A/N: Little cool tonight, ain't it. Let's see if our tale can warm you up a bit.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

"What's he doing?" Sarah asked.

The two watched Morgan on a ladder. He carried a jar and a brush.

"He said he's going to seal the gaps in the logs, to help keep the house warm in the winter, and cool in the summer," Chuck told her.

"Is him being on a ladder the best idea?" Sarah asked.

"His being on flat ground isn't always the best idea," Chuck admitted. Sarah snorted at that. "So, with the house done, I guess we better figure out some furniture." Sarah turned to him. "I do get a say in the furniture, right?"

"It's your house," Sarah reminded him.

"Um, no, it's ours, because you signed onto the deed," Chuck reminded her.

"Well, I've not contributed anything to the house," Sarah rebutted.

"Monetarily, no," Chuck agreed. "But building, support, and just… being there for me, you absolutely have. And I know many will say I'm an idiot for saying this, but to me that's more important."

Sarah didn't say anything for a moment. "You miss her being your partner, don't you?"

"I did," Chuck admitted. "I don't now, I have you as a partner." She gave him an amused look. "Not like that… I meant, in the ways I described earlier." She reached over and took his hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Sarah replied. "So, should we go into town?"

"Do you think he's okay here unsupervised?" Chuck asked.

"Well, probably not. But he's at that age where he needs to learn some responsibility," Sarah said. Chuck snorted at that. "I'll go hitch the wagon, you tell him we're going to town."

}o{

"You ever been to one?" Sarah asked. The two had ordered several pieces of furniture that were to be shipped to them in the coming weeks. Sarah had mentioned how she couldn't wait to sleep in a bed again, and the shopkeeper gave Chuck a knowing smile. Before Chuck could say anything, she slipped her arm around his back, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Wasn't much to say after that.

"Been to one what?" Chuck asked, his eyes wide. She shook her head, then nodded her head across the street to the theater. He turned, and saw where she was nodding her head. "Oh, one of those moving pictures? No, I haven't."

"What were you looking at?" Sarah asked, trying to look around him. He moved forward as she tried to move forward past him, then stepped back and he did the same. She gave him a look, moved around him, all while shaking her head. "You want me to push you in the street?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Chuck said. She turned to him, a look on her face. "Why are you looking at portraits?"

"Well, I was thinking that if you stayed, a normal couple would have a picture of themselves," Chuck told her.

"And we should be a normal couple?" Sarah asked.

It seemed like an innocent question, but somehow, Chuck knew it wasn't. He had started to quickly answer, but something in him told him this was important. He paused, gathered himself, and replied.

"No, we should be who we are," he said softly. Something in her face changed. It wasn't for the negative. No, it was clearly for the positive. "However, we don't want to attract problems until we finish our mission at least, so…"

"We should probably do all we can to look like a real couple," Sarah said.

"Oh, we're a real couple," Chuck told her. He watched her eyes go wide. He shut his eyes, blowing out a breath. When he opened them, he looked her right in the eye. "Maybe not what society says a couple should be, but we're together. We're friends, partners, and we have each other's back in a way many traditional married couples do not."

"We do," she said softly. "And I'm glad you're my partner."

"I'm glad you're mine, and I'm glad to be yours," Chuck said.

"Okay, let's go get our picture taken, and then go watch that moving picture," Sarah said.

"And while we are partners, it's clear one of us is the boss," Chuck said.

She grinned at him, stepped forward, and whispered softly into his ear, "You like it." She walked off, while he gathered himself.

"I do," he muttered to himself, following her inside.

}o{

She was quiet on the ride home, and Chuck began to worry he had said something wrong during the day. He was just about to speak, when she did.

"It was never like this with Bryce," she said softly. "I was never encouraged to be me. I was Bryce's wife, so therefore an extension of him, and what he was supposed to be seen as."

"You lost what made you what you are," Chuck said, understanding.

She looked over at him, nodding. Looking back at the reins, she chuckled. "Me, driving, with Bryce? Never. Me, wearing these trousers? Never. And, might I add, I think I look just as feminine in these as I do a dress." She turned to him. "Do you think I look… unfeminine… is that a word? Anyway, what do you think of these trousers?"

"You want my honest opinion?" Chuck asked.

"I really do," Sarah told him.

"I think you could wear anything, and no one would be confused about your femininity… is that a word?"

"It is now," Sarah said, a catch in her voice.

"Anyway, I've never seen you in a dress, but I imagine you look amazing in one," Chuck continued. "As far as I'm concerned – which really doesn't matter, and I'm only telling you because you asked – you wear what you want, when you want, however you want. I know it's easy to say this, because we're not really married, but that's how I'd be if we were. You are you, Sarah. You are quite amazing."

"But I'm a killer," Sarah said.

Chuck was quiet for a moment. "There are things in this world I'm not good at," he said. "This area of the country is savage, and there are savage men who are not obeying what few rules of decency and humanity we have here. You have been affected by them, and you wish to right wrongs. Here, unfortunately, we are the law. We both know what these men will do if you don't follow through with what you wish to do to them. I don't know if I can kill them, but that doesn't mean I think they shouldn't be tried for their crimes. And we both know how courts work out here. We both know the chances of them escaping before they're even tried are high. So for now, until society is better and more civil, we have to be judge, jury, and executioner."

"But what gives me the right?" Sarah asked. "What gives me the right to be judge, jury, and executioner?"

"Again, it's a given of where we live and how things are," Chuck answered. "But I don't think that's what you're really wanting to know."

Sarah was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. "How are you okay with what I want to do?"

"Because I trust you," Chuck said with a shrug. "Since I've met you, you've had to make some tough decisions. My day could have ended very badly the first time we met. You could have shot me. Hell, no one would have been shocked. After what you went through, you holding a gun on me and me being…well, me. Looking for clothes for you instead of realizing a woman was going through something and was armed, and me not listening…" He shrugged.

"You were worried about me," Sarah replied. "Anyone could have seen that."

"And-and, you take care of me," Chuck said. "And not mother, or whatever else idiots want to call it. I make mistakes sometimes, and I really don't want to put you in bad spots, yet you keep bailing me out. Like at the bank, or with the furniture shopping."

"I'm just doing for you what I think you'd do for me," Sarah answered.

"Also… listening to you and to Bryce… it's obvious we had a very different childhood, and you've experienced some things," Chuck continued. Sarah's face darkened. "And please understand, I'm not criticizing you or judging you. I'm simply saying you've dealt with the real world, and I really haven't. So, what I'm saying, Sarah, is I trust you. I trust you wouldn't be doing this unless you believe in it. And not for vengeance. But to keep these men from doing it again. If it was vengeance… I would say something."

She was quiet for a moment. "What if part of it is for vengeance?"

"How could it not be?" Chuck replied. "What they did… what they almost did…" He trailed off, his body shuddering.

They rode silent for a few minutes. "You know, I think I do look good in a dress."

"I am sure you do, Sarah," Chuck replied. She chuckled. "I am sure you do."

}o{

"What in the world has he done?" Sarah asked.

The two pulled up to camp, noticing two things: One, a lean-to had been constructed. It wasn't of the best construction, but it had been constructed. All of Morgan's things were under it. The second thing they noticed were none of Chuck and Sarah's things were there.

"I moved your stuff into the house," Morgan said, walking up, looking proud of himself. "I figure we get the barn done next, and then we can build my place."

"I think we should build his place next, what do you think Chuck?" Sarah asked.

"I think that's a great idea," Chuck told her.

"I wanted to suprise you two with two beds for tonight, but I was only able to get the one," Morgan began.

"A bed?!" Sarah asked. "We can share it, it's fine."

Morgan looked over at Chuck. "We've shared one before," he assured Morgan.

"Well, okay, you two have a good night, and I'll see you in the morning," Morgan said. "There's also bath water in there."

"Bath water?" Sarah asked. She turned to Chuck. "I get it first."

Chuck laughed.

}o{

He had to admit, he felt much better after the bath. He could get used to that.

Walking into the bedroom they were sharing, he was thinking about how nice it would be to sleep on a bed, when he stopped. Sarah turned towards him.

The lantern was lit, and he could see her clearly. It was a plain simple dress, but she looked absolutely stunning. "Uh… Sarah?"

"I do believe you said I could wear whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, right?" Sarah asked.

"I did," Chuck replied. She moved toward him, and he stood there, unable to move. "Sarah?"

"I've been thinking, Chuck," she began. "I've been thinking a lot about being married. I didn't enjoy being married to Bryce. We weren't right, you know?"

"Well, I wasn't there, but if you weren't, you weren't," Chuck tried to answer.

"And you… you had a good marriage. A strong marriage," she continued. "You must miss her deeply."

"I do, but… I've moved on. She's gone," Chuck told her. "I'm a widower."

"You are," Sarah said. "As am I."

"You are," Chuck agreed. She reached up to the button of his full underwear under his neck. She played with it a moment, then unbuttoned it.

"Chuck, we're telling everyone we're married."

"We are," Chuck said, his words an octave higher.

"We're sharing a farm, a life… a partnership," she continued.

"Yep," Chuck said, nearly squeaking.

"The only thing we've not done, that married people would do… is be intimate."

"You know some would say that intimacy is not necessarily physical but the emotional connection between two people, and I could see how some would argue that we, in fact, have been… quite intimate."

She didn't speak for a second, and when she did, there was an amused smile on her face. "Do you want me physically, Chuck?"

"Desperately," he blurted out. She reached a little lower and unbuttoned his next button.

"We should probably have an understanding then," Sarah said. "Because my last marriage… there wasn't an understanding."

"Rules are great," Chuck said.

"I'm so glad you agree," she said, and she unbuttoned a third button.

"I'm going to be me, you're going to be you, and we're going to love each other, and be partners," Sarah told him.

"Wouldn't want it any other way," Chuck said. She froze and looked him in the eye. He put her hand over hers where she had it over the fourth button. "I think you should know something… if we do… this, I will see us as… really married."

"Really?" Sarah asked, freeing her hand and undoing the fourth button.

"Really," Chuck told her. She unbuttoned his fifth button, having now freed his entire torso.

She pushed the long underwear off his shoulders. "Well, good thing I like the name Sarah Bartowski."

"Yep," Chuck replied.

"Blow the candle out, Chuck," she told him.

He did.

A/N: Boy Howdy.