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: HI! Oh wow, another chapter and so fast! Ohmigoodness! Here is the next chapter, this one penned by the mighty dettiot! Enjoy!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

She could count on one hand the number of times she had woken up next to Chuck Bartowski. Which was something she was going to fix on this visit. But if the quantity of times was too small, at least the quality of the experience was off the charts.

Because sharing a bed with Chuck was full of delights. Each time she discovered something new that she loved. Like today: the first thing Chuck did when he started to wake up was reach out with one long arm and run his hand over her. Like he didn't want to open his eyes unless she was there. It was adorable, a little bit sexy, and it made her want to put off getting out of bed until he woke up.

Not that she was in any hurry to get out of this warm bed, with the two-thousand thread count sheets and the soft pillows and oh, yes-the devastatingly handsome, sweet, amazing man she was dating.

Sarah Walker wiggled her way up against Chuck's body, feeling that tingle she got whenever she was close to him. After round one on his sofa downstairs, they had moved upstairs to his bedroom, where rounds two and three had happened before they had fallen into a sated, exhausted sleep. Now, after six hours of sleep, she felt rested and awake, ready to spend a lot more time with her boyfriend.

"Mmmmmm . . ." Chuck's soft murmur rumbled through his body. She was so close to him that she could feel the vibration where her back was pressed up against his chest. "Mornin', baby."

His husky voice made parts of her twinge. Rolling over, Sarah pressed a delicate kiss against his shoulder, taking a breath and inhaling his scent. "Good morning, Chuck."

Tilting her head back, she took in his rumpled hair, his stubble-covered jaw and cheeks, and his soft brown eyes. God, he was gorgeous. Especially right now. And knowing she was the only one who got to see him like this made her heart beat a little faster.

"Sleep okay?" he asked, brushing a kiss over the top of her head. "Are the sheets okay?"

She wrinkled her nose a little. "The sheets are fine. Why do you ask?"

Chuck's face immediately became sheepish. "I . . . this is embarrassing, but my housekeeper has been on vacation for nearly two weeks, so the sheets haven't been changed since before she left."

Letting out a laugh, Sarah reached out and stroked his jaw. "Chuck, it's okay. Honestly, the condition of your sheets was the last thing on my mind last night."

He leaned into her hand even as he let out a soft chuckle. "If I had known a beautiful, bossy blonde was going to show up at my door last night, I would have changed them myself."

"That would have spoiled the surp-wait. Bossy?" Sarah raised her eyebrow as she lifted herself up on one elbow. "Bossy?"

Chuck gave her a slow, lazy smile. "You were the one who attacked me as soon as I opened the door. The one who yanked at my clothes and said 'Chuck, bed'."

"And you were the one who insisted on the sofa," Sarah said, meeting his smile with one of hers. "You're just as guilty as me, Mr. Bartowski."

"Very guilty," he said, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. Sarah moved her hand to the back of his head, holding him in place and deepening the kiss a little. Savoring being able to kiss him, to feel the connection between them crackle with life and heat and electricity.

The way he sighed against her lips made her feel like everything was right with the world.

He nuzzled her softly. "Wanna just stay in this bed with you all day."

"Nothing's stopping us from doing that," she said, running her hands up and down his arms.

Under her hands, she could feel his muscles tense slightly. Lifting her head, Sarah looked up at Chuck to see a small frown on his face. "Chuck? What is it?"

"I've got a meeting today. With my dad. I just remembered. And it's the kind I can't skip," Chuck said, looking annoyed and frustrated and disappointed. "Which sucks, because I really do just want to stay here."

"Hey, hey," she said, leaning up to press kisses over his face. "It's okay, Chuck."

"Really?" he asked, gazing at her with worried brown eyes.

She kissed his cheek, then the tip of his nose, sparking a tiny smile from him. "Really," she said, gazing at him. "I understand. You go have your meeting and then we'll pick up where we left off."

As she began peppering tiny kisses over his face and jaw, trailing down his neck, she could feel the hitch in his breathing. "And-and just where will we be leaving off?"

"Depends on if you keep talking," she whispered in his ear. "And when you have to leave."

Chuck looked over his shoulder at the clock, then turned back and grinned at her. "I've got an hour."

"Plenty of time," she said, as she pulled him in for a kiss.

XOXOXO

His hair was still damp from his rushed shower. In his haste, he had grabbed his old, falling-apart pair of black Chucks to wear with his jeans and sweater. And he was pretty sure he had forgotten to put on deodorant.

But Chuck Bartowski didn't care. Because at the end of his meeting with his father, he would be on vacation with his girlfriend. He was already making dozens of plans in his mind, trying to figure out what Sarah would like. Stay at his place? It would be romantic, but they wouldn't get to go out and have dinner or really even leave his apartment. Plus, there was always the chance of unexpected visitors and Sarah having to hide. No, as tempting as holing up in his bedroom with Sarah was, he wanted more. He wanted to do couple things, like go to a restaurant together and walk down the street holding hands and visit strange little shops to pick up silly bowls while pretending they were hats and-

Okay, maybe his imagination was running away from him. The point still stood that he didn't want to just sleep with Sarah. He wanted it all with her. And as long as their relationship was a secret, that meant they couldn't go out in public together-not here in LA.

That meant a getaway. He could already see it: he and Sarah in the car, the windows rolled down, the wind in their hair as they drove to a romantic little inn just outside a charming small town. And yes, it was March so it was too cold to have the windows open in the car, and he had no idea if Sarah wanted to be so far away from LA in case she had to go back to work, but . . .

Chuck sighed softly as he turned into the parking garage at Bartowski Electronics. He needed to focus. Today's meeting was an important one, beyond the fact that his father was running it. Because they were discussing the company's next project, one that Chuck had spearheaded and one that he was determined to see succeed. So that meant he had to not think about Sarah waiting for him back at his apartment, in order to be at his best during the meeting.

It would be hard, but he owed it to his father, the project and the company to not think about Sarah Walker.

But before he did that . . . Chuck pulled out his phone and called in an order to a local florist. One that his family had using for years and one that wouldn't mind a special request. Because Chuck had discovered that gardenias were not a common flower to send to someone.

Which made him all the more resolved to only ever send Sarah gardenias. Because they were as unique and special as she was.

XOXOXO

Now he was really glad he had sent Sarah flowers, considering the meeting that he thought would be two hours, tops, had ended up stretching well past the three hour mark. As he hurried to his car, Chuck fished his phone out of his pocket and hit Sarah's contact, cleverly listed as VV-short for Vicki Vale.

After a moment, he heard her warm voice come through the phone, making his shoulders relax. "Hi, Chuck."

"I am so sorry," he said, opening the door of his car. "I had no idea the meeting would take that long."

"Are you sure about that?" Sarah asked, her voice teasing. "Because otherwise, how do you explain the flowers?"

Chuck waited until he was in the privacy of his car to reply. "That was 'I'm really glad my girlfriend decided to surprise me with a visit'."

"Mmm," Sarah murmured, her voice soft. "Are you on your way home?"

Hearing that question made his stomach do a backflip. Was Sarah considering his place home? Already? That-that was-

He swallowed. "Yeah. I thought I'd pick up some dinner for us on my way."

"No need," Sarah said breezily. "I've got dinner all arranged. I just need you to get here and whip up some martinis to make it perfect."

God, she was going to make him drive into a tree, if she kept saying such amazing, wonderful things. If she kept making him feel like all his dreams were coming true.

"Is it me or the martinis that would make it perfect?" he asked, very curious about her answer.

For some reason, he expected her to laugh and tease him. But to his surprise, her voice was soft and a little hesitant when she spoke. "You, Chuck. Of course it's you."

Chuck licked his lips. "I'll be there in a half hour."

"Okay," Sarah said, her voice still soft. "See you soon."

"Bye," he said, hanging up the phone and starting his car with a roar-or as much of a roar as a Prius could make.

Although he wanted to drive like a speed demon, Chuck made himself stay within ten miles of the speed limit. He pulled into his parking space inside his building's garage twenty-seven minutes later, the anticipation making his blood hum in his veins.

When he opened the door of the loft, he immediately called out, "Sarah?" But there was no answer. For a split-second, he wondered if it had all been a dream-before he spotted the note taped at eye height by the staircase.

It was just his name and an arrow, pointing up the stairs.

Chuck grinned and took the stairs two at a time. He found another note taped to the door that lead to the rooftop deck and his anticipation spiked.

And when he stepped out onto the deck, he realized that his excitement and impatience to return to Sarah had no comparision to what actually getting to see her meant.

Because she had gone beyond his wildest expectations.

The deck was a simple space: two chaise longues and a small loveseat, along with a few low tables. At this time of year, there was a small outdoor fireplace to provide a little heat, but otherwise he had kept the deck low-key. But Sarah had transformed it.

There was a fire crackling in the fireplace. The two chaises had been pushed together to form a large reclining couch, with soft, thick blankets folded at the foot of the super-chaise. On the tables were scattered small electric lights, some containers of what appeared to be food, and a vase of gardenias.

"Wow," he breathed out.

Sarah smiled and walked up to him. Dressed in a drapey sweater and form-fitting jeans, his necklace sparkling against her skin, she took his breath away even more than the surroundings. "Hi." She leaned up and kissed him softly.

He kissed her back, pulling her in against him and wrapping his arms around her. Because this was the kind of moment he wanted to have with her. From the beginning, they seemed to have the uncanny ability to shut out the rest of the world. And tonight, Sarah had pushed aside the rest of the world. She had done that on purpose. For him.

"Hi," he said against her lips, running his hands over her shoulders and back. "You've been busy."

"Yeah," she said, sounding a little breathless. "I-I know it's kind of chilly but being up here with you was one of my best memories of Burbank. So . . ." Sarah gestured around the deck with a cute little wave of her hands, before she wrapped them around his upper arms.

"I love it," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. "I'll go make a pitcher of martinis and be back in a jiffy."

"I hope a jiffy isn't long," she said, brushing a soft kiss over his lips.

Chuck couldn't help laughing. "Is someone thirsty?" He kissed her quickly and then took a step back, because otherwise he would get distracted.

"Someone is ready to curl up under the blankets and watch the sunset with her boyfriend," Sarah said, tossing her hair a little and grinning at him.

"Then I'll be back quick," he said, knowing he had a wide, silly smile. Before he lost too much of his cool, he turned and hurried downstairs.

It only took him a few minutes to make the martinis. Tucking the glasses under one arm and carrying the pitcher in his other hand, he headed back up to the deck. Sarah was standing at one end, her hands resting on the railing as she gazed off into space.

Quietly setting down the drinks, Chuck crossed the deck to stand behind her. "I like seeing you here," he said softly, slowly rubbing his hands over her back again. Her sweater was made out of some kind of soft fabric that made him want to touch her. But honestly, the fabric didn't compare to her skin.

"Here on the deck or a more general here?" Sarah asked, leaning back against him. Chuck slid his arms around her, resting his hands lightly on her stomach. Her hand reached up to play with her necklace a little.

"Both," Chuck said, brushing his nose against her hair. "I like seeing you in general, in fact."

She let out a quiet giggle as she looked up at him. "Thanks. You're not bad to look at, either."

Chuck grinned and kissed her cheek. "Martinis are ready. And did I see there was dinner up here, too?"

"You did," Sarah said, turning around in his arms and smoothing her fingers over his chest. "A nice quiet evening in."

"That sounds great." Chuck said, stroking her sides. "We can talk about what we're going to do."

Sarah pulled away with a quirked eyebrow before heading over to the martinis. "You keep talking like we're going to leave this apartment," she said as she poured them each a drink.

"As nice as my place is, I thought that maybe . . . maybe we could go away. For a long weekend," Chuck said, walking over to Sarah. He took a large sip from the martini she handed him.

"Why?" Sarah asked as she tested her martini and gave him a happy smile.

He smiled back, even though he felt nervous. "Just . . . just so we could get away together. Go someplace romantic. Someplace where we wouldn't have to worry about clean sheets or anything, really. Someplace we can just be together."

There was a reason Sarah Walker had been the detective sent here by the Pinkerton Agency when his father had contacted them. She was the best: talented, smart, and a bad ass. So Chuck was pretty sure she knew exactly what he was leaving unsaid and sensed what was going on. The tilt of her head, the slightly-narrowed eyes . . . she had him all figured out, he suspected.

And he didn't mind. Not really. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to reveal just how important she was to him. At least not in words. The necklace was one thing-but telling her that he already knew she was it for him? That he was head over heels in love with her and he never wanted to stop loving her? It was way too soon to share that secret with her. Combined with the secret they were both keeping about their relationship, Chuck just wanted to feel like he could be with the woman he was crazy about, without worrying about their future or anyone finding out about them.

She hadn't said anything yet, and Chuck was ready to tell her to forget the whole idea, when Sarah smiled at him. "I think that's a great idea."

"You do?"

Nodding, Sarah stepped closer to him, her free hand stroking his arm. "I've never gone away somewhere with a boyfriend. It'd be fun."

"Fun! Yes. Exactly," he said, feeling a huge surge of relief.

Her smile went even brighter, if that was possible, before she leaned up to kiss him. "Let's eat and we can figure out where to go."

When her hand reached his wrist, Chuck took her hand in his. "We'll have so much fun together and-yowch! Your fingers are like ice cubes."

"I run cold," Sarah said, tugging him over to the super-chaise.

"I disagree with that," Chuck said, giving her a lazy smile. "You are definitely not cold."

Sarah's cheeks went pink before she took a seat on the chaise, sliding over to make room for him. He sat next to her and reached down to pull a blanket over both of them. To his pleasure, Sarah immediately curled in against his side, sipping her martini slowly. Then she let out a soft sigh. "Mmm. Perfect."

Sliding an arm around her shoulders, Chuck nodded in agreement. The tension from before had drained away, leaving him feeling happy and relaxed. He had Sarah right here. They were going away together. There was more martinis to drink and a delicious-looking dinner to eat while they watched the sun set. What other word than perfect described this?

XXX

The only downside to her plan? It was much too cold on the roof deck right now for them to do more than cuddle under the blankets. Not even Chuck's warm hands was enough against the chilly air to allow more than some touches underneath her sweater.

That was okay, though. Tonight had gone off without a hitch otherwise-perfect, in fact. Of course, there had been a few small bouts of nerves on her part. She was still adjusting to realizing that she wasn't nervous about being with Chuck long-term. And that made her second-guess herself sometimes.

But Chuck liked how she had rearranged things on the roof deck, and they had made plans to go to Coronado Island for the weekend. And even though Chuck had seemed to be holding back on the real reason he wanted them to go away, she didn't want to pry into the reasons for his reticence. At least not now, when his hands were stroking over her shoulders as he followed her down the stairs.

How did she not realize her shoulders were an erogenous zone?

As soon as they were both off the staircase, Sarah turned around and pulled Chuck in for a long, slow kiss. All the cuddling and touching tonight had slowly stoked the fire within her, but she was ready to let it blaze.

And Chuck was equally ready, from the passion in his kiss. He eased her down on the bed, his body covering hers and warming her up better than a hundred blankets and a thousand fireplaces could.

Suddenly he pulled back, his forehead wrinkled. "Something's different."

It took her a moment to get her brain working, and even then she wasn't sure what he was saying. "What?"

He looked around, bracing himself on his hands, then he grinned. "Did you change the sheets?"

"Oh. Um, yes," Sarah said, feeling the color rush to her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind . . ."

Because it wasn't like Chuck had invited her to go rummaging around in his closets. But when she had been making her plans for tonight, she thought fresh sheets would be nice. And she happened to know that all the linens were kept in a small closet in the master bathroom, thanks to the tour of the apartment he had given her when she had first began working on the Gerheart case. So she had changed the sheets but didn't really expect him to notice. Not that Chuck wasn't thoughtful like that or a slob-he just wasn't observant like she was.

Although now she might have to change that opinion.

Chuck let out a soft laugh, a wide grin on his face. "No, no, it's fine. Feel free to make yourself at home."

Sarah smiled back, even as she thought about how she had already done that. She already felt like this place was home. Or maybe it was just because Chuck was here that it felt like home. She wasn't sure, not really . . . and right now, instead of thinking about these things that made her heart flutter in her chest, she just wanted Chuck.

Sliding her arms around his neck, she smiled up at him. "Okay, then. So c'mere and make me feel welcomed."

Her words made a wonderfully arrogant smirk appear on Chuck's face. And she loved it, because she knew it wasn't him being cocky-he could back it up.

She was looking forward to it, in fact.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: (shatters mug on the ground) ANOTHER! Leave a review! Thanks ever so! -SC