A/N: After my wife and I went on a short tour in Egypt in November 2023, seeing all the ancient sights, I came home and couldn't resist writing this story of Chuck and Sarah on a similar tour. However, this AU is not just another romantic travelogue, like my "Chuck vs The Excursion" or "Instant Attraction," as you'll find out. It's set in the present, rather than the times in canon, and their ages, background stories and current situations are different, too.
Story length is 23 chapters and a short epilogue. This is my 75th story, which feels like a milestone to me. I never thought I'd be able write any when I was younger.
MicroGirl1225 and CharmingCharles2896 both pre-read the first four chapters and gave them the thumbs up. Thanks to them both. I have made changes since then, but the main flow remains the same. Hopefully, you'll all enjoy it, too.
No beta, so there may be typos and Anglicisms that I missed. PM me if you spot anything you feel needs correcting.
Chuck vs Egypt
Chapter 1
He was an American tourist visiting Egypt on his own. His sister had advised against it, thinking it an unsafe destination, but with his software company doing so well, he had money and wanted to go exploring. Egypt had always fascinated him, so was perfect. He would visit the tourist traps and not go anywhere unsafe. He'd joined an American and British group on a tour that would achieve this. Everything was organized, so there was no individual planning involved. Devon had teased him about this. Exploring without being an explorer.
The group was a mixture of ages. Two older couples in their sixties were so fit that Chuck knew he'd struggle to keep up with them. They knew each other so they would stick together. There were also two sisters in their seventies, equally fit. At the other extreme were the young couple who were in their low twenties. All the rest were somewhere in between. Mostly couples, but there were four individual men, including Chuck, all in their thirties, a single widow, and a group of three women probably in their late twenties. These young women drew the attention of all of the men. The four single men, including Chuck, but also some of the others too. Chuck tried to be respectful and not stare at them, but Jake Hollands, the oldest of the single men, was more blatant. That seemed to please the tallest of the girls, a willowy redhead. The other two women, a tall blonde and a slightly shorter brunette were clearly not interested in receiving any attention.
The tour manager, Kiro, effectively their tour guide, and Ahmed, the Egyptologist with him, would be leading them around all the sites, and would be accompanied by a security guard for their protection. The first of those, Allay, was from the Cairo police.
The group had an introductory drink together on arrival at the hotel, but they were all exhausted from their journey and wanted nothing more than to unpack what they needed in Cairo and to get some sleep. For Chuck, he'd set off late morning the day before to get to LAX and check in the required three hours before departure on the Lufthansa flight to FRA (Frankfurt). He only managed to doze on that eleven hour overnight flight thanks to the crying toddler in the row in front. They arrived on time, but their plane had to wait for a gate for them to disembark. Quite common apparently. That reduced his layover time and he had to race through the airport for the connecting flight to Cairo. Amongst those in the same situation, Chuck had noticed the three beautiful women that were on this tour. The four hour flight went smoothly but the stress at Frankfurt meant no sleep there either. Arrival at the hotel, after a one hour bus ride, meant it had been twenty-eight hours since he'd last slept properly.
The next morning was an early start to get to Giza, so breakfast at 6:30am. Chuck knew he needed fuel to cope with the day, so he showered and staggered to the dining room. He was followed in by the other four single men.
He quickly got some orange juice and fruit, all he could face, and looked at the tables. There was only one table for four empty. With five of them to seat, one would have to join another table. Chuck saw the three girls together. Thinking of how the other men might behave, Chuck decided he would join the girls.
As he sat down, three pairs of eyes focused on him. "I'm sorry," he said. "One of us needed to sit with you. I won't disturb you."
"Not interested in us, then?" The redhead challenged.
Chuck was startled by that, but before he could respond, the blonde snapped at her, "Carina!"
Carina shrugged. "Blondie, you and Zee might just be interested in the ancient sights, but I want male companionship too."
"Last thing I want," grumbled the brunette, who must be Zee.
"Sorry, but I'm just here for the ancient sights too," Chuck said. "I'm Chuck."
"Well, you've heard that I'm Carina," the redhead replied. "You can accompany these two."
The brunette looked at him. "Zondra," she said. "And I'm not much fun to be around."
The blonde tsked at her friend. "You can be."
Zondra smiled at her. "Thanks, Blondie, but you're just a kind friend."
Blondie looked at Chuck. "I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you, Chuck."
He couldn't take his eyes off of hers. The most beautiful ocean-blue eyes he'd ever seen. He shook himself out of it. "I saw the three of you came on the same flights as me. I feel like death this morning. I don't know how you all look so fresh."
Zondra chuckled and Sarah smiled at the comment. "Makeup," all three said at the same time.
Chuck laughed. "Maybe that's what I need."
Sarah gazed at his features and surprised herself by responding, "You don't need that."
Both of her friends snapped around and stared at her, looking surprised, but neither said anything. Sarah blushed slightly, but held Chuck's gaze. Her comment had surprised him too. It had been a long time since he last received a compliment from a woman, other than from his sister. "You're too kind," he replied.
"You're sitting with us to shield us from some of the other single men, aren't you?" Zondra said. He looked at her and gave her a brief nod.
She glared at him. "We are perfectly capable of looking after ourselves!"
He was knocked back by that attack. "But- but w-why should you ha-have to?"
Sarah placed her hand on his arm, while glaring at her friend and holding up her forefinger on her other hand to stop Zondra from replying. "She's right. We can handle men like them." She nodded toward Jake and the other two. "But thank you for saving us the hassle."
Chuck looked down at the long, cool, slim fingers on him. Why did they send a shiver up and down his spine? He looked up into those gorgeous blue eyes again. "I didn't do it with any ulterior motives," he mumbled.
"Damn!" Carina snarked. Then she looked at Zondra. "But then, Blondie seems to have staked her claim on him."
"Carina!" Sarah snapped, while lifting her hand off Chuck's wrist. He missed it immediately.
Carina played innocent and Zondra smiled but said nothing.
Chuck decided he should focus on his breakfast.
When they all got onto the tour bus, Chuck was the last on. Carina was sitting next to Jake and in deep conversation with him. Zondra and Sarah were sitting next to each other. Chuck had a choice. Walk to the back and sit on his own or sit next to the older guy, Paul, who was in the seat opposite Sarah. Chuck wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to sit near Sarah, but didn't want her to feel crowded. She looked up at him, and nodded to the seat across the aisle from her.
As he sat, he said, "I'm not stalking you."
"Shame," she whispered and grinned at him.
God, that was a beautiful smile. He was momentarily speechless. She noticed and grinned more.
Then, Kiro stood at the front of the bus, tapped the microphone in his hand to make sure it was working and said, "Welcome to our first tour. We'll drive to the main pyramids first, then to where anyone who wants to can take a camel ride, then to see the Sphinx, before heading into Cairo to go to the museum . Ahmed will be your guide at the ancient sites and the three of us will be close by, everywhere but in the Great Pyramid, if you want to go in there. We can't, and will wait outside with any that don't want to go in.
"I'll bring complimentary water around in a few minutes."
Chuck turned to Paul. "Will you be going into the pyramid?"
Paul shook his head. "I've read about it. Low ceilings and you almost have to crawl at times. I'm not up to that."
Chuck had to admit that didn't sound great. He'd watched a video of someone walking it and it didn't appeal. Claustrophobic as well as uncomfortable in places, and no support in others.
"Will you go in?" he heard Sarah ask.
He looked at her, unable to tell what she was thinking behind that question. "I'm not sure. A hands and knees crawl in places, but without a handrail, I don't think I could even get up there."
She gazed at him. "Not afraid of admitting your weaknesses. Unusual."
He blushed. "You think me pathetic?"
She frowned. "No. Being honest like that is brave." She sat in silence.
"Are you going?" he asked.
She shook her head, with her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. "No. I'll give it a miss." She looked at him. "I'll stay with you while Zee goes in." She obviously noticed his eyes light up and beamed at him. It was like the sun shining within the bus.
He had to look away or he might not be able to.
The pyramids were, of course, stunning.
Chuck took several photos of each. He hadn't deliberately, but he caught Sarah in one of them, although she was unaware.
When their group split and several climbed the steps to the entrance of the Great Pyramid, Chuck and Sarah decided to wander enough to take more pictures.
"We'll have to look at each other's," Sarah said. "I want some good ones."
"Do you want any with you in them?" he asked.
She nodded. "Would you take some on my phone?"
"Sure. I'd be happy to."
He took her phone and stepped back to take her photo with the Great Pyramid behind her. The sun was just behind the top part, so its light shone to one side.
When she took her phone back and looked at the photo, she smiled. "Good shot."
"Perfect subject… and the pyramid looks good behind you, too." He then realized what he'd said and blushed.
She grinned. "Thanks for the compliment, Chuck."
He was still concerned over what he'd said. "Sarah, I don't want you to think I'm like the others. Hitting on you," he said.
She quirked an eyebrow. "You think I'd risk being alone with you if I didn't feel safe?"
Her words settled on him. "Right… safe. That's me summed up."
She took his hand in hers. "It's not a bad thing, Chuck."
He stared at their hands. Warmth spread from his. He really liked holding hers. He hadn't realized he was smiling until she smiled at him. "You like holding hands, don't you?"
Honesty kicked in. "It's been a long time since a pretty girl has held my hand."
The grin returned. "Another compliment. Maybe you are hitting on me."
He looked at her seriously. "You must get a lot of compliments, Sarah. Mine are pretty innocuous."
She shrugged. "Yours feel genuine and without motive."
He nodded. Looking back where the group were still waiting, he said, "We should get back… and probably not be holding hands or your friends will make assumptions on what we've been doing."
She looked at him mischievously. "Out here? In public? Is that what you do, Chuck?"
He choked and started coughing.
She slipped her hand out of his to slap him on his back. She couldn't stop herself from grinning. She was going to have fun teasing him on this vacation.
Once he recovered, they strolled back to the group. She didn't grab his hand, though.
As they sat on the tour bus after the camel rides, Sarah felt bad for Chuck. It had been a bit amusing watching him trying to get off the camel, but Carina didn't have to make such a big deal about it.
He was sitting quietly, blushing. He was gripping the side of his seat so tightly that his knuckles were white.
She reached across the aisle and gently placed her hand on his. That startled him and he turned his head, his eyes snapping up to look into hers.
He had really attractive eyes. Hazel with flecks of gold. She had to focus, though. "I'm sorry about Carina. She goes too far sometimes."
He sighed. "I did make a fool of myself."
She gripped his hand. "It wasn't that bad."
He looked down at their hands. "You're being too kind. Getting my foot stuck and nearly falling into the sand was pretty bad, especially with it still attached to the camel."
"Why did you go for the ride? You didn't seem to enjoy it at all." He didn't look up or reply, so she prompted him, "Chuck?"
He sighed and looked at her. "I enjoyed your company."
She hadn't thought about that. "Oh."
"Another foolish thing," he muttered. "We didn't interact at all on the ride."
She thought about the ride. She had felt exhilarated up there, imagining being in the past and riding on camels. Of course, that wasn't realistic. However, Chuck had muttered about discomfort quite a bit and whenever she glanced his way, seemed to be trying not to look away from the saddle, almost as if he thought that looking up was risky. "You were preoccupied."
He snorted and smirked. "I guess I was."
"Try to ignore her. She teases a lot, but doesn't mean any harm, really." Sarah thought about all the time Carina's comments were aimed at her.
His eyes narrowed. "She teases you?"
She rolled her eyes "A lot."
"But you're perfect."
Normally, that would be a sarcastic comment and she pulled her hand back, but then she saw the look in his eyes. "Thank you for the ego boosting comment, but I certainly am not."
He shrugged. "Just how I see it."
"You don't know me, Chuck."
"Well, you've been kind to me, you have a great sense of humor, you're obviously intelligent and really great company. Sounds perfect to me."
He hadn't mentioned her looks, which was refreshing.
"How much of a museum buff are you, Chuck?" The question took him aback. "Will you get bored quickly or will you want to look at everything?"
"At the Egyptian Museum?" he asked.
"Mmhm," she replied.
"I want to see a number of things in the museum. I don't examine everything in detail, but some things I will."
She thought about what she wanted in the museum. She suspected she was the same as him. Her friends were different. Zondra would want to totally immerse herself, take in everything, absorb as much information as possible. That would be too much for Sarah. Carina was the opposite. She would flit through the museum and want to get out quickly; her attention just skimming the surface. If they had to stay in the group, move at the group pace, probably both women would be frustrated.
"I'll stick with you," she told him. Chuck was surprised and it showed on his face. "Is that okay?" she asked, now unsure.
"Yes… yes, definitely. I just wasn't expecting it."
She reached across and squeezed his hand. She liked Chuck partly because of his lack of confidence. It felt like a challenge she wanted to help him with.
The tour of the museum had been an interesting mixture of amazing artifacts and information imparted by their Egyptologist. It had also been a little frustrating, not having enough time with some exhibits. Of course, the place was too large to let them wander off to explore on their own, but maybe a little less time on the lectures and more on the viewing would've been nice.
Sarah could see that she was right about both of her friends' reaction to the time in the museum. It was almost comical watching Carina getting frustrated at the time spent in each area. It was not possible to go on ahead, so Carina had had enough of being in the building way before anyone else. When the Egyptologist told them he'd shown them as much as he planned, but they were standing near an area they could explore on their own for thirty minutes, or walk out and have a coffee, Carina grabbed the hand of her latest victim, as Sarah saw the man she'd latched onto, Jeff, and virtually dragged him out.
Zondra was equally frustrated, but for her it was because standing listening to explanations stopped her from exploring on her own and examining everything in detail. Sarah saw her breathe a sigh of relief when released to have those thirty minutes in the museum without the Egyptologist.
"I'm going with Zondra. She needs a supporting friend," Sarah told Chuck.
He nodded. "Can I come too?"
She smiled at him. "Sure."
She rushed over to her friend. "Let's go exploring," she said to her.
Zondra smiled for the first time in a while. "Thanks, Sar." She looked beyond her friend. "You joining us, Chuck?"
"If you don't mind," he replied.
"Just know that your girlfriend is all mine for the next half hour." She hooked her arm through Sarah's and dragged her off.
Chuck saw Sarah's raised eyebrow at that comment even before she glanced at him. He noticed she didn't correct her friend, which brought a dreamy smile to his face.
Sarah glanced back and noticed his expression and smiled. She was willing to see what happened with him. Then, she got submerged in Zondra's intense tour.
After the museum, they returned to the hotel. Most were heading out again to see the light show at the pyramids. Before they reached the hotel, Chuck asked Sarah, "Are you going?"
"Yeah. I think it'll be fun. You?"
"No. It didn't appeal to me. Not part of the ancient experience," he replied.
Zondra leaned forward in her seat. "You're dead right. Just an opportunity to exploit tourists with a light show."
"I'll stay, have dinner and then get an early night," Chuck said.
"Snap," Zondra replied.
Sarah had said nothing during this exchange. She actually felt disappointed that Chuck wouldn't be going, which surprised her.
As they entered the hotel, those going to the show were given instructions on where to meet.
Sarah looked at the man who'd she'd been with most of the day. "See you tomorrow, Chuck. You're in charge of looking after Zondra."
He quickly looked around, but didn't see the brunette anywhere. He leaned closer to the blonde. "Won't she eat me alive?"
She grinned. "No, that would be Carina."
He narrowed his eyes. "You know what I mean."
She sighed. "Just be yourself. She's really nice, but is just hurting at the moment."
He looked at her for a few moments, then nodded, before heading to his bedroom.
She watched him go. She was sharing a room with Zondra, so had let her go on ahead. She looked around for her other friend. Carina was watching her. "What?"
"Have you found someone you like, Blondie?"
"He's nice," Sarah replied.
"Bed-worthy?" Carina asked.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I'm not like you, Red. Have you found someone to entice into your bed?"
"Sure. He's coming with us this evening." Carina turned and headed for the elevator. Sarah followed, but knew she was going to have to cope with Carina's antics with whomever she'd selected. She'd focus on the light show and try to ignore it.
A/N: We've now met the main characters. They will spend some time in Cairo before moving further down the Nile. We'll explore some of the sights with them, along with how they get on together.
I plan to update this twice a week, so more in a few days' time.
What do you think so far? Let me know in a review if you can.