A/N: When we last left our lovely couple, they were… well, indisposed. We've given them some time, perhaps they've gotten all of that out of their systems by now.
Then again…. Perhaps not.
Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck
Chapter 30
"Oh my…. Oh my god," he huffed out, trying to catch his breath. "You're trying to kill me."
Sarah chuckled, as she sucked in air, trying to control her own breathing. "I… I have to admit," she began, between gulps of air, "not many people have been able to keep up with me…. You're just full of surprises." The two chuckled as they panted. "You know, the more we do this, the longer you'll be able to last. You were great, but I have faith you could do better."
"Good God, woman. How many more times do you want me to do this? I'm only a mere mortal. Unlike you, I don't have god-like stamina," Chuck ranted playfully, still breathing heavily.
"Awww. Well, if you die… there are worse ways to go," she teased, sticking her tongue out between her teeth. Chuck snorted, shaking his head in amusement.
"I have to say... if this is where I die… I couldn't ask for a better view," he confessed, grinning at her. Sarah was resting her hands on her knees as she stood next to Chuck. She looked out over the lush, green valley; trees as far as the eye could see. The backdrop to all of that was the majestic Mt. Shasta, making for a truly breathtaking scene.
"Yeah. It's so beautiful up here," she agreed. "I could really get used to this."
"Well…., I was talking about you, but that out there's pretty cool too, I suppose," Chuck admitted with a cheeky grin. Sarah let out a one note chuckle, shaking her head at her boyfriend. They rested for a few minutes at the top of the hill they'd just jogged up, admiring the view. There were some fairly worn walking/hiking paths through the woods that Chuck and Sarah had discovered when they managed to venture out of the house on day three of their stay. They only managed a short walk that day, still recovering from the rather "strenuous" activities they'd participated in since their first night at the cabin. They had been exhausted and their muscles ached in the best way possible, but they'd never felt better in their whole lives.
The morning of the fourth day, they had gotten up early and agreed to go for a run. It had been almost a week since the last time either of them had been on a run, so they fought the overwhelming urge to stay snuggled into each other and got up and dressed. It was the second week of October, so the morning air was crisp and cool; perfect for a run. Chuck had no doubt that Sarah was in far better shape than he was, but thanks to his years of working out with Devon, he could at least keep up with her, for the most part.
After what felt like miles of running through wilderness trails and over creek beds, he had chased her up a steep, winding hill until both of them nearly collapsed from exhaustion when they reached the top. If it hadn't been for Sarah's encouragement, and perhaps the view of her shapely rear in her tight running pants, he might not have had the determination to make it to the top. So, there they sat, recovered from their run, sitting at the top of the hill looking out over the valley.
"So …" Chuck began, breaking the silence that had fallen between them, "what's next for you?" he asked, playing with a stick he'd found on the ground.
"Well, I think a shower's in order when I get back. Then maybe a nap and then lunch. Or lunch and a nap. I'll just play it by ear," she chuckled.
"That sounds great, but I was thinking more along the lines of, you know, with your life. After this. After this escape and we have to go back to reality, then what?" He asked, glancing over at her. She met his gaze, holding it for a moment, and then shrugged.
"I dunno. I mean, of course there'll be the media circus around the show, but what happens after that dies down, I have no idea. I'm sure there'll be more movie projects, charity events and that sort of thing. Who knows what the publicity from the show will do for my career?" Chuck was quiet, just nodding as he listened, staring off into the distance as he absentmindedly peeled the bark off of the stick he was holding. She regarded him for a moment before adding, "But the one thing I am sure about is that I want you there with me through it all."
He turned his head to look at her, a small grin on his face. "I… God, this is gonna sound crazy," she continued, ducking her head. "I love having you there when I go to sleep at night. Snuggled into you, your feet wrapped around mine. Mmmmm. Then to wake up and you're the first thing I see… I can't describe it. I've never been so… content, happy, as I am when you're there. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to… I don't want to go back to feeling alone." Sarah looked up at him through her lashes, appearing as vulnerable as he'd ever seen her.
"That doesn't sound crazy at all. I couldn't agree more." Chuck dropped his stick and reached out to take Sarah's hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "I've been so spoiled having you all to myself. I don't want it to end, even though I know that I'll have to share you with the whole world. And, look, I get that it's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. There'll be times when we get on each other's nerves and make each other absolutely crazy. It'll happen. Just ask Ellie. She knows. She's always telling me how annoying I am," Chuck confessed, earning him a giggle from Sarah. "The point is, all the good stuff, it makes the 'not so good stuff', worth it."
"So, what are you saying, Chuck?" She asked, hesitation in her voice. She looked down at their joined hands, then back up to hold his gaze.
"Well, neither of us wants to be without the other. So…. what … what if we weren't? Apart, that is. I mean, what if… what if we … moved in together? Look, I know it's rash and impulsive and there's probably a dozen reasons why-"
"OK," she interjected, but Chuck just kept barreling on.
"-we shouldn't do it. I mean we've only known each other a relatively short time and …. I'm sorry. What did you say?" he asked, shaking himself from his thoughts.
"I said 'OK'. I think we should move in together. And, yes. You're probably right. There are a lot of reasons we could come up with about why it's a bad idea, or why others will think it's crazy, but at the end of the day, I love you and I don't want to be away from you any longer than I absolutely have to. So, yes, Chuck Bartowski. I think we should move in together," she declared, giving him a brilliant smile. Chuck could only stare in awe, completely speechless.
"That's… that's great. No, it's wonderful," he added, chuckling as his joy bubbled over. "I… Wow. Oh…" he trailed off, his smile turning into a wince. He nervously started rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "My, uh… My apartment's a small studio. So, it's not exactly ideal for more than one person. We could um…"
"We can stay at my house," Sarah interrupted, squeezing his hand and giving him a bright, toothy smile. "I have plenty of room."
Chuck gasped, holding his hand to his chest in faux shock. "The Sanctum Sanctorum? The secret lair of 'The Sarah Walker'? The 'I'd show you but then I'd have to kill you' residence of the most amazing person to ever walk the face of the Earth?" Sarah couldn't help but crack up at his over the top ramblings and boyish enthusiasm.
"Fine," she relented with mock exasperation "We'll just have to cram into your little shoebox apartment then. Hell, for that matter, we can just buy a new place," Sarah suggested, shrugging as if it was no big deal.
"Buy a place? Together? You'd… you'd consider doing that?" Chuck asked, looking truly astonished.
"Chuck, I'm all in. This," she gestured between them, "this is not some casual fling for me. I hope you believe that by now. I only see this relationship going one of two ways. Either you get tired of dealing with my craziness and leave or … you don't. Because, you see, I'm not going anywhere…." Sarah paused for a moment before continuing with an impish grin. "The Oracle, she told me that I'd fall in love and that man, the man I loved, would be the one." Chuck's mouth fell open, a look of utter shock spread across his face.
"Oh. My. God." he breathed out at just above a whisper. "I love you so hard right now." Without warning, he sprang up, practically attacking her face with a passionate kiss. She shrieked in surprise against his kiss, falling over on top of him as he pulled her from her seat on a small boulder. She couldn't help but giggle, as they kissed, lightly swatting him on the arm. Quickly, her giggles turned to moans as she met his fervor with a passion of her own. Unzipping his light hoodie, she worked her hand under his shirt, practically clawing at his chest and abdomen. Chuck emitted what could only be described as a deep growl before rolling Sarah onto her back, his hand cradling the back on her head to protect it from the ground, with the added benefit of being able to pull her deeper into their kiss.
Sarah gasped at her nerd's uncharacteristic forwardness, pleasantly surprised that he was taking the initiative in their physical relationship. With a building sense of urgency, she began eagerly pushing his running pants down his legs as their kissing grew more heated. The birds and squirrels were about to get a show and she didn't care one damn bit.
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"OK. In hindsight, that might not have been the best idea," Chuck admitted, massaging soap into Sarah's hair.
"I've got no complaints," she hummed, wiggling her body against his as he sat behind her in the large bath tub." Her movements caused his breath to hitch, which she felt against her bare back and neck.
"Woman," he playfully chastised. "I'm trying to get this pine sap out of your hair, and that's not helping!" Sarah just giggled at his antics, blowing some bubbles off of her hand.
"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean. I'm just sitting here enjoying my bath… with my favorite bathtub toy," she purred, her hands sliding up his legs underneath the thick layer of bubbles. Chuck let out a groan of frustration, causing her to pause her teasing. "OK, fiiiine," she huffed, pouting like a petulant child in jest.
Chuck took a small plastic pitcher and scooped up some water, pouring it over Sarah's hair to wash out the dish soap he'd used to get rid of the sap. That option had sounded gentler than nail polish remover or alcohol. Frankly, Sarah had enjoyed the attention, the feel of Chuck massaging her scalp and running his fingers through her hair. It felt so incredibly intimate, and while it hadn't been sexual in nature, that didn't mean it hadn't elicited those sorts of feelings. The care he took in rinsing the soap out and then massaging conditioner into her hair made her moan in contentment, her body leaning further and further into him.
Once he'd finished rinsing her hair again, using clean water from the tub spout, Sarah turned over to face him, straddling his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're really good at that. I may have you wash my hair from now on." She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss, lingering there for a long moment before pulling back and resting her forehead against his.
"You were right. This tub is pretty incredible," he admitted, running his hands up and down her back. "I think my favorite feature is the hot blondie accessory." Grinning salaciously, he slid his hand down to grab her ass, pulling her even closer to him.
"Tsk. Why, Mr. Bartowski! What sort of woman do you take me for?" she huffed out in faux indignation. "I don't go around lounging in tubs with just any man."
"Well...am I just any man?" he asked, bouncing his eyebrows at her. While it was a little cheesy, on him, she found it incredibly sexy for some reason.
Her grin turned devilish as her hand ventured below the bubbles. "No, Sir. That. You. Are. Not." The strangled noise that Chuck emitted made her feel even prouder of herself, humming a chuckle. "But I wouldn't say no to a reminder," she teased, brushing her lips across his.
"As you wish," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers and wrapping her in his arms.
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Later that evening, they laid in bed, eating popcorn as they watched a movie; a cult classic that Chuck had on his laptop, which he used to cast it to the large screen television. The crackling of the fireplace in the adjacent corner made the room feel warmer, just by the sound alone. With Chuck leaned against the headboard and Sarah snuggled into him, they watched in contentment.
"That day she was amazed to discover that when he was saying 'As you wish', what he meant was, I love you."
As the narrator spoke, Sarah gasped in recognition. Spinning to face Chuck, she smacked him lightly on the stomach.
"You turkey! All this time you've been saying that and I knew I'd heard it somewhere before," she declared, huffing in a faux pout. "Now I feel bad that I didn't say it back."
"Awww, babe. You say it plenty. Hell, that night on the beach when you first said it was enough to last a lifetime. Every time since then I just feel greedy," he mused, caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers.
"Well, you're just gonna have to get over it, because I'm not gonna stop saying it. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. AHHH!" she squealed, her body squirming as he ticked her sides, causing her to plead between giggles and shouts. Finally, he stopped, letting her catch her breath. She settled back into her previous spot and Chuck rewound the movie back to the spot they'd left off and paused it.
"I love you," Chuck whispered into her ear, causing her to hum from the warmth it made her feel. "Can I ask a favor of you though?" he inquired, sounding quite serious. Wordlessly she nodded, only turning slightly to see him out of her peripheral vision. "Will you pass me the gummi bears from your nightstand?" Sarah let out a snort, shaking her head at her boyfriend's silliness.
She leaned over and grabbed the large bag of gummi bears and snuggled back into him before handing them to him. "As you wish," she cooed, craning her neck to give him a kiss on the cheek. For her efforts, Chuck rewarded her with a gummi bear; a red one, as those were her favorites. Giving her a kiss on the head, they resumed watching their movie, happily snuggled into one another.
They were both roused by the call of nature just after dawn. They were still roughly in the same positions they'd been in when they drifted off to sleep, missing the end of their movie. Ever the gentleman, he let Sarah go first, though she was already on her way to the bathroom, so the gesture was moot. Chuck brushed his teeth while he waited, then they switched roles. Feeling much lighter, and with minty fresh breath, they made their way downstairs for breakfast.
Chuck and Sarah sat at the enormous dining room table, eating cereal as they enjoyed the scenery. They ate in comfortable silence for a while until Chuck began waving his spoon around; a preamble to his though as he finished chewing. Sarah just watched him with a raised eyebrow, amused by his mannerisms.
"Do you have any plans for today?" he asked, looking a bit sheepish given her expression. She shook her head at him, grinning as she finished chewing her own bite.
"No. I haven't really thought much past breakfast. Did you have something in mind?" Given his reaction she could tell that he, in fact, did have something in mind. Bobbing his head from side to side, hesitant to continue at first, he finally came out with it.
"I was just thinking…. What if we invited Casey and his wif- ex… ex-wife, for dinner? I mean, we have this gorgeous house with more room than we know what to do with." Sarah snorted at that comment, causing Chuck to recant his previous statement. "OK. Yes, we have found some … creative uses for many of the spaces," he confessed, clearing his throat from embarrassment, "but that aside, I think it would be nice to have them over. Personally, I'd like to meet the woman that could tame John Casey. She must be something. Not that she'd hold a candle to you," he rushed out.
"Oh, no. I'm with ya. She must be a saint. I've never actually met her, but he's talked about her on occasion. It's one of the few times I've seen him smile when inflicting bodily harm on others wasn't involved." Both of them erupted in laughter at that.
"So, what d'you say? Dinner tonight? We've got shrimp and steak we could grill. Oooo, and I saw this recipe for garlic parmesan risotto on Pinterest. I think we have all the stuff to make it." Sarah just looked at him with wide-eyed amusement, mouthing the word 'Pinterest' in disbelief. "Whaaaat? There's lots of cool stuff on Pinterest," he defended himself with a pouty whine. Sarah couldn't help but laugh, leaning over and giving him a kiss.
"You're so cute. Yeah, I can give him a call. Maybe we can have a fire in the fire pit. Roast some marshmallows. I haven't done that since I was a kid." It was Sarah's turn to let her excitement show and Chuck wasn't going to let it go unnoticed.
"Now who's cute?" he asked, a smug look on his face. To settle the argument, she stuck her tongue out at him and pulled out her phone. She unlocked it and dialed a contact, putting the phone to her ear.
"Morning Casey! No. No, nothing's wrong. I was just calling to invite you and Kathleen to dinner tonight, up at the house… Yes, of course he's still here? Where would he go? … Ha. Ha. Very funny. It was actually his idea. You know what? Let me talk to Kathleen. Just put her on the phone." There was a pause during which Sarah snickered, finding whatever was going on at the other end of the call quite humorous.
"Kathleen? Hi! It's Sarah. Oh... th-thank you. That's so kind of you. Actually, I was calling because my boyfriend and I wanted to invite you two over for dinner. I've been wanting to meet you, but you know how John is. Always keeping his 'lady feelings' to himself," she mused in a low gruff voice. Even Chuck could hear the uproarious laughter through the phone. "You will? Oh, that's great. We're so looking forward to meeting you. How about … 5:30?" Sarah asked, looking at Chuck for confirmation, who gave her an affirmative nod. "Great, 5:30 it is. No. No. Just bring yourselves. We have more than enough food, wine and liquor for an army," Sarah stated, chuckling with the woman on the other end. "OK. We'll see then. Bye." Sarah ended the call, putting her phone down on the table as she let out a chuckle.
"I like her already. She doesn't take any crap from him, which should be entertaining." Sarah let out an amused sigh. Looking around the house, her eyes grew wide. "Well, I suppose we should clean the place up a little, since we're going to have company."
"Never fear. If there's one thing that us Bartowskis are good at, it's cleaning." Chuck was as good as his word, whipping the place into pristine condition in no time, with the help of his gorgeous assistant. Sure, there were times when Sarah was more interested in canoodling then cleaning, but who was Chuck to complain?
After a light lunch and a short walk, they came back to the house to prepare for the evening. Chuck carried firewood to replenish the stock in the bedroom and great room. He also took a wagon full down to the lower patio, which was set off a short way from the house. It was a large, circular, flagstone patio with a raised stone wall surrounding it. The wall was short enough that it could double as bench seating, although there were much more comfortable patio chairs set around the central fire pit. The flagstone pathway that led from the house to the patio was lined with landscape lights, which would make the trip between the patio and the house less treacherous in the dark.
Before heading back to the house, he prepped the firepit with kindling and firewood, then swept the patio to make it look nice for their guests. When he returned, he saw that Sarah had set up the dining room table with flowers, place settings and wine glasses. There was classic Rat-Pack music playing on the stereo, and a fire crackling in the great room fireplace. He found Sarah quietly singing along to the music as she was chopping vegetables for a small relish tray. Wisely he waited for a lull in the chopping before snaking his arms around her stomach and pulling her into his chest, swaying to the music. He picked up the lyrics and jumped in, singing softly into her ear as they swayed.
"Best is yet to come and babe won't that be fine
You think you've seen the sun
But you ain't seen it shine
A wait til the warm up's under way
Wait til our lips have met
And wait til you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothing yet"
Sarah placed the knife on the counter and spun in his arms, looking up at him with her radiant smile. She slid her arms over his shoulders, clasping her hands behind his neck as she continued to dance with him while he sang to her.
"The best is yet to come
And babe won't it be fine
Best is yet to come,
Come the day you're mine"
The singing stopped when Sarah pulled him down into a searing kiss, not letting go of him as they swayed along to the music. They continued to dance, peppering each other with soft kisses, staring into each other's eyes. When the song was nearly over, they were jolted from their reverie by the ringing of someone's phone. Pulling away they both checked their phones, seeing it was Sarah's.
"Hey Casey," she answered, running a hand through her hair, trying to recover from their steamy interlude. "Oh, Kathleen! Hi. No. No, you're not interrupting anything," Sarah reassured her while making a silly face at Chuck, who was trying to mask his laughter. "Of course, yeah. We're still on for 5:30, but if you want to come over earlier, that's fine too. We've got an enormous wine refrigerator here that's practically full-" Sarah paused, looking taken aback, but a huge smile broke out as she started to chuckle. "Yeah, no. Come on over. We'll be here… alright. See ya soon." Sarah ended the call, still chuckling.
"Well, it seems we'll be having company sooner than expected. We've got about an hour before they get here. Can you finish up that relish tray for me? I need to go upstairs and get ready. I'll be quick, so you can go… do… whatever it is you need to do," she gestured in his general area with mirth in her voice.
"Fine. Go put your face on and I'll slave away down here," he teased. She planted a kiss on him before walking past, smacking him on the butt on her way. "Hey! I will not be treated as some cheap piece of meat," he declared, raising a hand in mock protest. "I expect to be treated as a moderately priced piece of meat at the very least." Sarah burst into laughter as she jogged up the stairs, grabbing the banister to steady herself.
Chuck felt pretty proud of himself that he could make her laugh like that. Sarah's laugh was so rich and intoxicating, it made his whole soul smile. It all still felt like he was going to wake up and find himself alone in his bed, in his studio apartment, all of this having been a deliciously torturous dream. That was the only explanation, right? How could any of this whirlwind adventure be real? The woman of his dreams falling in love with him and running off to a secluded cabin in the mountains, where they laughed, played and made passionate love to one another for days? To catalog it all in his head sounded too over the top for even his wildest fantasies. As he watched her disappear upstairs, she peaked back around the corner to give him a wink and blow him a kiss, only further illustrating his point.
Looking up at the ceiling, Chuck spoke softly to who or whatever was listening. "If this is a dream, don't wake me." Chuckling at himself, feeling a little drunk on his own good fortune, he hummed along to the music that continued to play, finishing the relish tray as Sarah had requested.
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Just over an hour later, both Chuck and Sarah had gotten cleaned up and were putting the finishing touches on dinner. The crusty, artisan rolls were warmed and in a basket on the dining room table, Sarah was stirring the creamy garlic parmesan risotto, which was nearly done, and Chuck was about to put the steaks and shrimp on the grill. When Chuck opened the door to the patio he could hear the echo of the distinctive popping and crunching sound of a car driving on gravel.
"They're here," Chuck called back into the house over his shoulder. Sarah jumped slightly, putting the lid on the risotto and taking it off the heat. Chuck came back to the kitchen, setting his plate of meats on the kitchen island so that he could join his girlfriend in greeting their guests. Straightening themselves by the front door, the forceful knock almost startled them both. They regarded each other, and with an unspoken understanding, they waited a few seconds before Sarah opened the door.
"Hi!" Sarah greeted, the excitement genuine in her voice. Kathleen was standing in front, with Casey close behind her. The older woman looked just as excited as Sarah, hesitantly stepping forward. There was a brief moment of awkwardness before Sarah moved in and gave Kathleen a hug. The relief on the older woman's face was easy to see as she wrapped her arms around Sarah, returning the hug. In her right hand was a decorative wine gift bag that swung from her hand as she pulled back from Sarah.
"I can't tell you how great it is to finally meet you. I'm such a huge fan of yours," Kathleen gushed, trying to contain herself.
"Thank you. That means a lot. But what about you? Anyone that can tame the 'savage beast' that is John Casey is certainly a hero in my book," Sarah confessed, teasing her friend and bodyguard. Casey gave an unamused grunt, only proving Sarah's point, causing Kathleen and Sarah to bark out a laugh.
"And Chuck…" Kathleen stated as she moved past Sarah to greet him. "It's so nice to meet you." Chuck offered his hand but quickly realized she had other intentions, when she ignored it and pulled him into a hug as well.
"Oh. We're doin' the… OK," he chuckled, returning the woman's hug rather tentatively.
Pulling away, the older woman gripped his shoulders and peered up at him. "I've watched the first couple of episodes, and can I just say, you really impressed me. It's no surprise to see you two together. Oooo, that reminds me. The next episode airs tonight. Would you mind if…" she trailed off, biting her bottom lip, looking between Chuck and Sarah.
Casey broke in, trying to dissolve any awkwardness the question might have created. "Kath, I'm sure the last thing they want to do is -"
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. We can turn it on. When does it air?" Sarah asked, seeing the indifferent shrug from Chuck.
"It's on at eight o'clock, so there's plenty of time. I'm sure it's not all that big of a deal for you two since you lived through it, but I'm dying to see what happens next. Well, me and the rest of America." Rolling her eyes, she gestured with her head toward Casey, "Maybe not all of America." That warranted a chuckle from everyone.
"To be honest, I'm a little curious myself," Chuck interjected. "I mean, the whole thing was a little overwhelming, so a lot of it was a blur," he confessed sheepishly. "Plus, I only saw one side of it, so I'm interested to see the broader picture." Chuck jumped slightly, his eyes going wide.
"I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? Come in. Let me take your jackets," Chuck rushed out, holding his hands out toward their guests. Slightly amused, they took off their lightweight jackets, Casey helping Kathleen with her's, and handed them to Chuck. After handing them up, he caught up with Sarah and their guests as she showed them around the main part of the house. Since Casey was already familiar, Sarah was guiding Kathleen around, pointing out the grand details. When she saw the view from the dining area, she let out a loud gasp of awe.
"Oh, John! Look how gorgeous," the older woman exclaimed, grabbing Casey's arm as she stared in wonder.
"It is breathtaking," Chuck agreed, stepping up behind them. "I was just about to go throw the meat on the grill. Maybe we could all grab a drink and enjoy the view from the patio?" They all voiced their agreement, Casey seeming especially eager for a drink. Sarah took the bottle of wine that Kathleen had brought into the kitchen to open it, pulling two wine glasses down from the under-cabinet storage.
"John, what are you drinking?" Chuck asked over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen. "We've got wine, beer and plenty of the hard stuff. If I had to guess, I'd take you for a Scotch drinker." That comment earned a snort from Kathleen and a grunt from Casey, this one sounding like an affirmative. Chuck gave a one note chuckle as he started taking inventory.
"Alright. We've got Glenlivet, Glenfiddich…. Johnnie Walker," Chuck called out as he sorted through the bottles.
"Johnnie Walker'll do. What colors you got?" the older man asked, perking up at hearing the name.
"Looks like they've got half the spectrum. Ooo. How about blue?" Chuck inquired, holding up the mostly full bottle for Casey's approval. The large man practically whimpered at the sight. Twisting his lips to the side, Chuck fought not to laugh at the man that could likely snap him in two. "Blue it is then. You prefer neat or on the rocks?" he asked as he pulled out two tumbler glasses.
"Neat," Casey replied with a nod. Chuck nodded his understanding in return, pouring a couple of fingers for both Casey and himself, adding some ice for himself. Handing the glass to Casey, Chuck raised his glass as a friendly gesture, before the two took a sip. Both men savored the flavor for a long moment before letting out a satisfied "ahhhh". When he turned to retrieve the plate of meat for the grill, he saw Sarah and Kathleen, glasses of wine in hand, watching the two of them in amusement.
Clearing his throat in embarrassment, Chuck took his drink and the plate of meats to the deck to begin grilling. The rest followed him out, wandering around the deck to admire the view. While Sarah and Kathleen leaned against the railing and talked, Casey stepped over to the grill, sipping his scotch.
"Mmmm. Beastmaster 5000. Dual fuel, optional rotisserie, six burners and over 700 square inches of grilling space. Sixty-thousand BTUs. Now that's a grill," Casey commented, practically drooling over it.
"Yeah. It uh… it's pretty impressive. The Woodcombs certainly don't skimp on anything," Chuck admitted, looking around at the outside of the house. "You sure seem to know your grills. Me, I'm not much of an expert. Would you uh… would you care to do the honors?" Chuck asked, offering the large tongs to the older man. He figured it might go a little way toward ingratiating himself with the big man. If Sarah had a father figure, Casey would likely be it. The fact that he'd let Sarah go away with him spoke a great deal about the trust he had in Chuck, or maybe it said more about the trust he had in Sarah to take care of herself. Still, it was a small victory for Chuck, but he wanted to get the older man to really like him, especially since he was going to be a part of Sarah's life for some time.
"It's bad form to touch another man's grill," Casey baulked, holding a hand up in protest.
"Well, it's not my grill. So, the way I see it, this is neutral territory." Chuck nodded toward Casey, offering the tongs to him again with an expression that clearly read "you know you want to". With a grunt and a shrug to mask his excitement, Casey took the tongs and accepted his position at the grill. "I'll go get a clean plate." With that, Chuck made his way inside to put the dirty plate in the dishwasher and retrieve a clean platter for the steaks and shrimp when they came off the grill. He gave the risotto a quick stir, replacing the lid, and walking back out onto the deck.
As he looked over at the women talking, Chuck caught the profile of Kathleen talking with Sarah, something striking him as extremely familiar. She reminded him of someone but he just couldn't quite figure out who. He knew that would bug him the rest of the night, so he approached the two women, trying not to rudely interrupt them. When he was close enough, Sarah turned and flashed him a bright smile.
"Hi, Babe. What's up?" Sarah asked, leaning her back against the deck railing to face him fully.
"Sorry to interrupt. Kathleen, I know this is going to sound like some incredibly lame and cliché pickup line, but I swear I've seen you somewhere before. I just can't figure out for the life of me where. Did you... did you ever shop at the Buy More in Burbank?" he inquired, his brow furrowed in thought.
"Noooo. Not that I can ever recall. I live in Pasadena, so on the rare occasions when I do go to the Buy More, I go to the one there. I'm sorry, I wish I could help," Kathleen apologized, looking sympathetic.
"Ah, no. It's OK. I'm sure it's all in my head. Some whacky deja vu thing. Are you two doing OK? Can I get you some more wine?" he asked, gesturing toward their glasses.
"I'm good for right now. Thank you though," the older woman replied kindly.
"I'll just wait until dinner. Thanks, Sweetie." Sarah leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. With a goofy grin, he backed away before turning to head to the grill to check in with Casey.
"He seems like such a good man," Kathleen whispered, leaning toward Sarah conspiratorially.
Sarah let out a hum as she watched her man chatting with Casey. "He's an incredible man. I feel extremely lucky that we found each other."
"Well, don't tell him I told you this, but John seems to think rather highly of him too." Sarah gave the older woman a shocked look, but Kathleen just raised a hand as if she were taking an oath. "I know, he's always grunting and growling like some pissed off old bear. It's all bullshit. He thinks he needs to put up that persona to be taken seriously. First in the Marines and now in the security business. He thinks if he comes off as soft, people won't hire him. But with me, and especially our daughter, he's a huge teddy bear," she confessed as she gazed at Casey lovingly.
"Daughter? I had no idea! Although, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised he didn't say anything. Him and his aversion to 'lady feelings'."
"Oh, God. Sit down and watch Terms of Endearment with him and then ask him about 'lady feelings'," she mocked, causing both women to burst into laughter. Sarah was laughing so hard, she had to lean on Kathleen's shoulder for support.
"Alright you two. Quit laughing at the nerd. You'll upset his delicate sensibilities," Casey called from the door to the house. "Besides, dinner's ready," he added, raising the platter of grilled food as proof.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
After a delightful dinner, filled with great food and good conversation, Chuck and Casey washed the dishes and cleaned up. Sarah and Kathleen retired to the great room couch, where they were enjoying the fire, talking and sipping more wine.
"I know it's not really any of my business, but what's the story between you and Casey?" Sarah asked at just above a whisper.
"Oh, Lord. How much time have you got?" Kathleen chuckled, rolling her eyes. "God… it was so long ago. We were just kids. I was a cheerleader in high school and John was a star football player for our rival team. He was quiet, handsome and boy did he fill out that uniform," she added with a chuckle. "Anyway, we met at this party. Some guys from his team were drunk and were trying to take liberties with some of my friends. I remember, one of them had tried to feel me up, so I smacked him across the face. In his drunken rage he smacked me back and that's when all hell broke loose. When the dust settled, all of those guys were laid out on the front lawn. John had beaten the hell out of four of his own teammates without a second thought."
"That I can believe," Sarah interjected. "I can see John standing up for people like that."
"Yeah. Of course, I didn't really know him at the time; only that he was this stoic, gruff giant of a guy. I don't want to say it was a 'damsel in distress' situation, but there was just something about seeing him standing there with his knuckles all bloody and bruised. Then the next thing I know, he's right there, asking if I was alright. He brushed my cheek where I'd been hit with the back of his fingers. It was so gentle, like he was afraid I'd break or something. I ended up helping him clean up his hands and icing his knuckles and his left eye. He took me home and was the perfect gentleman. After that, we started dating," she concluded with a sheepish shrug.
"That's such a great story. So, when did you get married?" Sarah questioned before taking another sip of wine.
"Well, we dated throughout the rest of high school. After graduation, I was enrolled into a college nursing program for the fall and John followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Marines. We were in the bus station, sending him off to basic training, and I was a complete mess. It was like… 5:30 in the morning, I'd been crying non-stop and I must have looked horrible. But he got down on one knee and proposed. He said he didn't want to leave without me knowing how he really felt. I, of course, said yes. When he came home after basic, we got married at the courthouse; neither of us wanted a lot of fanfare. We just wanted to be married." Kathleen sighed, a far off taking over her face.
"If you don't want to talk about it-"
"Oh, no. No. It's fine. Things… things were pretty good for a while, but over time a rift formed between us. He became colder and more distant, but I still loved him. Soon after that I found out I was pregnant and things got better. He was as supportive as he could be when he was home, but those times became fewer and fewer. He was overseas when our daughter, Alexandra, was born. She's named after her father; his middle name is Alexander. When he was able to be home, he was a devoted father and husband, but I could see that he was changing. Some of that kindness in him had dimmed. Over time it got worse and we argued more. One day he called while on deployment and said that we should get divorced. He knew that I was miserable and that it wasn't fair for me to sit at home, all alone, and raise our daughter by myself."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sarah said, offering her sympathy. Kathleen just waved it off.
"I admit, I handled things rather badly, too. I got angry and spiteful. I assumed that he'd found someone else and this was just his way of getting out of our relationship without looking like an ass. I'd seen men do worse from talking with the other military wives in my support group. At any rate, once the divorce was finalized, I changed my and our daughter's last name back to my maiden name. I know it hurt him a lot, and at the time I got some satisfaction from it. He never abandoned us; even after everything. He kept in touch, sent money for Alex and me, even sending cards and gifts on our birthdays. When he retired from the Marines, he came to visit. He spent as much time as he could with Alex. God help me, she's so much like him," she chuckled, shaking her head.
"We got to talking more and more, reconnecting. It was about the time that Alex started college that he confessed to me what a horrible mistake he'd made. He'd lost a lot of friends in battle; was even injured himself a few times, which he neglected to tell me at the time," she grumbled. "He thought that if he distanced himself, that if we distanced ourselves from him, when… if something happened to him, we wouldn't grieve as much; that we'd have an easier time moving on. God, I could have punched the stupid jerk." Both women chuckled, a little misty-eyed.
"So, there was nobody else? He just had this misguided notion that he was protecting you?" Sarah asked, scooting even closer to Kathleen.
With her lips pulled into a tight smile, the older woman nodded. "Yeah. The big idiot. Neither of us had ever found anyone else to speak of. Since he's been living here, building up his business, we've gotten closer again. He's the John I remember; happy and kind." Sarah gave her a wide-eyed expression, causing Kathleen to snort. "OK. Granted, most of it's on the inside, but it's there. He's a different person in private. He's a big ole teddy bear," she giggled.
Chuck stepped up behind the couch with a bottle of wine in hand. "Can I get you two a refill?" Both women nodded, holding out their glasses. "Sounds like quite the story going on over here. I miss anything exciting?" he asked as he filled their glasses.
"Kathleen was just telling me the story of how she and John met. It's truly fascinating," Sarah confessed, causing Kathleen to snort and roll her eyes.
"I'd really like to hear that sometime. Somehow, I suspect that under that hard, angry center is a softer, less angry center," Chuck mused, chuckling to himself. The comment made Kathleen, then Sarah in turn, burst into laughter.
"Now what'd you do, Bartowski?" Casey questioned as he walked up to the group, drying his hands on a dish towel. Chuck shrugged innocently, raising his hands in surrender. Sarah, however, jumped off of the couch, setting her glass on the coffee table and proceeded to wrap Casey in a bear hug. The large man stood frozen in surprise, not sure what was going on. When Casey glanced at Chuck, looking for some sort of help, Chuck just gave him a shrug.
"She must have really liked her steak? She really has a thing for steak," Chuck confessed, giving a shrug as if to say 'what can you do?'. Casey thought it over for a moment and seemed to accept that answer, bouncing his head side to side.
"Oooo. The show's gonna start soon. Turn it to channel five," Kathleen declared, gesturing toward the TV. Chuck grabbed the large remote and turned off the music, switching the TV to cable and tuned it to channel five; the local NBC affiliate. Access Hollywood was still on and Mario Lopez was plugging the upcoming episode of "Off Screen Romance".
Mario: "This season of 'Off Screen Romance', featuring megastar Sarah Walker, has become the most talked about season in the show's history. With only the third episode airing tonight, the show is already breaking records, creating a social media frenzy. Trending on Twitter since the season premiere, fans from around the globe have been dividing themselves into camps over which contestant they're rooting for. Perhaps most surprising is the overwhelming support for, who can only be described as, the underdog. Here's Sibley Scoles with more."
Sibley: "This season of 'Off Screen Romance' has taken the world by storm. After two elimination rounds, they're down to fourteen contestants. One contestant in particular has captured the hearts of throngs of adoring fans. In response, they've created the hashtag #Charah to signify their support. To learn more about this rather unassuming contestant, I'm here in Burbank California, to find out why contestant Chuck Bartowski has gained such a following.
"I'm talking with Morgan Grimes, Chuck's best friend and business partner. What do you have to say about all of this? "
Morgan: "Well, to be honest, Sibley, -can I call you Sibley?- I was the one that submitted the application on Chuck's behalf. I know Chuck better than anyone and it was killing me to see him so unhappy, burying himself in his work. He's such an awesome guy, with a huge heart, I felt I owed it to him to help him find that special someone that could really appreciate him for who he is. Had I known it was going to be Sarah Walker, WOW."
Sibley: "So, do you think that Chuck will be lucky enough to win Sarah Walker's heart?"
Morgan: "No, actually, I think it's Sarah that'll be the lucky one. If she can just give him a chance, really get to know him, I'm sure she'll see what his friends and family already know. She'll see that he's the kindest, most caring and generous man she could ever hope for. "
Sibley: "Well, so far he's definitely lived up to that, from what we saw in episode two. I think that thousands of fans would agree with you. So, you're not the only one that knows Chuck that thinks the world of him. Let's also talk to one of Chuck's employees."
Sibley gestured off camera and a young, auburn-haired woman stepping into the shot, lacing her arm around Morgan's.
Sibley: "Miss McHugh, being one of Chuck Bartowski's employees, what are your thoughts on the matter? Is he really all that the hype claims him to be?"
"Alex?" Kathleen gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand.
"What in the hell is my baby girl doing with that bearded gnome?!" Casey growled, gritting his teeth.
"Oh boy," Chuck choked out, sharing a concerned glance with Sarah.
A/N2: Chuck me! I bet none of you saw that coming, did you? Yes, of course you did. It was only a matter of time, right?
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I really enjoy hearing your thoughts on the story. I try to reply when I can, but between my limited "freetime" and the FF site review functions breaking, I don't always get to all of you. Believe me, I do read them all and I thank you for taking the time out of your day to drop me a note. I know it's a lot easier to just read and be on your way, so thank you for taking that extra bit of time to share your thoughts.
Until next time, stay safe and be well.
Joe