Posted December 24, 2023
A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you've finished your Christmas shopping and have a wonderful holiday season.
"Chuck vs the Santa Claus" (2x11) Recap
There are a few things you might need to know.
Christmas Eve at Orange Orange, Chuck asked Sarah to a cover date: Christmas at the Bartowskis. Sarah turned him down because she didn't do Christmas because Christmas at the Burton household meant the annual Salvation Army con job. Chuck said this time it would be heartwarming: eggnog, PJs, a fake gas fireplace and a Twilight Zone marathon.
At Buy More before it opened, Morgan was dressed like an elf for the store's holiday push and complained to Chuck that Anna would not talk to him. Elsewhere, some of the staff watched a car chase on the TVs. Ellie and Devon asked Chuck to be let past the locked doors early so they could beat the rush. He let them in.
The car chase ended when the car crashed into the Buy More through the front. The driver, Ned Rhyerson, got out of his car with a gun. He asked who was in charge, and several of the staff immediately said, "Chuck." Ned ordered Chuck to lock the store's security gate.
Meanwhile, Casey and Sarah were down in Castle, having seen what happened. Sarah told Beckman that if they went in guns blazing, Chuck's cover would be blown, so they should let the local PD handle it. Beckman approved and ordered them to slip in and remove Chuck without calling attention.
Outside the store, TV News set up to report the situation. Al Powell from the Burbank PD and Lieutenant Mauser, Hostage negotiator for LAPD were on the scene. Inside, Big Mike was worried that their shoppers were going to go to Large Mart. Emmitt said any publicity was good publicity.
Ned told Chuck that he's really not a bad guy. He lost his job and wanted to get a few gifts for his kids. Chuck said he knew some people who could help, as long as he didn't hurt anyone.
Mauser called, and Chuck was ordered to answer. Mauser asked for a hostage to be released as a sign of good faith. Emmett loudly volunteered himself. Outside, Emmett didn't give Mauser any useful intel. He said it was the greatest sales event of the season.
Inside, Chuck asked Ned if he could go to the bathroom. In the break room, Sarah and Casey met Chuck. They said the plan was to lock Chuck in Castle until it was over. Chuck tried to argue that he wouldn't leave Ellie, Morgan, and everyone else.
Ned showed up, and because he hadn't seen Casey (in Buy More green) and Sarah (in her Orange Orange uniform), he freaked out. Chuck calmed him down, but Ned struggled to set the gun's safety, so when trying to do that, he shot off Casey's toe.
Casey was treated by Ellie. When Ellie went over to check on Sarah, Sarah lied and acted meek.
Devon tried to organize Big Mike, Morgan, Jeff, and Lester to fight back. Chuck and Casey convinced them not to do anything.
The phone rang, and Chuck was able to calm down the police about the gunshot. Mauser wanted to talk to Ned or at least know his demands. He didn't know, so they hung up for five minutes. Ned lamented he wanted to call his wife. Chuck suggested he let everyone check in with their loved ones and let them know that they're safe.
Ellie and Devon called his parents. Lester called the Love Chat Line. Jeff called his mother at Lompoc Correctional Institute. Big Mike called his cousin in the Burbank PD, Al Powell. Chuck called Sarah and said to meet him in the DVD romantic comedy section.
Alone in the aisle, Sarah said it was a good call to protect their cover. She then accepted his earlier, heart-warming, Christmas invite. Chuck took the opportunity to give Sarah her Christmas present early: a silver charm bracelet that had been his mom's.
Sarah was taken back and said he should give it to a real girlfriend. Chuck said he knew, and Chuck and Sarah had another in their long line of "Charah moments." It was broken by the call back from Mauser.
Ned's only demand was to go home and spend Christmas with my family. Mauser offered himself, unarmed, to come inside and talk.
Inside, Mauser said he should be traded for two hostages. Casey was picked because of his injury. Ned said Chuck had been a good friend to him, so he'd release Chuck's girlfriend, Sarah.
Chuck initially overreacted, not wanting his two spy protectors to go away. Sarah said she understood Chuck, and the spies left.
Chuck flashed on the negotiator as Fulcrum. To Mauser, he offered to talk to Ned to help smooth the transition. He then told Ned that Mauser could not be trusted. He said the government would do anything they could to protect him, so he was the only bargaining chip Ned needed.
Outside, Casey and Sarah learned Ned didn't have a wife and had been lying.
Mauser revealed to Chuck that Fulcrum knew about Casey and Sarah. The entire hostage situation was a ruse to see who they would rush to protect. Since they now knew it was Chuck, he had to say where Bryce Larkin was or Ned would shoot Ellie.
Chuck admitted he was really the Intersect. Before he was taken away to Fulcrum, he requested to say goodbye. He told Devon to go ahead and be brave with his little army.
Mauser left with Chuck in an ambulance. On surveillance, Casey and Sarah saw Chuck was released, so they charged after him.
Jeff and Lester failed to distract Ned, who transformed into a competent bad guy, knocking out Lester. Big Mike and Devon backed off. Morgan popped out of the fake snow in the store's Christmas display and used the snow making machine to blind Ned. Then Big Mike and Devon took him out. Anna thought Lester was the brave hero because he had been injured.
Sarah shot the ambulance with Chuck so it crashed and he could escape. She ordered him to Castle, and then she went after Mauser. Chuck did not do as he was told, following Sarah through the Christmas tree lot where the ambulance had crashed.
After Sarah disarmed Mauser, she said he would go to a CIA detention facility. Mauser taunted her by saying Fulcrum would learn Chuck's the Intersect. Sarah decided to protect Chuck's secret by executing Mauser. Unbeknownst to her, Chuck witnessed.
Back inside Buy More, Morgan witnessed Lester and Anna kiss, but he didn't see her say it was gross and push him away. Sarah hugged Chuck and kissed him (for cover), happy that he was ok. She lied and said Mauser was going to jail.
Ellie gushed to Sarah about how great the bracelet looked on her. Morgan lamented to Chuck about seeing his girlfriend do something horrific.
Songs (from 2x11):
- "Christmas and Me Are Through" by Your Vegas
- "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms
www. imdb. com (9.1/10)
chuckthisblog. wordpress. com (15/91)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Buy More
Burbank, CA
Ellie looked at her mom's charm bracelet on her friend's wrist and couldn't help but be filled with relief and pride. The day started with her and Devon trying to get a jump on last-minute Christmas shopping before the store opened, but it ended up being Die Hard in Buy More.
(Devon and Chuck always said Die Hard was a Christmas movie. Lethal Weapon, too. She didn't agree. Morgan said even Gremlins was, which she definitely didn't agree with. Although… Maybe they were right about Die Hard.)
Everyone was safe now. Somehow, her brother got everyone through it all. She always knew Chuck was amazing, but it never worked out for him… like with their parents, Stanford, and Jill. It was different now. He had a degree from Stanford, and he had Sarah. She was so proud of her younger brother.
He almost blew it with Sarah when he was negotiating for them to be released, but it wasn't an issue after all. It didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. She seemed to "get" him, which was a great thing because Chuck's mouth and actions sometimes got in the way of the good intentions Ellie knew he always had. He always had a noble reason, but sometimes it often wasn't obvious. Sarah knew Chuck well enough to not take it personally and wait for him to explain, making her a good partner.
Ellie was relieved that everyone was ok, of course. Devon was safe after saving the day. Chuck had been released by the FBI quickly. She thought he would be questioned for hours, but they must have let him go because they had their own family Christmas celebrations. Sarah was safe and all smiles. John lost a toe, but that man was indestructible and overall, he seemed fine. He went to the hospital earlier, so she would have to check whether he really was ok. That oily Indian who was at Thanksgiving, Lester, was also off to the hospital. He was hurt trying to save them. She didn't think he was hurt badly.
Her only concern was that Anna seemed to be more interested in his injury than Morgan. Ellie never got along with Anna, but it was still easier when Morgan was under her spell so Ellie was not the inappropriate target of the little man. It'd be better if Morgan was with someone who didn't hate Ellie, but anybody was better than no one.
"Thank you, Ellie."
Ellie looked up at Sarah who was holding up her wrist. Didn't she understand? "What do you mean? This bracelet is from Chuck."
"I know, but since this was your mom's, this was yours. Wasn't it?"
She didn't want to take credit away from her brother. The gift was Chuck's idea. "I have a necklace with a locket and a pair of earrings. After Mom had been gone a couple years, my dad set this bracelet aside for Chuck to give to the woman he chose. He never brought it up again, so I would have guessed he forgot about it, but a few days ago, he said wanted to give it to you. I'm so happy. Now it's where it's supposed to go."
Sarah stared at her a second, as if she didn't believe it. "Well even so, I want to thank you, too, because I know I wouldn't have this if you didn't approve of me." Ellie's approval was only contingent on Chuck being happy, but she didn't see the point of interrupting and arguing. "I've never had anything like this."
Ellie could hardly believe that. She never understood how Sarah hadn't been "claimed" with an engagement ring before she and Chuck met. (Ellie didn't like the practice. She thought people should get engaged when they loved each other and "both feet were in." It happened, though.)
Sarah's implication was more than that. She was saying she didn't have anything like the bracelet from her own mom. That's a shame. Sarah never talked about her family, and assuming an ugly family situation, Ellie wasn't about to bring it up.
She changed the subject to a safer topic. "When are you coming over? Do you have to stop at home first, or are you coming over right after we get out of this?"
Sarah opened her mouth to answer, but Chuck was right there and spoke first. "Sarah's not coming over." Sarah looked as surprised as Ellie felt. "I asked Sarah over this morning, but she said she has to leave because her flight tomorrow is so early that it's practically tonight. She has plans like last year. The difference is she had to work today, so lucky her, she got to be a hostage with the rest of us."
Wrapping both hands around Chuck's arm, his girlfriend said, "That's right. Although, I'm a little disappointed I'm not going to get to watch a Twilight Zone marathon with Chuck. You're lucky. You have your fiancé to snuggle with tonight." Ellie looked at Devon, who was beaming. It was the best part of the evening for Ellie. "Me on the other hand, I have to go without Chuck."
Ellie was a little disappointed, too. She would not have an ally against Chuck to change the viewing selection. Christmas never worked out for those two. "It's too bad I have to fend for myself in the 'Zone.'" (She also didn't miss the implication of Sarah thinking of Chuck like Ellie thought of her fiancé. That didn't disappoint her the smallest bit.)
Friday, December 26, 2008
Echo Park Apartment
Los Angeles, CA
Chuck couldn't hear anything with his computer headphones on, but he saw his phone light up on his desk. When Chuck saw the caller, he paused his game and took off his headphones. It was "Blocked Caller." That could be someone for top secret reasons. He hadn't flashed, though, so why would they be calling him? At least whomever it was didn't call until after Christmas.
It could also be a spam call.
"Hello. This is Chuck Bartowski speaking."
"Hi, Chuck." It was Sarah. "Don't say it's me, in case someone overhears. I'm supposed to have gone back East. I thought I was coming over Christmas Eve night, but I followed your lead. You know, we should work out a better cover in the future. This was the second holiday in a row when I was caught off guard. Now, I have to pretend to not be around."
"This is just a phone call. If you were three hours ahead, this time would be fine to call me."
"Sure, but you still shouldn't say my name right before you head out."
"No one can hear," Chuck reassured. "I'm heading out?"
"I need you."
Chuck coughed because he couldn't have heard that right. He whispered into the phone, "Did you say you need me?"
"For a mission. You need to come to me, so I can drive you to the mission destination."
Sarah needed him for a mission. That made more sense, though it didn't make sense why Sarah couldn't simply pick him up. "As amazing as your car is, a Porsche is not rare in LA," he pointed out.
"Not that pick you up at your apartment or are parked at Buy More Plaza. To follow your cover story, I can't be seen driving it around. You need to drive to Castle. I've checked out a car from the motor pool for us to take on the mission. It wouldn't look good for you to get in a mysterious black SUV outside your apartment."
Chuck didn't know he was going to need a cover story for a real mission when he gave Sarah an out. He was only trying to make it so Sarah didn't have to come over Christmas Eve night. This present situation was his fault, so he agreed to follow Sarah's instructions precisely.
He was about to hang up, but Sarah stopped him with a question. She sounded pensive when she asked, "Since you didn't want me to come over, do you want your bracelet back?"
Chuck was shocked. Why did Sarah think that? She didn't know that Chuck saw what he saw Christmas Eve night. He didn't want it back anyway. "No. It's yours."
"Good. I love it. You should know, Chuck, that was my one offer. There will not be another. Now, you'd have to fight me for it.
Chuck couldn't help but laugh. "That would be a quick fight. I would never be able to get it back, even if I wanted it, which I don't. I'm not a threat to you, so you have nothing to worry about."
Neither wanted to hang up. Chuck could simply listen to her breathe. That probably wasn't a good idea, though. He liked to think of Sarah as his real girlfriend, but she wouldn't like him saying that. He also didn't like the silence, so after a few seconds Chuck filled the silence with a question. "What's the mission?"
"We're going to the local LAPD office for questioning."
"They have questions?" When nothing happened after the hostage situation, Chuck thought it was over. "At least they waited until after Christmas."
"No. They don't have questions. Beckman squashed that possibility. Their questions are answered since Ned was caught. We have questions because the police put a Fulcrum agent in charge of a hostage negotiation created by a Fulcrum Agent. We debrief. We want to ask them questions. No one at the Buy More, Ellie, or Devon can know what we're doing."
Chuck coughed again. "We 'debrief?'"
He heard Sarah's wonderful laugh. "Not us and not that way. We debrief them. Casey's in the hospital, so it can't be him. You should park behind Orange Orange and go to Castle. For our cover, we are NSA partners, questioning them on behalf of Homeland Security."
"Not us. Them. Got it." She had meant they would be conducting the interview, not that they would be interviewed. (And she had not said they would be removing clothing, which he shouldn't have thought, but he couldn't help it.) She had figured out what he was thinking, though. That was an embarrassing thought, so why had he repeated it, even in his head?
Fortunately, Sarah moved on like it didn't happen. "I'm keeping the charm bracelet, but because we're on a mission, I won't be wearing it. I also won't be wearing it when I work around food, I'm at Castle as a CIA agent, or I'm somewhere I might damage it, but know that I'll always keep it safe."
He didn't understand the importance Sarah put in the bracelet, but he trusted her with it. It was completely hers now.
"Something else… about the cover…"
Despite her possessiveness about the bracelet and Chuck thinking of it as a real gift, he was surprised she didn't think of it as only something for the cover. He liked that… a lot. "I messed up having you come over. I promise I'll do anything."
Sarah lightly chuckled. "You didn't 'mess up.' It would have been nice, but at least I get to see you. This is about Casey. After he's released by the doctors, you'll probably see him around the apartment complex."
"Later today, El's going out for the ingredients of homemade chicken soup, for when he gets back."
"He's not sick. He kept saying how he's been shot before, and this time was no big deal."
"You know Ellie."
"Yes. And she doesn't know Casey's past. It could be more. This is something you can help with. Casey's apartment isn't set up for civilians. When Ellie makes the wonderful food, like she always does, you need to keep her away by taking it over. He's supposed to stay off his feet, so you'll need to take it in."
"How do I get into a secure 'fortress'?"
"Casey didn't believe me when I insisted I could easily pick his lock without stripping the tumblers and leaving no sign, so he gave me a key. You'll also need the code for the inside security panel. I'll give you what you need when I see you. Before you walk in his door, call first. Casey might be off his feet, but I'm sure he'll have a gun, so let him know you're coming. Otherwise, he might shoot you as an intruder."
That was a disturbing thought—but a very valid concern.
On the brighter side… There was always enough food, and Ellie would probably think of it, but he should save a helping of soup for Sarah. She always loved homemade cooking and deserved one after Chuck prevented her from being heart-warmed, wrongly thinking that it was the right thing to do.
They said goodbye, and Chuck saved his video game to leave for the mission.
Echo Park Apartment
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Lying on the couch, Devon woke and saw the light from the refrigerator. He wasn't the only one. His "sleeping beauty" fiancée stirred from her spot on top of him. They had fallen asleep together in front of the TV and never made it to the back.
Ellie woke up enough to look, so he sat up and helped her. It was Chuck in the kitchen. Who else would it be? She asked what Devon was wondering. "Hey, Chuck. What are you doing up? Nightmare?"
Chuck was startled and almost dropped the juice. "I didn't know you were there." After catching his breath, he answered with a shrug. "It's nothing to worry about."
Ellie countered, "We heard you out here." Devon hadn't. Or at least he hadn't realized. He thought the light woke him up, but it could have been a noise that got him out of a deep sleep and then the light woke him up the rest of the way. Ellie must have woken up with the noise.
"I was… It's nothing to worry about."
Ellie didn't put up with Chuck's evasiveness. "Chuck." She always knew how to use a tone with her brother to get what she wanted. It was almost scary. It was also a useful skill when you are raising someone. It didn't always work on Chuck, but Devon knew that tone would've worked on him.
"It's fine."
"Do you need locks on your windows to keep out intruders?" Ellie questioned.
"No, it's not that."
Devon saw Chuck was embarrassed, but he could have been telling the truth. Maybe it was not a nightmare. Maybe it was a different kind of dream. He asked, "Was it Sarah?"
Chuck mumbled something and turned to pour his drink. She was across the country, but Devon was certain Chuck was thinking about her. Devon's best guess was Chuck had a "noisy" dream about Sarah, was embarrassed, and didn't want to talk about it. Devon looked at his future other-half, and she had caught up to what he had figured out. She was embarrassed now, too. Some things brothers and sisters didn't need to talk about.
Devon thought it was best to extract them off the couch and head to their bedroom. As they got up, he tried to make Chuck not feel alone. He said, "Don't worry about it, Bro. Your dream woman isn't around, but I know what it's like to have my dream woman in my arms. If I didn't, I'd miss her."
Ellie lightly elbowed him to stop talking, and they went to a more comfortable place to lay together and go back to sleep.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Chuck woke up from another nightmare. Looking at the ceiling, he tried to calm his heart.
That wasn't working, so Chuck looked over at the window. It was shut. Of course it was. Why would anyone come in there, even though it didn't have new locks? (That thought was Ellie's fault. The possibility of an intruder killing him in his sleep had entered his dreams because his sister put it in his head.)
Ok, Morgan sometimes came in but never not this late, and his little buddy would never hurt him. He wasn't the cause of the nightmare anyway.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - Thursday, January 1, 2009
Maison23
Unable to sleep, Sarah stared at the ceiling and let out a huge breath.
The entire reason she went to bed an hour ago was so she could sleep through this exact moment. She couldn't fall asleep, though. She looked at the clock on the wall that Chuck gave her a year ago, and she saw it turn from 11:59 to 12:00, meaning 2008 was officially over.
She did not get to have a New Year's kiss with Chuck. It would have been for cover, of course. They didn't get one last year, either… And she was not supposed to be thinking like that. That's why she had tried to sleep through it. She probably would have dreamed about Chuck like she did a lot of nights. She couldn't help if she was sometimes less than respectful in her dreams. They were just dreams.
Half a year ago, she and Chuck were doing things together like going to ComicCon. She went to high school in San Diego but never thought she'd go within a mile of that enormous convention. With Chuck, it was one of the most fun things she had been to in her life.
For Christmas, he gave her jewelry. Not only jewelry—something real that you only give to someone really important to you. It was the best gift she ever received.
Right after that, though, he kicked her away from a perfectly good cover-reason to spend the night with her before Christmas. He did the same after Thanksgiving dinner. Those were the types of nights that all couples spent together. Maybe she was doing something wrong.
She had never been around someone like Chuck before, so she didn't know how to do it right. She would do anything for him, but she could not get too close. If she ever did, she would be reassigned and never be around Chuck again. It was so frustrating!
Sarah had never worried about New Year's resolutions. Her dad taught her they were only a con on yourself. Despite that, she had one for 2009. It wasn't for her own benefit. It was a resolution for her that was for Chuck's benefit. She would stay away and not get too close so she could continue to protect him. Of course if they needed to strengthen the cover…
Maybe that should be her simpler resolution. She'd be the type of girlfriend he wanted around for holidays. It was only simpler if she could figure out what to do.
Sarah rolled over and again tried to go to sleep—certain that it would continue to elude her.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Maison23
Chuck held up his hand to knock at Sarah's door, paused, and took a deep breath. He could do this. They were just dreams. (They could be called "nightmares," but he didn't like to think of any dream featuring Sarah as a nightmare. Calling any dream with Sarah a nightmare was disrespectful to her and far from the truth.)
After he collected himself, he was just about to knock when he heard Sarah's voice call him inside. He could have kicked himself because he forgot Sarah had a camera on the outside of her door. She had probably watched him make a fool of himself, and stand there, trying to calm down to get over his irrational fear of knocking.
Inside, Sarah wasn't there. Realizing she must be in the bathroom, Chuck patiently waited. He never could stand the silence, though, so he spoke up through the bathroom door, "I keep forgetting you have a camera on the door, so you always know when I'm here."
Sarah emerged from the bathroom, and Chuck stopped talking.
"I have that security panel by the door." She lifted her bare arm and pointed. "As you can see, I wasn't there."
As he could see? There was a whole lot of Sarah to see. She wasn't naked, but her black lingerie revealed a great deal of bare skin. Sarah had been in Chuck's dreams lately, and now he knew what she'd be wearing. (More accurately: barely wearing) There was nowhere to hide a gun.
Sarah took Chuck's stunned silence the wrong way. She motioned her hands down the little she had on. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? The purple didn't end well, so I got a new one without the bad memories."
Chuck knew he shouldn't gawk at the beautiful goddess who was only with him because of her job, so he turned his head before responding. It was only respectful. "There is nothing wrong with what you're wearing."
"Thank you. I know you don't like red, though. That's why I got black."
Red? Oh that's right. "Salmon." That was Bryce's fault. He corrected her misconception. "No, you look great in everything."
"On the Von Hayes mission, you said…"
Chuck realized Sarah was thinking the same thing, but he thought she knew. "After I dropped the bottle during the mission, I thought you knew I liked your dress."
"Oh, I didn't realize." Chuck was still looking away so he didn't see Sarah's expression, but he could tell from her voice that she was unsure of herself. "I admit I wore the red dress on the shower mission because I didn't like you with Jill." 'Shower mission'? Sarah thought of that as the 'shower mission.' "I wore black underneath when I didn't know you'd see it. When you did, you seemed to like it."
Seemed? There was no doubt he liked it. Chuck lightly shook out his head. It felt so wrong to simply stand in Sarah's bedroom talking about what he liked seeing her barely in, like she was a lingerie runway model. "It's all good." He tried to clear his throat, but his mouth was incredibly dry. "Why are you wearing that? I thought tonight was for the cover. You're 'back in town' so my family and friends think I'm staying over here."
"That's right. This is what I'd wear to greet my boyfriend. I'm dressed for bed."
They were in the privacy of her hotel room where no one would see, but Chuck should have known better than to point out the obvious. Sarah was dressed for what she considered a mission. Last time, when she was in purple, he said the wrong thing. He didn't want to shove his foot in his mouth again.
"You can use the bathroom to change for bed." Sarah paused, then asked, "Why didn't you bring a bag?" Chuck was still dumbstruck with what she was wearing, but she continued without an answer. "That's ok. I stole some of your clothes last year and always have both a casual outfit and a Nerd Herd uniform here for you."
"I…uh…" His plan seemed so obvious before he came over. One look at an almost-naked-Sarah, and he couldn't remember why he wouldn't want to stay. She had his clothes. Of course she had his clothes. The reason that he had fewer T-shirts seemed so obvious now. Different shirts always seemed to be missing at different times. Sarah was just being thorough.
What was he trying to say? Oh, yeah. "I thought you shouldn't have to sleep with me for your job, not that you would ever sleep with me. I mean sleep-sleep. You shouldn't be forced to do that, and now we have the beds at Castle."
"Oh." With the tone, Chuck couldn't help but look. Sarah didn't look happy. If he had to put a label on it, she looked disappointed. "I guess that makes sense. I hadn't thought of that because it's not like we haven't slept together before." To Chuck's reaction at her words, she amended. "Sleep-sleep, like at ComicCon. Seems like you'll sleep with me only when I'm a nerd and not—"
Chuck stopped that line of thinking immediately, "No, No. You're perfect, even when you're not pretending to like nerdy things. You don't have to do that because I'll be safe at Castle."
Sarah nodded once and went to her dresser. She pulled out a pair of yoga pants and slipped them over her long (bare) legs. She explained what she was doing, "You're not going out alone, so I'm going with you. I'm putting on pants and a sweatshirt because it's cold this time of night."
That wasn't the only reason. If someone else saw her, she might cause a heart attack. If he was fifty years older, he was sure the miraculous thing he saw her in would have given him one. Without the yoga pants, she was wearing less.
She went over to her bedside table, picked up the bracelet, but then set it down. "I wasn't going to wear this to sleep because I didn't want to catch it in your hair." In his hair! Why were her hands going to be in his hair? "I caught it in mine a couple times." She wore it to sleep?! "I picked it up because I was going to put it on…you know for cover…but we are going to Castle, not your place. I'm not going to wear it there, since that's work." Wasn't she already at work? He was only at her apartment for "work."
Once, Chuck thought there might be something under the undercover thing, but then he made the mistake of breaking up with Sarah. A few months later, he repeated the mistake. He did give her the bracelet which she obviously loved. Then, she lied to him about having killed the Fulcrum agent who was unarmed and surrendering. Chuck was so confused.
He knew he shouldn't gawk (anymore) at Sarah while she dressed. It was disrespectful. "I should go." Chuck thumbed toward the door and turned to leave. Sarah would follow in her own car.
Half-out the door, Chuck's arm was pulled. His initial surprise quickly disappeared and was replaced with the most wonderful thing in the world. His senses were filled with Sarah. Well, most of his senses.
Sight? He got an eyeful earlier so he knew what she looked like, even if he hadn't seen her coming this time. Sound? She was sneaky-spy-silent, so he hadn't heard her. Smell? She had recently washed her hair with whatever she used that created that wonderful aroma. Touch? He didn't dare touch her because he knew from experience that her soft skin was like a wonderful liquid fire. She was the one doing the touching. Taste? Her lips were always beyond believable.
If she hadn't broken them apart, he never would have stopped kissing her.
Chuck wanted to ask, but Sarah moved one hand from Chuck's cheek to over his mouth. She carefully looked at the hall through the open door and waited. After a few seconds, the elevator down the hall dinged, and Chuck heard someone get on before the doors shut.
After a few more seconds, Sarah released Chuck and took a half-step back. She was still practically on top of him when she said, "I heard someone in the hall and considering the door was open, I had to act fast. It was good I dressed like I did when you arrived. I was dressed like a girlfriend who had been gone for over a week would greet her boyfriend. Now that cover-outfit is covered to go outside, so I had to protect the cover another way."
"You dressed like that for the cover." Chuck lamely stated. Sometimes the cover with Sarah was the best thing in the world, and other times it was frustrating because that's all it was. During the surprise kiss, it was the fantastic thing. Now, he wasn't sure.
Internally, he kicked himself. She said it was "for the cover."
Who was he kidding? Any way she was, she was still fantastic.
She explained more. "Of course I wore this for cover. Everyone around here thinks you've been my boyfriend the entire time I've lived here. No one here knows about either time you broke up with me, and there's no reason to tell anyone. Someone could think it's strange that I still live here and not with you, so it needs to look like we're inseparable. That way the relationship makes sense whenever you are here, and there is another reason.
"Sorry if it seemed like I attacked you. When I heard one of my neighbors, I had to act fast. They've all passed thorough background security checks, but we both know those aren't perfect."
She meant Jill. She had only kissed him for the cover. He said, "Of course. Better safe than sorry." They stood and looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Chuck loved her sapphire eyes. Looking into her eyes was almost as perilous as a couple minutes ago when he saw so much skin. "I should go."
Sarah finally took a full step back. "If you think that's best." She sounded disappointed again. Chuck didn't want her ever to sound like that. She sounded more official, using her "handler voice" when she said, "I should inform Casey that you're going to be at Castle so we can arrange security."
"It's just the Buy More. You don't have to follow. I can go there by myself."
"Casey and I…one of us always has an eye on you." She pointed at his watch. "It's not like we watch you 24-7… At least I don't think so. With Mr No Secrets Agency, I don't know. We get an alert whenever you are not on an expected route or at an expected location. Tonight, we thought you were coming here, so the roads and this location were in safe zones. Buy More Plaza and Castle are not. I wouldn't be surprised that if you showed up at Castle, Casey might think that you had been captured and forced to reveal its location."
Chuck hated to admit it, but that did sound like a paranoid, worst-case scenario that the NSA agent might consider.
A couple minutes ago, Chuck was going to try to go alone to be away from all that Sarah skin he knew she was covering. Now, he thought it would be better if he walked Sarah to her car because they would be seen together, so he waited for her, rather than charging out the door.
Sarah got a hoodie from her closet and pulled it over her top. "Since the route to Castle is not the original plan, I'm not letting you run around alone." She toed on her orange Chucks and said, "Let's go."
Chuck wasn't sure Sarah's sweatshirt did much to erase the thought of what Sarah looked like underneath because he now knew what she was wearing underneath. On the upside, at least this way, everyone in the hotel lobby wouldn't get an eyeful.
As they waited at the elevator, Sarah took his hand. Chuck looked where they were joined and then up at Sarah. She explained, "In case the doors open and someone sees us leaving. The cover is you were going for a box of condoms because I just got home and wasn't supplied. You took off half my clothes before we realized. I didn't want you to leave, so I pulled you back inside. Now, I don't want you to go without me. I can drive my car around again because I'm not "back East," so I'll take us to Castle. We can't take two cars because that wouldn't work with the cover. I'll bring you back here tomorrow."
It all made sense for the cover, in a way. If someone saw Sarah's car at the plaza, they would assume Chuck and she went to sleep in the Double-O's storage closet, where a lot of people thought they frequented. Actually, they would be in Castle, where they would sleep in two separate beds in two separate cells.
It was convoluted, but it was "safer" for Chuck's sensibilities. He might actually sleep.
Chuck only hoped he didn't have another nightmare. Sarah didn't know what he saw in his dreams, so she would think he's crazy. He knew he shouldn't care, but he couldn't help but still care what she thought about him. The next time he was in his own bed, he knew what dream!Sarah would be wearing.
A/N: Up next, "Chuck vs To Be Continued": a new canon-compatible 3-chapter story set immediately after the "To Be Continued" at the end of "Chuck vs the Third Dimension."
MyNameIsJeffNImLost AU stories:
- "Chuck vs the Best Christmas" (chapters 1-3; "Don't Ruin My Christmas," "The New Cover," "Real is Best")
- "The Intersect Couple vs Flashing" (chapters 13-17; "Three Intersects," "Mr and Mrs Bartowski," "Three Parents," "Another Parent," and "The Intersect Couple vs A New Year")