The Love Boat

A/N: I have received the cease and desist from your doctors. Your big boys and girls. You know what you sign up for with this mess. You’re welcome

Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck

“What do you think?” he heard her ask, his eyes glued to his monitor. He swallowed, shut his eyes, steeled himself, lifted his head, and let out a small sigh of relief as he saw she was dressed in normal clothes. “Did you think you were getting a fashion show or something…Mr….Bartowski?” she asked.

“How the hell did you make my name sound like that?” he blurted out, nearly unable to function.

She turned the half smile up to the full smile. “I told you, we needed room to…breathe.” She heard his breath catch. “I was asking you what you thought about our seven merry men that are trying to find that poor little ole spy.”

“They’re watching sections of the ship,” Chuck told her. She nodded, and walked over to him to see the computer, suddenly serious. The flirtatiousness wasn’t gone, just dialed back under ten. “Fred,” he said, pointing to one man watching a section of the ship. “He’s got a drinking problem, the rest know it and have him watching the spot they think we won’t be in.” Sarah nodded. “He’s missed two different check-ins and they aren’t even concerned when he does.”

“Where’s his room?” Sarah asked.

“Three doors down,” Chuck told her. He turned to her, he could see her wheels turning.

Sarah watched the screen.

“You noticed that?”

Chuck shrugged.

“I notice things.”

“I’ve noticed.”

He looked at her.

“Was that a compliment?”

“Yes.”

“Can I get that in writing?”

“No.”

“Verbal confirmation?”

“No.”

“Witnesses?”

Sarah smiled.

“Don’t push it.”

Chuck turned back to the screen. “Worth a try.”

“There’s a CIA substation in[redacted], our next stop,” Sarah told Chuck. “May I?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, trying to hand her the laptop. She “tsked” him, sat down in front of him, pulled one of his arms around her waist and began to type. “So you can watch and see if I do anything wrong.”

“And if you do?” Chuck asked.

“I mean I won’t…unless I do to see how you respond,” Sarah said with a shrug.

“Jesus Christ my wife is so hot and bad-ass,” he muttered. She stopped and slowly turned to look over her shoulder at him. “I know, I know, let it breathe.”

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means,” Sarah told him.

“Inconceivable,” Chuck replied. She gave him a peck on the lips and went back to the computer.

“There,” Sarah said. “A CIA substation is there,” she pointed to a nondescript building on the map. “And there is a bar. Fred has a record that would get him picked up.”

“So then we’d be down to six,” Chuck noted. “And we’d have a room to bring in someone.”

“There’s no one to bring in,” Sarah said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, and anyone you brought in, would be suspicious, especially with Fred disappearing,” Chuck said. Sarah straightened. “What?”

“Well, I say there’s no one, but there’s…no one in the CIA,” Sarah amended.

“Okay,” Chuck said. “Look, if it’s an ex-boyfriend, please, bring in anyone that will keep you safe.” She laid down the computer and turned on the bed to look him in the eye. “What? Ex-girlfriend?”

“No,” Sarah said shaking her head. “Chuck, if I bring her in-”

“Sarah, if there is someone who can help…” He trailed off. “There’s still six of them, and let’s be honest, if it gets physical, I’m a liability.”

“You don’t understand she’s…she’s…”

“She’s what?” Chuck asked.

“She’s Carina,” Sarah said. “And-and I know that makes no sense-”

“No, no-no,” Chuck said, shaking his head. “It’s exactly how I’d describe Morgan, my best friend.”

“She is not….” Sarah trailed off. “Damn it, she is my best friend,” she muttered.

“Okay, then she would help you?” Chuck asked.

“Yes, but-” Sarah said.

“No, no buts,” Chuck told her. “If she can help you, then we need her.”

“She is going to make you very uncomfortable,” Sarah said. “And please believe me when I say I am underselling it.”

“Don’t care,” Chuck told her. “Does she have the ability to help you?”

“Yes,” Sarah said. Sarah stared at him.

“You really don't care?”

“No.”

“She is going to embarrass you.”

“Probably.”

“She is going to ask questions.”

“I'll survive.”

“She may tell embarrassing stories.”

Chuck paused.

“How embarrassing?”

Sarah smiled.

“Very.”

He sighed.

“Okay. That part concerns me.” She laughed.

“But you still want her here.”

Chuck took her hand.

“If she's someone you trust, she's someone I want here.”

Sarah's expression softened.

“Even if she makes you miserable?”

He smiled.

“I've already married you.”

Sarah laughed.

“Fair.”

“Then Wesley, you need your Inigo Montoya,” Chuck told her.

“She narrowed her eyes at him. “Does that make you Buttercup?” Sarah asked.

“Pfffth, no,” Chuck said. “I’m clearly the wheelbarrow.” He was laughing, but the look on her face confused him. “What?”

“When I saw you outside, with your sister and her family, that line went through my head,” Sarah told him. “I mean, if we only had a wheelbarrow, that would be something.”

“I’m glad to be your wheelbarrow,” Chuck told her.

“I know,” Sarah said. “It’s why my heart told me to trust you and it makes no sense.”

“I agree,” Chuck replied. “You feeling for me makes no sense, me feeling for you makes no sense. But I’m glad we both feel this way.”

Sarah smiled.

“You know what the funny part is?”

“What?”

“I never thought I'd trust someone like you.”

Chuck raised an eyebrow.

“Someone like me?”

“Someone who makes me laugh.” He smiled.

“That's a serious security concern.”

“Very.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No.”

She leaned against him.

“I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.”

Chuck wrapped an arm around her.

“Good.”

Sarah smiled.

“My wheelbarrow.”

Chuck sighed.

“I'm never escaping that, am I?”

“No.”

“Worth it.”

“She’s going to be pure chaos,” Sarah told him.

Chuck nodded. “Okay, as opposed to what this has been the past few days?” Chuck pointed out.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. “You don't understand what I mean.”

“I understand chaos.”

“No. You understand normal chaos.”

Chuck frowned. “There are different kinds?”

“With Carina, yes.”

“How?”

Sarah thought about it for a moment.

“Most people create chaos because something goes wrong.”

Chuck nodded.

“Carina creates chaos because she decides something would be more interesting if it went the Carina way.”

Chuck's expression changed.

“That sounds worse.”

“It is.”

He stared at her.

“How much worse?”

Sarah smiled.

“You'll find out.”

Sarah leaned in. “In other news, if you keep this up, I am definitely going to model my socks for you.”

“I wish Edward had a phone so I could text him that you’re going to meet him,” Chuck countered.

Sarah stared at him.

“You really are getting better at this.”

“At what?”

“Being married to me.”

Chuck smiled. “I'm studying hard every day.”

“Good.”

She leaned closer.

“Because Carina will definitely do pop quizzes.”

Chuck's smile disappeared.

“I'm suddenly less confident about this marriage.”

“Awful presumptuous,” Sarah said.

“You haven’t told me I was wrong yet,” Chuck told her.

She leaned across the bed, grabbed her phone, sat back up, and began to type.

Sarah looked at the phone.

Chuck noticed.

“You're thinking about it.”

“About what?”

“Texting Carina.”

Sarah sighed. “Yes.”

“You could change your mind.”

“No.”

“Just checking.”

Sarah started typing.

Chuck watched her. “Should I be worried?”

“Yes.”

He looked at her.

“That was remarkably fast.”

“You asked a simple question.”

“Right.”

SOS

Do you remember when I got that copy of Sister Act in [redacted]

She finished the message and put the phone down.

Chuck looked at it.

“That's it?”

“That’s it.”

“No dramatic warning?”

Sarah smiled.

“I already gave you one.”

“True.”

He looked at the phone again.

“How long before she gets here?”

Sarah considered it.

“Knowing Carina?”

“Yes?”

“She'll probably make an entrance.”

“Last chance,” she told him.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Chuck told her.

“Your bed at your house,” Sarah began. Chuck sat there, quiet. “A double?”

“No,” Chuck replied. “A queen.” Sarah had a half-smile on her face as she hit the send button on the text. She looked down and saw the two wide-eyed eyeball emojis. Her phone rang.

She hit the button, put the phone to her ear, smiling at Chuck the entire time. “Carina,” she said.

“Well, well, well,” Sarah heard.

}o{

Now

“To be fair, Director, we did bring in Carina,” Sarah told him.

Langston’s eyes went wide. “And he survived?” Langston asked.

“He not only survived, but he impressed her,” Sarah told him.

Langston Graham had been off balance all day long. Now he was more off balance than ever.

A/N: Warning: Carina landfall next chapter.