Chapter 18
I don’t own Chuck
I love you.
He had lost the ability to speak, his mind was whirling. Sarah Walker loved him. She. Loved. Him. He was gobsmacked.
“Chuck? Are you okay?”
He had to get it together, he couldn’t do what he did in Prague.
“Yes,” Chuck replied hoarsely. He cleared his throat. “Yes.” He looked into her eyes and saw how vulnerable she was. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I see,” she replied.
“Wait-wait, that came out wrong, what I mean is, given the situation we are in, given what happened…then.” She nodded. “I…need to protect you, Sarah, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Just tell me what you are thinking.” He gave her a look. “I know, I know, but just do it.”
“GOD I LOVE YOU!” he said, pulling her into a hug. She found herself crying, holding on to him like he was oxygen, and she needed him to breathe. “I know I haven’t done the best of hiding it.” She snorted, but held him tight, her arms clinging around his neck. “But I love you, and I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done to hurt you.”
“I’m not sorry for shooting you between the eyes with that nerf bullet,” she said, still not letting go. She felt him shake from chuckling. “When I say I can’t lose you, I don’t mean as an assignment, Chuck.”
“I understand,” he said.
She finally let go, and pushed herself away, to look him in the eye. “Do you? And, I don’t ask that to be mean or anything. Because I barely understand it. I have never felt this way about anyone in my whole damn life and it scares me a little.”
“Sarah,” he began, but that’s as far as he got, because she cupped his jaw with her hand, and dove in to him. She felt herself get lost in him, and him in her. This wasn’t Barstow, this wasn’t a bomb, this wasn’t a train station in the fog. This was here, now, and forever.
Eventually she pulled away. “Sorry,” she said, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’ve been wanting to do that since-”
She got no further, as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and dove in for his own kiss. Eventually he pulled back. “If we keep doing this, we’ll never have any conversations,” she told him.
“Trust me?” he asked. She nodded. “There’s something I want to do.” She grinned at him. “In your bedroom.”
“Don’t trust your bed?” she asked, smirking.
“It’s too important to risk it,” he told her, taking her hand, as she led him in.
}o{
Ten minutes later
“You know, when you asked me to come to bed with you, this wasn’t what I thought,” Sarah said, pushing up on an elbow and grinning at him. “But, I must say, I didn’t know how much I missed cuddling.”
“We’ve never really cuddled like that before,” Chuck told her.
“Oh, I know,” Sarah replied. “But my body is now going to require it.”
“I live but to serve.”
“Okay, watch it,” she told him, bopping him on the nose. “Not that I’m complaining, but why?”
“Because…because as much as I want to kiss, hug, and…”
“Make love?” she offered. He blushed and nodded, making her smirk.
“There were nights, when all I wanted to do was hold you…be held by you…you were right there, yet…” he trailed off.
“Well, I’m here now,” Sarah told him.
“But, is that smart?” Chuck asked. She sat up at that. “And not because I don’t want to be with you, but you’re already having to protect me and-”
“Chuck Bartowsk, you told me you loved me,” Sarah said, cutting him off. He was taken aback by the softness, yet fierceness of her voice. “I will fight anyone who tries and take you from me.”
“Never let anyone tell you, that you don’t know how to make someone fell special,” he told her. The way his eyes shined, she knew he was being 100% honest. “But we have a problem.”
Sarah snorted. “Chuck, it’s us, there’s always a problem.” Chuck nodded. “What is it?”
“You need to see your friend,” Chuck told her. “I don’t know why, but I can hear it in your voice, see it in your body language.”
She was silent a moment. “Were you really going to encourage me to go see my friend if it was a guy?” Chuck nodded. “Why?”
“For the reasons I just said, Sarah,” Chuck told her. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Okay, she can’t see you, for her safety,” Sarah informed him.
“What if I absolutely promise to stay in my room?” he offered. She shook her head. “Or-or, wear a mask?”
“Great,” she muttered. “She’s gonna think you’re into some freaky sex stuff, you wearing a mask.”
“Who says I’m not?” Chuck countered. Sarah’s eyes went wide, making him burst out into laughter. “Sarah….nevermind?”
“What?”
“I was going to ask you how you knew her, but that could put her in danger,” Chuck replied. He was silent for a moment. “Taco salads for two tonight and then we work out how to see your friend soon?”
“We can try,” Sarah replied. “Need some help chopping? I’m really good with a knife.”
“Yeah you are,” Chuck replied, smiling at her. He leaned over, and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Hey, I love you.” She smiled at him, and threw her arms around his shoulders. “Uh-oh.”
“No, uh-oh,” she told him. “But please understand how we are in this together, okay?” Chuck nodded. Sarah hopped up and headed to the door. “You coming?”
“Yeah,” he said, slowly getting up, thinking about how to get Sarah to see her friend.
“I mean if you like the bed that much you can sleep here tonight,” she said, heading out the door. Chuck nearly choked, and he swore there was a little extra sway in her hips.
“Funny, Sarah,” he called out after her. After a second of no answer, he called out again. “Sarah?” He walked to the door and saw her head in the fridge, looking for something. “I said that was funny, Sarah.”
She stood up, an amused look on her face, winked, and went back to what she was doing. Chuck’s mouth went dry.