It's a Wonderful Cover Life (Chuck Fan Fiction)

Chapter 14

61. The Walk of Shame

Sarah reached for her mug before propping her elbow up on the back of the couch and settling into a more comfortable position. Resting her temple on her thumb she massaged her forehead where she could still feel her skin tingle. Her headache, if not gone, was forgotten as a smile tugged on the corners of her lips. Maggie's 'cure' had been the sweetest thing she'd ever experienced. Truthfully, the only thought she'd ever given children was that she didn't want any, but after seeing how much Chuck adored his daughter, and spending time with the little girl first hand, Sarah found herself open to the idea of changing her mind. She wasn't sure if she was ready to be a pseudo parent just yet, but there was no denying that the Bartowskis had gotten under her skin in a surprisingly short time.

A voice from the doorway pulled her from her thoughts. "Am I interrupting?"

She sat up straight, relieved that it was her uncle and not Carina, who would never let Sarah live it down if she knew what was going through her head. Sarah wanted to reply, then caught sight of him and nearly dropped her coffee, doubling over laughing.

"It's not funny," Roan grumbled as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

"So funny." Sarah gasped, searching through the tears for the table to set down her mug. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe and stole a glance in her uncle's direction, trying and failing to stifle a fresh burst of giggles.

Roan waited her out, and judging by his expression he did so begrudgingly. Sarah managed to get control over herself and coughed in an attempt to cover up a last snicker. It worked, as long as she didn't look directly at him.

"That's definitely not Giorgio or Hugo," she remarked. She'd never seen him in anything but a tailored suit, so much so that she wouldn't be surprised if he slept in one as well. Wool sweaters were definitely not his style, not to mention a forest green one sporting a really large deer head, complete with a red nose. An amused whimper escaped her throat which she tried to stifle against the back of her hand.

"Two days," Roan said, "she's known me for two days and she's buying me…clothes." He glanced down in disgust. "Who does that?"

"You stayed over after only two days," Sarah pointed out, all sobered up now. "I thought we talked about that."

"You asked me to distract her and that's exactly what I did."

Sarah groaned. This conversation was rapidly heading into disturbing territory. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," she couldn't help but add.

"I always do," Roan replied confidently. "And speaking of sticky situations – " He trailed off, reaching into his pants pocket. "I got you something."

"You shouldn't have," Sarah deadpanned as she eyed the thumb drive he was holding out to her. She had no idea what was on it, but she'd bet her trust fund it wasn't anything good. Then she looked up at him without making a move to take it. "What is it?" she asked.

Roan's gaze bounced from hers to the device in his hands and then to the door. "I ran a background check on your…Charles."

"I didn't ask you to."

"I'm merely looking out for you, kiddo."

Sarah didn't know whether to be touched by his concern or ticked off by his interference in her life, then considered using it as an opportunity to trip him up and find out if he really was a spy or not, but rejected that option. Instead she squared her shoulders and said "If there's anything I need to know, Chuck will tell me."

Granted, she and Chuck had only known each other for a week and that wasn't nearly enough time to discover all each other's secrets, but this was definitely not the way to do it. Besides, Chuck had already told her about Stanford, or at least his side of it, and she believed him. She could imagine what it would look like to an outsider, which was probably how her uncle would see it. And even if he'd found anything more, she preferred to hear it from Chuck himself, in due course. She didn't have to be an expert at relationships to know how important trust was, and how easily it could be broken by snooping. Of course she was wary about putting herself out there again, but if by chance Chuck was willing to risk his happiness, and by extension his daughter's, then she could do the same.