A/N: With Barstow... err Nevada City out of the way, the next leg of their road trip continues. Let's catch up with Chuck and Sarah to see what the trip brings.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck.
Chapter 28
As they drove west on Highway 20, an uncomfortable silence had befallen the car, which started nearly thirty minutes ago, right after they had left Sarah's mother's house. They had said their goodbyes and promised to keep Emma updated, but once they were in the car, they both grew quiet. Each was playing over the events of the morning, the frenzied, passionate way they had attacked one another. It was very much out of character for both of them.
After their conversation the night before, Sarah knew that she needed to keep working on her verbal communication. She had let her physical desires run away with her that morning, as they had the night after their date, but she needed to be able to talk with him about it. That was what people in relationships did right?
"So….." Sarah began, staring out the windshield at the road ahead. "About this morning…." She paused, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat.
'Yeah... about that…" Chuck added, but paused as well, seeming just as unsure of how to proceed. Before Sarah could muster the courage to go on, Chuck began to speak.
"I… I've been playing this over and over in my head and the more I think about it the sicker I feel. I can't help but feel like I may have taken advantage of the situation. I mean, we were in your mother's house and I promised that my intentions were purely innocent and… and they most definitely were not. If I thought that I somehow took advantage of you or coerced you in some way I could never forg-"
"What?!" Sarah burst in, turning to face him. "How do you figure you took advantage of anything? If you recall, I was the one on top of you, trying to rip your shirt off."
"Well, now, technically that…. that's true, but-"
"No. No buts. That thing this morning? That was 100% mutual, Chuck. Now, I'll admit that perhaps my more… physical tendencies might have played a role in what happened, but I regret nothing." Chuck glanced at her with a wide-eyed expression. Sarah caught it and rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah, OK. The timing may not have been the best, but Chuck, let me make something perfectly clear to you. I WANT to be with you. In every sense of the word. But I also know that not everyone moves at the same pace and giving into that level of … intimacy may cause some people anxiety. I get that. So I'm willing to take this as slow as you need to. No pressure, OK? Do you understand?" She gave him a hopeful look through her lashes. Chancing a glance away from the road, Chuck held her gaze for a moment and nodded his understanding, his features relaxing slightly. He turned his attention back to the road, but he began worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. She could tell that he was still obsessing about it, his mind refusing to let it go. She sat patiently, just waiting for him to finally voice his concerns.
She didn't have to wait long before Chuck tentatively spoke up. "Still… I feel bad that I let myself get carried away like that. Normally, I have much more control over my… my … urges. I just don't want you to think that … that sex is all that's important to me or that it's all I think about or that it's why I want to be with you."
"Chuck, let me ask you something. When I snuck into your room on the night of our date and practically pushed myself on you, did you feel l was taking advantage of you or that I was being disrespectful to you?" Sarah asked, trying to keep a calm, even tone.
"No! Of course not. You would never do that. You're too good of a person to do something like that," Chuck protested, sounding upset at the implication.
"And you're not? Why? Because you're a man?" she asked incredulously. "Let's see if I can put this in a different way. Given your… interest in my career, I'm sure that you know the kind of training I have."
"You mean how you're one of the most badass women on the planet?" Chuck remarked without a hint of sarcasm. The sincerity caused her cheeks to warm slightly but she pushed on.
"Well, we'll agree to disagree, but my point is, do you really believe that someone could force me to do something I didn't want to do?" Realization seemed to wash over Chuck, his eyes growing wider. "Chuck, at no point since I've met you, have you been anything short of a perfect gentleman. You've shown me more respect than anyone I've ever known. The fact that you're obsessing over this kind of proves my point. If anyone here is to blame it's probably me, but since you will never concede that point, we're kind of at a stalemate. But please hear me when I say this, you have done nothing wrong. At no point have I felt anything but love and respect from you. Well… I did feel… something else," she teased, shooting him a devilish grin as she bounced her eyebrows. The look of embarrassment and pure mortification that spread across his face made Sarah burst into laughter.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just teasing you. I couldn't resist," she managed to get out between bouts of giggles, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. As her giggling subsided she continued to watch him, a small smile graced his features as he shook his head in amusement, his embarrassment subsiding. Seeing it made her smile even more, as did her replaying of the events of that morning, brought on by the conversation. Chuckling to herself she spoke what was on her mind.
"But God that was intense," Sarah breathed out, falling back into her seat.
"So intense," Chuck responded before the last words even left her mouth. After a brief pause they both started to giggle, what was left of the tension, which had been steadily developing since they got in the car, quickly evaporating. The playlist on Chuck's Road Trip mix changed, further lifting the mood. The instrumental number, with bass, drums and organ, soon followed by rhythm guitar, was upbeat and pulled them from their rather serious topic.
"I like this song. I've heard it before but I never knew the name of it," Sarah offered, trying to change the subject to something lighter.
"Oh, yeah. That's 'Green Onions' by Booker T. and the M.G.s. A seriously underappreciated band, if you ask me. They were really influential in southern soul during the 1960s and beyond. Their song 'Time is Tight' was pretty popular too. The Blues Brothers did a cover of 'Green Onions' that's pretty cool. They pay tribute to Booker T. and the M.G.s, including them along with many of the great early American composers." Sarah, having been watching Chuck as he told his tale, just shook her head in both awe and amusement.
"You really know a lot about music. Well, you just really know a lot, I imagine." Chuck waved her off, shaking his head in disagreement.
"Pfft. There's plenty I don't know. I'm a nerd, so when something interests me, I make it my goal to learn as much about it as I can. Things like computers, movies, music…. Y-you…" he confessed sheepishly, turning to look through the driver's side window for a moment to hide his blush. "I absorb a lot of information on those things."
"Me, huh? So … what's one thing you found out about me that surprised you?" Sarah asked a little shyly, fearing that she may not like the answer.
"Just one thing?" he asked, glancing at her. She seemed a little taken aback, not sure what to make of that. Were there lots of things about her that he thought were strange or weird?
"Are… are there a lot?" she inquired tentatively.
"I mean, yeah, kind of. I guess that we 'normal' folks," he joked, "tend to lose sight of the fact that celebrities are people too. We fixate on the characters that we love and it's easy to forget that when the camera stops rolling, you're a regular person, more or less. You have the same wants and desires, maybe even some of the same insecurities that the rest of us have. So, I think that the thing that surprised me most about you was how different you are from your characters. That… and when you're sleeping you have this quiet little snore that is so incredibly adorable."
Sarah gasped, her mouth agape in shock. " I do not snore! You take that back," she demanded as she swatted at him, with a mock pout. He chuckled at her protest, holding up a hand in surrender.
"Alright! I take it back. You don't snore. Whatever helps you snore- sleep… whatever helps you sleep at night." She could tell the slip was intentional, especially from the wicked grin he had plastered across his face.
"I'm sorry I asked now," she admitted in a huff, folding her arms across her chest, twisting her lips to the side to keep from smiling.
"Well, like I said, I learn a lot about the things, or people, that interest me, but outside of that I'm clueless. Things like style, social cues and women, those things I'm hopelessly ignorant about, as I'm sure you could tell." Chuck rolled his eyes at himself, that self-deprecating tone in his voice that Sarah had come to recognize from him.
"Ohhhh… I'd say you know more about women than you think. I mean…" she trailed off, holding out her arms as if to offer herself up as evidence. Chuck snorted out a laugh, shaking his head.
"You're… you're different than most women. I mean, obviously you're smart, funny and breathtakingly gorgeous, but you're also so kind and caring. You… you actually took the time to give me a second look. Not many people do, so, for that, I'll be eternally grateful. I just hope I prove to be worth it." Sarah huffed, in part from exasperation at the poor self-esteem Chuck possessed, but also because his words never ceased to touch her heart in ways that nobody else ever had. Taking his free hand in hers again, she raised it to her lips, placing a kiss across his knuckles.
"You've already proven your worth to me more times than I can count. Man, was it only Jill, or was there some other woman that did this to you?" Sarah asked, her voice sounding sorrowful.
"Wh-what d'you mean?" Chuck asked, confused as to what she was asking.
"You have this terribly low opinion of yourself. Which is extremely surprising, because you are, by far, one of the best people I've ever met. If anyone deserves to have a high opinion of themselves, it's you. Even throughout the show I could see it. You always put everyone else first, like what you want doesn't matter. It's as if you don't think you're worthy, and I can't figure out why. I hope there's nothing I've said or done to make you -"
"NO! No. Y-you haven't. You're amazing… you've been amazing. Far better than I could have ever hoped for or deserve. I … OK. I-I can hear it now. I… I don't know why I do that or feel that way. Ellie harps on me about it too sometimes." Chuck blew out a sigh, his expression turning serious. "I'm sure my mother leaving didn't help. I blamed myself for that for a while. Then school, especially high school, was not a great time for me. Bullies are really cruel, and not all of them were guys. There were plenty of girls that enjoyed tormenting and belittling me. Not all of them, of course, but when you hear negative comments about yourself, every day, over and over, you start to believe it. I thought that college would be different. I could start fresh where nobody knew me. The problem was, I was still 'Chuck' and bullies seem to have this … fraternal order, so even at Stanford, they got the memo."
"I'm so sorry. I wish I could find those people and kick their asses," Sarah grumbled, her brow furrowed in anger.
"I appreciate that, but it's not worth it. They don't matter to me now. I just learned to keep to myself, put my head down and go through the motions. I buried myself in school work, which was fine. I enjoyed the work, for the most part. At least all of my major courses anyway. I spent a lot of time in the library. That's where I met her; Jill that is. She was rather pretty. Much prettier than any girl that had ever struck up a conversation with me up to that point. I was naive and, well, lonely. She told me exactly what I wanted to hear. I later found out, through the grapevine, that she had to flirt with me as part of some hazing for a sorority or something. Maybe she just lost a bet. I dunno. You know how that situation turned out. So I guess, aside from Ellie, Morgan and the folks at Emma's, I haven't had many positive relationships, especially not with women. Well… until now," he confessed, glancing at her with his brilliant smile.
"Look, I'm sorry," Chuck continued, shaking his head in frustration. "I don't mean to dump this on you. I don't like talking about this, for a number of reasons, but mostly because I don't want people to feel sorry for me or something. I don't… I don't want people to hang out with me or be with me because they pity me. I want them to be with me because they … enjoy my company or I make them laugh. Even if I just make them feel better about themselves, at least that's better than pity friendship."
"Is … is that what you think this is?" Sarah asked, sounding defensive.
"Nonononono. No. That's… that's not what I meant." Chuck closed his eyes for a second while he huffed out a breath in exasperation. "I'm such an idiot," he grumbled to himself. "I don't think that's why you're with me. I'm… I'm sure that nobody would say they loved me out of pity. I… I believe you when you say it. I mean… I want to believe it, even though it seems like some kind of fairytale. It still boggles my mind but … but I can see it in the way you look at me and I know that you believe it."
"I do believe it," she reassured him. "And I'm going to make it my mission in life to ensure that you don't forget it." Sarah leaned across the center console and placed a kiss on his cheek, lingering for a long moment. The song transitioned and she nearly squealed in Chuck's ear. Jumping back to her side of the car she bounced in her seat.
"Oooooo. Turn it up! Turn it up! I love this song," Sarah exclaimed. Chuck did as he was told, an amused grin on his face. Barreling down the highway, Sarah danced in her seat as she sang along to the music. Chuck stole glances, watching her in awe. It was moments like this, when she was just being herself, having fun without a care in the world, that he felt truly blessed. He felt privileged that he got to witness something so rare and beautiful.
As she sang, Sarah turned her attention to Chuck, catching him staring at her with that dreamy look on his face. She couldn't help but chuckle slightly as she continued to sing, causing Chuck's smile to broaden. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she gestured toward Chuck and then pointed out the windshield at the road as she sang the chorus of the song to him as emphasis.
"Now shut up and drive..." Chuck burst out in laughter, shaking his head at her antics.
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"I don't care where we go, I just have to pee. So find some place," Sarah pouted, doing a little dance in her chair.
"I warned you about chugging those two bottles of iced tea," Chuck added in a sing-songy voice.
"I don't need your sass. I need a damn bathroom," she retorted, giving him a faux glare.
"OK. Geez. I'm getting off at this exit. See, the sign says there's an In-N-Out Burger to the right. You can go to the little girl's room and I'll get us some lunch. How's that sound?"
"Perfect! I want a -"
"You want a Double-Double, animal-style. But might I suggest a shake instead of iced tea, you know… given your current predicament?" Sarah gasped in mock offense as she smacked his arm.
"I'll get an iced tea if I damn well please," she huffed, folding her arms across her body. Twisting her lips to the side, she tried to fight her grin. "It just so happens that I feel like having a chocolate shake."
"Oh, riiiiight. Of course," Chuck replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "OW! OW! OK. OK. No fair. Stop hitting me. I'm drivin' over here!" Chuck pleaded through his laughter while holding up his arm to offer some protection. Thankfully, they pulled into the parking lot and Sarah's need for the restroom over ruled her need to teach her boyfriend a lesson about teasing. Donning her hat and sunglasses, Chuck let her out near the side entrance of the restaurant. Once she was safely inside, he made his way to the drive thru lane. With it being near lunchtime, he didn't want to risk going inside and being seen as it looked rather crowded. After placing their order and paying at the window, he retrieved the bags of food, along with the beverage carrier, and circled the building to where he'd dropped Sarah off. As he approached, he could see Sarah scanning the parking lot, the door still not having closed behind her yet. When she caught sight of him, her smile caused a knot in his stomach. She was always beautiful, but when she smiled like that at him, she was devastating. Chuck rolled down the window and tipped his sunglasses down to look over the top.
"Say sweet thang. Can I buy you a fish sandwich?" Chuck asked in a comically sultry tone. As was his hope, she burst into laughter as she rounded the car, holding onto the hood as she went. Climbing into the passenger seat, she leaned across the console and gave him a kiss, still chuckling under her breath.
"You're such a nerd," she confessed, shaking her head with amusement. She fastened her seatbelt and then took the drink carrier from Chuck. Examining the beverages as Chuck made his way out of the parking lot, she found the numbers didn't add up.
"What's with the four cups?" she asked, turning to look at him curiously.
"Well, I know you said you wanted a chocolate shake, but they aren't very thirst quenching, so I got you a sweet tea to go along with it. You know, just in case." He shrugged off the answer, not making much of it. Sarah placed their drinks in the car's cup holders and the remaining cups, still in the cup carrier, on the floor between her feet.
"I knew there was a reason I brought you along," Sarah replied, her tone clearly playful. "Do you want your fries or your sandwich first?" she inquired as she began to dig through the paper bags.
"Um... fries first, obviously," he answered, sounding as if he couldn't believe she even had to ask.
"Sorry, I was just asking," she teased back, pulling an order of fries from the bag and handing them to Chuck.
"Don't you eat your fries first? I mean, otherwise, the fries get cold and soggy and that's just gross. There's a very short shelf life on French fries, so you gotta eat them first or you might as well just throw 'em out." Sarah just chuckled at his impassioned explanation of fast food eating etiquette.
"What? Why are you laughing? Soggy French fries are nothing to laugh at," he added, trying to hold back his own amusement.
"Oh, no. Of course not," Sarah retorted, trying to sound overly serious, her laughter nearly bubbling over.
"I'm so glad I amuse you." Chuck gave her a mock huff as he stuffed a few fries in his mouth. "OH! Hot," he breathed out, holding his mouth open as he tried in vain to blow on the fries, fanning his mouth with his hand. Sarah's resolve failed as she finally let out the laughter she had bottled up. Chuck was finally able to carefully chew and swallow his fries, taking a sip of his drink to cool his mouth. He looked a little embarrassed, as Sarah fought to get her laughter under control.
"Awww. I'm sorry," she confessed, giving him an amused pout as she leaned her head on his shoulder for a brief moment. "I wasn't laughing at you burning yourself. I promise. You just… you make me laugh is all. Not just this," she gestured to the food, "but, you know. Just you being you."
"I'm not sure whether I should be offended or thank you," Chuck admitted, his slight grin giving away which way he took it.
"Well, if you play your cards right, I suspect you'll figure it out," she teased, giving him a wink before he turned back to look at the road, his eyes wide. Sarah took a bite of her burger and moaned, chuckling at herself as she fought to keep the toppings from falling out of the corner of her mouth. Chuck stole glances at her frequently, watching her eat the rather messy burger. Catching him as she was mid-bite, she stopped short, capturing his gaze.
"What? Am I eating my burger incorrectly too?" she teased, giving him an amused grin.
"Wh- uh...no. No. You uh… n-nothing," he stammered out, quickly turning his attention back to the road, his cheeks flushed. Sarah placed the sandwich in its wrapper in her lap, wiping her hands and mouth with a napkin. She adjusted herself in her seat to be able to look at him better.
"I can see it all over your face. You want to say something. What is it? Are you afraid I'll be offended or something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a wry smile on her face.
"Well, uh… some-something like that. It's… it's just not very appropriate." Chuck's blushing had made its way up to his ears, telling Sarah that whatever it was, it was likely something 'adult' in nature and he was too embarrassed and too proper to say it. However, that knowledge only made her even more curious, so she pressed him further.
"OK, now I HAVE to hear this. Come on. Spill it, Bartowski. What were you gonna say? Don't make me tickle it out of you, right here in this car. That wouldn't end well for either of us." Chuck was still hesitant, looking like he was struggling with the decision until she made a reach for his side. He immediately recoiled, the car swerving ever so slightly.
"No! Don't you dare! I'm… very … sensitive," he confessed, his blush still raging from his neck to his ears. Sarah just waggled her fingers in a teasing manner, threatening to continue her tickle assault. 'OK! Fine. I… I was gonna say that… I've… I've never wanted to be a cheeseburger more in my life." Sarah stopped her attempts at tickling him, pulling her hand back, staring at him in disbelief. She could see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed thickly, trying to catch glimpses of her out of his peripheral vision.
"Wow. So…" she paused, trying to add some suspense to the moment, "was it the hunger in my eyes or the moaning that did it for you?"
"Um… yes," he replied shyly, trying not to look at her.
"Why would you be embarrassed to admit that? I mean, we've been rather intimately acquainted, this morning coming to mind. Why do you think you couldn't say something like that to me?"
"It's … it's objectifying you and I don't want to do that to you. It's not fair to you," he said, looking ashamed.
"Chuck," she chuckled, shaking her head at him, "I appreciate that you don't want to seem like a pig, but I'm pretty confident in saying that you would never objectify me. It's not the kind of person you are. And I don't want you to be afraid to express yourself to me. I want to hear all the ways that I… affect you. I want to know about it if I do something or wear something that you really like. I'd like to extend that same courtesy to you too. If I ever felt like you crossed a line somehow, I'd tell you. But like I said, I don't see that ever happening."
"OK," he acquiesced, nodding his acknowledgement. "But you promise that if I do or say anything inappropriate, anything that crosses a line for you, that you'll tell me?" With a 'tsk' she shook her head, rolling her eyes in faux exasperation.
"Here," she said, placing his wrapped burger on his thigh. "Eat that so I can sit over here and objectify you," she commented with a devilish grin. With that, he turned to face her, his mouth open wide in shock. She just gave him an amused shrug before digging back into her own burger, deliberately moaning.
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Nearly an hour later, they arrived in the city of Mt. Shasta, a small town at the base of the mountain from which its name was derived. The snowcapped mountain, with its halo of white, fluffy clouds, stood in the distance, looking over the quaint town as if standing vigil. Chuck navigated through downtown to a small grocery store. The parking lot was fairly empty, not surprising given the size of the market and the time of day.
"I checked out some of the stores in town. This one has really good reviews and lots of locally grown and produced foods. It's a little pricier than some of the other stores, so I figured that would reduce the number of customers. Plus, it's also less likely to have security cameras. So we can get in, grab what we need and get out, hopefully without being spotted."
'Wow. You really did your homework. I'm impressed. So what do we need to get?" Sarah asked, checking herself in the visor's mirror, adjusting her hat and glasses.
"Well, I didn't pack a lot of food. Mostly boxed or prepared foods like snacks, pasta and rice. Awesome said there should be some basic stuff in the cabin's kitchen, like flour and sugar, that kind of thing. So I guess we just need to pick up any meat, dairy, produce or frozen stuff you want. Maybe some more things to drink, like bottled water and some more wine."
"You brought wine?" she asked, giving him a surprised look.
"I thought you might like it. It's stuff that Ellie bought me as a housewarming gift, so I'm sure it's good. She has good taste." Sarah nodded her approval.
'Well, shall we?" she asked, gesturing with her head toward the market. Chuck hopped out and came around the car to meet her, taking her hand as they walked through the small parking lot. Holding the door open for her, she stepped into the store, the multitude of smells hitting them as they walked in. Fresh flowers were on display just inside the door, which caught Sarah's attention. While she smelled the beautiful bouquets, Chuck grabbed a shopping cart and joined her. Sarah reluctantly placed one of the bouquets back, looking indecisive. Glancing between the flowers and his girlfriend, he snatched the wrapped flowers and placed them in the top seat of the cart, making his way further into the store.
Sarah caught up to him, lacing an arm around his, pulling herself close. "Why do I get the suspicion that you'd buy me anything I asked for, regardless of what it was?"
"If it made you happy, you'd better believe it. I mean, I'm not normally one to buy lavish gifts. Mainly because I never had the money to do that before. But I'm sure it'd only take that pouty look of yours and I'd done for," he chuckled. Sarah gave a huff, turning to look at him with said pouty look.
"What pouty look?" Chuck rolled his eyes and playfully tried to run her into a display rack. She teasingly smacked his arm, the two giggling as they made their way through the store. Sarah quickly found that Chuck was a push over, placing anything in the cart that she showed a passing fancy for. Occasionally she put things back, and pretended not to notice when Chuck snuck them back in.
The store was largely empty, except for a few older customers and three store employees. They exchanged polite "hellos" as they passed, but nobody seemed to show any recognition. Chuck and Sarah made their way through the market, spending a great deal of time showing each other items of interest, joking about names of products and generally enjoying themselves. Their "in and out" excursion lasted nearly forty-five minutes until finally, with a cart full of groceries, they made their way to the SUV.
After stuffing all of the bags into the back of the SUV, the two stood there looking at all they'd purchased. "I probably should have asked, but I sure hope they have a refrigerator at this place," Chuck stated, his eyes wide.
"You didn't ask if it had a refrigerator?! What sort of place are we going to? I mean, I expected rustic maybe, but not primitive. Are we going to have to get water from a pump out back or are we gonna have to boil water from a creek or something?" Sarah asked, sounding concerned. Chuck winced, giving her a shrug, uncertain of the answers.
"It's hard to say. I mean, the Awesomes are definitely the fit, outdoorsy types. You saw Devon. The guy makes the people on the cover of Men's Fitness look scrawny." Sarah snorted at the remark, remembering seeing the man a couple of days prior and Chuck wasn't exaggerating, much.
"The place is only like fifteen minutes from here, or so the directions say. If it's really bad, maybe we can find a hotel or one of those resort cabins for rent. I'm sure we can make something work. I'm sorry. I don't know why I didn't think to ask this before. I was just-"
"No. No. It's fine. Really. Truth of the matter is… as long as we're doing it together, I don't care much where we stay. I'd even brave tent camping. I've had to do it in far worse places than this, so I'll make do. Come on. Let's go check it out." Sarah gestured for Chuck to get in as she slid into the passenger seat, buckling up. Chuck followed suit and they began their journey out of town.
Only a few miles from the city limits, a narrow mountain road, that was barely paved, wound its way through the wooded foothills. Passing dirt or gravel drives and the adjacent mailboxes were the only sign of there being homes out here. The trees were too thick, and the hills too high, to see much of anything. Finally, Chuck slowed to a stop, craning his neck to read the number of the mailbox. Double-checking it with what he had programmed as his destination, he gave a satisfied hum.
"This looks like the place," Chuck declared, pointing to a winding gravel lane that disappeared into the wilderness. Carefully he steered the SUV along the gravel lane, thankful that the vehicle was powerful enough to navigate some of the steeper hills. After a few minutes, they neared the crest of the latest hill, the top of Mt. Shasta visible over the horizon. Clearing the top, they could just make out a structure through the trees. When they entered the clearing, both exclaimed in unison.
"Holy Shit!" Chuck brought the car to a sudden stop, the gravel grinding beneath the tires. The two sat in silence as they took in the view they'd stumbled upon. The 'cabin in the woods' could be more aptly described as a sprawling, luxurious log home, complete with a three car garage, enormous stone chimney and the most breathtaking view either of them had ever seen.
"Oh, we definitely owe Devon big time," Sarah commented, trying to take it all in. "Are you sure this is the place?"
"I mean, the address was right. Let me go try the code for the garage door to see if it works." Chuck drove the car onto the concrete driveway that had been stamped to look like stone and pulled up to one of the large, wooden garage doors. He parked the car and slid out of his seat, making his way to the keypad that was on the frame of the garage door. Unfolding the piece of paper that Devon had given him, Chuck studied it before carefully typing in the code. When he hit the last key, the garage door began to smoothly lift, light shining through the windows of all three sets of garage doors. Once the door had risen, it revealed a pristine garage. What little was housed in there was neatly stored on shelves or pegboards; everything seemingly having its place. In the leftmost bay of the garage was some sort of vehicle covered with a tarp, the center and rightmost bays sat empty. After taking it in, Chuck turned to look back at the car, shrugging. Making his way back into his seat, he pulled the SUV into the garage and shut off the engine.
Chuck turned to face Sarah, who was scanning the garage, admiring how clean it was. "So, this is definitely the place. What d'you say we go check things out before we start unloading the car?" Sarah only nodded, climbing out. The two entered the house, stepping into a rather lavish mudroom. There was a bench to sit on and put on shoes, coat and shoe racks along the opposite wall and a door leading to the left that led to a laundry room.
"Holy crap. Their laundry room is bigger than my living room," Chuck exclaimed, flipping on the light to check it out. A top of the line front load washer and dryer, a large utility sink plus tons of cabinets for storage lined one wall. The other walls had counters, with cabinets above and below for extra storage, or racks for hanging up clothes. There was an island in the middle of the room, presumably for folding laundry, that was larger than in most kitchens.
Stepping through the doorway into the rest of the house took their breath away. The main floor was very much an open concept design; a marriage of rustic and modern. The home being made entirely of large logs provided the 'rustic'. Enormous Douglas fir logs formed the framing while stacked red cedar logs made up the walls. The vaulted ceiling was tongue and groove and hardwood flooring throughout, except for the kitchen area. The kitchen flooring was flagstone tiling, which matched the coloring in the rough-hewn granite countertops. Custom wood cabinets blended with the rest of the home, giving it a seamless continuity. In the midst of all the rustic stone and wood were state of the art kitchen appliances, including a professional grade six-burner gas range and oven plus a commercial-grade Subzero refrigerator with accompanying full size wine cooler that appeared to be fully stocked.
"I… I don't think we'll have to go to the creek for water," Chuck uttered, his mouth still hanging open as he tried to take it all in. Sarah began to chuckle, almost with a sense of giddiness. She walked through the kitchen, running her fingers along the polished counters, stopping as she entered the great room. Chuck watched her head slowly drift upward, causing him to direct his attention to what she was looking at. Just inside the great room was a gigantic log with its roots still intact. The roots seemed to merge into the wood floor, giving it the appearance of being one with the house. The tree served as one of the main support beams, reaching more than twenty feet upward. It seemed as though the house was built around it, the heart of the home.
On the adjacent wall was a stone fireplace that stretched from floor to ceiling, with an impressive stone slab serving as the mantle. Situated around the fireplace were leather wingback chairs and a matching leather sofa that encircled a wood and wrought iron coffee table. It looked warm and inviting, likely even more so when there was an actual fire roaring.
Between the kitchen and the living room area was the dining space. An enormous live edge wooden table filled the space with seating for twelve. But the most spectacular thing of all was the view behind it. The wall beyond the table was nearly two-stories of glass, with only the framing to obscure the view. The French doors opened on to a vast deck that spanned the length of the east side of the house. Chuck and Sarah stepped out onto the deck, gasping at the vista before them. Below them was a hillside that gave way to the evergreen forests that surrounded the mountain. The faint trickling of water over rocks could be heard as the early afternoon sun glistened off of a small river that ran among the trees below. All of that paled in comparison to the mountain that loomed in the distance. It was truly magnificent, the way it was framed by the trees surrounding the property, it looked like a painting.
Chuck and Sarah stood shoulder to shoulder, awestruck. Chuck blindly felt for Sarah's hand and when they finally touched, their fingers laced together as if by nature. For several minutes they remained silent, taking it all in.
"Your ice cream's melting!" came a deep voice from behind them, causing them both to practically jump out of their skin. When they quickly turned to see who the voice belonged to, they saw a smirking John Casey standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.
"Casey! You ass," Sarah barked, chuckling at herself as she tried to catch her breath. Chuck leaned on a nearby deck chair to try and regain his composure. "How long have you been here?"
"I got here yesterday. I flew into Dunsmuir airport on the south side of town. Had a rental car waiting for me. I gotta say Bartowski, you know how to pick 'em. I've seen a lot of places around the world, but not many prettier than this," he confessed, nodding his head toward the horizon.
"Yeah. It's magnificent, but I can't take any credit for that. We're just borrowing this from the Woodcombs." Casey grunted his acknowledgement and turned to walk back into the house, calling back over his shoulder.
"The shit in your car's gonna spoil if you don't get a move on." Chuck and Sarah shared a glance and all Sarah could do was shrug, giving him a wry smile. The two followed Casey through the house and out into the garage. They worked together, bringing in all of the food and luggage, closing the garage door behind them.
"So Mr.- err Casey, where uh… where are you staying?" Chuck asked hesitantly as they put away the groceries.
"Don't get your panties in a twist. There isn't enough brain bleach for me to stay here with you two. We- I... I got a rental cabin not far from here. You know, just in case you have any trouble." Casey turned away, pretending to busy himself.
"Oh, no! You're not getting off that easy," Sarah jumped in. "What's this 'we' business?" she questioned, sounding very intrigued. Casey just gave a grunt, but the intonation was different than most of his other grunts. They seemed to be a language in and of themselves.
"Is it Kathleen? Did you bring her up here for a private mountain getaway?" Sarah teased, grilling Casey for information. The older man turned back around, rolling his eyes at her, shaking his head. "It better be Kathleen, or so help me…"
"Of course it is! Who the hell else would it be?" he retorted, looking insulted.
"Some guys would-"
"Well that ain't me," he interrupted, the look on his face and the tenor of his voice said that was not up for discussion. Sarah just held up her hands in surrender, a wry smile on her face.
"It's not really any of my business but who's Kathleen?" Chuck asked, looking between the two.
"You're right. It ain't none of your business," Casey interjected, putting away some boxes of cereal. Sarah let out a "tsk", shaking her head at the gruff man.
"Kathleen is Casey's wife-"
"Ex-wife," Casey corrected with a grumble.
"Ex-wife, but since he's been back in the States and working a more stable job, they've reconnected. Right?" Sarah asked, looking for any arguments from her bodyguard. He just gave a grunt and shrugged his shoulders.
"That's great!" Chuck exclaimed. "Rekindling your romance. And what a place to do it! You know what? Send me the bill for your cabin and car rental. All of it. Whatever you need for your time up here. I mean it. It's the least I can do since you've come all this way for us. Well, mostly for us," he amended. Casey stared at Chuck with a raised eyebrow, then glanced at Sarah in amusement.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that," Casey said, dismissively. "I've seen that little Hyundai you drive back in LA, kid. Save your pennies." Sarah rolled her eyes, shaking her head in amusement. She looked at Chuck and could see that he looked a little embarrassed and maybe even hurt, trying to pretend to laugh it off as he busied himself putting food items in the fridge. Immediately, she felt terrible for finding the comment humorous at his expense.
Sarah caught Casey's attention and gave him a disapproving glare. Casey held up his arms in question, mouthing "what?", to which he got more of the same from her, but with a greater intensity. Casey finally gave in, sighing, his body slumping in resignation.
"I uh… I appreciate that...Chuck," he stated hesitantly as he glanced at Sarah for confirmation. "That's … very kind of you. It's really not necessary though. I'm sure-"
"Casey. Just let the man pay for it. Trust me. He'll be fine," Sarah interjected, rolling her eyes at the older man as she collected the now empty grocery bags. Casey looked surprised by her comment, glancing between her and Chuck, whose back was still turned.
"Alright. I was gonna expense it to the show, but if you want your boy toy to foot the bill, who am I to argue?" Casey just shrugged with an amused grunt. Chuck turned around, much of his embarrassment seeming to have dissipated.
"I know you think the 'boy toy' comment was a jab at me, but I'm perfectly happy with that moniker. And I'd much rather pay for it than the studio. It's not much, but I'd like to show my thanks for all that you're doing. And if it helps in some small way with you reconnecting with your wife… err, ex-wife, then all the better." Casey just stared at Chuck, as if sizing him up. Sniffing in amusement, he shook his head and turned to face Sarah, who was standing there watching.
Placing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned in slightly, "Don't break the kid," he warned, a smirk on his face. The comment made Sarah snort as she matched his smirk .
"Mmmm, no promises," she retorted, causing the older man to cough out a chuckle, shaking his head as he stepped away, walking into the living room.
"I gave the place a once over," he continued, not bothering to face them as he looked around the house as he spoke. "Place is locked up like Fort Knox. Above average security system that uses cellular signal instead of phone line. Harder to disable. The place has a full house generator that runs on propane, so in the event of a power outage that will kick on immediately and should last for quite some time." Casey walked over to the French doors that led to the deck and stood looking outside with his hands folded behind his back.
"The closest house is about a quarter of a mile as the crow flies, down the road on the opposite side. I doubt anybody is gonna sneak up on ya out here. The gravel drive makes a lot of noise and the place has motion activated flood lights around the perimeter. I'm about ten minutes away, so if you sense trouble, call me." Turning around he started back toward the kitchen, where Chuck and Sarah had been listening.
"Unless there's anything else, I promised Kathleen a nice dinner in town tonight. So if you'll excuse me." Casey gave a nod to both of them and started for the front door.
"Thanks Casey. I really owe ya one," Sarah called after him, not bothering to follow. The older man just waved his hand as he exited, pulling the large wooden door closed behind him. The house grew silent, only the faint sound of Casey's car and the popping of its tires on the gravel could be heard, eventually fading away completely.
"Maybe uh… maybe we should take our stuff to the bedroom, I guess?" Chuck asked hesitantly, breaking the eerie silence.
"Oh. Right. Good idea. Where um… where is it?" Sarah asked, looking up and around as Chuck collected their things.
"I can only assume it's upstairs," he gestured with his head toward the curved staircase that led up from the living room. "Ladies first." Sarah gave him a warm smile over her shoulder before leading the way up the grand staircase.
A/N: DOH! You always do that! You always stop it right when stuff is about to get interesting.
I know. I'm a right bastard. It's almost like I gain some sort of sick, sadistic pleasure out of it…. Muhahahahaha
In all seriousness, thank you all for your overwhelming support. I really do like hearing from you. I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to each of you, even less so recently, but I do read them all. It's very inspiring, so please keep them coming.
The songs referenced in this chapter as part of their mixtape were:
'Green Onions' by Booker T. and the M.G.s.
'Shut up and drive' by Rihanna.
Joe