For Appearance's Sake
Title: For Appearance's Sake
Pairing:Chuck/Sarah
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Based on the synopsis for a future episode. Sarah and Chuck double date with the Captain and Ellie. This is the aftermath.
A/N: This developed differently than I envisioned it and there is a little more that might develop into a possible sequel but I ended it on a bit of a light note so I don't know if I'll continue.
Hope you enjoy it
Sarah watched Chuck nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie and bit her lip in concentration. The dinner could not have been less convincing.
Laughing at something Ellie said, Sarah continued to replay the evening's events in her mind. They'd been tactile. She was sure of it. She'd leaned into Chuck on their side of the booth and when he put his arm around her, the sigh that escaped her wasn't one for the sake of their audience.
Chuck had wittily recounted a story from the Buy More that included John Casey tripping over Morgan's shoes and Sarah had been so amused she'd actually snorted.
Chuck had looked over at in her in surprise at the undignified noise and she had spontaneously leaned over to kiss his cheek while Ellie and Awesome laughed at them.
It wasn't the chemistry between them that was the problem.
It was the fact that Chuck hadn't had a serious girlfriend in years and the idea that they were abstaining from sex. That was where all the potential problems with their act were beginning.
It just wasn't plausible.
Sarah knew that Chuck was gentlemanly enough but she had no such faith in Morgan. Sooner of later, he would begin to pester Chuck about all the details and she couldn't allow that to jeopardize her place in Chuck's life.
She was supposed to be Chuck's adoring, smitten, affectionate girlfriend.
It wasn't a role that was hard for her to aspire to playing.
Yet somehow, she felt as if Ellie and Captain Awesome had seen the kinks in the armor earlier that night
. The thought that the entire operation could fold if she behaved anything less than perfectly attentive and in love with Chuck flashed in her mind as the worst-case scenario.
The CIA would recall her and she wouldn't be able to help protect Chuck. She would probably never see him again if the Director ended her involvement with the team.
She was going to have to do something drastic. Something mildly embarrassing.
Standing abruptly, she smiled genuinely at Ellie and said, "I'm sorry, Ellie. Do you think I could borrow Chuck for just a second?"
Ellie's grin was enormous as she pushed a curious Chuck toward Sarah and said amiably, "Of course! "
Sarah held out her hand for Chuck and she smiled when he took it without the nervous expression that had initially accompanied her romantic gestures.
He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against one of the counters, saying, "What's up?"
Sarah peeked back into the living room and saw that Awesome and Ellie were now snuggled closer on the couch but still angled toward the kitchen. Sarah stepped closer to Chuck and said in a quiet, persuasive voice, "Come closer, okay?"
Chuck looked confused but obeyed her almost immediately, standing just inches from her.
Sarah smiled lightly and said, "You did well at dinner."
Chuck grinned at the compliment though Sarah could see the shade of wistfulness in his smile. "Yeah," he said. "We did."
Sarah had shucked her heels off in the living room so she had to crane her head to look at Chuck as she whispered, "Put your hands on my hips."
Chuck flinched and looked back into the living room. His eyes met Ellie's and she quickly looked away, blushing guiltily.
Sarah put her hand out so that it rested against Chuck's side and said, "Just loop your fingers through my belt loops and stand here and talk to me."
Chuck did as she asked and said, "Okay. Now explain to me what we're doing."
Sarah laughed as though he'd said something hilarious and she used her forward momentum to bury her head against his shoulder. He brought his arms up around her waist and she thought, good adjustment. She didn't even have to suggest it.
She closed her eyes for a moment and let herself imagine some parallel universe where this was happening not because it had to but because they wanted it to happen.
She slid her arms around his waist and said, "We did fine at dinner. But we were shaky as hell on the innuendo. We weren't acting like a couple that's intimate with each other."
She felt Chuck's breath muss her hair and he questioned gently, "I thought we were taking it slow."
She didn't say anything for a second but she observed Awesome watching them as he walked back to the couch from the stereo.
Then she replied, "We were. Don't you think two months is an acceptable grace period?"
Chuck laughed lightly and said enthusiastically, "I definitely think it's acceptable. And if our relationship was remotely real, I would be a little more excited about this development."
Sarah grinned and couldn't stop herself from agreeing, "Me too."
Chuck said, "We're making this look easy."
Sarah allowed, "We like each other. It's easy to do this with someone you like."
Chuck inhaled slowly and mulled her words over in his mind. He wanted to believe this was another of their hypothetical, thinly veiled conversations where they spoke in riddles and danced around their real feelings. But sometimes he wondered if all of the imagining and hypothetical references to something more substantial between them was on his end.
Sarah said quietly, "I think we're going to have to incorporate sleepovers into our repertoire."
Chuck almost kicked himself when his voice cracked as he repeated, "Sleepovers?"
Sarah laughed and leaned back in his arms to look up at his blushing face. "Sleepovers. And you can stay at my place every now and then. Just to keep the suspicions to a minimum."
Chuck croaked, "Great. We can watch movies."
Sarah let him pull her back against him and she replied a little dejectedly, "Great."
------------
Chuck and Sarah walked into the living room holding hands and wearing identical grins.
Ellie looked up and Awesome watched Chuck like a proud father as Chuck said as nonchalantly as he could, "I think we're going to go hang out in my room."
Sarah was amused to find herself blushing as she tried to look both knowing and slightly abashed.
Ellie slipped her arm around Awesome's waist and said, "Okay! Have a good time."
Chuck shot Ellie a faux-scandalized look and Sarah genuinely giggled when Chuck's sister's face turned even redder than her own.
Awesome squeezed Ellie's shoulders and said in a normal tone, "She means good night. Sarah, we'll see you in the morning for Saturday waffles?"
Somehow, even though she and Chuck were only pretending to consummate the relationship, Sarah couldn't help but feel guilty; as if everyone in the room was perfectly aware of what was about to happen. It's why she hated college and having roommates.
Sarah grinned at him anyway and said, "Definitely."
The Captain grinned and shot her a nod as he said approvingly, "Awesome."
Pairing:Chuck/Sarah
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Based on the synopsis for a future episode. Sarah and Chuck double date with the Captain and Ellie. This is the aftermath.
A/N: This developed differently than I envisioned it and there is a little more that might develop into a possible sequel but I ended it on a bit of a light note so I don't know if I'll continue.
Hope you enjoy it
Sarah watched Chuck nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie and bit her lip in concentration. The dinner could not have been less convincing.
Laughing at something Ellie said, Sarah continued to replay the evening's events in her mind. They'd been tactile. She was sure of it. She'd leaned into Chuck on their side of the booth and when he put his arm around her, the sigh that escaped her wasn't one for the sake of their audience.
Chuck had wittily recounted a story from the Buy More that included John Casey tripping over Morgan's shoes and Sarah had been so amused she'd actually snorted.
Chuck had looked over at in her in surprise at the undignified noise and she had spontaneously leaned over to kiss his cheek while Ellie and Awesome laughed at them.
It wasn't the chemistry between them that was the problem.
It was the fact that Chuck hadn't had a serious girlfriend in years and the idea that they were abstaining from sex. That was where all the potential problems with their act were beginning.
It just wasn't plausible.
Sarah knew that Chuck was gentlemanly enough but she had no such faith in Morgan. Sooner of later, he would begin to pester Chuck about all the details and she couldn't allow that to jeopardize her place in Chuck's life.
She was supposed to be Chuck's adoring, smitten, affectionate girlfriend.
It wasn't a role that was hard for her to aspire to playing.
Yet somehow, she felt as if Ellie and Captain Awesome had seen the kinks in the armor earlier that night
. The thought that the entire operation could fold if she behaved anything less than perfectly attentive and in love with Chuck flashed in her mind as the worst-case scenario.
The CIA would recall her and she wouldn't be able to help protect Chuck. She would probably never see him again if the Director ended her involvement with the team.
She was going to have to do something drastic. Something mildly embarrassing.
Standing abruptly, she smiled genuinely at Ellie and said, "I'm sorry, Ellie. Do you think I could borrow Chuck for just a second?"
Ellie's grin was enormous as she pushed a curious Chuck toward Sarah and said amiably, "Of course! "
Sarah held out her hand for Chuck and she smiled when he took it without the nervous expression that had initially accompanied her romantic gestures.
He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against one of the counters, saying, "What's up?"
Sarah peeked back into the living room and saw that Awesome and Ellie were now snuggled closer on the couch but still angled toward the kitchen. Sarah stepped closer to Chuck and said in a quiet, persuasive voice, "Come closer, okay?"
Chuck looked confused but obeyed her almost immediately, standing just inches from her.
Sarah smiled lightly and said, "You did well at dinner."
Chuck grinned at the compliment though Sarah could see the shade of wistfulness in his smile. "Yeah," he said. "We did."
Sarah had shucked her heels off in the living room so she had to crane her head to look at Chuck as she whispered, "Put your hands on my hips."
Chuck flinched and looked back into the living room. His eyes met Ellie's and she quickly looked away, blushing guiltily.
Sarah put her hand out so that it rested against Chuck's side and said, "Just loop your fingers through my belt loops and stand here and talk to me."
Chuck did as she asked and said, "Okay. Now explain to me what we're doing."
Sarah laughed as though he'd said something hilarious and she used her forward momentum to bury her head against his shoulder. He brought his arms up around her waist and she thought, good adjustment. She didn't even have to suggest it.
She closed her eyes for a moment and let herself imagine some parallel universe where this was happening not because it had to but because they wanted it to happen.
She slid her arms around his waist and said, "We did fine at dinner. But we were shaky as hell on the innuendo. We weren't acting like a couple that's intimate with each other."
She felt Chuck's breath muss her hair and he questioned gently, "I thought we were taking it slow."
She didn't say anything for a second but she observed Awesome watching them as he walked back to the couch from the stereo.
Then she replied, "We were. Don't you think two months is an acceptable grace period?"
Chuck laughed lightly and said enthusiastically, "I definitely think it's acceptable. And if our relationship was remotely real, I would be a little more excited about this development."
Sarah grinned and couldn't stop herself from agreeing, "Me too."
Chuck said, "We're making this look easy."
Sarah allowed, "We like each other. It's easy to do this with someone you like."
Chuck inhaled slowly and mulled her words over in his mind. He wanted to believe this was another of their hypothetical, thinly veiled conversations where they spoke in riddles and danced around their real feelings. But sometimes he wondered if all of the imagining and hypothetical references to something more substantial between them was on his end.
Sarah said quietly, "I think we're going to have to incorporate sleepovers into our repertoire."
Chuck almost kicked himself when his voice cracked as he repeated, "Sleepovers?"
Sarah laughed and leaned back in his arms to look up at his blushing face. "Sleepovers. And you can stay at my place every now and then. Just to keep the suspicions to a minimum."
Chuck croaked, "Great. We can watch movies."
Sarah let him pull her back against him and she replied a little dejectedly, "Great."
------------
Chuck and Sarah walked into the living room holding hands and wearing identical grins.
Ellie looked up and Awesome watched Chuck like a proud father as Chuck said as nonchalantly as he could, "I think we're going to go hang out in my room."
Sarah was amused to find herself blushing as she tried to look both knowing and slightly abashed.
Ellie slipped her arm around Awesome's waist and said, "Okay! Have a good time."
Chuck shot Ellie a faux-scandalized look and Sarah genuinely giggled when Chuck's sister's face turned even redder than her own.
Awesome squeezed Ellie's shoulders and said in a normal tone, "She means good night. Sarah, we'll see you in the morning for Saturday waffles?"
Somehow, even though she and Chuck were only pretending to consummate the relationship, Sarah couldn't help but feel guilty; as if everyone in the room was perfectly aware of what was about to happen. It's why she hated college and having roommates.
Sarah grinned at him anyway and said, "Definitely."
The Captain grinned and shot her a nod as he said approvingly, "Awesome."