The Detective and the Tech Guy
Authors: Steampunk . Chuckster & dettiot
Rating: T
Summary: A case of mistaken identity and murder brings Sarah Walker, Pinkerton agent, to sunny California. Protecting the heir to the Bartowski Electronics Corporation should be just business - but Chuck Bartowski fills out a suit nicely and makes a mean martini. Chuck lobbied to hire the Pinkerton Agency, but had no idea the detective they'd send would be as alluring, intelligent and fascinating as Sarah Walker. Will the detective and the tech guy solve the mystery, distracted by the riddle in their own hearts? An homage to The Thin Man movies co-written by Steampunk . Chuckster and dettiot.
Disclaimer: We don't own Chuck or The Thin Man series. And we're making no monetary profit from this story.
Author's Note: Part 3! Again, we switched it up a lot between who wrote what. And if you can't tell who's who, well...then we did a good job. :) Thanks for still reading, everyone! More to come! -SC
XOXOXOXO
Sarah was first aware of the feel of the soft satiny sheets against her bare legs, bunched up at her hips…bare hips. She was definitely naked.
Everything flooded back to her tired mind and a grin exploded onto her face so powerful and sudden that it almost made her jaw was Chuck's hotel room. And Chuck's bed. And the dead weight she felt draped over her ribs was Chuck's arm. She was lying on her back in the giant king-sized bed, with Chuck Bartowski sleeping barely two inches away.
She glanced over and finally took the time to really look at him. Things had been so rushed and desperate, she hadn't wanted to spend any more time dancing around or flirting or…doinganything, really…except that she knew she wanted him on top of her. And she wanted to wrap herself around him.
Sarah had done just that. But that meant she hadn't really taken him in. Until now, as the silvery moonlight flooded in through the glass balcony doors of his bedroom, showing her every last nuance of his body.
Somehow he'd tangled the sheets around his legs a bit while he was sleeping, which she supposed she would have to deal with in the future. And then she shoved that last thought away because she couldn't afford to get caught up in that now, not when she was trying to enjoy the tableau that was Chuck Bartowski. And the unadulterated sex-fest that was last night.
He was on his side, facing her, his face turned into the pillow, his hair so messy and inviting. She resisted the urge to touch it and instead let her gaze drift lower, down his muscled arms and his chest. And then her gaze lowered further and she allowed herself the time really study the part of him that she'd come to know quite intimately in the last ten hours or so. However long it had been. She couldn't be sure. Things had happened so quickly, and so intensely, that time had seemed superfluous. It still was superfluous.
Again she had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him and instead she just basked in what had happened.
The suddenness with which Chuck had kissed her after she whispered in his ear was something Sarah hadn't expected. She didn't gather her wits to respond until a moment or two into the kiss, and when she did respond, it was with everything she had.
And when they were interrupted by the gendarme, words weren't exchanged. They didn't need to talk about what next, or where now. Because she grabbed his hand and they rushed to Chuck's hotel as if they were of one mind.
She could still feel the way her senses heightened during the hurried scampering back to his hotel. Things were brighter, and her melancholia was replaced by absolute bliss, and she just wanted to be in his room, pressed against him. So much so that the moment the elevator doors had closed, she had thrown her arms around his neck and practically mauled him.
Sarah had never wanted anyone so badly and she couldn't remember needing anything in the way she'd needed him. Once they had dealt with the barriers and lie together on the bed, things had progressed less quickly, and lasted much longer, than she'd expected, and Chuck was certainly much much more than she could have ever hoped. The playful touching during aikido, the electric current between them when their gazes met, and the heated grabbing during their kiss in his office…None of it had prepared her for what had happened between them.
Explosive didn't even begin to describe what last night was. After yearning for this for so long, building up her expectations of what it would be like to finally make love to Chuck Bartowski–Well, suffice to say, if she'd not had a one-track mind about getting Chuck inside of her last night, she probably would have worried a little that she'd built him up too much in her dreams.
And she would have been so wrong. She almost giggled now as she remembered how it had felt, the way he'd been so intense, but never rushed. So powerful, but tender and gentle. How he'd taken the time, even when they were in the throes of absolute ecstasy, to kiss her temple or her nose or beneath her ear, as if to remind them both how special it was that they were together, finally.
He willingly relinquished control to her whenever she wanted it, and he made a point of showing his appreciation in what was sometimes a sweet way, and other times a really fun way.
Now that Sarah was fully awake, she allowed herself to marvel at the man beside her. Because as incredibly hot and surprisingly kinky as last night had been, it had been infused with pure, unfiltered intimacy. And honesty.
She quirked an eyebrow at that. What a concept that was. Honest sex. They had both put every part of themselves into it, gone above and beyond anything either of them had ever done in the bedroom. At least, she hadn't. And she could only assume he hadn't either.
She heard him grumble a little in his sleep and his arm tightened, tugging her a little closer.
Sarah beamed and turned to face him, snuggling as close to him as was possible, and then she set her lips to his collar bone, gently dotting kisses on his skin until she got to his neck, where she bit him gently and then slowly pressed her lips against the bite.
"Not the worst way I've been woken up," came his sleepy drawl, and she blushed, nuzzling her face beneath his chin sheepishly.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to do that."
"It felt to me like you meant to."
Sarah pulled back and narrowed her eyes at him in a teasing glare. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I mean."
"S'okay. I'm glad you did." He smiled a smile that set fire to her limbs–so slow and lazy and full of satisfaction. God, she'd done that. And as he shifted to pull her closer, a few red scratch marks on his shoulder were visible in the moonlight. She'd done that, too.
A giggle bubbled out of her and she wrapped her arm around him and tangled her legs with his, snuggling and basking in the warmth of his naked body against hers.
"Time is it?" he mumbled into her hair.
"Mmm, don't know. Don't care."
And then she skillfully shifted her weight so that he was on his back and she was straddling him. Not that he fought her much, and if that giant grin on his face were any indication, he had no intention. His arms wound around her waist as she arched her back to tilt her torso away from his, her long blond hair hanging around her face. When he reached up to push it behind her ear, his hand moved to gently grip the back of her neck and she found herself just staring for a few moments, taking him in. His eyes were literally sparkling in the moonlight and she felt herself flooded with emotions she wasn't prepared for in this moment when lust and desire should be at the forefront.
Then Chuck opened his mouth to speak, and she was sure it was going to be something wonderful and passionate, something that would make her heart practically beat itself out of her chest, but she put a finger over his lips and silenced him. "Shh," she whispered gently. He smiled, and then closed his lips around her finger.
It was a small thing, having Chuck take her finger into his mouth. It was such an unimportant part of her body, her finger, especially considering the other places he could be focusing on in that particular moment. Yet, when he swirled his tongue around it and even went so far as to purse his lips and suck on it, something deep inside of her snapped. And her desire for him was suddenly a raging storm, threatening to overtake every last fibre of her being.
She reached up with one hand to grab the headboard, and was caught off-guard when the thing swayed in her grip. "Oh!" She let go of it, then laughed, reaching out to gently push on it again. It swayed a little, then made a cracking nose and one end thumped against the floor, leaving the headboard very obviously tilted. "Uh…Chuck? I think they're probably gonna charge you for that."
His unfocused, purple-hazed eyes lifted up from where he'd been staring unabashedly and the confused line appeared between his eyebrows. "Hm?" He arched his head back so that he could look at the crooked headboard. And then he laughed. "Won't be the only thing I get charged for after last night."
Sarah smirked a bit saucily and glanced over her shoulder at the other things he spoke of. "Yeah, okay maybe."
"They're gonna know how this one happened though, thanks to that special delivery you called in." Sarah blushed at that, especially because the maid who had knocked on the door to deliver the two boxes she'd requested was trying very hard to keep a professional look on her face before she scuttled off with her cart, her shoulders shaking.
Then again, it might not have been the best idea for Sarah to open the door in nothing but a sheet, her hair incredibly mussed, and an impatient flush on her face.
"Sarah Walker, you're gonna make me the talk of the hotel staff."
"I feel like you're not all that upset by this," she said, foregoing the headboard and instead clutching the pillow in her fists on either side of his head as she sank onto him. Chuck's eyelids fluttered and he let out a soft whimper of her name.
"You're worth it," he breathed, his voice hitched in his throat as she began to move, lowering her torso to drape over his as she kissed him as recompense for his sweet words.
There was nothing else to be said as Chuck allowed her to take the lead. And they didn't stop even as the sun began to peek over the railing of his balcony outside.
XOXOXOXO
Long rays of sunlight poured in through the expansive windows, revealing a Paris washed clean by yesterday's rain. The light was soft and warm, making the hotel room, even in its state of destruction, feel like an enchanted place. Somewhere that dreams came true and memories were made that would last a lifetime.
Slowly, Chuck moved his lips over Sarah's stomach, pressing kisses softly against her skin. He focused on any scars or blemishes, as if his touch could heal them. Wipe them away and leave nothing but more of her soft, sweet skin.
He stroked his hands up and down her sides and looked up at her. She had her head thrown back, her face and upper chest lightly flushed, her hair tangled around her shoulders … God, she was beautiful.
"Okay, Sarah?" he asked, lowering his head and kissing in a circle around her navel.
She let out a slow, incredibly sexy moan. "Chuck … keep going …"
That was a request he was more than happy to fulfill. He began kissing a line from her belly button down. But just as he was about to settle between her legs and begin showing her just how much he worshipped her, a long vibration rumbled against his lips.
"What was that?" Chuck asked, lifting his head in surprise.
Sarah had an incredibly sheepish expression on his face. "That … that was my stomach."
Most men would probably be offended that in such a moment, their lover would be thinking of her stomach. But not Chuck. It was too silly for him to do anything but burst out laughing.
Crawling up to lay beside her, Chuck gave Sarah a wide grin. "Hungry?"
The flush of embarrassment on her cheeks was one of the cutest things he had ever seen. "It's been a long time since I ate and we've been so active …"
"You are being very adorable, Detective Walker," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "All shy."
"I'm not used to my stomach doing that," Sarah said, cuddling in against him.
Chuck wrapped an arm around her even as he leaned over to pick up the phone. "I'm hungry, too. Let's see what room service can do for us."
As much as he wished they could have seen through what he wanted to do to her, they had been in this room for eighteen hours, either sleeping or making love. Taking a break for some food, perhaps a shower, before anything else would probably be for the best.
And … there were the questions that were starting to niggle at the back of his mind. About what would come next for them. About how she felt about him and if she realized just how he felt about her.
Between his muddled attempts at speaking in French and the hotel staff's excellent English, Chuck got through what he wanted and hung up the phone. Then he turned back to Sarah and smiled. "It shouldn't be too long." He stroked her hair slowly, gazing at her face.
Sarah smiled back at him, her blue eyes soft and warm and so beautiful. "You look very thoughtful." She reached out and lightly pressed on his forehead. "You get this little wrinkle, right here, when you're thinking."
"I do?" he asked. "I didn't realize that."
"I noticed it right away," Sarah said, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. "In that first meeting with your dad."
He kissed her back, even as his mind took off at a million miles a minute. She was noticing him even then?
"When you say you noticed it," he said, feeling a bit nervous, "do you mean you were being all observant? Y'know, as a detective does?"
Her eyebrow quirked, a small smile gracing her lips. "That feature? It was more as a detective. Now, noticing the very nice suit you were wearing and how it made you look … that was more of Sarah's reaction, not Detective Walker's."
"Really?" he asked, unable to stop the grin from blooming on his face.
She laughed. "Chuck … you really didn't know?"
Shifting, he propped his head up on his hand. "I mean, eventually I was pretty sure you thought I was … somewhat attractive. But you were noticing that early?"
The laughter in her eyes faded a little and she moved closer to him. "I noticed you from the first minute we met. I … I joked with you. I never joke with clients. You made me comfortable but you also made me–you made me feel on edge. In a good way," she said, resting a hand on his bicep. "In a way that made me want to get to know you."
"But since you were working for my father …"
"Nothing could happen," Sarah said, her teeth nibbling a little on her lower lip. "But I wanted something to happen."
Her quiet admission made his heart beat faster. Because they were getting closer and closer to the biggest question of all: why she had run away. Actually, it wasn't so much one question, but many questions all combining together, questions that might end this amazing interlude. And he wasn't sure if he was ready to do that yet. At least, not before they ate. Sarah could be grouchy when she was hungry, and … and he wasn't ready for this happy, blissful time to be over quite yet.
Chuck wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in against his chest, stroking her back. Holding her felt so good. For now, he wanted to push aside all these questions. Recapture his happiness at getting this second chance with Sarah. Because he wasn't about to waste this. He was going to make sure, before she left this room, that he put all his cards on the table.
Kissing the top of her head, he looked down at her. "We should probably put on some clothes. The food should be here soon."
It shouldn't be possible for a pout to be so adorable and sweet, but the one Sarah had on her face right now was. "Do we have to?" she said, drawing out the words in a childlike lilt.
He smiled widely at her. "I don't think we want a repeat of what happened when the condoms were delivered. And besides, how can food hold my attention if you're naked?"
"That goes double for me. And we need to build our strength up," Sarah said with a giggle, kissing him softly before she sat up. She ran her hands through her hair, wincing a little at the tangles.
"Yep," he said, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and slowly standing up. He swept his eyes over the room, grinning at the amount of damages they had created. Taking a step, he nearly fell to his knees: his legs felt like jelly.
Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Sarah walking gingerly around the room. Chuck grinned and went to the dresser, taking out a pair of boxers and two t-shirts. He pulled on the boxers and one of the t-shirts, before turning to Sarah. Who was wearing the button-down he had been wearing yesterday, the buttons undone, as she pulled on her panties.
"Um–I got you a t-shirt," he spluttered out, his brain having some minor difficulties working. Because suddenly he was back in his apartment, the day after he had met her, when she had told him to wear that shirt, the pale blue dress shirt that actually matched the color of her eyes.
"I'm good," she said, buttoning up a few of the buttons and giving him a bright, brilliant smile. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, because she was amazing.
Chuck crossed the room in three strides and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply. If a knock hadn't sounded, they might have taken their clothes right off. But when a fist tapped three times on the door, Sarah pulled away and smiled at him. "Food!"
Laughing a little, he followed her and helped bring the room service tray into the room, trying to keep the door half-closed so the waiter wouldn't see the room's destruction.
"Let's eat on the floor," he said. "An indoor picnic. Ellie and I used to have them when we were little."
Sarah smiled at him. "I don't think I've ever been on a picnic, indoors or otherwise." She sat down on the floor, folding her legs elegantly underneath herself.
"You're kidding," he said, setting the tray down and sitting across from her. "I'll have to fix that," he said, handing her a plate filled with an omelet, fried potatoes, sausage and fruit.
It might be his imagination, but she gave him a particularly soft, happy smile. One that seemed weighted with extra meaning. "I'd like that," she said quietly before digging into her breakfast.
As he ate his own food, he wondered about that look. Which lead to wondering about a lot of things. And there was so many ways he could start this conversation, so many ways it could happen.
But as he chewed his eggs and sausage, Chuck realized that this was what he wanted. He finally could ask Sarah all the questions he wanted to ask, could finally find out everything he could about her. How on earth could that be a bad thing?
It had been the uncertainty that had killed him during the last four months. Not knowing how Sarah felt, not knowing where she was, not knowing what she wanted. He didn't have to suffer like that anymore. All he had to do was open his mouth and ask her–
"Sarah?" He waited until she looked up from her plate, a small smile on her lips. Licking his lips, Chuck spoke quietly, trying to keep his voice even.
"What happens now?"
XOXOXOXO
The thought of having picnics with Chuck just like this one, with food surrounding them, splayed out on a hotel room floor, or maybe in a park somewhere on one of those checkered blankets they'd always picnicked with in cartoons she watched as a kid–It warmed her to no end. It was something she didn't know she'd wanted until now.
And the savory taste of the crispy potatoes mixed with the cheesy, perfectly soft egg…coupled with that warm flame in her chest that was there as a result of being with an incredible man…All of it quite nearly left Sarah unable to handle this moment.
It was too perfect.
"Sarah?"
Just too perfect.
And God, wasn't Chuck just the cutest vision at the moment. She met his gaze and admired the way his curls stuck up all over his head from her fingers running through them, and his shirt was so soft and rumpled, and his boxers had creases from where he'd folded them, his legs all splayed out comfortably, as though he hadn't a care in the world.
Yes, it was perfect.
"What happens now?"
Sarah almost dropped her plate, which would have spilled omelet and cheese all over Chuck's nice shirt, not to mention staining it with sausage grease. But by implementing her intense Pinkerton training, she not only kept hold of her plate, her face remained unmoved by his question. Or, at least…she hoped it had. She'd really tried.
But Chuck had an uncanny talent of seeing through her detective mask.
For a moment, she was going to ask him what he meant. If only to buy herself a little time to process. Because with that question, he pulled her out of the dreamworld she'd been immersed in since the moment he kissed her out on the street in the rain.
There was a lack of respect in it though that caused her to stop before the words could come out. They both knew she was fully aware of what he was asking. And how important the question was. And for her to put on an act now, in the face of something that needed to be addressed before they left this hotel room, would potentially start things off on an uncomfortable foot. That was the last thing Detective Walker needed.
Because she was done holding herself back from what she wanted. For some reason she still couldn't quite wrap her head around it, even after almost twenty hours of being connected at the hip, but Chuck Bartowski wanted her. And maybe she should stop fighting it, stop backing away. Stop trying to figure it out and just enjoy the hell out of it.
She wanted what she'd experienced with Chuck last night. If she were truthful with herself, she wanted even more than that. The things that went with a real relationship. Sarah Walker wasn't sure what a real relationship entailed. But maybe this moment, sitting here eating in this beautifully laidback fashion, and having a conversation, an honest and open conversation, was what people in real relationships did.
"I'm not sure." And that was the honest to God truth. When he nodded mutely, his eyes dropping to his plate that he cradled in his lap, she bit her lip and soldiered on. Because it was what he deserved. And, damn it, she deserved it too. "But I know what I want."
He lifted his eyes back up to meet her gaze and raised his eyebrows in question.
"I want you. And I'm not sure what that means about moving forward. How we're going to handle this–us. And all the rest of it. But I know I want you. And I'm not saying no anymore." She held his gaze, unblinking, even as she set her mostly empty plate on the ground beside her.
Chuck blinked, an almost disbelieving, tiny little smile teasing the corners of his lips for a second, before that crease appeared between his eyebrows again. Then he set his plate aside, licked his lips in thought, and climbed up to his knees, crawling closer and cupping her face in his hands. "You really mean that, Sarah?"
"Absolutely," she said, feeling more determined about this than she had about anything else in her life before.
He finally let his grin erupt, and she couldn't help but match it tenfold, even giggling a little when her own happiness felt like it might just cause her to burst on the spot. "Okay. Then we're going to do this."
"We're going to do this," she breathed. She took a deep breath, then pulled his face to hers for a kiss that tasted like black coffee. Parisian black coffee, which was even more delicious. And she'd thought she'd tasted everything when it came to Chuck Bartowski.
When they pulled back, she took another deep breath and put her hands on her legs that were folded beneath her, watching as he settled back to mimic her pose, his limbs looking a lot less graceful, and maybe even a little more apt to cramp up than hers. But that was how she liked him. Ungainly and lanky. Anyways, he'd proven his ungainliness didn't extend to all aspects of Chuck Bartowski–for instance, his abilities in bed.
"Wow. Okay. Um…So should we-Should we figure this out, then?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Okay."
They both paused, then burst out laughing at themselves. Sarah ended up lying back on the ground, staring at the ceiling, taking yet another deep breath. "Well, maybe…God, I don't know how to do this, Chuck."
"And what makes you think I do?" he asked, and she was pleased to note that he was staring a little at her bare legs.
She pushed herself to sit up again, running a hand through her hair in a vain attempt to flatten down the tangles. "I don't know. You're a kinda flashy guy, definitely a catch, pretty normal, all the nerdy stuff aside–"
"Oh, thanks," he chuckled.
"You know what I mean," she smirked. "I feel like you've dated people before, right? I mean, what are we doing here?"
"I haven't dated that much, although thank you for thinking I have." She rolled her eyes teasingly and he grinned. "How 'bout this? Okay, I'm gonna sound like an engineer here, but work with me." She nodded with faux seriousness and he fixed her with an amused glare. "Why don't we approach this like a project for a second? And map out our options?"
"Map out our options?" she repeated, lowering her chin and looking up at him through her lashes.
"Yeah! We can do this, or this, or that. You know. That sort of thing."
"Uh…example?" She thought she saw where he was going with it, but watching him work through things on the spot, really digging into his thoughts, using his extraordinary brain, was one of the things she loved doing most. Even at the beginning of the case all those months ago. There was an excitement in him, a thrill for a challenge or something…something that almost reminded her of herself whenever there was a difficult case.
"Okay! Okay, okay. So…" He licked his lips and she found her eyes dropping to them. She almost sighed wistfully for no other reason than she hadn't felt them on her in awhile. Awhile being maybe five minutes or so. God, she was hopeless. "There's the quitting option. Leaving this hotel room and not–Well, we decided that's definitely not happening, so I don't even have to–Right. And then there's the friends with benefits option." He winced a little at that, as though he felt uncomfortable saying that out loud.
"We're not friends with benefits, though. I think we've established that," she pointed out.
"I know that. It's just…I'm not saying that's on the table, per say. I'm just saying that the option exists, even though…" He waved his hand beside his head, as though trying to brush that part of the discussion away. "Forget that. Uh…"
"Chuck."
"What?" he practically squeaked.
"Don't freak out."
Maybe it was the fond amusement in her voice or the absurdity of her request, but whatever it was, he was suddenly calm, his lips stretched in a warm, adoring smile, the tension in his shoulders gone. "Screw the engineering thing. I'm just gonna be blunt and honest."
"I'd prefer it."
"Sarah, I want you to be my girlfriend. I don't want this to be a one time thing. I want to be able to call you when I've had a bad day, or, I don't know, swap recipes–"
"Swap recipes?" she giggled. "Is that what boyfriends and girlfriends do these days? Or is that some kind of nerdy euphemism for sex?" His ears went pink at that and she reached over to gently tug on the stubble growing on his chin. "I want that, too, Chuck."
"Yeah?"
"Mm." She nodded. And as lovely as it was hearing him say that, she had to bring it up. Because if she didn't, they would go too far down this road and then it would be too late. Or at least, it would be more difficult to talk about. "But Chuck…" She sighed, running a hand over her face. "The thing is, right now, we're kinda leading two different lives. You are traveling now, expanding your company, which is so great for you and for your dad. And I've got cases all over the world, basically. This whole…" Her voice tapered off a little.
"It's okay. You can say it, Sarah. Blunt and honest. Remember?"
She nodded. "Yeah. It's just that I don't know how we can have a real relationship with both of us on different sides of the planet all the time, you know? How do we make that work?"
Chuck's face fell, as though she had suddenly made him think of something he hadn't realized before. And she thought…well, perhaps he had still been in that dreamland she'd since been tugged out of. Rest assured, he wasn't there anymore.
And yet he still reached out and took her hand in his. And his grip was strong and warm, and she didn't want him to let go ever. Which was an absurd thought, but there it was just the same.
"It's going to work because–because we work, Sarah. Us. And I think that's enough for now, don't you? The fact that this, what we've got going on here, is really, really good."
The sincerity of his words and the way he was almost daring her with his eyes to disagree with him gave her more confidence in their situation than she thought perhaps was warranted. But he was right. She wanted him so badly. She wanted the intimacy and the warmth–not just the physical parts, but she wanted what they'd shared back in Burbank, too. The night on the roof, sharing martinis, sitting and working together while in his living room. Those scenes had warmed her at night almost more than the memory of his kiss and the way his body had felt pressed against her.
And she knew that distance wasn't going to make her want him any less.
"It's going to be hard," she said out loud. "And we–God, Chuck, I know you won't like this, but I don't think we can tell anyone. Not right now."
"What do you mean? About us?"
Sarah bit her lip and nodded.
He didn't look upset, but his brow was furrowed in confusion. "Why?"
"Chuck, I work for a highly regimental, and sometimes weirdly traditional detective agency. And while we're not as secretive as, say, the C.I.A. or some other government intelligence agency, there are protocols and there are ways I could really get my ass fired. And…" She paused, reaching over to flatten the hem of his t-shirt sleeve that had folded up. "Let me put it this way; If what happened last night had instead happened while I was still on your case, I would have been tossed on my ass immediately. No question. Done."
"I get that. Of course. But you aren't on the case anymore. I'm not your client."
"That doesn't matter, Chuck. If my superiors learn about this–It's just too soon, I guess is what I'm trying to say. I just got off of your case four months ago."
"Right. They'll assume we were together during the case even though we weren't." She could see him trying to be understanding, but more than anything there was still a feeling of resignation in the way he was accepting all of this. And she didn't much like it.
"You have to understand, Chuck. Pinkerton has been around since the 1800s and women only recently started getting recruited into the ranks. And I'm talking desk jobs, researching, stuff like that–Let alone actually being out in the field, leading cases, like what I do. There aren't a lot of women detectives at Pinkerton. And the men can be…slightly…" She huffed. "I just wouldn't have a good reputation. And my reputation at my job is important to me."
He was smiling a little, which was curious. "Your reputation at your job is important to me, too, Sarah. It's okay. I get it. I do. But I will say one thing. I bet your male peers would be high fiving all over the place if one of them got into a relationship with one of their clients."
Chuck wasn't wrong about that. "Well, they'd get reviewed by our superiors, but–I doubt they'd get more than a slap on the wrist." She shrugged. "It doesn't bother me, though, because I get to pick my assignments for the most part. And they trust me and know I do good work." He nodded and she let out a breath, glad that part of the discussion was over. Although…
"Chuck, there's one other thing."
"What's that?"
"You can't tell your family, either."
She expected him to freak a little. Or question her. Or even refuse. But instead, he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's going to be hard."
"Really hard," she agreed. And then because she wanted to and she'd just made a promise to herself not to hold back anymore, she crawled up to him and wrapped herself around him, her arms rounding his neck and her legs encircling his waist. "But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this happen, Chuck Bartowski. To make our relationship work." She squeezed him, then pulled back to look into his eyes, her hands cupping his face as she bumped his nose with hers.
"I am so in."
She grinned and let out a soft, bubbly giggle, kissing him tenderly. And as he kissed her back and gently lowered her to the floor, she thought there really wasn't a better way to seal the deal.
And as his fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her underwear, she couldn't help but marvel at the fact that Chuck Bartowski was her boyfriend. The detective would no longer deny it. There was nothing in her life that had ever made her feel so whole.
XOXOXOXOXO
Author's Note: So...reviews are pretty cool, right? We think so. :) -SC