah turned back to her traveling companion. She'd not been able to fully answer him before the coach driver had started his monologue.
Chuck was looking down at his phone, but didn't seem to be specifically focusing on anything.
"As I was saying…" she started.
He looked up at her. Those lovely hazel-colored eyes of his captured hers. She wasn't looking for a relationship, but they did pull her. She mentally shrugged that off and continued, "You don't look scrawny to me. Slim, but not scrawny. Your hair may be a bit longer than most, and curly, but that's attractive, not a mess. I can imagine it may be hard to comb, but I can imagine women wanting to run their fingers through it." She itched to do it herself. "And finally, your face is attractive. You seem to put yourself down and should have more confidence in yourself."
She had no idea why she felt the need to say all this. Maybe it was because he was so self-deprecating. That was something she suffered from, so related to it, and she wanted to put him on a better path.
She realized Chuck was now blushing at all the praise he had received.
"Kind words," he said. "Thank you. But I'm not so sure."
She grasped his hand. It surprised them both, but her words probably surprised him more. "I'm not lying, Chuck." She'd spent a large part of her life lying, but that was behind her, and certainly since coming to Oxford. He looked up from their hands as she said that and she held his gaze, willing him to believe her.
He looked down. "My life doesn't reflect what you've said, though, Sarah."
This was getting deep and she hadn't meant it to. "Well, forget life today. We're on a day out to enjoy ourselves, so let's do that. Alright?"
He looked back up and saw that she was trying to stop him from dragging them down. He smiled. "Okay."
Realizing she was still holding his hand, which felt really good, she released it and sat back in her seat.
Chuck was just sitting quietly. Not a normal thing for him to do. He struggled with silence, but here he wasn't in a true social situation. He was just sitting next to someone on a coach journey. The fact that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen didn't change that. He sighed and sat back and wished his heart wouldn't beat so loudly. He'd not experienced this for many years. He'd fallen for Jill Roberts very quickly and had felt like this in her presence. That had gone horribly wrong and he hated that thought coming up now. He had only just met this woman and his treacherous heart was reacting in the same way. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore Sarah's perfume. She smelt as good as she looked, damn it!
Sarah sensed Chuck's discomfort and assumed she had caused it by saying what she had. Her honesty always caught her out. She had long feet for a woman, but sometimes they felt huge in all dimensions as she made these verbal mistakes. Really putting her foot in it! She berated herself and kept quiet.
It was weird. She'd hoped to sit in silence, clearing her head. Trying to forget her problems in solitude. Now, however, she wanted to talk. She was fascinated with this Californian. She wanted to know what he was doing in Oxford and why he was coming on this excursion. He had captured her imagination. She decided she should wait a while before talking again.
She managed to keep quiet for ten minutes. Chuck had his eyes closed, but she could sense he was still awake. "Chuck, can I ask you something?"
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Sure."
She smiled. "Two things, actually. How come you're in Oxford and why are you on this excursion?"
He chuckled. "Well, I'm in Oxford as a visiting professor, actually visiting rather than just remote, and I'm on this excursion because I really, really want to see the Roman Baths and Stonehenge. I don't feel comfortable driving over here, so an excursion is really the only way to do that."
She wanted to ask more about both, but latched onto the last comment. "Driving on the left bothering you?" He nodded, looking embarrassed. "Maybe you need a friend to drive you," she suggested.
He grinned. "You offering?"
"You suggesting we're friends?" she asked with a raised brow.
That flustered him. "No-no. Sorry."
She realized he was nervous around her and that she shouldn't tease him. "It's alright, Chuck. I like you. Maybe we could be friends. Let's see how the day goes." Even as she said that, she was both surprised at herself but also thought this day might result in her actually having a friend.
She thought about his other answer. "Visiting professor? In what?"
"Artificial Intelligence and Robotics," he replied. "The work I did in Stanford attracted attention over here from both Oxford and Cambridge. Cambridge may be more advanced in Computer Science, but I fancied coming to Oxford."
'Good. 'Cos that meant I met you,' she thought. Then, she wondered why she thought that. This was just a chance meeting that would probably go nowhere, but then she thought about the possibility of gaining a friend. "Sounds very techie," she blurted out and then hated herself for it.
He winced. "Yeah. It is. Not something to bring up, really."
"Hey. I asked."
He smiled. "You did. And what brings a girl from the Valleys to Oxford?"
"Languages. I'm in my fourth year of a combined French and Spanish course."
"Wow. The only languages I know are computing ones. Oh, and English, of course."
She laughed at that. "I pick up languages pretty easily. I know Welsh as well, of course, but I also know a smattering of Italian and German. Oh, and Polish. That was from my mum's mum who came from there."
"Impressive," he said.
"I don't know any computer languages, though." She said with a smile.
God, I love that smile, he thought. "Not a lot in common, then," he said, and wished he hadn't.
"Well, we both 'really, really' want to see Stonehenge." She finger-quoted the repeated words.
He laughed. "Got me there."
His nose wrinkled when he laughed. She thought it looked cute.
The driver was pulling into a service station. "Short comfort break, folks. Try to be back in fifteen minutes, please."
The older people were all standing before the coach even stopped. It hadn't been that long since they left Oxford but some bladders obviously needed emptying regularly.
"D'you want to get up?" Chuck asked Sarah.
"Only to stretch my legs," she replied. "I don't need a wee."
Chuck let Sarah out and followed her off the coach. Sarah breathed out a sigh and literally stretched out her legs, one at a time. She was wearing tight-fitting jeans. His eyes were drawn to them. He thought about what his sister would say about being respectful but Sarah was virtually putting on a show. Her legs were very long and slender. The jeans emphasized that. They looked as gorgeous as her face.
Sarah stopped her stretching and noticed Chuck was looking at her legs. She was surprised. She hadn't expected him to be like this. Her need to tease got to her again. "Legs man?"
His eyes shot up to hers as the redness crept up from his neck. "I'm so sorry. I was brought up better than that."
"Hey. I didn't expect it, but I'm the one who wore these jeans, so you've done nothing wrong." She smiled. "I won't tell your parents!"
A sadness appeared in those hazel eyes. "My parents aren't with us anymore. Haven't been since I was twelve."
She gawped at him. "I'm so sorry. Who brought you up then?"
"My sister," he replied.
"Wow! Some sister."
He smiled. "She's amazing."
Sarah felt that usual pang, thinking about what she never had. "My parents split up when I was seven," she said. "I had no siblings."
"Seven? Wow. That was young. Did either remarry?"
"Mom did and my step-dad supports me now." She wasn't going to mention her time with her dad or what they did before he was arrested. Besides, her mom took her back when she was fourteen.
"He sounds like a good step-dad," Chuck said.
"Mmhmm," she replied. He was. If it wasn't for his kindness she'd not be in Oxford. She felt guilty for not liking David more.
She didn't want to dwell on that. "Well, I'm glad you like my legs, anyway."
He smiled that nose-crinkling smile. "Gorgeous, like the rest of you."
She liked he thought that but the tease still escaped, "So, I guess you checked out my bum on the way off the coach, then?"
He flushed again. He had.
She burst out laughing at his expression. "Oh god, Chuck. You're so easy!"
"Maybe I just like hearing you laugh," he said, a little defensively.
No one had ever said that to her before. She looked at him. He seemed genuine. "Thanks, Chuck."
The smile didn't falter. "You're welcome. Please laugh as much as you like. With me or at me."
She realized she had done a lot of the latter. "Sorry. I'm not good with people."
He frowned. "Don't say that. I've thoroughly enjoyed your company already."
She beamed at him. He nearly tripped. God, she's so beautiful!
Other passengers were returning to the coach and they didn't want to be the last ones back on, so they went too.
The driver did a headcount to make sure he had everyone. "Well done. All back in ten minutes. I'm impressed. Let's set off." He quickly got them back on the motorway. "So, first stop. Royal Bath Spa. June here…" he pointed to a woman sitting just behind him. "…will take you on a guided, walking tour, taking in Pulteney Bridge, the Circus, the imposing Royal Crescent and Bath Abbey with its huge vaulted ceiling. Now, some of you may prefer to go into the Roman Baths. If you do, please let her know or she'll think she lost you." People laughed. "If you do that, you'll need to meet us for lunch, so June will tell you where and when." He handed the microphone to the woman who proceeded to do that.
"Can I have a quick show of hands for any that won't be coming with me?"
Chuck and Sarah looked at each other. "I do want to see the baths," he said, and put up his hand. She did too.
"Ok," June said. "So, that's three couples for the baths, then."
Chuck's eyes shot to Sarah. "Couple?"
She grinned. "My date for the day!"
It suddenly felt like that to him. Her twinkling eyes made him think she meant it, but she couldn't, could she?
Sarah was surprised to have made that comment, but then the reality of the situation sunk in. She was seeing this as much a day out with this handsome American as the excursion she originally expected. She gazed at him. He looked back. There was doubt in his eyes. She had always been good at reading people, but this was obvious. "Chuck, I am looking forward to spending the day with you. It's not what I expected today, but I am very happy we're together."
His grin made her heart flutter, which surprised her. How had he not been snapped up?
The remaining journey to Bath only took a half hour. As they got off the coach, June told them all to follow her as she led them to where they would meet for lunch.
Without thinking, Sarah held Chuck's hand. He looked down at it. She did too. She blushed, but said, "We don't want to be separated in this busy city."
It felt weak as she said it. She never held hands and was fiercely independent as well. Yet here, she wanted the contact and the comfort of his touch. She tried not to think what that might mean and concentrated on walking.
"So, this is where we will meet," June said as she stopped. "An easy landmark is the abbey behind you, which is the last stop on our tour. For those of you wanting the Roman Baths, go through the archway behind me and turn left. The entrance will be a short way along on your left. Keep an eye on the time so that you're back here by 12:30." She then turned back to those that would stay with her.
Sarah, still holding Chuck's hand, pulled him along.
They had to get in line to get into the Baths, but not for long and once they had their audio guides, they we're inside. They continued to hold hands, each held their guide in their other hand.
Sarah had been here before, but somehow walking around with someone else felt better. Chuck's enthusiasm was part of that. The heating system was explained and seeing how it ran under the floor, really captured Chuck's attention. She could see the engineer in him on display. He was in IT, but obviously was fascinated by engineering too. When she asked him about that, he said his dad had been an engineer and his degree at Stanford had been a joint Engineering and Computing one.
When they got to see the bath itself, both at the ground level and from above, it was an impressive sight. Sarah knew this, but seeing Chuck's eyes light up was a treat.
He would have spent time in the museum shop and probably bought souvenirs, but they had run out of time, so she dragged him out.
Chuck had had a wonderful time seeing what the Romans had created. Their skills were amazing considering how long ago they had built the place. He would have bought a couple of souvenirs if he'd had time. One for himself and one for his date. He found he wanted to buy her something to remember this day, or, more particularly, remember him.
He was doing it again. Falling for a beautiful girl. She probably didn't really think this was a date, but he now did. An all-day date, not just one where there was a dinner out somewhere in the evening.
He kept surreptitiously glancing at her. He felt on top of the world being with her. Their clasped hands just made it better. She'd said that was so they didn't get separated, which was a fair point, but for him it was a connection.
When they let each other's hands go in order to each lunch, he missed that contact. Her glance down and then up at him, suggested she did too, but he was probably reading too much into it. Beautiful women weren't interested in him. Hell, women in general weren't. Her kind words earlier were just that and nothing more.
Sarah noticed his reaction to releasing her hand. She'd felt disappointed not to have his large hand wrapped around hers. Again, not something she ever felt. When she looked back up into his eyes, she was sure he would see what she was thinking, but she saw something different. First, disappointment at the separation, then he seemed to close down. She thought she knew why, from their earlier interaction. He doesn't think I like him in spite of what I said earlier. His self-doubt is a burden for him. Is that why he hasn't been snapped up, because he doesn't let that happen, thinking he's not the catch that he is?
She felt the need to know more about him, but worried that might prompt him to want to know more about her too. This was why she kept to herself and avoided people. However, her desire to know Chuck's history was strong.
She focused on her lunch.
When they got back on the coach for the journey to Stonehenge, June, the guide, explained in more detail what would happen when they got there. She also knew a lot about this ancient site, so would talk to them about it as they walked around. However, they would have time to walk around on their own after that. They wouldn't be able to go within the circle, though. That stopped back in the late 70's.
Sarah looked at Chuck. "Were you expecting to be able to go within the circle?"
He shook his head. "No. I knew you couldn't but one of the older lecturers said he had done that when he was a kid. You could touch them, apparently." He looked wistful.
She said, "On Midsummer's Night, people do get in there, claiming to be druids or something. Some might be, but I'm sure not all of them are. Apparently, some even climb onto the top."
He looked at her. "Are you suggesting I should do that?"
She shrugged. "If you really want to."
He thought about that as an idea. He would really like to walk within the circle. He also knew the circle was some sort of astrological site and that in the morning after Midsummer's night, if the weather was right, the rising sun pierced the circle and lit up the Saracen's stone. That would be awesome to see. However, he would struggle to get there. He told her that and she immediately replied, "Maybe I could take you." Then she obviously realized what she had said and covered her mouth with her hand.
That made him think he might be wrong about her. He decided to test this. "That would be an awesome date, Sarah."
Sarah held his gaze for a good minute and then finally replied, in a quiet voice, "You'd like a second date?"
He suddenly didn't know her feelings again. Was she teasing him? He decided to just be honest. "This is the best time I've had with a girl in a long, long time. I really enjoy being with you, Sarah. Of course, I would like a second date with you. Probably long before June 21."
Sarah didn't do dates of any sort and hadn't spent the night with a man for a long time, in any sort of way. Why did the thought of doing that with Chuck excite her so much? It would be with a lot of others, in the dark apart from torch light and probably cold. Maybe they'd hold onto each other for warmth. Maybe they'd share a bed before that.
She had to stop those thoughts, but they had now started percolating through her head.
She needed to rewind to what he had said. "I'd like that."
What was she doing? She'd only met this guy a few hours ago, and she was agreeing to a second date? And a night with him at Stonehenge, at that? She knew of some girls from back home that would be shagging him tonight, but she wasn't like that.
"Give me your phone," she said.
He frowned, but did so.
She stored her name, phone number and Oxford address on it. When she handed it back, she said, "Call me and I'll store the number against your name. You can add your Oxford address."
He was just aghast. This wasn't something he expected. "We- we hardly know each other, Sarah."
She saw the nervousness in his eyes. "You were the one who suggested dating, Chuck. Were you just teasing me?"
"God, no. I wasn't controlling my mouth. That happens when I'm nervous. I said more than I should have."
She took his hand and said, "I've not enjoyed myself with anyone as much as I have with you already today. But, you're right. We don't know much about each other." She took a deep breath. "I'm Sarah Lisa Walker. Twenty-two years old. You already know what I am studying and now have my address in Oxford and my phone number. As I said, my parents split up when I was seven and I went with my dad. That didn't work out, so when I was fourteen, my mom and her new husband took me in. I don't make friends easily. I'm a bit of a loner. I've had two boyfriends but neither of those worked out. The last was in my second year here and ended badly. I've avoided relationships since then. Now I find myself attracted to this really handsome American." She looked into his eyes. "So, that's me."
"I can't understand why any man would break up with you," he replied. She wanted to kiss him for that, but waited for his words about himself.
"Charles Irving Bartowski. 30 years old. As I said before, our parents left us when I was twelve and my sixteen-year-old sister, Ellie, looked after me, as well as doing brilliantly in her education. She's a doctor now, married to another doctor. They moved to Chicago for their jobs.
"I studied at Stanford and stayed there for my doctorate in AI. After that I became a professor there and continued my research. Oxford offered me this post and I took it."
She smiled. "And girlfriends?"
His happy face took a hit when she asked that. "Only one, at college, she dumped me for my roommate. I didn't know until I left a lecture early one day and found them in bed together. It hit me hard and I've not dated since then."
She hated that story. "Hold on, that must have been seven years ago."
"Eight actually."
She looked incredulously at him. "You haven't had a date in eight years?"
He blushed. "No, but more amazingly, you haven't in nearly two."
"We both need to," she said. She nearly added 'get laid,' but managed to keep that in, but they both really did need that too. She leaned over and gave him a peck on his lips. She sat back and enjoyed him looking happy at that.
"You know, my mum and step-dad wanted me to come to Oxford and find myself a rich man who would sweep me off my feet."
He laughed. "Someone from a good background who probably went to a good school like Eton."
She chuckled. "That's right."
"Not found him, then?"
"No. But I have found a gorgeous American who I hope will sweep me off my feet instead."
He grinned. "You can just lift your feet up now, while on the coach."
She chuckled. "Not really the same, is it?"
He smiled, but said, "I'm not rich, Sarah. They might not approve."
"We don't have to tell them," she replied. She stopped herself from adding, 'yet.'
She didn't understand what was happening. She was falling under his spell. As far as she was concerned, she was selfishly glad that some stupid girl eight years ago had treated him so badly that he had avoided dating ever since. She knew that was a horrible thing to think, but she was obviously a horrible person. Still, considering her criminal behavior when she was with her dad, she had been horrible to others back then. It was part of her reason for avoiding people. However, now she seemed to have fallen for this American in record time and even wanted a relationship with him.
She leaned against him. That was a comforting feeling.
Chuck was over the moon. This stunning beauty wanted to be with him. How could he have been so lucky?
They sat quietly like that for the rest of the hour's journey to the ancient site.
It had been an early start for her and she felt so relaxed. She dozed off with her head resting on his shoulder.
A/N: I know, another of my stories where they fall for each other super-fast. Setting this one in the UK, enables me to take Chuck to places I know and love. That obviously continues in the next chapter.
Apologies to any Welsh readers who spot things that a girl from the Valleys wouldn't say. Drop me a PM if you spot anything you think I should correct.
For anyone aware of Oxford University's visiting professorships, I know they don't come to the city, but act in these roles remotely. However, this is fiction, folks.
This is just a two-chapter story, so one more to go.
How was the first chapter?