The Love Boat

A/N: Them: David, you cannot fall in love that fast. Me: Tell Sarah that…Go on. Dare you. Double. Dog. Dare you.Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck

Then, still [redacted]

“So, we’re going to walk out of here like a couple in love, board that boat, and then we’re going to create me a ticket,” Sarah said.

“Adjust mine,” Chuck told her. “I basically have two, hence the double room.” He hung his head. “Kinda pathetic, I know.”

“No,” Sarah said softly, gently lifting his chin with her cupped forefinger, looking him in the eyes. “Today, you’re my hero. And Chuck, you’re dating me for the next fifteen days, I’m going to need you to step up your game.”

Sarah smiled. She had killed men who had tried to impress her. Chuck Bartowski had earned the title by helping a woman he’d known for fifteen minutes. She was beginning to suspect she had very weird standards.

A smile spread across his face, and then terror replaced it. “Oh, God,” he said in a low voice. “How are we…you have no…”

“I have money and can get clothes,” Sarah told him. “But you’re worried about the PDA, aren’t you?” He nodded. “Well, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable-”

Chuck nodded.

Sarah considered that. He was worried about pretending to be affectionate with her. She was beginning to suspect that was going to be a problem for a completely different reason.

“Me? What about you?”

She stared at him. “I’d be dead…or worse,” she reminded him, making him wince. “Without you.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “So, what do I do?”

“Sure you don’t need to use the bathroom?” she asked. He giggled and shook his head. “Then,” she said, taking his arm and slipping it around her shoulders. “You are about to leave a bathroom with your girlfriend, so if you should blush, just know it will sell the cover even better.” Chuck turned crimson.

Sarah smiled.

This was going to be easier than she expected.

Probably because Chuck was making it very difficult for her to remember this was supposed to be an act.

}o{

She was ashamed of herself for multiple reasons. The first, she had doubted Chuck could pull it off. She was so wrong.

They walked out of the bathroom, her pulling his hand, him following, and headed out of the cafe. The manager shook his head. Apparently that wasn’t the first time he had seen something like that. But as they exited the cafe, she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held that hand. As they walked toward the gangplank, he leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her head as they strolled up the walkway. She saw someone her spy sense told her was looking for her. The person saw her and moved past.

It was supposed to be part of the cover. Sarah knew that. Her heart, and apparently some other part of her that she wasn't going to examine too closely, hadn't gotten the memo.

They were looking for someone else. A single woman. And that’s when the thought entered her head.

She looked up at him as they walked up the gangplank, Chuck telling her all about Clara, the little girl she had seen earlier, and how much he couldn’t wait for them to meet. He was doing such a good job. Keeping the stories real. Anyone listening was thinking that he was telling his girlfriend about his family and how much he wanted them to meet.

What she didn't know was that Chuck wanted to introduce Clara to the coolest woman he had ever met in his life.

They made their way to his cabin, and after Chuck used the bathroom…

He took longer than she expected.

She decided it was probably a shy bladder.

She had no idea why she was thinking about Chuck Bartowski's bladder.

He came back out, and opened his laptop.

“The problem is, I need a direct connection to the system to add you in.” Chuck told her.

“Where?” She asked. He started to answer. “What if we did show, not tell?”

Chuck grinned. “See? This is why I like you.”

Sarah stopped.

“You like me?”

“As a fake girlfriend.”

He paused.

“Mostly.”

Sarah looked at him.

“Mostly?”

“I should probably stop talking.” The two walked outside, his laptop in her bag.

“Oh,” Sarah said. They were on the bridge, but outside, looking into the windows. There, the captain was giving tours. “See that black port?” Chuck told her. She nodded. “If we could get this,” he said, holding up a small drive, quite like the one that was around her neck. “Plugged in there, I can fix this.”

“How long do you need?” Sarah asked.“I’m not sure five minutes max, but maybe two,” Chuck told her.

She looked at him, and grinned. “You stay here, and when it’s done, give me a sign, but subtle.”

“Like what?” Chuck asked.

“Something a boyfriend would do with a girlfriend who is staying with him for fifteen days,” Sarah said.Chuck began to think. “That’s not exactly subtle,” Chuck muttered.

“What?”

“Finger pistols,” he said, furrowing his brow. She couldn’t help herself, she could see him doing it, and something in her was warm. Very warm. It felt delicious and she again, felt herself swallow. “So, you’re staying with me.”

“Mmmhmm,” she replied, not trusting herself to speak actual words.

“What about….” He looked around. “Oh, God, please don’t hate me.” He did something with his eyebrows. The warmth grew, and so did the earlier thought as they were walking up the gangplank. “That was the Bartowski eyebrow dance. Not exactly sub-”

“It’s perfect,” she got out. Just barely. She took the USB from his hand. “I’ll wink at you when it’s in.”

“That’s what she said,” he muttered to himself and his eyes went wide. She clamped down on her lips to keep from bursting out laughing. She spun and headed inside. One wink, three minutes, fourty-seven seconds, and an eyebrow dance later, she made her way back to him. “You're legal,” he said, spinning the laptop towards her so she could see what he had done.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

“So, what did you talk about to keep his interest…if I may ask?”

“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” Sarah said, watching his face. “Told him I forgot my luggage, so he thinks you have a bit of a ditz for a girlfriend.”

“You’re the furthest thing from a ditz,” Chuck told her. He stopped, and realized he may have been a bit too forceful with that. “You’re not,” he muttered.

“Thank you,” she said. “I also asked him about us getting married.”

“You did what now?” Chuck asked.

}o{

Now

“Okay, I get it,” Langston said. “You’re mad about having to go in with no backup and you had no choice. They were looking for a single woman, and you got married to throw them off the trail. It’s perfect spycraft.”

Chuck gazed at Sarah and muttered, “I mean, you are perfect,”

“I am not,” Sarah told Chuck. She then smiled. “But thank you.” She turned back to Graham.

“But we can simply get the marriage annulled,” Graham continued.

“No, we can’t,” Chuck said softly, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Yes, we can,” Graham said, like Chuck was an idiot. “If the marriage was never consummated-”

“So we can’t,” Sarah said. Graham closed his eyes. “Okay, while you didn’t have to do what you did, your country appreciates your dedication-”

“Didn’t have anything to do with the CIA,” Sarah said plainly. “I wanted to. Still do.”

Graham looked sick. “But there was fraud…deceit,” Graham argued.

“I knew exactly what I was getting into,” Chuck said.

“That’s what she said,” Sarah said softly, making Chuck laugh.

Graham looked sick.

A/N: THE ANNNNGGGGGSSSSSSSTTTTTTTT