AN1 I'm still battling long-COVID, but I wanted to get back to posting updates for you all as quick as I could because I was extremely happy with the reader engagement of my stories a few months ago. We are in the second arc of the story at present, which will remain until around Chapter 25, when the third arc (of as many as twenty) will begin. There are two further chapters for Rest & Relaxation (WDW now has a chapter naming format for the first time), then a tense segment "Lockdown" will begin.

Previously: "So, how long do you reckon it will be before those two are taking each other's clothes off then?" Big Dan asked his teammates, glancing primarily at Jamie.

"From the looks they were giving each other in the car, and when I dropped them both off, I'd say they have already done so. I even walked them to the door to make sure they went in together!" Jamie Hughes said as he snorted to hold in immense laughter that threatened to erupt.

The five teammates all suddenly burst into thunderous laughter once more, except for Bryce, whose gaze hit the floor.

Who Dares Wins

Chapter Eighteen: Rest & Relaxation: Part Five

Thursday, 1 November, 2007

Sarah stood at the entrance to Chuck's home as they waved off their comrade and close friend, Jamie Hughes. Once Jamie's car had disappeared from sight, Sarah turned and entered inside.

Chuck followed on closely behind, and he closed the door behind him. With his actions complete, he turned to face Sarah.

The teammates and close friends shared an intimate smile before they paused in silence for a short moment as the reality of the situation they had entered themselves into started to set in between themselves.

Breaking the brief silence a short moment later, Sarah said, "Chuck, I have a strong suspicious feeling in me right now that we've just been set up together tonight."

Chuck blinked as he took slightly longer than usual to register Sarah's words due to his intoxicated state. Nodding a few seconds later, with his own conclusion on Sarah's chosen topic of immediate discussion now reached, he said, "I think you might be right. It was far too easy to get rid of them."

Sarah nodded as they both started to weigh up and piece together events that transpired between themselves and the rest of their team throughout the evening since Red Team arrived at the pub together.

"Usually after an op, those bastards would be drinking all night until they passed out, and you would be hard-pressed to find one of them alone that would have had enough, never mind all of them!" Chuck added in.

"Yeah, and when Bryce decided he wanted to continue on just like us and to come back here with us, the reaction he got from the team was one as though he was ruining something they had set up," Sarah said.

Chuck nodded before he started to shake his head, and he suppressed a laugh, which caused Sarah to do the same as they stood idle close to one another in Chuck's hallway.

"Sneaky bastards!" he exclaimed as he continued to shake his head, and he grinned at Sarah.

"But why would they want to set us up with each other, though, Chuck, after the monster ribbing we took from them just as soon as we clocked off duty?" she asked.

Chuck took a moment to muse Sarah's question before he shrugged because ultimately, he had no idea as to the motivations behind his team's scheming this evening. "Sarah, I don't know. I'm too drunk to interpret their actions and get inside of their minds right now, but clearly, they don't care about anything we may do together, or they would have said something, and none of them had approached me once all night," he said.

"Nor did any of them approach me," Sarah said, but her mind suddenly hit a revelation as she recalled a conversation between herself, Jamie Hughes, and Cole Barker much earlier. "Actually, they did."

"Go on?" Chuck encouraged Sarah to continue.

"At the bar, once the teasing finally stopped, Jamie and Cole came up to me. Jamie caught me looking over at you," she revealed while smiling shyly at him.

Chuck grinned as he suppressed a laugh. "And what did Jamie and Cole say about it?"

Sarah took a moment to recollect the conversation between herself and her two teammates hours earlier. "He told me that it was ok for us to like each other, that we didn't need to place barriers, and if it's what we both wanted, then he told me we should go for it, and Cole backed him up all the way."

"Yeah, I bet he did!" Chuck said, nodding in agreement, and he grinned at Sarah again before he puffed out a sigh at the actions of his friends. He quickly started to laugh once more, which caused Sarah to do the same.

After a few moments, Chuck shook his head because whatever scheming his team had been up to this evening, if he was being honest with himself, was precisely something that he would have done towards two of his teammates if they were in the same position that he was now in with Sarah himself.

"Jamie and Cole's intervention was the start of whatever they've been up to then," Chuck declared.

Sarah nodded. "Did you have any kind of conversation with any of them in a similar kind of way at all tonight? Can you remember?"

Chuck shook his head. "Sarah, I'm positive that none of them had approached me once all night except for Bryce when he came up to us at the bar. And actually, now I think more about it, the bastards have been purposely staying out of my way all night ever since we all split up after the bar and the brief conversation we all had about our mission ending up over the news. I have mostly been in your company, and they all stayed out of the way," he said.

Sarah nodded strongly. "You're right. They did stay out of our way."

Chuck shook his head in amazement. "Wow, they really did set us up," he said in shock as he emitted a wide grin, and he suppressed a laugh.

"Yeah, they did. And I can agree with your assessment that the team don't seem to care, or they wouldn't have set us up, and Jamie and Cole said as such themselves that they didn't care. But are you ok with knowing that they have a very strong idea about what may happen between us tonight?" she asked, gazing at him from the short distance between them.

"Sarah, it's possible I might give you a different answer about that in the morning to one that I might give you now in my intoxicated state," he admitted as he started to grimace.

Sarah nodded.

"Right now, my mindset doesn't really care what they might think because ultimately, what happens on a personal level between you and me provided we don't bring it to work isn't their business. I like to think that this would also be my stance tomorrow once I've sobered up, but I can't promise that it will be," he said.

"Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate it a lot," she said, smiling up at his taller frame.

He returned her warm gaze. "What about you? What's your opinion on the knowledge that the team might know about us?"

Sarah gulped a breath of air as she gathered her thoughts, and she tried to get her brain to think as though it was not presently impaired by how much alcohol she had consumed. "I agree with you that my mind may also think differently in the morning. But right now, I don't know," she admitted.

Chuck nodded, and he held his friendly gaze towards her. "Then I suggest that we take a little extra time to come to a decision as to whether we want to do this or not. It's still relatively early. There's a takeaway restaurant close by. We could take a walk to it, grab some food, and then return here. If by that point you have decided that it's no longer what you want, then you have my word that I will respect that decision, and I'll offer you my spare room, and we'll say no more about it. How does that sound?" he proposed.

Sarah took a moment to process Chuck's proposition, as a smile then formed, and she said, "That sounds good."

Chuck returned Sarah's smile, and he nodded at her. "Great. Let's go then. If you're ready?"

Sarah nodded. "I am."

Chuck nodded, and he turned to open the door to his home. Holding it open, he allowed Sarah to depart first. Making sure that he still had possession of his keys, which he had, he promptly exited his home after Sarah, and he closed the door to his house after him.

Sarah had already moved a short distance up his driveway, but she had paused in wait for him, and he quickly caught up to her. They shared a smile before they departed Chuck's driveway, and they slowly walked up the street.

Unable to resist his urge to continue his playfulness with Sarah, Chuck joked, "You're looking a little light on your feet there, Sarah. Are you sure you're capable of this walk?"

Sarah paused from walking, and she crossed her arms as her face lit up with a radiant smile, and she scoffed as she shook her head at Chuck for his continued attempts to wind her up. "I could carry you over the Brecon Beacons, in the current state that I'm in right now," she said.

Chuck had also paused from walking once Sarah had. He grinned at her while muting laughter. "Sarah, I couldn't even carry you over the Brecon Beacons right now, and I've drunk as much as you, so I doubt that!"

Sarah suppressed laughter. "So you admit that you're in a worse state than me right now?" she said, gazing at him in affection.

"I admit nothing," he retorted, returning her loving gaze.

"It's too late. You just did," she laughed.

As he began to smirk at her, Chuck suggested suddenly, "How about a change of topic?"

"I'm kind of fine to continue on with the current topic. I'm very interested to hear just how much more out of it you are than me right now," she laughed as they continued walking together once more.

Chuck shared the laughter with her. "Well, I'm not happy to continue on with the topic!" he joked. "Besides, the next one is one that you will be very interested in engaging in with me."

"Oh?" Sarah inquired.

Chuck nodded as he grinned at her. "Yeah. Sarah, after the monster ribbing at their hands, in addition to them setting us up, we can't let those bastards get away without extracting some payback on them."

Sarah furiously started to nod in agreement. "I don't intend to let them get away with what they did to us tonight, Chuck."

Chuck nodded. "Nor do I. They went too far with the teasing. I understood initially, but not for as long as they did."

"Exactly, Chuck. I wouldn't have even done to my worst enemy what they did to us for at least an hour," she complained.

Chuck continued nodding. "Which is why we're gonna get them back, but we should bide our time and wait for the perfect moment and not just rush into it, because that's when it will be most sweet when they least expect it," he declared.

"Chuck, I will wait as long as a year if that's how long it takes for the perfect moment to get them back. My feelings are too hurt, and I have nothing but complete desire to exact revenge after they tortured us," she instantly said.

"I like your style. Consider me game in anything that you come up with. They're gonna pay for what they did to us," Chuck declared, grinning.

Sarah giggled sweetly. "Yeah. They are," she said with a loving gaze.

Chuck and Sarah continued to walk for a few short minutes until they arrived at the takeaway restaurant. They then entered the building, where they queued in wait to place their order.

It was a rather cold November evening, and Sarah was feeling the effects of the current climate.

Chuck had observed the temperature's effects on Sarah too because she had shivered on a few occasions. Unfortunately, he had no coat to offer his teammate, but it appeared that Sarah already had an idea in mind that could help her with her predicament.

Moving into Chuck's proximity, Sarah said, "I'm cold."

Chuck nodded, and he grinned at her before he said, "I can tell."

He proceeded to open his arms out while holding an inviting glance towards her.

Sarah promptly entered Chuck's proximity, and they shared a smile before she turned and backed herself into Chuck, who wrapped his arms around her.

His actions drew no reaction from Sarah as they continued in wait to place their order, with Sarah warming herself up backed into Chuck's frame.

A short while later

Sarah was disturbed from where she was resting against Chuck as their order number was called out. The actions that she had carried out with Chuck were far too intimate for teammates to be doing, but she was too cold and intoxicated to care about the consequences of possibly being seen by somebody they might have known.

Reluctantly moving out of the immediate proximity of Chuck, she took out her purse, and she turned to look at Chuck, who had also retrieved his wallet from his person.

"Sarah, I'll buy this. You can put your purse away."

Sarah paused in hesitation, and she made eye contact with Chuck, who was smiling at her.

"Chuck, I don't know. I like to pay my way," she protested.

He held his grin. "Sarah, I'm the host tonight. If you're so insistent, then you can buy the next one, so long as it's you who's hosting that is."

Sarah processed and contemplated his words. Trying hard to keep a straight face but failing, she quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was within immediate earshot before she said, "Who says there will be a next one and that I'll host it?"

Chuck suppressed a laugh. "I didn't take you to be a one and done kind of girl," he said, holding his loving grin.

Sarah shared the muted laughter with him. "That depends on how good he is," she teased.

Chuck snickered as her comments caused him to continue suppressing laughter. "Sarah, I can assure you that I'm solid as a rock in that department," Chuck said as he shook his curled up fist.

A bright smile shone through Sarah's features. "In that case, maybe we should hurry up back then," she said.

Chuck nodded multiple times in succession. "Agreed, which is why I'm paying for our order right now so we can get out of here."

A short while later

Chuck and Sarah entered back inside Chuck's house with their bags of food in hand.

"Well, here we are then," Chuck said on shutting the door after him and turning to face Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, here we are."

With his cheeks blushing slightly due to his impending question, Chuck asked, "So, um, have you had any second thoughts or doubts in the time it's taken us?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I haven't," she said as a smile escaped.

Chuck met her smile, but he also raised it as a trademark grin formed, and he nodded in acceptance of her words.

The teammates, close friends, and almost certainly soon to be lovers promptly made their way to the dining area to prepare their food.

O-x-O-x-O-x-O

"Sarah, thank you for tonight. I've really enjoyed your company, and it feels a long time ago since we crashed outside the barracks at whatever speed we were going. Nevertheless, it's still actually just about the same day," Chuck said, glancing at the time on his watch, which was almost approaching midnight.

Sarah laughed. "Yeah, it does feel like a while ago. Thank you too, but the night is still young."

"Oh, not done yet, huh?" he asked, grinning.

Sarah shook her head, and she suppressed a laugh. "I'm still waiting for you to pour me a drink," she declared.

Chuck grimaced for a brief moment. "I would have done already if I knew I had something you liked. Unfortunately, nobody was really a drinker of Southern Comfort, Captain Morgan, or Gin in this house before you came along," he joked.

They shared laughter together. "You could have fooled me with how much of the stuff you've been drinking with me," she teased.

He nodded. "Sarah, I would drink anything with no questions asked. I don't really have a favourite drink."

"You would drink anything?" she laughed.

"Well, almost anything," he said, suppressing laughter.

Sarah giggled sweetly.

"Let's see what we have," Chuck said as he stood up and prepared to make his way towards the refrigerator. "I know you won't drink beer, which is totally cool with me. And by the way, you're not the first I've met who has experienced discomfort from drinking the stuff. I don't particularly see you as the kind of person to be into Jack Daniels either."

She shook her head. "I'm not," she admitted.

Chuck nodded. "Then let's see what else we have," he said, opening the fridge. He took a moment shifting through the bottles of beer before his glance connected onto a different kind of bottle, and he retrieved it from the refrigerator.

Turning to face Sarah once more, he grinned as he said, "provided you don't have an aversion to vodka, I think we might be in luck."

Sarah nodded as she sported him a smile.

Chuck returned into her proximity, and he placed a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka onto the table.

"Do you have anything to mix it with, like coke?" she asked.

Chuck shook his head, and he began to scoff.

"What?" she asked cutely, and she started to smile at him.

"Sarah, how in god's name did you ever get into the SAS? If the guys heard you asking for what you just did, you'd be returned to your unit. I have a good mind to do it too!" he laughed.

"Is that a challenge?" she asked, unable to stop herself from continuing to smile in happiness at him over his playful teasing of her, which she was quickly growing to love.

"If you're brave enough, yeah," he said as a grin formed.

"Then forget the coke, pour it," she said, holding her loving gaze.

"They may just be hope for you yet, Sarah," he replied, still holding his fully developed smile of happiness.

Sarah laughed as she collected a forkful of her food, and she consumed the contents.

Chuck made his way to the refrigerator once more, only this time he bent down. Opening the door to the freezer department, he collected an ice tray. Closing the fridge, he proceeded over to one of many cupboards inside the dining area, and he took out two glasses.

He returned to Sarah's proximity with the two glasses and the ice tray in hand.

"Straight vodka is better with ice," he said.

Sarah nodded, though her curiosity concerning Chuck's expertise in properly consuming vodka got the better of her. "I've not seen you drinking vodka so far. How are you such an expert?" she asked.

Suppressing a laugh, he said, "Actually, this bottle isn't even mine."

"Oh?" she inquired.

He nodded. "Yeah, this was Jill's favourite. But I would drink it with her on many occasions," he admitted as he began to pour two glasses of vodka for himself and Sarah.

A fully developed smile took shape as Sarah said, "Always accommodating towards other people's tastes and desires before your own, huh?"

He nodded as he added the ice into the glasses, and he handed one over to Sarah.

"I like that," she admitted as she took hold of the drink that Chuck had prepared for her. "It shows your personality and how you treat others."

Chuck grinned. "Well, most of the time, I guess I do, but at the same time, there's also countless beers and JD in the fridge too, which is all me," he laughed as he moved to sit back down next to her.

Sarah shared the laughter with him. "We all have to be a little selfish sometimes," she said.

He nodded. "Well, cheers," he said, having collected his glass, and he extended it out towards Sarah.

"Cheers," she replied as they touched their glasses together.

They shared an intimate stare before they each took a gulp from their glasses.

Returning their glasses to their places on the table, they held their gaze, and Chuck took a forkful of food into his mouth.

"It would be so awkward if Jill walked in on us right now," Sarah stated suddenly.

Sarah's sudden statement caused Chuck to start to choke on the food he had placed into his mouth, and Sarah snorted at his actions and at Chuck's facial expressions, who was now gaping wide-eyed at her.

It took Chuck a short moment to recover and restore his airways, and when he did, he said, "Thanks for that!"

Sarah laughed sweetly. "I was just speaking my mind. I didn't think it would cause you to choke," she said.

"Touche," he replied. "But Sarah, I can't get that thought out of my mind now. Maybe I should suggest going back to your place just in case you've jinxed it, and it actually happens!"

"Chuck, I couldn't care any less about Jill. I almost want her to walk in on us right now because of how she behaved towards you.

"Sarah, unfortunately, I can't share that same sentiment as you. It would be the most awkward thing ever if she were to walk in here right now," he admitted.

Sarah snorted in response.

An hour later

Chuck poured Sarah and himself their third glass of straight vodka.

"Not had enough yet?" Chuck teased.

"In your dreams," Sarah retorted.

"I wouldn't think any less of you if you tapped out," he continued the joke.

"I can drink you under the table. I will never allow you to better me in anything," she laughed.

Sarah's comments provoked laughter from Chuck. "Sarah, you shouldn't make statements that you can't keep," he teased.

Sarah giggled as she shook her head in amusement. "We'll see about that tonight," she declared.

Chuck nodded. "Yeah, we will," he said, grinning. "I've drunk much more than this."

Sarah's eyes suddenly widened, which Chuck instantly picked up on.

"Oh, you're definitely a goner. You might be able to bluff in what you say, but your body language just gave you away," he said.

"I will admit that this is the most that I have ever drunk, but somehow, I feel like I can keep going on all night, so don't you worry about me. You are a bad influence on me," she said, giggling, as the teammates continued to hold deep, intimate eye contact with each other.

Chuck chuckled. "tsk, tsk," he said, shaking his head. "The most you've drunk? And yet you dare to think you can challenge me. Just so you know, I don't intend to let you forget this defeat for the rest of your life once I have claimed victory in this contest."

Sarah continued to giggle. "I'm not sure if I will be able to cope with you for the rest of my life," she teased as the teammates continued to hold deep, intimate eye contact with each other.

Sarah's gaze lowered from his orbs briefly, and she observed as he put his hand on his heart, and he proceeded to wince. "Sarah, that hurts. But it's too late, you're stuck with me now, and I'm stuck with you."

"Not if I transfer to the SBS," she joked, as more laughter threatened to erupt.

Chuck laughed. "Sarah, you can't even swim!" he teased.

Sarah's mouth opened agape over his remarks. "It's so on now! There is no way you would even know that! I'll have you know I dodged SFSG during my selection by swimming the river downstream to avoid the hunter force on the bridge!" she complained with a wide smile.

Chuck laughed, feeling very proud of himself for winding Sarah up for what felt like the hundredth time today. "I know you did. I was watching you. That's how I know you can't swim. I have to admit, it was fun watching yourself and Bryce struggle to swim through the freaking river while I was all cosied up and dry."

Sarah shook her head in mock disgust. "Maybe that's because of the current, and that we weren't actually trying to swim, but trying to stay afloat and not drown because of the current!" she protested.

Chuck chuckled away once more.

"You're wicked," she said, her mouth fully agape and hurting from smiling so much.

He nodded as he continued chuckling.

"But now I'm curious as to where you saw me from. We saw nobody on our tail," she informed him.

He nodded. "Sarah, that's because we're the best, and you're not," he said as he continued to laugh, and she finally joined him in laughing, while at the same time, she proceeded to swat away at his chest with her hand in lighthearted frustration.

"In all seriousness, I was further up the embankment with Cole, Jamie and Dan. And all jokes aside, your manoeuvre with Bryce was precisely what we all would have done too, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I was looking at my next teammate," he said with a loving gaze.

Sarah returned his cordial glance, and they paused in a brief silence as they stared into each other's eyes.

Breaking the silence a short moment later, Sarah asked, "If you saw all of that, then you must have witnessed a lot of my SERE?"

Chuck nodded in confirmation. "Um, we saw a lot, including you both almost compromising yourselves while you were up in a tree. We had night scopes, and we all saw you and Bryce arguing with each other, and you almost got yourselves made because of it when the recon patrol walked past your position."

Sarah nodded, and frustration built up for the first time since she had been in Chuck's company tonight, but her frustration was not aimed towards Chuck. "You're right. We did. He was attempting to flirt with me," she revealed.

Chuck shook his head in disgust, and he quickly entered a pissed off frame of mind himself. "During your SERE? Really?" he asked incredulously.

"Mh-hmm," she admitted.

Chuck continued to shake his head in a frustrated frame of mind. "What an unprofessional grade-A prick! You're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen in my life, but during training or while we're on the job, I can assure you that my focus will only ever be on the task at hand, and I'm not just saying that 'cause you're here with me now."

Sarah donned him a loving smile. "Chuck, I know, and that's why I'm here with you now. If I felt otherwise, then I wouldn't be."

He nodded as he began to grin. "Oh, so you finally admit that I'm not all bad then?" he said, winking his eyebrows at her.

Sarah giggled sweetly. "Yeah, you're 99% bad," she said.

Chuck shook his head in disbelief at Sarah stealing the joke he had used on her previously. "Hey, that's my line from when I drove you to Kensington! You can't use that! I don't recall having given my permission for you to recycle it!" he protested.

"Yes, I can," she said.

"Nope, you can't. And you're gonna take that back. That line is reserved for my use only," he said.

"Make me take it back," she said in defiance.

"Ok, here it comes," Chuck said as he stood up and grabbed hold of Sarah.

Sarah quickly rose from her own seat, and they started to wrestle with each other while laughing during the playful exchange.

The skirmish continued for the next minute, and Chuck had managed to turn Sarah so that he had a grapple hold of her, with her back resting into his chest.

Sarah continued to put up resistance in her attempts to break free of the grip so that she could face Chuck again, but she was unsuccessful.

"Are you really sure that you wish to do this again, after what happened last time?" Sarah asked suddenly.

"If I get a knee in the nuts this time, then I'm out of action all night, so you would only be harming yourself," he laughed.

Sarah pouted. "That's so not fair," she declared.

Chuck continued to laugh before he adjusted his head, and he proceeded to kiss Sarah's neck.

Sarah gasped at the contact. "You fight dirty," she said with a lustful smile, arching herself to look at him.

"So do you," Chuck replied, returning the glance to her in kind.

Chuck quickly loosened his grip on Sarah, and he allowed her to turn.

On completing their repositioning, they paused for a brief moment before Sarah moved to connect her lips together with Chuck's.

The kiss was brief and soft, but on getting their breath back, they went right back in for more only this time, the lock of their lips together held for much longer, and their tongues danced a battle for supremacy with each other.

Parting for air a short time later, they remained in intimate proximity towards each other, and gazing into his eyes, Sarah said, "I like you a lot. You know that, right?"

He nodded before he gave her the biggest grin of the night. "I was kind of getting that impression. I really like you a lot too," he declared.

Sarah suppressed a laugh in joy, happiness and fulfilment, and she smiled right back at him.

The teammates, close friends, and soon to be lovers paused in a short silence as they remained in extremely close proximity, and they held their trance-like gaze into the eyes of one another.

Breaking the calm and relaxing silence between them, Sarah spoke. "Maybe we should postpone the contest for another time and move onto other fun things instead?"

It took Chuck less than half of a second to respond. "I couldn't agree more."

They shared a loving glance before they took hold of each other's hand, and they made their way to Chuck's bedroom together.

End of Chapter

AN2 The next chapter will be the morning after Chuck and Sarah's night. I could have continued on with this chapter a little more until things heated up, but I never know what acceptable T-rated content is, and what is not, so I decided to end it here. We all know what happens for the rest of the night anyway.

AN3 I will one day write up as an accompanying M-rated piece Chuck and Sarah's events that take place for the rest of the night. I don't have an ETA on that, but if enough people want to see it, then it might come quicker.

AN4 Did you enjoy the chapter? Please leave a review with your feedback. And until next time, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas :)