The Love Boat

A/N: Okay, you guys know I don’t plot. I have a general idea of what is to happen and then Chuck and Sarah tell me how they’re going to banter. But see. I have made a classic blunder. No, not, You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is, ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well-known is this: ‘Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!

No, if it had been that, I could have prepared or made a plan. The blunder I made…I said we had fifteen days on the ship and have no idea if we have fifteen days worth of content. For the record, I think we are on day five.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck

“Does he know he’s married to you?” Carina asked Sarah. Sarah sat there. She knew what she should say. She knew what Agent Walker would say. Instead, she answered with her heart.

“He’s aware,” Sarah replied.

She felt Chuck beside her. He didn’t radiate off nerves, instead…instead he radiated something else. Belonging.

“You know love gets spies killed,” Carina asked.

Sarah knew it was a trap set by Carina. She knew it was, and yet she didn’t even try to stop Chuck.

“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” Chuck replied. Carina stared at him. He sat there, as she watched him.

She was like a predator.

And of course, since he was who he was, he wasn’t just thinking about a tiger, or a lion.

No, he was thinking about THE Predator.

She was watching him, finding his weaknesses.

Assessing him.

Looking for his weak points.

She just stood there.

Watching.

A smile on her face that if Chuck didn’t know better would say was absolute joy, but that didn’t match the description that he was told of Carina. He couldn’t help it. He cleared his throat. “It’s from The Princess Bride.”

“Because that makes it better,” Carina replied softly.

There was no mocking.

There was no belittling.

What there was was happiness. Carina looked at Sarah, who was staring at Chuck.

Carina saw it. She saw all of it.

Carina stared at Chuck for a moment.

“You know what the weirdest part is?”

Chuck looked at Sarah.

“That she likes me?”

Sarah rolled her eyes.

“That's not the weirdest part.”

Carina smiled.

“No. The weirdest part is that Sarah looks happy.”

Chuck's expression softened.

“She is.”

Carina looked at Sarah.

“I've never seen you this happy.”

Sarah glanced at Chuck.

“Neither have I.”

Chuck squeezed her hand.

Carina made a face.

“Okay. I preferred it when this was just a mission.”

Sarah smiled.

“No, you didn't.”

Carina sighed.

“No.”

She pointed at Chuck.

“And you're making her worse.”

Chuck blinked.

“Worse?”

“More honest.”

Sarah smiled.

“I'll take that.”

Carina shook her head.

“This is going to be a problem.”

Chuck smiled.

“Apparently I'm already good at those.”

And that’s when Chuck understood.

“You are her Morgan,” Chuck said softly.

Both women looked at him. He looked from one to the other and realized he would have to explain.

“Okay, maybe you’re a chaos demon humanized,” Chuck began.

“Humanized is strong,” Sarah muttered.

“Maybe your idea of fun isn’t exactly everyone else’s,” Chuck continued.

“That’s their problem,” Carina told him.

“But you love her and want her to be happy,” Chuck finished.

“Hey!” Carina replied.

“Chuck!” Sarah said.

“Look, does she have a weird way of showing it, sure,” Chuck answered.

“She has nearly gotten me killed before,” Sarah answered.

“You’re talking about [redacted], right?” Carina asked.

“Of course I am,” Sarah replied calmly, but Chuck could tell inside she was a bundle of anger.

“That was to get you away from Winston,” Carina said. She turned to Chuck. “Trust me, Winston had a stick up his ass, and thought she could, ‘better herself.’”

“Because he wanted the best for her?” Chuck asked, but they both heard it in his voice. He was afraid Winston, in fact, did not, want what was better for herself.

“No,” Carina said. She looked at Sarah.

Sarah was looking away, and Carina smiled, seeing Sarah, run her tongue on the inside of her jaw.

Carina noticed. Carina wouldn´t miss an opportunity like that for the world, especially since 'opportunity' in this case means to fluster Sarah Walker.

“Want me to tell him?” Carina asked.

“Not really,” Sarah answered.“He-”

“Carina, don’t,” Chuck cut in. Both women looked at him. “It’s not my story to hear if she doesn’t want it told.

Sarah looked at him.

Something in her chest tightened.

Carina's teasing expression softened.

She had known Sarah for years.

She had seen her angry, hurt, furious, terrified, stubborn, reckless, and occasionally completely insane.

She had almost never seen her look safe.

She looked at Chuck.

Then at Sarah.

“Him?” she asked.

“Him,” Sarah answered.

Carina smiled.

“Oh.”

Chuck frowned.

“What?”

Carina pointed at him.

“You're really him.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

Sarah smiled.

“You will.”

Carina sat back, studying him.

“Charles Irving Bartowski, head of the Orion Institute?” Carina continued. Chuck swallowed and looked away. “The man who had created the greatest cyber security in the world?”

“That explains the black card,” Sarah muttered. “Wait,” she said, realizing what Carina was doing. “Stop. Do not tell me anything else.”

“I’m not hiding it,” Chuck said softly. “It’s just…”

“Women want you for your money, Chuckles?” Carina asked.

“Yeah,” Chuck said, nodding. “They didn’t want me, and then they did…it was because of what I am not who I am.”

“And no one wanted me because of who I am,” Sarah said softly. They looked at each other.

Carina watched them.

The woman she had spent years sharing a strange, complicated bond with, one that only Sarah and Carina truly understood, had finally found someone who didn’t need her to be anyone other than herself.

And the man beside her hadn't fallen for the spy.

He had fallen for Sarah.

Carina smiled.

“That’s it,” they heard Carina say softly, in a pleased tone.

Chuck looked at her.

“What?”

“That,” she said, pointing between them. “That's why.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

“Why what?”

“Why you're gone.”

Sarah's mouth twitched.

“I'm not gone.”

Carina looked at Chuck.

“He's apparently got you making that face now.”

“What face?”

“The one where you forget you're supposed to be terrifying.”

Chuck smiled.

“She is terrifying.”

Sarah looked at him.

“Good answer.”

Carina groaned.

“Oh, God. You're both doing it now.”

Chuck looked at Sarah.

“Doing what?”

“Whatever married people do when they've become completely unbearable.”

Sarah smiled.

“I think she's jealous.”

Carina gasped.

“Of you?”

“No,” Sarah said.

She squeezed Chuck's hand.

“Of us.”

Carina stared at them for a second.

Then she smiled.

“Maybe.”

Chuck's expression softened.

“You love her.”

Carina's smile faded into something warmer.

“Yeah, in my particular way.”

Carina immediately pointed at Chuck.

“But if you hurt her, I will make you regret every decision you've ever made.”

Chuck nodded solemnly.

“Fair.”

Sarah laughed.

“You two are ridiculous.”

“And you're happy,” Carina replied.

Sarah looked at Chuck.

“Yes.”

Carina smiled.

“Good.”

“You know that meme, where there’s someone behind two characters saying, ‘Now, kiss,’?” Chuck asked. “It’s totally her.”

“She doesn’t know anything about meme’s,” Carina told him. “But you’re right.”

Chuck turned to Carina. “Why me?”

For the first time since Sarah had known Carina, she was speechless.

That was when the door opened behind her, and a man walked in. Carina never turned around, almost seeming to know who it was. Chuck and Sarah however, both were surprised…both in different ways.

“Roan?” Sarah said.

“Oh, you know the bartender?” Chuck asked Sarah. Sarah gave him a look. “He’s great.”

“Charles,” Roan said, and handed Chuck a can of ginger ale. “In case you need it for your stomach,” he said in a low tone as Roan took a seat in a nearby chair. “She hasn’t told you has she?”

“No, I haven’t told them,” Carina said, in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes, clearly annoyed with the situation that she was no longer the main attraction in.

Roan looked over at Chuck and Sarah. He studied them a moment and an amused smile adorned his face.

He spoke, shocking everyone in the room, “And love, true love, will follow you forever.” Sarah’s eight year old perked up. “You told me you didn’t think you could ever truly love someone.”

Sarah reached over, and took Chuck’s hand. Eight-year-old her was having a happy sigh moment. “I was wrong,” Sarah said. “Very wrong.”

“I am pleased to hear that,” Roan replied. He looked over at Carina. “So, you didn’t tell them that we have two of the men following her locked up in the brig.”

“Carina!” Sarah said, her head whipping to her.

“You didn’t tell them that Captain Stubing invited you along on this trip,” Carina rebutted.

He looked at Sarah and Chuck, then at their joined hands.

“But I believe the important thing is that she finally has someone who sees Sarah.”

Sarah glanced at Chuck.

Chuck smiled.

Roan's expression softened.

“And, Charles…”

Chuck looked at him.

“Yeah?”

Roan gave him a small nod.

“Take good care of her.”

Chuck glanced at Sarah.

“I intend to.”

Roan smiled.

“I know.”

He turned toward the door.

Then stopped.

“And for the record…”

Chuck waited.

Roan looked over his shoulder.

“She looks very happy.”

Sarah smiled.

Chuck squeezed her hand.

“So do I.”

}o{

Now

“WAIT!” Graham said, reading the file more closely. “The ship’s captain was actually Captain Stubing?!”

Graham stared at the report.

Graham removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking as though he were actively trying to stave off an aneurysm. "Please tell me," Graham said, his voice dangerously quiet, "that there was not a cruise director named Julie. Or a bartender named Isaac. Tell me my top-tier intelligence operation did not accidentally hijack a syndicated sitcom." Sarah maintained absolute professional composure.

"Isaac makes a phenomenal mojito, sir. But Roan handled most of the bartending." Graham stared into the middle distance for a long time.

He looked at Sarah.

Then Chuck.

Then the report again.

“How many people were supposed to be involved in this operation?”

Sarah thought about it.

“Originally?”

“Yes.”

“Two.”

Graham nodded.

“Good.”

Sarah continued.

“Then three.”

His expression changed.

“Then?”

“Four.”

“Four.”

“Five.”

Graham slowly lowered the report.

“Who is number five?”

Sarah smiled.

“You don't want to know.”

Graham closed his eyes.

“I have spent my entire career wanting to know.”

Sarah nodded.

“I know.”

He opened his eyes.

“And now?”

Sarah smiled.

“Now you regret that.”

Graham stared at her.

“Yes.”

Chuck raised a hand.

“Technically, I think you're up to six.”

Graham looked at him.

“Please stop counting.”

Graham turned away again, digging in his files, and Chuck couldn’t help himself.

He sang softly, where only Sarah could hear.

Set a course for adventureYour mind on a new romanceAnd love

won't hurt anymoreIt's an open smile on a friendly shore

“Have I shown you the newest pair of socks I’ve bought?” Sarah asked softly.

Chuck began to cough, choking even, ending his impromptu concert.

A/N: Yeah, I added him. Why not?