A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows on the first chapter. Also, thanks for the likes and comments on the Chuck Fanfiction Facebook post. This story is quite special for me as it follows the tour that my wife and I took last year. It had been three-and-a-half years since my last trip abroad and even longer for her because she hates flying. The lure of the Egyptian sights was enough of a draw for her this time.

Many of the reviewers commented that they looked forward to reading more of Chuck and Sarah's backstories, so I thought I ought to mention that it will come slowly through the story. This tour is quite intense, not leaving much time to even think on some days. My wife and I were exhausted most of the time! On top of that, neither of our lead characters want to talk about their past. Sarah never does, but Chuck has a past that he doesn't share much, not even the good, because that would be boastful. So, please be patient.

This chapter was pre-read by MicroGirl1225 and CharmingCharles2896. Thanks to both of them. I have again made changes since then, but the main flow remains the same.

As with the last chapter, there may be typos and Anglicisms that I missed, so please PM me if you spot anything you feel needs correcting.

Now, let's continue on the Egyptian tour…

Chuck vs Egypt

Chapter 2

After having a shower, Chuck accessed the hotel's Wi-Fi and sent a message to his sister.

'Pyramids, Sphinx, camel ride and Egyptian museum today. Exhausted now!'

He wondered about mentioning the gorgeous blonde he'd met and befriended, but knew that would lead to inquisition by message, which he didn't want, especially as there was nothing to report.

He accessed his email and found nothing of interest, and then almost accessed his work email, but resisted. He had promised both Ellie and Morgan that he wouldn't do that.

He closed the email he had accessed and looked for what to wear for the evening.

As he dressed, he wished that Sarah was with him.

Reality settled in. He could feel himself attracted to her. He wasn't here for a vacation romance, but he'd done his usual: met and instantly formed a crush for a beautiful woman. Maybe he would be better off avoiding her or he could easily fall for her which would be stupid. Vacation romances were not realistic. He tried to stop thinking about that, checked that he looked presentable, and set off for the restaurant.

Inevitably, he was still thinking about the woman he'd been with as he arrived in the restaurant.

There was a buffet set up and he decided that would suit him. He selected the items he would eat and carried the tray away from the buffet to find a seat.

He looked around the restaurant and spotted Zondra sitting at the side well away from the others. She was facing in. It looked like she'd sat in a position from which she could observe everyone and where no one could approach from behind her. He wondered if that was something she'd always done or just on this vacation.

He walked over and said, "Ok if I join you?"

She smirked. "I heard what Sarah said to you, but that's fine. I want to talk to you."

The way she said that felt ominous. "Have I done something wrong?"

She silently held his gaze for quite a while. He was getting nervous by the time she spoke. "Blondie's a good friend of mine. The best actually. If you hurt her, I will hurt you."

"I have no intention of hurting her," he quickly replied. "How could you think I would?"

Her features eased and she ducked her head. "I shouldn't let my hard times wash over you."

"Hey, it's alright. Seriously." He looked down at his food and started eating. After a moment or two, he said, "You are pretty scary, though."

She chuckled. "I have been told that before." She looked up at him. "Please don't tell her I said anything."

He smiled. "I really like that you're so protective, but it's also a bit embarrassing that I'm so transparent."

She grinned. "I like you, Chuck."

He smiled. "Thanks. I like you too. All three of you."

"Oh, be careful around Red, though," she replied with a smirk.

He snorted. "I already got that."

"I can tell you really like Blondie and you seem different to most guys. She was hurt like I was, just some time ago, so be patient with her."

Chuck looked at her and sighed. "I don't think there's much point in me pursuing her."

"Why not?" she asked.

He put down his fork, trying to decide what to say. "Let's just say that I'm friend-zone material, nothing more."

Zondra stopped eating and considered him. "Someone did a number on you, too. When?"

He huffed and his food got very interesting again.

She reached across the table and placed her hand on his wrist. "You don't have to tell me details, but when?"

"Seven years ago," he said quietly.

"Wow!"

They both ate in silence for a few minutes until she spoke again. "Blondie likes you. Maybe you'd be good for each other."

"She in need of a friend?" After saying that, he scoffed but did face her again.

"A reminder that not all men are full of themselves," she said as she held his gaze.

He looked down again. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Why not?" she challenged.

He sighed. "I shouldn't be admitting this to you, her friend, but I think I'm falling for her. Then we'll finish here and I'll never see her again."

"Where'd you live?" Zondra asked.

"LA," he replied.

Zondra almost smiled, but decided to look seriously at him. "So does she. Why can't you see each other again?"

"She won't want to see me again. I'm not the catch that she is."

She held his gaze and said, "She might disagree."

"She won't," he said with certainty.

"So, you can't enjoy being with each other here in Egypt… because of that certainty?"

He thought about it. He did really enjoy Sarah's company. He would enjoy more time with her. Zondra watched him. "Moody though I am on this tour, I noticed Sarah enjoying herself today. I've not seen that for a while. Enjoy your time with her here."

"But what about you?" he asked. "She came here with you."

Zondra nodded. "This was my dream vacation. I got angsty in the museum, but I am enjoying being here. I don't need to be accompanied?" She looked at him. "Even if she thinks I do." He blushed. "Seeing the sights and, yes, hearing the stories, while doing that is what I need."

"I'm sorry you had a difficult time before," he said.

She nodded. "Finding your boyfriend in bed with a younger woman rather makes you need to do something different."

He gawped at her. "But you're gorgeous!"

She smiled. "Thanks, but the bimbo was obviously better in bed than this old hag."

"You're hardly that."

She smiled. "Keep the compliments for Blondie," she said.

"My girlfriend ditched me for my college roommate. I didn't catch them in bed, but I might have done if I'd arrived sooner."

Zondra nodded. "I guess cheating is in our systems. Women as well as men."

"Jill told me it was my fault. Too needy." He looked down. "Bryce just flitted from girl to girl, not expecting a long-term relationship."

"But you did?"

He nodded. "We'd been together for over a year. I was going to propose after our finals."

"Wow! You did get in deep."

He sighed and pushed his plate away, not feeling like continuing to eat or talk.

"Sarah's not had much luck with men," Zondra said. "She wants a meaningful relationship, not the one-night flings most men want. Our jobs didn't used to allow for that."

"Didn't?"

"We both moved to LA a year ago," Zondra replied. "More settled, but she'd stopped looking for Mr. Right." She gazed at him. "Maybe that's you."

"I wish," he blurted out. Both their eyes widened. "See. I'm needy."

"Don't give up on her, Chuck. She might need you too."

They stopped talking about relationships and instead discussed their jobs.

Zondra and Sarah had moved around the country with their FBI jobs. Different postings as they got promoted. They'd both joined the CIA from college but that wasn't right for either of them and they're moved to the FBI. Carina had been to college with them and had joined them in the CIA for a while, but then got poached by the DEA. A year earlier, Sarah got a promotion and moved to Los Angeles for a more permanent stay.

"More permanent?" he questioned.

Zondra nodded. "She may get promoted locally if she doesn't see a vacancy elsewhere that appeals more." His shoulders slumped. Zondra noticed. "She'll be in LA for at least two years."

"And then she'll walk out of my life," he muttered.

"Chuck!" she snapped him out of his downward spiral. "You've only known her for a day."

He sighed. "I'm a dreamer, Zondra."

"You're overthinking this, bud. it might just be a vacation romance that spurs you both on to find that meaningful relationship."

"But what if I think this is it… and she doesn't?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just enjoy yourselves while you're here. Don't let possible futures spoil it."

He sighed. "You're right, of course."

She grinned. "I always am. Tell me about your life since college."

He chuckled. "In the romance wasteland?"

She smiled and nodded. "There's more to life than romance."

He proceeded to tell her about the gaming software he worked on after graduation, as well as the software development jobs he had until he was ready to try to sell the game to one of the large companies.

"No one was interested, so I decided to sell it myself. Setting up the capability through contacts. Production, distribution and the like."

"Contacts?" she asked.

"The company I worked for helped, so I used their contacts. I mentioned their invaluable support on the packaging and all those companies that helped me."

"But how did you find outlets?"

"The local Buy More helped there." He smiled as he thought about that place. "I used to work there and my friends still did back then. People loved the game and when the manager reported to his headquarters about it, I was contacted. In no time, they were selling it across all the stores."

"Wow. Impressive," Zondra said.

"I was then approached by one of the companies I'd originally approached." He chuckled. "They agreed to distribute the game and commissioned more games from me, So, I now have a successful company developing more games and I'm exploring new avenues."

"So, you're rich?" she asked.

"Comfortable," he replied.

"Don't let Red know. Being rich will attract her." He nearly corrected her, but she asked another question. "So, what about the other avenues?"

"Just in the early stages, for now."

"Different types of game?" she asked.

"No. Other types of software. That games company wouldn't be interested."

"So, would you use your contacts again?"

"Oh, they're almost business partners now," he replied.

"You seem to have it all planned out," she said.

"Yeah, clockwork."

" All work and no play?"

He looked at her. "You sound like my sister."

"I recognize the signs. I'm like it. So's Blondie."

That brought them back to their shared contact. He nodded and started wondering if Sarah was enjoying herself.

Sarah hadn't forgotten what it was like being around Carina when she was flirting heavily with someone, but it was still an uncomfortable experience and she wished she'd not come out this evening. Actually, that wasn't true, she wished someone had come with her, either Zondra or Chuck.

It surprised her that someone had appeared in her life and been accepted so readily. Particularly a man.

She smiled as she thought about Chuck. He wasn't like any man she'd met before. He was considerate, empathetic and painfully lacking in confidence. That later drew her out. She found she wanted to boost his confidence. Not for some kind of achievement, but because she wanted him to see himself in a better light.

She really enjoyed his company. In fact, she was already wondering whether they could keep in contact when they returned to the States.

Was she attracted to him? Yes, she was. Would she like their relationship to be more than just friends? Probably. She was only going to find that out by spending more time with him. Which brought her back to this evening and the OTT flirting she was having to listen to.

She knew Carina would be either taking Mike to her bed or joining him in his.

She herself hadn't shared a bed with a man for two years now. She was starting to miss the intimacy. When did that start? Only recently. Was it a two year itch?

That made her think of the curly hair man back at the hotel. What would he be like?

When the bus returned them to the hotel, Sarah was only too glad to head straight to the bedroom she was sharing with Zondra.

The light show had been impressive, but Carina had just been too much, particularly on the ride back. She'd not said a word to Sarah, just crawled all over Mike.

Sarah was sure it was affecting her more than it usually did, but wasn't sure if that was due to the itch or Chuck… or both.

As she crept into the room, Zondra was sitting reading and looked up. "Enjoy yourself?"

"I was with the praying mantis and her latest victim. What do you think?"

Zondra laughed. "Well, I had a pleasant evening with your boyfriend."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "He's not my b-"

Zondra cut her off. "Yet. You both want each other. Just give in to it."

Sarah sat at the side of Zondra's bed. "What did he say?"

Her friend smiled. "He really likes you but is frightened."

That surprised Sarah. "Of me?"

"Of falling for you and then not seeing you when we return home."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "He said that?"

Zondra waved her hand dismissively. "Not in so many words."

Sarah gripped her friend's arms. "What exactly did he say?" The intensity of her stare got to the brunette.

"You're really gone on him, aren't you?"

Sarah tightened her grip. "Tell me!"

"Some background first. He hasn't dated in seven years since his college girlfriend dumped him. He took it badly and doesn't feel date-worthy. He lives in LA but thinks you wouldn't be interested in seeing him when we're back there. His quote was, 'I'm not a catch like she is.'"

Sarah focused initially on LA. "Why would me being interested in him when we get home come up in the conversation?"

Zondra looked at her for a moment. "You might try to hide your feelings from everyone, even yourself, but I've known you for so long. Something happened when Carina and I were in the pyramid. The two of you were different when we came out."

Sarah blushed. "I like him."

"Yeah. That's all," her friend replied.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "Did you embellish that?"

"He thinks he has no chance with you, Blondie, and that if you continue the 'friendship' as the tour continues, he'll get hurt afterward." Zondra looked down. "I thought that if he pulled away, it would hurt you. So, I told him not to give up on you."

The other thing Zondra had said came to mind. Sarah found a small smile on her lips. "He thinks I'm a catch?"

Zondra shrugged. "He's not wrong."

Sarah almost floated to the bathroom and then to bed.

The next morning, Chuck headed down to breakfast hoping to see Sarah there. He was the first of the whole tour group to arrive for the buffet breakfast, so he grabbed a plate and went straight to the omelet bar and stated what he wanted. Once he had that on a plate, he placed a bread roll beside it and poured an orange juice, before choosing a table.

He now wished he'd not been so quick to come down, being the only one in there. He ate his omelet before it went cold.

Other people started arriving, including some of the people from the tour. He got up to get more food as soon as he finished the omelet, not wanting anyone but Sarah to sit with him.

He collected some other items and filled a cup with coffee from the machine provided. Still no sign of the three girls. He sat and wished they'd arranged a time to meet.

One of the other men from the tour spotted Chuck and walked toward him. Just as he reached the table, his wife caught up with him. She looked at Chuck who was pointedly looking at the entrance.

"Hello, Chuck," the man said.

Chuck looked up at the man, but the woman, whose name he remembered was Mary, grabbed her husband's wrist. "Come on Jack. He's waiting for Sarah." She pulled Jack away.

Chuck shook his head. He was making it clear he was waiting for someone, but was his interest in Sarah really that obvious? Then he spotted her arriving with Zondra and all other thoughts vanished. She was a vision.

She spotted him and waved , pulling Zondra to the table. "Hi Chuck. Can we leave our bags with you while we get some breakfast?" she asked.

"Hi," he replied. "Sure."

Zondra gave him a quick wave and the two women walked to the buffet. He only had eyes for one of them. Overnight, he'd still been amazed at how quickly he was falling for her, but one glance from her was all it took. He was completely smitten.

The two women returned with plates full of sliced fruit and yogurt. Then Chuck noticed another item on Sarah's plate. He looked up at her. "Pain au chocolat?"

She looked sheepishly at him. "One of my vices."

"Ahh."

She put her plate down opposite Chuck and was going to head back, but Zondra said, "I'll get the coffees."

"Thanks," Sarah replied and sat down. She looked at Chuck. "Sleep alright?" she asked, not really sure what else to say.

He'd had a restless night, constantly waking with thoughts of her. "Yeah. You?"

"A good night," she replied. She'd dreamt about being with Chuck the day before. She'd only had bad dreams of men for a long time, but this was all good. "Got everything you need for today?"

He shook his head. "No. I'll pop back up to my room before we leave."

"Oh." She was a bit disappointed.

"We didn't say when we'd have breakfast so I came down early," he admitted, but then thought he shouldn't have said that. Too pushy?

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chuck." Her hand on the top of his felt cool but really good. He sat and looked at it until she withdrew it.

"My fault," he said. He looked at his watch. There was time, but he couldn't stay seated for long.

"Can we-" she started.

"Can I-" he started at exactly the same time.

They both stopped and chuckled. He gestured for her to go first. She smiled. "Can we walk together around the Cairo streets? You, me and Zondra?" He nodded enthusiastically. He felt happy hearing she wanted to do that. "I think it'd be safer for two women to have a man with them," she added.

So, it wasn't that she wanted to be with him. He kept the smile on his face, but felt a bit disappointed.

She noticed his expression falter and realized how that had sounded. She grasped his hand. "And we get to spend time with you." He nodded and looked a bit brighter. After a few moments gazing into each other's eyes, she asked, "What were you going to say, Chuck?"

He continued to look into those gorgeous blue eyes. "Can I sit with you on the bus?" He braced himself for the no. After all, she was with Zondra.

She beamed at him. "I'd really like that. Can we sit near Zondra, though?"

"I can sit on my own," Zondra said, as she sat down next to Sarah. "You don't have to mollycoddle me."

"But maybe you need to keep an eye on me around Sarah," Chuck offered.

Zondra snorted. "If you tried anything she didn't want, she'd stop you with no assistance from me."

Sarah blushed. "I can be quite forceful."

He decided to tease her. "Sounds exciting."

Her blush deepened and Zondra laughed.

He finished his coffee and then had to head back to his room, cursing himself all the way, but he was still excited about the day.

All of the women had brought scarves with which they covered their heads and necks. One of them had read it was important in the mosques, particularly that of Muhammad Ali that they were visiting this morning, and that information had quickly rippled around the group, along with the fact that holding hands was frowned upon. The scarf proved to be unnecessary, but only Carina removed hers.

Chuck asked permission to take a photo of Sarah and Zondra. They both looked so different and he thought Sarah particularly looked mysteriously attractive, but then she'd looked attractive in everything he'd seen her in.

Zondra noticed how Chuck was looking at Sarah and moved off saying, "Take some of Sarah on her own."

Sarah knew what Zondra was doing, but happily posed for Chuck. She was standing a little way away from him and he was muttering to himself. What he didn't know was that she had very good hearing but had also learnt at an early age how to lip read. "So, so beautiful."

She knew she was attractive. Hell, sometimes it caused her problems in her job. She'd also been told it many times, but hearing Chuck say it was different. "What was that, Chuck?"

He blushed and looked down. "You look good in that."

She decided to tease him. "So, hiding my hair, neck and much of my face is better?"

She expected him to struggle to answer but he surprised her. "But your eyes still shine out."

She couldn't stop herself from asking, "You like my eyes?"

He held her gaze as he responded, feeling brave. "Stunning."

She felt the warmth rush through her. She gave him a huge smile. "Thank you, Chuck. Your eyes are pretty special too." He looked surprised, but thanked her.

The group was then called to line up ready to go into the mosque. Sarah wanted to grasp Chuck's hand but felt she shouldn't now, so didn't. She walked as close to him as she felt she could.

They walked into the Muhammad Ali Mosque.

A/N: So, the tour continues and our favorite couple get just a bit closer.

Let me know what you think of the story so far with a review, if you can.