Two years, and counting

Today marks two years since I’ve posted the first chapter of my first Chuck fic.  I've learned a lot since then, reading the greats like Frea O’Scanlin, ninjaVanish and quistie64, to name only a few.  And I owe a lot to Nervert, the other “man” in my life (sorry, buddy, couldn’t resist), for all his patience and encouragement and the amazing job he’s doing as a beta – trust me, if you could see the ‘before’ and ‘after’ drafts, you’ll understand.  You’re an amazing friend and I hope I get to go to Seattle someday and actually meet you in person.  I also have the privilege to work with mxpw on some of my stories and everything you’ve heard about him is true – he puts the awe in awesome.  Now if we can only get him to free Bryce Larkin…  Of course no learning experience is complete without feedback, so thank you to each and every reader who has taken the time to leave a review or send me a PM or a tweet.  Your support means the world.

So now two years have passed, but it’s not the end.  I know updates have been slow lately, but I have every intention of finishing Cover Life, A Common Spy Problem, Inconvenient Truths and For All That We Are.  Speaking of Cover Life, I unfortunately don’t have a chapter ready for posting today, so I bring you another outtake.  And as a bonus, the scene I’ve finally decided on.  Enjoy.

Chuck regretted taking that drink, but if he was completely honest, his lightheadedness had nothing to do with alcohol and everything with the woman who had just excused herself to go fix her lipstick.  He was wrong before, he thought, what happened in the study a few days ago was nice, but just now – that was a kiss.    

“Are you gonna wipe that silly grin off your face anytime soon?” Carina asked as she slid onto the vacated barstool.     

“Hi-ho!” Chuck exclaimed in surprise as he whipped around to face her, only to be met with a serious expression.

“What was that about?” she asked, crossing her left knee over her right, causing her already inappropriately short skirt to ride up a notch.  She didn’t bother to adjust it.

“I have no idea what you mean,” he replied instinctively.  They’d been avoiding each other for the past two days and he preferred keeping it that way.  The quicker this conversation ended, the better, and he was not going to discuss the kiss with her – or anything else for that matter.  “I thought you were going to brush a stallion?  Or flush a medallion?”  Neither sounded quite right, though with Carina, apparently anything was possible.  “The music was really loud when you called,” he explained. 

“Giovanni is warming up the car,” she told him.  “I just came back for this.”  She reached around Chuck as she spoke, freeing her purse strap from the back of his chair.    

Chuck assumed that meant Giovanni was not a horse, but he didn’t ask.  Carina didn’t give him a chance to anyway.  “We need to talk,” she told him, looking over his shoulder in the direction Sarah had disappeared to. 

“About what?” Chuck asked, more than a little baffled.

“Sarah.”

That did not explain things, at least not in his mind.  “What about Sarah?”

His question was met with an eye roll and Carina mumbled something under her breath about a Greek, but he couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.  Then she took a deep breath, clearly to calm herself down.  “I don’t know why, but Sarah likes you,” she told him bluntly and held up her palm to stop him from responding.  “She could do worse, I suppose, but consider yourself warned – if this is just about sex and money, or either, for you…”

“It’s not,” he quickly cut her off.  “That hadn’t even crossed my mind.” 

Carina fixed him with a skeptical look.  “Really?” 

Chuck felt his ears starting to burn under her unwavering gaze.  He’d toyed with the idea of asking Sarah on a date, and maybe his mind had wandered a bit.  He was only human.  But then he’d found himself alone in a dark movie theatre, pretty sure it wasn’t gonna happen.  And the next thing he knew, she was kissing him. 

“Will you focus?” Carina asked, snapping him back to the present. 

“How do you know Sarah likes me?” Chuck asked.  He wouldn’t put it past Carina to mess with him.  Maybe this was her payback for his comments a few days ago when he was being measured for a new suit.  She was probably setting him up to make a complete fool of himself.

“You’re kidding, right?  Everyone sees the way she looks at you.”

“Isn’t that what this whole thing is about?  Pretending to be in love?”

Carina grunted like a female version of Casey.  “Okay, look,” she said, “I’m not here to try and convince you.  Sarah’s gonna be back any minute, so listen up.  Take it slow and don’t pressure her.  And if you hurt her in any way, I will make sure that you’ll regret being born a man.”

Chuck shook his head slowly from side to side.  This has to be a dream.  That was the only explanation.  Carina had made her feelings towards him perfectly clear and she’d be the last person to give him a pep talk.  Well, perhaps one ahead of Casey.

“Why are you telling me this?” he finally asked, but Carina was already halfway to the door.  He watched her slip out of the club and was startled for a second time when Sarah spoke next to him.

“Are you okay, Chuck?”

“Fine,” he squeaked and cleared his throat.  “Can we go?”  He really needed an all-night marathon of Call of Duty to try and make sense of today.

Sarah nodded in agreement.  She rifled through her purse and then stopped, looking up at him.  “Chuck, can I buy you dinner?” 

The question came out of left field, pretty much like Carina’s speech.  With that conversation still fresh in his mind, he answered automatically.  “Sure…okay…when?”    

“Now,” Sarah replied.

“Now?” he asked, glancing down at his watch.  “As in eleven forty two now?”

Sarah nodded.  “I’m starving.”

What actually happened:

If it hadn’t been for the slight rise and fall of her chest, Chuck would swear that he was sitting next to a mannequin.  Sarah hadn’t moved or spoken since they’d pulled apart a good three minutes ago, not that he was in any condition to carry on a conversation.  His brain felt fuzzy – whether it was as a result of downing the tequila or being kissed by Sarah was debatable – but he was fairly certain that several eyes were still fixed on them. 

They had put on quite a show.

And that was all it was, Chuck told himself.  Sarah wanted to prove a point and his were the most convenient lips around, though he never thought that something fake could be so intense.  Either way, they couldn’t spend the rest of the night just staring at each other.  The way he saw it they had two options, but even with the jolt of liquid courage, he was not going to venture out onto the dance floor.  That would be the quickest way to go from hero to zero in his co-patrons’ eyes, unless it was a slow song which didn’t require dancing so much as swaying and taking the occasional step, but that would involve Sarah and arms and touching and pretending to fake it.  The thought alone made his head spin and his palms sweat.

That left option two.

“Can we get out of here?” he asked.

At first it didn’t seem like she’d heard him, then she blinked.  “Yeah.”

She started riffling through her purse and he used the opportunity to signal the bartender for the bill.  After being told that it had been taken care off – how, he didn’t ask – he turned back to Sarah who handed him a valet ticket.

“Would you mind getting the car?  I need to go fix my lipstick.” 

It looked fine to him but he didn’t mention it, grateful for the reprieve to gather his thoughts before they had to share the cramped space of a car, but then he realized something.  “Do you want me to drive?”  He felt both excited and nauseated by the prospect.

“How did you get here?” she asked instead of answering.

“I took a cab.”

“Well, then it only makes sense that you drive.”

“But it’s a Porsche,” he pointed out.  “I don’t know if I’m ready for the responsibility.  Plus you know kung fu and what if I…”

“Chuck,” Sarah cut off his babbling, “it’s just a car.”

He raised a skeptical eyebrow.  “Really?  And how many people, besides you, have driven it?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, but when she leaned forward to make sure she had his full attention, she was all seriousness.  “You’re trusting me with your kid.  It’s just a car,” she emphasized. 

He couldn’t argue with that.

“But,” Sarah continued, “if Carina asks…”

“This never happened,” he finished the sentence.

“No,” she shook her head, “I want you to tell her.  Every little detail.”

Chuck laughed lowly.  “That’d be mean.  Can I tell her even if she doesn’t ask?”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she smiled and slid off the barstool.  Chuck made a move to get up too, but froze when Sarah suddenly reached out and touched his cheek.  Her thumb wiped over the corner of his lip and he was positive that he’d stopped breathing.            

“Not my color?” he tried to joke when he got his voice back.

“Actually,” she replied, letting her hand fall away slowly, “I think it suits you rather well.”

 She was halfway across the room before it even occurred to him to try and come up with a response.