Comforting Lie (4/6): Chuck
Title: Comforting Lie (4/6)
Series Title: Five Times Chuck and Sarah share a bed for their cover (and one time they just do)
Rating: PG-13/R
Pairing/Characters: Chuck/Sarah, Casey
Word Count: 4511
Summary: He’s a guy, he’s certainly thought about having sex with Sarah, thought about it a lot and in many different ways, but having his first time with her be so some drug dealer would buy their cover was definitely not one of them.
Spoilers/Warnings: up to 1x11: Chuck vs. the Crown Vic
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to NBC. I’m just playing during the writers’ strike.
Author’s Notes: This is the fourth of five situations that Chuck and Sarah sleep together for their cover (plus one bonus story!) I am sorry this is delayed. It was on pace to be done by late morning on Tuesday but my grandmother fell ill on Sunday and was admitted to the hospital and it has been a huge, worrisome ordeal, and I was unable to concentrate for a few days to write. And then when I needed something else to focus my energy on and the words started flowing, they wouldn’t stop - this chapter’s over 4000 words long and has even gone in a slightly different direction than I had envisioned!
That being said, I hope that this chapter stands up the expectations all of you have - the amount of overwhelmingly positive reviews for Chapter 3 left me with a smile on my face for days. I’ve really enjoyed writing this story and it’s wonderful to hear so many people are enjoying it right along with me - so thanks everyone for the reviews and the support! J
Casey makes a comment that changes everything.
After coming back from the wedding with Chuck, Sarah does some soul searching. She’d like to pretend that she can do her job and still be attracted to Chuck and that the two are mutually exclusive but that is a pretense that holds more danger than intrigue. Being in a relationship with Bryce was fine because they were both professionals. He was capable of protecting himself and was able to put the job first in required situations. Chuck’s not, he isn’t trained in the same ways Bryce was, and the closer they get emotionally and physically, the more Sarah is risking. She doesn’t want to take a chance that Chuck’s feelings will screw a mission up like the Lon Kirk thing or that she’ll make the wrong decision in an attempt not to hurt Chuck, or, maybe worst of all, that Casey will catch on and report her.
And if that happens, it will certainly get her kicked off the case and maybe even out of covert operations. The CIA can turn a blind eye to partner-partner relations but partner-assignment relations are certainly out of the question.
Sarah knows what she must do. She has to ask for a reassignment. It’s a crappy option and not one she’s eager to do but it’s either that or give up her job completely and become a civilian. And as much as she wants the normality Chuck possesses, the thought of giving up her job - the one thing she’s been good at for years - is far scarier than her desire for Chuck.
Except then Casey makes the comment, the one that is under his breath and as he’s turning away but Sarah hears enough, hears the tone and a few key words, and she understands that Chuck’s life is in danger.
This automatically means a reassignment is out of the question. Sara has had no instructions to allow this to happen and her job since day one has always been to protect Chuck. She’ll be damned if she backs out at the very moment when Chuck needs her most.
Unfortunately, before Sarah can ask Casey about his comment, General Beckman appears on the screen in front of them for a briefing. Sarah and Casey turn to attention and go over the latest mission details based on a Chuck flash. Sarah goes through the motions, her mind still reeling from the implications of Casey’s comment, until General Beckman speaks. “As you may know, the CIA and the NSA have been working on getting another Intersect up and running. Progress is going extremely well and it should be ready shortly.”
Sarah’s mouth goes dry. “And what will happen to Chuck at this time?”
“We are still working on that,” General Beckman says vaguely and Sarah knows she is not imagining the subtle look Beckman gives Casey or the way Casey tenses ever so slightly. They’re going to kill him, Sarah realizes in that instant and it takes all of her agent training to school her face not to move from the same blank stare it’s been in all meeting. She shouldn’t be surprised. Chuck is a major national threat in the eyes of the government and Casey’s always been a killer. But Sarah is surprised -- and also disappointed in herself for becoming too comfortable in this assignment that she didn’t see, or at least suspect, that this was a viable and appealing option to the government.
The meeting ends and Sarah watches Casey for a moment. His face gives away nothing as he puts away the computer equipment and she knows he will not tell her of his orders. They either came on a need-to-know basis and she’s not on that list or they are NSA only. Sarah is leaning more towards the second reason because this has been a joint project from the beginning (well, as soon as they realized Chuck was the Intersect) and there’s no real reason she wouldn’t need to know of a plan to terminate the project.
They’ve been partners all these months but right now, in the moment, Sarah knows they’re rivals again, members of different groups of the US government who only get along for the sake of the Intersect. And now that Casey has orders to kill the Intersect, they’re back on their separate sides.
It’s only a matter of time before the new Intersect is up. Sarah’s literally racing against a clock, but she doesn’t know how long she has to run or even if she’ll be informed when the race is over.
Sarah gives Casey her normal goodbye and leaves his apartment quickly. She hopes he hasn’t picked up on the fact that she has cottoned on to his orders - Sarah thinks she’s a better actress than that - but Casey’s always been frighteningly perceptive.
She gets into her car. “Think Sarah, think,” she tells herself and it doesn’t even bother her that even when she’s alone, she refers to herself as Sarah. Because, really: she’s never been more herself than she is as Sarah.
She puts her car into drive and heads to her apartment to devise a plan.
--
Two hours later, Sarah puts down her cell phone and sighs. She’s run through every contact in the CIA she has, called in almost every favor she’s owed but she finally has a name: Dr. Alexander Harlo. He’s the most promising lead she has to deactivate Chuck’s brain in a non-violent way. He’s Zarnow’s equivalent in the CIA, has consulted with Professor Fleming on image based codes before, and, pending Director Graham’s OK, is interested in meeting with Chuck and seeing what he can do to help.
Sarah knows Director Graham will not be pleased she took initiative to find a solution but she’s banking on the fact that he doesn’t know of the NSA’s plans for Chuck. An element of surprise is always important in her line of work and could mean the difference between his agreement and her being reprimanded for disobeying orders.
She’s right on the surprise aspect, Graham’s speechless when she tells him her suspicions. But he doesn’t quite get on board with her plan for the Intersect. “Walker, Bartowski is running around with government secrets in his head,” he reminds her, as if she doesn’t deal with it on a daily basis. “What if Dr. Harlo is unsuccessful? Or only partially successful? We cannot allow Bartowski to remain the Intersect without opening the country up to a severe breach of intel.”
Sarah thinks of Bryce’s words to Fleming. “I understand that, Director, but I have studied the subject for months now. I have a comprehensive handle on the type of person he is and what he is capable of and I strongly feel that Chuck is not a malicious person. He is a good person, a person who didn’t ask for this, who has coped with being used for government missions very well. He has had to lie to all of his closest friends for months and never once has he complained about the sacrifices he has to make. It would be a disgrace to the country’s sense of dignity and honor if we were to kill him in cold blood after all he has done for us.”
Graham is silent for a long while. Sarah wonders if she has gone too far, if she was too forceful in her words. She braces herself from the consequences when she hears Graham give a barely audible sigh. “Fine. We will give this a try. Harlo will have a CIA guard at all times, so we don’t have another Zarnoff mishap, and I will discuss this with Beckman. We have to make sure we do not force them into any sudden movements. Do nothing until I give you the OK.”
Sarah thanks him and hangs up. She feels both better and worse. What she just did - called in favors, found an alternative solution to a problem - went against everything she has ever been taught in agent training. As an agent, she must follow orders, not suggest them. Sarah blows out a breath and hopes it all can end well, even if it comes at the expense of the already tenuous relationship between the NSA and CIA.
Sarah takes a look at the time and begins to get ready for the mission - maybe Chuck’s last ever.
--
The mission is pretty simple: they are going after an elusive gun runner, Curtis Carter, who is planning to smuggle a massive amount of guns into the country. Sarah and Chuck’s role is to find out how and when. Their cover is a newlywed couple, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmichael, who are staying in the honeymoon suite, thanks to the room’s proximity to the drug dealer’s own suite. Casey will be working as a member of the hotel staff.
It’s supposed to be a pretty fast mission - with any luck, they won’t even have to stay the night. They simply have to break into the hotel room, search anything that might give them a clue, and get out. The cover is simply to give them a legitimate reason for being on the floor in case they are seen.
After checking in, Sarah and Chuck head up to the top floor, where both their suite and Carter’s are located. Chuck stays back by the elevator with their luggage while Sarah knocks on Carter’s room loudly. After a few tense seconds, it becomes apparent that there is going to be no answer and Sarah quickly pulls out a plain white hotel card attached to a small keypad from her purse. She inserts the card into the suite’s door, types a number sequence into the keypad, and waits for it to find the correct code to unlock the door.
Chuck suddenly moves at the end of the hall. He pulls the luggage towards Sarah and calls out, “Hon, I don’t think that’s our room.”
Sarah barely has enough time to put the lock picking device back in her purse and pull out a real hotel card before Carter and several bodyguards round the corner just after Chuck. Chuck’s panting as he hurries down the hall towards her.
Sarah flips her hair and giggles. “Oops,” she says. “I’m just so eager to get inside. I guess I got the numbers mixed up!”
Chuck turns back to Carter, a huge hulk of a man. “We’re newlyweds,” he offers as an explanation. “You know how it is.” Carter does nothing to indicate he heard either Sarah or Chuck and continues to stare at them. Chuck nervously puts his hand on Sarah’s back and ushers her down the hall to their own suite.
Neither notice the white hotel keycard connected to a thin black wire peeking out of Sarah’s purse.
--
Forced to sit and wait out Carter, Sarah and Chuck spend the afternoon watching movies and cuddling in the room. They are mostly silent, enjoying each others’ company and waiting for Casey’s word that Carter’s suite is empty. Sarah is also waiting for Graham to give her the go ahead to tell Chuck of the new development in his case, either the NSA’s orders or her own findings, and she’s a little tense as a result. If Chuck notices, he says nothing but Sarah does how soothing his fingers feel as he traces small circles on her back while she lays with her head in his lap.
Sarah’s stomach growls in the middle of Batman Begins and Chuck laughs. “Looks like we have to get you some food,” he says. “Room service or restaurant?”
Sarah’s feeling a little stir crazy from sitting still all afternoon. She’s never been good at being inactive and coupled with the copious amounts of close proximity to Chuck, she’s feeling a little light headed. “Restaurant,” she says firmly. “We’ll be able to reconvene with Casey that way.”
They’ve packed for literally anything at Sarah’s insistence and so they change into business casual attire - Sarah in a red satin blouse and a black skirt, Chuck in a suit - and head to the restaurant downstairs. Several members of Carter’s posse are seated in a table across the room. Sarah quickly does a head count and realizes with disappoint someone has been left behind in the room. She also notices that their entrance catches Carter’s attention. Not good to be on the subject’s radar, she thinks.
Chuck and Sarah hold hands and whisper to each other over the meal, playing a newlywed couple fairly convincingly. Carter’s table leaves shortly before they do and heads back upstairs. “Looks like we’re in for the long haul,” Chuck notes and he’s not sure if he’s supposed to be disappointed at how long the mission is dragging out. Secretly, he’s excited about spending another night in a hotel with Sarah. So far, that experience has not let him down.
Sarah excuses herself to go to the bathroom while “Mr. Carmichael” settles the bill. Casey appears out of nowhere and follows her in. They quickly make sure the stalls are empty. “They’re suspicious of you two,” Casey tells her urgently. “I don’t know what you did to draw attention to yourselves - I’m sure it was something Bartowski did - but I saw someone sneak into your room. I went in afterwards, and checked the room - it’s bugged. You two are going to have to be very careful with what you say. And you’re going to have to do some acting.”
Sarah was afraid of this, suspected it from the moment Carter watched them walk into the restaurant. “I understand. I’ll tell Chuck.”
Casey catches her as she turns to leave, his grip bordering on painful. “Do you think he can do this? Because if he can’t, we have to get out of here immediately.”
Sarah peels Casey’s fingers off her arm. “He’ll be fine.”
Chuck’s waiting for her at the table and gives her a brilliant smile. They head towards the elevator and Sarah’s relieved to see they are the only ones in the car. “Chuck, Casey just told me that our room has been bugged. We apparently caught Carter’s attention and they are suspicious.”
Chuck’s eyes are wide. “Sarah, what are we going to do?”
“Nothing,” she says firmly. “Running would only draw attention to us further. We’re going to go back to our room and continue to wait out Carter. We can’t leave and risk the chance that they go out tonight - it might be our only chance to get the information before it’s too late. But Chuck, I have to tell you, whoever is listening is going to expect to hear certain things.”
“Like what?”
“Well, our cover is newlyweds. So, technically, they’ll probably be anticipating certain, ahem, sounds.” She flushes pink and can’t remember the last time she felt so embarrassed.
“Sex,” Chuck says flatly.
“Yes.”
“Are you telling me we have to have sex for the sake of our cover?” He’s a guy, he’s certainly thought about having sex with Sarah, thought about it a lot and in many different ways, but having his first time with her be so some drug dealer would buy their cover was definitely not one of them.
“No!” Sarah blurts out. “No. We have a few options. We can either have a huge fight and pretend we’re mad at each other or we can make noises and sort of fake it and hope it convinces them or we can, uh, start it and then have a distraction occur.”
Chuck swallows and looks at Sarah. “I think,” he starts and his voice cracks. “I think that we have to, well, uh, I think we have to start it. It’d be the most convincing. And I know what that guy is capable of, I flashed on him in the hallway, and I just really don’t want someone as dangerous as him suspecting me of anything.”
“Great,” Sarah says, relieved. It is the most convincing option, in terms of the mission, and Sarah privately knows it will be the most fun. She’s already set up a diversion plan with Casey anyway, so it all works out. The elevator reaches their destination and Sarah gives Chuck a nod and an encouraging smile. They hold hands as they giggle down the hallway and make sure they are loud as they stubble into their hotel room.
“Where are you going?” Chuck asks when Sarah heads for her suitcase and pulls something out.
“I have a surprise for you, Mr. Carmichael,” she flirts and closes the bathroom door behind her.
“I’ll bet you do, Mrs. Carmichael,” Chuck whispers to himself and feels awkward in the large room by himself. He takes off his shoes, suit jacket, and tie and after some deliberation, his collared shirt as well. He sits on the bed in his suit pants and undershirt and is about to turn on the TV just to break the heavy silence when the sound of the bathroom door opening makes him turn.
Sarah emerges and leans seductively against the door frame: hip jutted, chest forward, hand twirling a piece of her tossled hair. Chuck’s not sure what she was thinking when she packed this but he finds he really doesn’t care. She’s wearing a short, black babydoll that’s made of sheer material with a small black bra and matching panties underneath. It’s similar to the one she wore in Chuck’s bedroom in some ways, with its deep v-neck that maximizes her cleavage and the way the short length accentuates her long legs but there is a pink bow at the base of the V, in the middle of the cups, and Chuck’s brain just about explodes when he realizes it isn’t a bow but a tie.
“Sarah,” he breathes and god, is that voice his?
Sarah smiles at him. “See something you like?” she purrs. She walks towards him slowly and Chuck thinks of a panther advancing on its prey.
He remembers he’s supposed to be married to this beauty, that he should be used to seeing Sarah in outfits like this, that he shouldn’t be acting like this is his first time. “Come here,” he tells her, trying to sound authoritative and not nervous like he really is, and she kneels in front of him on the bed, straddling his stretched out legs. He sits up and scoots closer to her, caressing her face gently.
“You are so beautiful,” he tells her and leans forward to kiss her.
Sarah’s beginning to get used to the feel of Chuck’s lips on hers and it’s a feeling that both excites and scares her. Chuck’s mouth is warm and his hands are hot as he brings them to tangle in her hair, to slide down the silky material of the lingerie, to rest gently on her butt. Sarah presses herself into him, enjoying the feel of his hard body against hers and she uses the momentum to push them back onto the mattress.
It squeaks slightly and Sarah’s glad because that will be an obvious sound for whoever is listening but she stops thinking of the bug when Chuck moves his mouth to her neck, his tongue flicking briefly over her exposed skin. He does it again, nuzzling her skin, before sucking hard. Sarah draws in a shaky breath at the sensations that run through her and Chuck knows he’s found something. He keeps one hand around her waist, holding her tight to him, and moves the other to play with one of the straps on the babydoll. He moves it back and forth on her slowly, all the while keeping up the slow torture he’s conducting on her neck, and he feels like the king of the world when Sarah clenches his shoulders and moans slightly.
Sarah slides her hands under Chuck’s shirt, moving her hands up his chest, and makes it clear she wants the shirt gone. He sheds it quickly and it’s the first time Sarah’s even seen him without a shirt on. She’s shocked at the body he’s been hiding under there but also very pleased.
Chuck melds their mouths together again and whatever gentleness there was before is gone now. Each kiss is fervent and passionate, full of everything they’ve ever felt but haven’t been able to capitalize on. Sarah’s surprised by how demanding Chuck is - he commands control and exerts confidence in everything he’s doing. It’s not a side of him she would have expected but it’s wonderful to be able to do this, to be able to kiss him without abandon and find out, and Sarah once again wishes this could be a more frequent occurrence.
Sarah moves into uncharted territory with Chuck. She’s no longer thinking about bugs or drug dealers or who is listening but there are audible sounds as she undoes Chuck’s belt buckle, pushes the pants down his hips and throws them off the bed. She kisses him again and moves to straddle him, her legs on either side of his body. Now, there are very thin barriers between them and Sarah can feel exactly what this is doing to Chuck. She rocks her hips forward, mimicking their mouth’s movements, and he groans loudly in her ear.
“Fuck, Sarah,” he hisses as she does it again and Chuck’s very close to becoming unhinged if he’s cursing. He doesn’t tell her to stop however, just digs his fingers into her hips and meets her movements with one of his own. Sarah lets out a gasp herself, her eyes fluttering close for a second, and when they open, they meet Chuck’s.
And then suddenly, a loud screeching noise fills the room, startling Chuck and Sarah in the quiet bedroom. It’s the fire alarm, the distraction she set up with Casey, and Sarah mentally curses herself because she knew it was coming and she was still surprised, thanks to being wrapped up in Chuck. Another reason you need to ask for a reassignment, she thinks to herself.
“Fire,” she tells him, for the sake of whoever is listening.
“Ignore it,” Chuck suggests with a crooked smile and husky voice. He pulls her to him again and puts his lips to her neck, to her newly discovered sweet spot, and for a second, Sarah almost gives in. But she knows that would lead to Casey coming into the room and she certainly doesn’t want him seeing her half naked, on top of a mostly naked Chuck.
She reluctantly pulls herself off Chuck, giving him an apologetic smile as she throws him jeans and a sweatshirt. She finds some clothes and shoes for herself and grabs the small bag with all the spy stuff they might need. Chuck is visibly uncomfortable as he zippers up his tight jeans and he mutters something under his breath about interruptions and typical and Sarah wishes she could tell him how she feels just as frustrated as he does.
Sarah and Chuck enter Carter’s suite carefully. It’s empty but they stay silent, just in case he has bugged his own room. Sarah’s found gun runners to be a notoriously paranoid group. They ransack the suite efficiently, looking for a computer or anything that would hold instructions but it becomes obvious quickly that they are out of luck. Sarah realizes with a sinking heart that Carter must have grabbed his computer at the sound of the alarm. This, of course, renders their plan useless -- and it’s already a Plan B.
Chuck waves her over to the large, expensive couch in the living room area. He’s taken off the cushions, looking for anything that might have accidently fallen through and he triumphantly shows her a sleek, silver Blackberry in his hand. Sarah realizes it must have fallen out of someone’s pocket and into the couch. Chuck’s familiar with the model, it’s the same one Lou had, and he hacks into it quickly, running through folders and emails far faster than Sarah ever would be able to. After a few tense minutes, Chuck looks at her and holds the Blackberry out for her to look at the screen. She’s reasonable sure what she’s looking at is a date and coordinates so she gives Chuck a silent high five and motions for them to leave.
They slip out a side door from the hotel and join the throng of guests milling around in the cool evening air. Sarah locates Casey in the melee and slips the Blackberry to him. He’ll take it to their bosses and have the information retrieved and verified.
The fire department gives the all clear to go back inside soon after that. “We have to stay the night,” Sarah tells him as they follow everyone inside. “It’s the least suspicious course of action. And if it turns out what we found was useless, we need to still be here as a cover to go back in.”
Chuck nods and the unspoken question is in his eyes. Sarah cuts him off before he can ask it. “I think we gave them enough of a show before,” she tells him and Chuck’s grin is positively lecherous. “We’ll just feign exhaustion. They’ll probably be too busy setting up whatever operation they have going on in there to listen to us anyway.” Sarah decides this mostly because she knows if they start again, she’s going to be powerless to stop … and there’s no distraction set up to interrupt them this time.
Sarah sleeps in the babydoll, just in case “Carter suspects us and comes in.” She cuddles into him, her head on his shoulder, one leg thrown over his, and Chuck cannot find a place to put his hand that does not involve bare skin or an inappropriate body part. He does not sleep well at all.
--
Sarah and Chuck have a nice, leisurely breakfast and then they checkout after there’s been no word from Casey. The agent materializes as they are getting into Sarah’s car. “NSA was able to successfully derive the codes from the Blackberry and are currently working with the Coast Guard to stop Carter,” he tells Sarah. He turns to Chuck, who is putting the luggage in the trunk. “Good work Bartowski. The tech guy said the stuff was buried in the Blackberry and not just anyone would have been able to retrieve it.”
Chuck’s pleased by the praise, however grudging it may be. “Thanks Casey,” he grins.
Sarah watches Casey interact with Chuck. Casey’s a rough, closed off guy, someone who isn’t prone to attachments, the epitome of The Job. Sarah thinks Casey is a good agent but he’s also a bit of a loose canon and that makes him dangerous, especially in light of her recent discovery. But as she watches Casey taunt Chuck about something, she wonders if he might have formed a soft spot for Chuck. And if Director Graham turns down her proposal, that might be the only leverage she has in saving Chuck.
Sarah’s phone rings, stirring her from her thoughts. It’s Director Graham.
hysterical confession, my big courageous move.
don't gasp at the predictable,
a comforting lie can't last.
preordained checklist of this awkward love,
it's so sad.
+ comforting lie, no doubt