Chapter 17
I don’t own Chuck
“So,” she said, them standing outside. “I was thinking of getting one of those motion-capture suits for you so that any shot that hit you would register electronically.” She was holding some type of gun in her hand. Chuck’s lesson today was about sensing, but this time, with his eyes wide open, and being hunted.
“Go on,” he encouraged her.
“But then I got to thinking of the two problems with that,” Sarah continued, smirking. “One, there would be nothing protecting you if I shot you in the face.”
“You wouldn’t shoot me in the face, right?” Chuck asked. Sarah tilted her head. “Like, right after I got here, I could completely understand, but now?”
“I mean, I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I’d do what I have to do to teach you, Chuck.” Her voice was dripping with honey and she batted her eyes at him.
“You’d still enjoy it, wouldn’t you?”
“Not answering that,” she said, chuckling. “Number two…that suit would probably cost a lot of money. So, what I did was get this gun, with nerf-like bullets, but it will leave a mark on your clothes or skin, that will wash off, when I hit you with a shot.”
“Don’t you mean if?” Chuck asked. Sarah gave him a look, and he cleared his throat. “Right, when. Okay, how many bullets?”
“Twenty,” she told him.
“So this exercise will take, what, half the day?” Her lip twitched. “Two hours?” She looked away, twisting her lips. “An hour?” She looked back at him, he could see the mirth in her eyes. “Surely longer than thirty minutes.” She tilted her head, grinning.
}o{
Three minutes and twenty-six seconds later
“That was good,” she told him, him gasping and out of breath.
“You shot me eighteen times!”
“Hey, you managed to avoid two of them, and three of them are superficial wounds at best.” Chuck pointed towards his head, where there was a small chalk mark right between his eyes. “Oh, right, I need to order some goggles for next time.” With that she turned and walked off.
“I said I was sorry about Prague!” he called after her. She lost it and burst out laughing.
}o{
He came out of the shower a little while later, drying his hair. “Any bruises?” she asked.
“No,” Chuck admitted. “I think that set-up will work just fine.”
“You do know none of that was in retaliation for Prague, right?” she asked.
“I do, but I do think you did enjoy it just a bit,” Chuck said, looking her straight in the eye and grinning. She gave him a smile, and turned back to her computer, typing up an email. “Okay, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.
He sat down at the table beside her. “You know, before I went all stupid,” he began.
“Now, are we talking the day you were born, you dating Jill in the first place-”
“Ouch,” he said.
“You running into countless building, and leaving cars when I tell you not to, you uploading the Intersect AGAIN, or that little thing at the train station?” Sarah finished, grinning at him. He reached over and took her hand, and she squeezed it.
“When I lost your trust,” he said softly.
“I don’t know that you ever lost it,” Sarah told him. “Temporarily hid it from view? Maybe. But lost it?” She shook her head. “No.”
“So, before I was stupid,” he gave her a look and she mimed zipping her lips. “We were friends and you could talk to me about stuff.”
“We are still friends, and I’m not sure I ever talked to you about much of anything,” she countered.
“Sarah,” Chuck said, mock exasperation in his voice.
“Fine, the person who delivers us stuff wants me to have dinner with them tonight,” Sarah said.
“Oh,” Chuck replied. He sat back, taking his hand off of hers. “Well, you should go.”
“I can’t go, Chuck,” Sarah told him. “I mean, you’d be here alone.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said, waving his hand and scoffing. “Tell him you’ll come.”
Sarah narrowed her eyes at him, as he stood, and headed back toward his bedroom. “You do know it’s a she, and she’s married, has a kid, and I knew her a long time ago, right?”
Chuck stopped walking. He couldn’t turn around, because she’d see it on his face. “I didn’t,” he said softly. “But it doesn’t matter who it is, you shouldn’t have your life ruined because of me.” He walked into the bedroom. Sarah sighed, got ready to get up, when he walked back out. “Sorry, had to put my towel up, I do believe it’s my turn to cook, which works out fine, it’s for one tonight.”
She got up and followed him into the kitchen. “I can’t leave you alone here, Chuck, what if someone found you? I can’t lose you.”
“Sarah, you have to trust me,” Chuck began.
“Wait, you misunderstand, I do trust you, Chuck. I can’t lose you. Me, Sarah Walker. I can’t lose you.”
Chuck turned to her, and the two locked eyes. “Sarah, what are you saying?”
“I think you know what I’m saying,” Sarah told him.
“I think our past proves we should perhaps be a little more forthcoming with our words,” Chuck replied. Sarah stood there, looking uncomfortable. “Sarah, I’m not asking you to say anything to me you’re not ready for, but I have to also tell you, I can’t read your mind. And you can’t read mine, and that’s one of the reasons we’re in this mess we’re in.”
“Dinner’s for two tonight,” she told him. Chuck nodded, and turned to the fridge. “I love you,” she blurted out. He spun back to her, shock on his face. “Chuck, I fell for you a long, long time ago. After you fixed my phone and before you started defusing bombs with computer viruses.” She paused. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” All Chuck could do was nod.