A/N: I have no idea how many people are reading this, as the FanFiction stats aren't working. I know it's more than the zero that's recorded as it has received reviews - thanks to those of you that left them.

Thanks to Writesalott who beta'd this for me. At her suggestion, this chapter is all from Sarah's perspective. Others will be mixed, but this works well here.

Chuck vs The Triangle

Chapter 2: Search

Sarah put a temporary hold on the move to Bermuda. Her crew were surprisingly relaxed about it. Their new business and personal work permits were also more flexible than she had expected. The move could wait until they'd completed the job for Chuck Bartowski.

The money was definitely worth it, but she also found herself intrigued about what had happened to his parents, even though she suspected it was the same as usual.

She had been trying to convince herself that it was just about the money, but she knew the whole Bermuda Triangle thing had intrigued her in the past. She'd told her crew member, Matt, that over drinks long ago. He'd scoffed at it, and she'd not mentioned it again, but he probably remembered.

In reality, so many supposedly experienced people were unprepared for what they faced in the Atlantic Ocean in this region. All it took was one crazy sudden huge wave hitting unexpectedly for a boat to never be seen again.

If she was honest with herself, she also found Chuck himself quite intriguing too. She found Chuck Bartowski physically attractive, but it was more than that. His demeanor was much more likable and his attitude toward her and what he planned to do was appealing. He was so different from the other clients she'd had. Much more of a gentleman.

She wasn't going to jump him or anything like that, but having him around would be a lot more pleasant than most clients.

He was due to arrive at her boat soon. Her crew were eager to meet the man who'd persuaded her to delay. The very same man who had brought them their first real job in months.

Matt had clearly sensed that it was more than the money for her. She'd taken him on after she took over the business and got rid of what she saw as her dad's criminal associate, other than her, that is. So, Matt probably knew her better than his wife, Janine, the other crew member.

More than anyone else, Matt knew that once she set her mind on an action, she didn't get diverted, but here, that was exactly what was happening.

She had been trying to convince herself that it was just about the money, but she knew she found himself interesting, and maybe there was a hint of intrigue in the whole Bermuda Triangle thing too.

It didn't really matter, but Matt and Janine just saw Chuck as this nut job, but a paying one, so they were happy going along with it.

Sarah looked out of the starboard side window and saw Chuck approaching. Normally, her clients brought very little with them, as the trips were there and back in a day, sometimes long days, but still just a day. With this one, they were going to stay at a hotel in Fairport which further confirmed Chuck's willingness to spend on the venture. A double and two single rooms were another outlay for him.

So, here Chuck came dragging a suitcase along behind him. Sarah watched him struggle onto the boat with that case. It was obviously full. "Are you planning on staying for a month and not doing any washing?" she asked with a grin.

"Hey! You never know what you might need to wear."

She narrowed her eyes. "What have you brought?"

"Well… my sister always recommends taking two of everything for each day, but, in case the hotel is fancy, I've also brought formal gear, including long sleeved shirts."

She had a sinking feeling. "Formal gear?"

"Oh, suit, and a dinner jacket with matching trousers, and formal shoes."

She just gaped at him. "You'll be eating on your own, then."

He looked shocked. "Why?"

"Because Matt, Janine and I don't have that kind of gear. I'm a t-shirt and shorts gal."

He cast his eyes up and down her, standing in front of him. He'd not really looked at her the day before, but now she could feel his eyes roaming over her bare legs.

"I didn't say that so you'd check me out, Mr. Bartowski."

He flushed. "I- I-"

"Were looking at my legs," she finished for him. She managed to keep a straight face, even though she was itching to laugh at his embarrassment. Oh, he's going to be fun to torment!

He pulled himself together. "I'm sorry. You did draw my attention to your legs, though." He took a deep breath. "But I was taught better. I will try not to look again."

She couldn't hold it in any longer, and barked a sharp laugh. "I'm sorry, Chuck. I wasn't angry. Hell, you've been more of a gentleman than any previous client of mine. I don't hide my legs demurely away, although with some I probably should have. I think you'll be fine once you've spent more time with me."

He just smiled that adorable smile of his. "Sarah, I can just keep my eyes on your face." He mumbled something to himself as he turned away. He didn't know how good her hearing was. He'd mumbled, "That's distraction enough."

She covered her mouth with her hand as she turned away and tried not to laugh. Definitely adorable.

An hour later, Chuck said, "I'd like you to have the tracker app on your phone, Sarah. I'm thinking we should both have it. rather than just relying on one phone."

They were still close enough to land that the cell coverage was just about sufficient.

She frowned. "Why would we need the app at all? We just need the coordinates and you've already given me those."

Chuck's cheeks flushed before he admitted, "It moves."

She rolled her eyes. "And you didn't think to tell me that before?"

The flush deepened. "I didn't want you to back out."

She led him to the table, indicating that he should sit down, then sat opposite him. "So, the boat hasn't sunk?" It was, after all, the only logical explanation for the signal to move.

"No, no!" Chuck exclaimed. "I've checked satellite coverage. It's definitely not on the surface."

"So, something has taken your tracker out. Some fish." She shook her head. "This is pointless."

"It's still attached to the metal of the boat. I would get a reading to show separation."

She narrowed her eyes. "So, what then? The whole ship has been swallowed by some giant whale?"

"It's not moving that much," he murmured. "Shifting sands?"

"A boat would hardly move," she stated. "How much does it move?"

"Up to a mile," he admitted.

She threw her hands up in the air. "I think your app is useless, Chuck."

"Then it won't hurt to have it on your phone, Sarah," he pleaded.

She looked at him dubiously. "I assume it's not freely available on a public site."

"No. I'll have to download it for you." He noticed her lips tightening.

Before he could say anything, she spoke quietly. "No one touches my phone but me."

"I wouldn't look at your photos," he said.

She snorted. "There's other things people take. I've had someone take phone numbers from it in the past."

"I wouldn't do that. Just install the app," he replied. "Or… I could get you onto my site and you do it." She still looked dubious. "Or I just tell you where to go to get it…. Please."

She sighed. This clearly mattered a great deal to him. "Oh, very well," Sarah caved. "But I still think this is pointless."

Sarah pulled out her phone and let Chuck show her where to go to get his stupid app. She never let him touch her phone, and did everything herself. Once the was all downloaded and installed, Chuck wanted to show her how to use it.

He reached for her phone and then stopped himself and pulled his own phone out of his pocket. "Sorry. I'll demo on my phone."

She smiled. "Thank you, Chuck."

As she watched him, she noticed that the signal strength was much greater on his phone, but didn't mention it.

He tapped the app icon which brought up a screen showing a list of trackers available to see. There was only one visible at the moment. He tapped on that and the graphic display showed a map with Grand Bahama at the bottom. The single overlayed horizontal and vertical lines crossed where the red dot appeared. Above the map, the coordinates of the tracker were displayed.

"Well, that's pretty simple," she commented as she looked at it.

Then, the dot and the lines disappeared and the words "Not found" appeared at the top where the coordinates had appeared.

The two looked at each other. "I think it's moving," Chuck said.

"Wouldn't we see the motion?" she asked.

"We should," he replied, frowning.

A few seconds later, the dot reappeared and the lines reformed.

Sarah gasped. "That must be half a mile away from its last position! Even a whale couldn't move that fast."

"I've not witnessed the movement before," Chuck mused. "Usually, I just reopen the app and it's at a different location. That was wild!"

Sarah checked the weather near the tracker signal. A storm was to cover the area that morning. Chuck showed a satellite image. "This is real-time," he said. A thunderstorm was in progress near the island earlier, but the flashing lights seemed to be centered over the two positions of the tracker, before and after the move. "That doesn't seem like a coincidence," he commented.

"Well, we never dive where there's a storm," she said.

"Just as well," he replied.

"Really doesn't explain what happened though," Sarah reminded him.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Chuck replied. This was getting curiouser and curiouser. Sarah had to admit she wanted to figure out the mystery.

They waited until the storm had subsided before setting off. Just over two hours later they arrived at Freeport harbor.

They discussed whether to check into the hotel he'd booked for all of them. Chuck had insisted they stay, whether or not they found anything, and Sarah wasn't going to argue. A hotel stay was a luxury that the three of them rarely experienced. However, they decided to do that later and just get out to the boat.

They double checked that the tracker hadn't moved again, before setting their destination for the coordinates in the app.

A quick sonar scan confirmed there was a wreck below them, and only seventy feet deep. It was surprisingly shallow here.

To make sure not to crash the anchor into the wreck they were trying to salvage, Matt moved the ship a bit off to the side, once the sonar scan was done, and dropped anchor.

Sarah turned to Chuck. "I'll go down and have a look."

"I will come with you," he replied.

The idea of taking a novice diver with her, even in relatively shallow water, wasn't one Sarah liked. She narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Have you dived before?"

"Yeah. Dived with my dad," he replied.

"This deep?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I've brought my wetsuit, but I didn't bring breathing gear or flippers, though. Do you have spares?"

She smiled. "Well, a wetsuit is more than most bring. We usually have to provide everything if we do take anyone down. However, this is much deeper than I normally take anyone."

He smiled. "I've been this deep before."

He was still looking at her hopefully. She was having problems saying no to this guy. Sarah made note of that, before caving in, pointing to where he could find the flippers, and telling him he could go get his wetsuit.

With a big smile on his face, Chuck went to go and change into trunks, as well as get his wetsuit on.

Sarah was more prepared. She was already wearing her bikini under all her clothes. All she had to do was strip off her t-shirt and shorts before pulling up the bottom half of her wetsuit.

She went to get the tanks and other breathing gear for them before waiting for Chuck to be ready.

When Chuck arrived on deck, she couldn't help giving him a once over. Like her, he was only half finished getting his wetsuit on, with just the bottom half fitted. The main difference was that Chuck's chest was bare. He had a slim waist, a slightly hairy chest and broad shoulders.

"You're a swimmer, Chuck," she stated, as it was fairly obvious.

"Yeah," he replied and then for the first time looked at her. His eyes focused on her bikini clad top for a second, before quickly looking up into her eyes. That pleased her, not focusing on her torso. A gentleman, for sure.

"Need help with the tank?" she asked.

"No, no. As I said, I dived with my dad," he replied.

"We'll stop three times on the way back up," she said.

"I know the ropes. Five minutes for each decompression stop?" he said with a nod.

"At least. Depends how long we stay down there."

He nodded in agreement. They quickly got kitted out and went into the water.

Once underwater, Sarah was surprisingly pleased at Chuck's diving skills as they swam down. He certainly was proficient underwater.

They had brought torches for exploring within the boat, but at this depth, they didn't need it. The sunlight could still easily light their way this close to the surface.

Reaching the wreck, they swam around the outside looking for damage. What they could see of the hull had no breaks. The whole thing seemed completely intact. If there was a hole, or holes, they were underneath against the sea bed. It had been a long time since Sarah had seen a wreck in this good shape. Especially one that's supposedly been under the waves for a solid two years.

They entered the boat from the top, making sure to keep their air lines free as they went. Chuck tried to push forward, but Sarah held out her arm to stop him. She shook her head. She wanted to go first. He wasn't happy but in the end he gave in. If his parents' bodies were in there, Chuck shouldn't have to be the one to find them.

It didn't take her long to confirm there were no bodies at all, so she went back and gave him the thumbs up. With a gesture of her hand, Sarah indicated that Chuck should follow her in.

The galley had ceramic bowls and mugs still on the table with spoons in the bowls. Nothing had moved from where the older couple must have had breakfast. It was uncanny. Sarah had never seen something like this underwater before in all her years of diving into shipwrecks.

Usually everything on a boat moved as it went down and filled with water. It was almost as if the boat had just been transported here magically. Sarah laughed at her own thoughts. Magic didn't exist. However, it was also curious that two years of currents hadn't disturbed the items. She put these thoughts out of her head and focused on the task at hand.

Chuck looked about as surprised as her, but didn't stick around long to stare. Instead, he swam off to search for that Intersect thing.

Rather than be idle, Sarah followed after him to help. Together they searched the entire boat. Nothing. There hadn't even been anything in the safe that Chuck had apparently expected and knew the combination to. It was nearly time to surface. Sarah gestured, but Chuck shook his head. He wanted to keep trying. With a sigh, Sarah agreed and they did one more check. Once they'd been under half an hour, Sarah called it and finally Chuck listened.

The two of them headed back to the surface.

Sarah showed him when to stop and Chuck did exactly what she indicated. She could only guess at Chuck's feelings about the dive. She was glad it didn't distract him from doing the right thing as they swam back up. At each stop, they held onto the anchor's chain rod and waited the five minutes to make sure they returned to a normal pressure environment safely..

Chuck was obviously deep in thought, because the second time they stopped, his hand clasped onto hers. Sarah felt the contact unexpectedly. It was fleeting, but powerful. Sarah was surprised by how his hand completely enveloped hers. She knew her hands were slim, like the rest of her, but his were obviously quite large.

As they broke the surface of the water and began climbing onto the boat, Sarah saw Matt and Janine sunbathing on deck.

"How'd it go?" Matt asked, turning to look at them.

Sarah removed her breathing gear so she could speak. "Boats in good shape," she said. Matt gave her a look when Chuck's back was turned and Sarah knew Matt wanted to know if they'd found bodies. Sarah gave a slight shake of her head to tell him no and left it at that. There was no need to remind Chuck. She felt sure he had enough of it in his head already. When Chuck had his mask off, Sarah saw the play of emotions on his face. She didn't know what to say. 'Sorry we didn't find your parents down there,' was inappropriate. Finding two corpses would have been awful for him, but at least he'd get closure. What else was there to say?

Chuck looked at her. "Thank you, Sarah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Not yet," he replied. "Maybe after dinner tonight?"

"Whatever you want, Chuck." She wasn't sure why she was saying this. It was not part of her job, but she found she wanted to be there for him.

"Can you raise the anchor, Matt," Sarah asked him.

Matt nodded and got up off his lounge chair, as did Janine. They'd be leaving soon.

Chuck and Sarah stripped off their wetsuits and left them on deck to dry in the sun. Both were deep in thought as they walked back into the wheelhouse. Once there, Chuck turned to say something.

It wasn't until his jaw dropped that Sarah realized this was the first time Chuck was seeing her in just her little blue bikini. He looked quite comical for a moment with his jaw hanging down at the sight of her before he shut it and turned away.

She tried to act as if she hadn't noticed, but in a way she was glad to have distracted him from his thoughts. He was obviously as interested as other men, just desperately trying to be more circumspect about it. She liked how he was around her. He made her feel like an attractive woman rather than a sex object.

Unlike Chuck who was only just getting the full view, Sarah had admired him in only his Bermuda shorts. He had a swimmer's physique . Not overly buff like those body builder types but smooth and lean with just hints of the powerful muscles underneath.

Sarah buried her thoughts away as they headed back to Freeport.

The restaurant in the hotel did not require fancy clothing, not that Sarah would have attended if it had. When she was getting dressed, she found one of her summer dresses that she'd forgotten that she'd packed. She decided to wear that instead of forcing the point about t-shirts and shorts. It was a very casual informal dress, with little yellow flowers on it.

Matt and Janine had decided to go out to eat, so it would just be the two of them here.

As agreed, Chuck came to her room to escort her down to the restaurant.

Opening the door to him, and seeing him standing there waiting, brought those buried feelings from earlier back to the forefront of her mind. He definitely was attractive/

In spite of stating this wasn't a formal setting, Chuck was wearing a dark blue suit, just without a tie. He had on a nice clean crisp white shirt, but the top button was undone, making him look more casual.

Dinner tonight was supposed to be a work meeting only, but between the clothes and the missing crew members, it was starting to feel like a date.

Sarah hadn't been on a date for a long, long time. The only people she ever saw were those associated with her business, either those that helped in some way, or clients, and no one she'd met through work had been work dating in many years..

The ones who really knew her would never ask her out, because they knew what a private person she was. She enjoyed the solitude. Her womanizing clients were a whole other story. She declined those offered regularly.

While she was looking at him, Chuck was looking at her. He glanced at her dress and then his eyes dropped to her calves and ankles, before looking up at her face and freezing for a second.

Laughing at his reaction, and how he tried to cover it, she said, "I get the impression you're a legs man."

He blushed. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I know better than to do that. I-"

She cut in, "Chuck, you are not upsetting me. You try not to look, at least when I can see you. If I wanted my legs invisible, I could hide them away. I actually find your behavior very gentlemanly."

He smiled ruefully, clearly relieved he hadn't upset her. "But you're right. I do like your legs. So long and so graceful."

She smiled. "Thank you, Chuck, but let's not talk about them."

He nodded at that suggestion. "Okay."

They walked to the elevator and Chuck hit the button that would take them down to the restaurant.

Chuck had suggested they just enjoy their dinner, rather than discuss the day over it. So, at the end of the meal, Sarah sat back, nursing her glass of wine and looked at him. "Are you ready to talk now?"

"I'd like to have a stroll along the beach before we do that, Sarah. Continue to enjoy the evening first."

"I'd like that," she replied with a smile.

They walked along the water's edge for about an hour, enjoying the location and, to Sarah's surprise, the company.

There was just something peaceful about walking side by side with Chuck along the beach. Even if they weren't talking. In fact, Sarah preferred it this way but she knew Chuck was a talker, so she appreciated the silence all the more.

They didn't hold hands, but it still felt good just walking side by side.

"Let's find a bar and get some drinks before we talk about the boat," he said.

"Okay."

They'd just passed a bar a moment ago, so quickly returned there.

Once they sat down with their drinks, Chuck asked, "Can we just enjoy the evening a bit more?"

"We will have to talk about it soon if we are going to do more, Chuck," she said.

"You're right," he said with a sigh. "Okay, I've had time to think about it all." He took another deep breath before continuing. "I was both pleased and disappointed at not finding mom and dad. Obviously pleased that they weren't there, rotting away, but disappointed that it left me with no idea where they might be."

"I thought that'd be the case," she replied.

"So, I don't know if they escaped and just haven't bothered to get in touch or if they've been captured by their enemies and, maybe, killed by them."

Sarah was surprised to hear him say the latter. "Really?"

"Or maybe rotting in some deep dark hole somewhere, prisoners."

She thought about another possibility that their bodies and bones have been consumed, but didn't mention that. "Wow! Vivid imagination!" she said.

"Not really. It's dad's thoughts."

Once again, she didn't know what to say. Her social skills were not up for this sort of conversation.

He continued, "Not finding the device is troubling too, unless they took it with them and are hiding it away somewhere."

"So, what next?" she asked.

He looked her in the eyes. "I'd like to bring the boat up and see if it's seaworthy. I think it might be."

"We can certainly do that," she replied. She suspected he was right, after seeing the total lack of damage on the boat during the dive.

"Thank you, Sarah." His eyes seemed to bore into hers. "You've made this a more pleasant experience than I expected."

"Because of my legs?" she teased. She didn't know why she did that, but his smile made it worthwhile.

"Sarah, you must know you are a very beautiful woman. Yes, your legs are gorgeous, but everything about you is too."

She was a bit taken aback by him saying all that. "Wow! Thank you.."

He shrugged. "Tomorrow, we'll raise the Titanic," he said jokingly. "And then after that, we'll likely never see each other again. If I hadn't said it now, I never would have."

She frowned, not liking his words. "Why do you feel the need to say it at all?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about it since I first met you," Chuck began. "I don't know why I felt the need to tell you. Maybe I'm just too scared to ask someone so beautiful out on a date."

She placed her hand on his wrist. "Chuck, what if I said I thought of this as a date."

Chuck beamed, his smile spreading so far as to almost touch his eyes. It was the first time he'd unleashed that on her, it was one hell of a smile. He said, "I don't think I'd be any good at Bahaman dancing or I'd suggest finding a club here."

She smiled at the thought. "I suspect Bermudan dancing is similar. Maybe you could take me for a date back in Miami before I move to Bermuda." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she stopped herself. This certainly wasn't her at all.

"It's a date!" he replied. "My first in quite a while, and with someone as interesting and as beautiful as you."

She smiled sadly. "No one that knows me would call me interesting. But thanks for showering me with compliments. Does the ego a world of good."

He went to say more, but she held up her hand. "No more, Chuck," she said. "You might put me off you."

He shut his mouth very quickly.

When Chuck took Sarah back to her room, he said, "Sarah, I've not enjoyed myself so much in a long time. That's all down to you."

"Same for me, Chuck. Thank you," she replied. She kissed his cheek, then hurried into her room.

Leaning against the door with her heart racing, she was surprised at how close she'd been to inviting him in.

Tomorrow, they'd raise his boat. If it was seaworthy, he'd set off in it and she'd never see him again. She didn't want a one-night stand, that wasn't who she was, so it was definitely for the best that she hadn't invited him into her hotel room.

A/N: I am ignoring any challenges of moving to Bermuda as US citizens, as well as those of bringing non-Bermudans as crew rather than taking on crew from the local population etc. Similarly, my knowledge of marine salvage is all internet based, so that may not be accurate.

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