A/N: If you were one of the few that reviewed the last chapter, thank you. FanFiction is still causing problems accessing stories, so some people may have just given up.
Thanks to MicroGirl1225 for pre-reading this.
Chuck and Sarah are about to meet up again…
Far Distant Chuck
Chapter 10
"Move it, Walker!" Casey barked at her. He was standing outside of the flier, glaring at her.
That jolted Sarah off the flier seat. She landed on shaky feet, but before moving further, she removed the cap and the sunglasses, placing them on the flyer seat. She wasn't going to hide from Chuck. She shook her hair out, hoping it didn't look a mess, but then reprimanded herself. Chuck wouldn't be judging her.
Casey was still glaring at her, now for preening, so she started walking and followed him into the house. She wasn't even aware of her surroundings, just looking at Casey's back to keep her focused on where she was going.
They entered a room that was already occupied. Sarah registered a woman and a teenager, but froze on seeing the man she traveled so far to see.
He was wearing the same sort of clothes she remembered from their time together. That wasn't surprising. He'd been whisked from life on this planet, having only just returned from college to Volkoff's farm, so it was predictable that this is what he would wear here. She was the one dressed differently. So, it wasn't his attire that stopped her in her tracks, but just seeing him for real, instead of on a screen. It brought home her feelings for him.
Chuck seemed to be equally frozen. Was that due to her very different clothing, or just seeing her?
After a while, Sarah raised her right hand, palm facing him as she wiggled her fingers. "Hi," escaped her lips.
He raised his hand too and replied, "Hi."
She heard Casey groan, and then say, "So fucking eloquent!"
"John!" the woman, his wife, admonished.
"Well…" Sarah felt Casey's gaze upon her. "She travelled here from the heart of the galaxy. Five days of travelling, only to say, 'Hi'?"
"They're communicating with their eyes," the girl said.
Hearing that made Sarah realize she was scanning him, checking on his state. Her concern for him and what he had been going through was obviously visible. He'd been sent away to safety, but it was like a prison, really. Not allowed to see anyone, and if Casey hadn't been overruled by his wife, even she would've been kept away. Away from this man who she wanted to be with.
She lifted her eyes to his. She wasn't surprised that all she could see was his affection for her. Affection that she reflected back, just like Alex had oh so subtly mentioned.
Suddenly, the older woman was beside her. "Sarah, I'm Kathleen, Casey's wife, and that's Alex, our daughter. You are very welcome here. It's good to see the woman who worked with Chuck and shares his thoughts on what you found out there." She pulled Sarah into a hug that was quite unexpected.
Sarah's mind latched onto what she'd just heard. How much had Chuck told them about the Intersect and what he'd done with her on that base? She'd have to question him on that.
When she was released, she said, "Thank you for accepting me into your home." Looking over at Alex, she added, "And to you for offering me your bed. I feel guilty that you're doing that, especially as I can sleep virtually anywhere. I learned to do that over the years in the Guard."
Alex joined her. "You are very welcome. I get to spend more time with my friend, but that's not because I don't want to be here." Her eyes sparkled. "It's good to meet the woman who occupies Chuck's thoughts so much."
Sarah's eyes shot to the man who had only uttered one word since her arrival. He was blushing. She leaned closer to the teenager while smiling at him. "Well, thank you anyway."
Kathleen grabbed her daughter, saying to Sarah, "We can talk more about you being here later, but for now we'll let you and Chuck get reacquainted." She looked over at her husband. "John, come on!" It was another reminder of who was in charge in this household. She herded the other two out, then stopped and looked back at Sarah. "We'll be in the kitchen, but would you like a drink?"
Sarah couldn't take her eyes off of Chuck and didn't need anything else. "No, thank you. I'm fine."
And suddenly there were just the two of them. Chuck was just gazing at her, unmoving.
"So," she started, and held her arms wide. "Pleased to see me?"
He was suddenly in motion and crossed the room to her, while saying, "So very much."
She was swept up into his arms and he unexpectedly kissed her.
When Sarah walked in behind Casey, Chuck froze again, but this time it felt fully understandable. The girl of his dreams had just appeared in the room and was now standing only a few feet away.
He knew Sarah Walker wasn't a girl. She was a beautiful woman, but it was more than that. She was in a dress!
She always looked lovely in her uniform, her natural beauty showing through, but in a dress, she looked absolutely breathtaking. The blue floral pattern, something he would never have expected to see on her, seemed to compliment her eyes. The sleeveless shape seemed to hug her body before flaring out from her hips. Her long slender arms were uncovered, as were her shapely legs from just above her knees.
He didn't know what he was expecting. Apart from the nights when she was caring for him, and wearing pajamas, he'd only seen her in her uniform. That wasn't appropriate for someone on leave, but this was, well, amazing. The word stunning seemed like it had been invented just for her.
Having stopped walking, she seemed to have frozen, too. He hoped that was because she felt as he did, overwhelmed in her presence, but didn't feel that his appearance warranted that.
When Sarah raised her hand and waved, she looked cute, seeming years younger than she was. She said, "Hi," and he repeated both the gesture and her word. Nothing else was in him to say. Speechless described him perfectly.
Casey made a comment, but Chuck didn't really hear it, although he guessed that it was some snarky remark about them.
Alex spoke up then, and what she said made Chuck wish she'd stay silent. It was embarrassingly true that he was looking at Sarah like he was obsessed with her, but he held the blonde's gaze, almost wanting her to see how he felt about her.
Kathleen then took charge of the situation. He was glad that she embraced Sarah and welcomed her. Sarah then spoke to the youngest member of the household and Chuck braced himself for what response she would get, but it thankfully wasn't too bad.
Then, Kathleen swept her family out of the room and it was just him and Sarah standing, looking at each other.
He remembered how she'd looked from the start of their time together. How could he not? Such beauty was ingrained into his memory, even though he was upset at the time, but now she seemed to look even more beautiful. That wasn't just the dress, she just radiated loveliness.
She looked almost tentative as she held her arms wide, making him tear his eyes away from her blue ones. "So," she said. "Pleased to see me?"
He couldn't stop himself. He rushed across the room, saying, "So very much," and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him. His lips seeking hers.
Her outstretched arms didn't stay that way. Her hands were suddenly on his shoulders and her lips soft on his. Nothing could feel better than this.
Then, she pulled her lips away and he realized what he'd done. He'd forced her to kiss him again! He released her completely and stepped back slightly, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry. I can't help it."
He felt her hands still on his shoulders and they squeezed gently. "Did I complain?" she softly asked.
This was confusing. "But you pulled away."
"Only to catch a breath." She held his gaze and added, "So that I could do this."
She pulled him back and her lovely soft lips were on his again.
Yes! She. Kissed. Him!
He closed his eyes and completely lost himself in that kiss.
Sarah knew that she shouldn't be doing this in their living room when they were only just through in the kitchen, but the kiss he gave her had been intoxicating. She needed more of it.
This kiss was even better. She didn't know if that was because she'd started it, but didn't care. His lips on hers were perfect.
However, she knew they needed to stop when Chuck moaned into the kiss. That would attract unwanted attention. She pulled back.
Chuck had closed his eyes, just as she had. He still had his closed and his lips were pouting, seeking to continue the kiss. She was very tempted, but instead whispered, "Chuck, we have to stop or we'll be found, or at least they'll certainly hear you."
His eyes snapped open. "Was that me that moaned?" he whispered back.
She giggled at him not knowing, and pulled away completely. She nodded.
He blushed. "Sorry, it was so good!"
She placed her palm against his cheek. "It was."
He looked like he was going to say more, but she stopped him. They needed to take the opportunity to talk. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the couch. Once they were seated, she said, "What you did for me and my team helped enormously, but you put yourself at risk doing it. You could've been identified and this so-called prison would be nothing like where you'd be taken."
He didn't look upset. "They'd never know it was me."
She frowned. "Only because I lied when asked, and my team is loyal enough to keep quiet."
His eyes widened. "You had to lie for me?"
She nodded. "I had to say I didn't know who sent the plans to me. It's only because I'm trusted that they didn't interrogate me."
Chuck shuddered. He obviously thought of what Volkoff had been subjected to on that spacecraft. The Republican Guard wouldn't resort to such devices, but they had drugs that would force the truth out.
"I didn't think," he started.
"No. You didn't!" she cut in.
"But you needed the plans or you were going to get caught… or worse, killed." He shuddered again.
Chuck was probably right and she could see she wasn't going to get him to see that was her problem and not his. Instead, she said, "Promise me that you'll never do anything like that again."
He shook his head. "I'll always do anything I can to help you." His lips tightened after saying that. He looked adamant.
She sighed. "Oh Chuck. I wish you wouldn't."
He looked like he might immediately say something, but shook his head to stop himself. After a few moments he did, though. "You don't seem to understand how important you are to me."
She had guessed. She quietly responded, "You're important to me, too. That's why I don't want you in trouble."
He sighed. "Sorry, but protecting you is still going to be my top priority."
She saw the determination in his expression. She had no idea how to change that. Keeping him hidden was so important, and yet he'd risk that for her. A reason started to filter up into her brain, but she squashed it down. Thoughts like that would only make this more difficult.
She then thought about those protecting him. "What have you, and have you not, told Casey and his family?"
The kisses had been magical and Chuck had not wanted them to end. Ever.
He'd never kissed anyone before, and at the way his life was going, he'd thought he maybe never would. That didn't matter now, though. He'd kissed the perfect lips of the most gorgeous woman in the universe. The memory would last forever.
He had very nearly told Sarah that he loved her. He was sure he did, but she'd probably think that was ridiculous when they'd spent so little time together, and not at all for nearly a year. It was hard to keep it in, though.
Then she asked him something he'd not expected. He looked in the direction of the kitchen and then back at Sarah.
"We can't talk about that here," he replied. "Maybe in my bedroom?"
She raised an eyebrow. "I thought we'd decided that me going in there was too dangerous."
He knew what she meant. "I'll keep my hands to myself."
She chuckled. "Like you did here?"
He ignored that. "It's the only place we can talk. Unless they all go out and leave us here."
The thought of being alone in the house with Sarah both excited and made him nervous. How far would they go? And what would it do to them when they parted?
He didn't want to think of her leaving. He knew that was going to be awful. It had been when he'd left her and somehow his feelings for the amazing captain had increased since then.
"I need to know, Chuck," she said, looking serious again. "It's not just that I don't want to say something that contradicts what they know, and makes me seem like a liar; some things aren't safe for them to know, putting them at risk."
He replied, "I've not told them anything like that."
"I also want to know how you knew about me being unconscious after that mission. You'll tell me about that in your bedroom, too."
He gulped. He was going to have to confess a lot. It wasn't that he wanted to hide things from her, but she might not be happy.
"Alex wants to take you to the bedroom you'll be staying in. You should do that first, and get settled in."
She smiled and stroked her palm down the side of his face. Her doing that to him felt so intimate and he leaned his head into it. The words that went with it were delivered in a soft voice, but he could tell there was an edge to them. "You can only stall for so long."
He nodded but wanted to move things along. He stepped back and called, "Alex, can you show Sarah your room?"
Alex soon appeared, grabbed Sarah's bag and said, "Come on." She headed up the stairs with a blonde beauty following her.
Alex surprisingly said nothing as they walked up the stairs. That suited Sarah. She had no conversation in her to share with a teenager.
When Sarah followed her into the bedroom she froze once again. It wasn't like last time she froze. That had been because she saw something she really liked. This was very different.
Sarah was used to a very spartan and tidy room. What she was looking at wasn't like that. For the very organized guard, this was chaos.
The walls were covered in large images. Sarah assumed all the people on them were music or vid stars that the teenager admired, but she felt overwhelmed by the multitude and the now multi-colored wall.
Fortunately, Alex noticed her reaction. "Sorry, I meant to do this before you saw it. She turned to the wall on her right and waved her hand over a sensor. The walls all blanked.
Sarah let out a breath that she hadn't known she was holding. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"I guess this is more like what you're used to," Alex said.
Sarah looked around the room. The walls were now all the monochrome white walls she needed, but that wasn't the only deviation from her norm. Three of the surfaces were covered.
The desk against the left wall had both a computer in front of a large monitor, and there was a datapad, too. That was to be expected, with Alex being a student. However, the computer looked like it had been thrown in place, rather than sitting straight, and the datapad lay on top of the computer's keypad. The monitor was on the wall, but even that looked wrong as it wasn't straight. The orderly mind of Sarah Walker felt an almost irresistible urge to go and straighten it all out.
Another surface was covered in soft toys. It looked like they'd just been scooped up and dropped there. That was probably the case, with them coming from the bed. But Alex was fifteen! Wasn't she too old for such things? Sarah had never wanted any, so she didn't really know what was normal.
The final surface, in front of a wall mirror, was partly covered. Sarah spotted perfume and various makeup items. This was more like what Sarah would expect of a teenage girl, but still very alien to her.
"I pushed my things back to make room for your makeup items," Alex said.
Sarah turned to her. "I don't have any."
Alex's jaw dropped. Then, her mouth closed as she gazed at Sarah. "I guess you don't need it, looking as beautiful as you do."
Sarah smiled at her. "Thank you, but that's not why. I never wanted to wear any. My mother eventually gave up trying to persuade me." She then chuckled. "And it would've been frowned on in the guard."
Alex shrugged. "You won't need it with Chuck. He's besotted anyway."
Sarah couldn't stop herself asking, "Has he said so?"
The girl chuckled. "Not in so many words, but how he talks about you shows it. And his reaction both to you coming and then your arrival made it so obvious." She then cocked her head and gazed at Sarah. "You're the same aren't you?"
That had Sarah flustered. She deflected slightly, "What? Transparent?"
Alex shook her head. "You try to hide it, and you're better at that than Chuck, which I guess comes with the job. However, when you looked at him and tuned the rest of us out, I could see it, and so could mom."
Sarah sat at the end of the bed. "I've never had a relationship," she confessed. "And didn't expect this to become one."
Alex sat beside her, looking shocked. "What? Never?"
Sarah shrugged and wryly replied, "Didn't fit with my plans."
"Plans being?"
"Being the best guardsman and becoming a leader."
Alex frowned. "But even military leaders have families."
Sarah wasn't expecting that. "Hey! Let's not get ahead of ourselves! I'm talking about having a boyfriend, not raising a family."
Alex grinned. "But you two would make such beautiful babies together."
Sarah glowered at her. "Stop right there!"
The teenager shifted topic. "If you want, I can show you how to put on makeup. I know some blue eyeshadow that would really make your eyes stand out."
Sarah shook her head. "Not for me, thanks."
That got a shrug. "Well, I've got all I need to take with me. There's space in the drawers and the closet for your things. Hope you enjoy yourself here." Then she leaned closer and whispered, "Mom and dad won't be able to hear anything in either of the bedrooms unless you're very loud."
Sarah's eyes widened. "What are you suggesting?"
Alex grinned. "Well, I've heard that hormones can take over and it's sometimes hard to resist. You're both adults, so Mom wouldn't object like she would with me, but dad would find it difficult."
Sarah didn't know what to say to that.
Alex hugged Sarah. "It's wonderful to meet you. I'd seen you on Chuck's monitor, but you're even lovelier in person."
With that, Alex left Sarah deep in thought.
A/N: It's good to get them back together.
It would also be good to get a review, if you can.