Chuck vs the proposal
A/N: I wasn't going to do this, but then I got this idea earlier today when tweeting with NickyR, so please blame her :) Frea O'Scanlin, here's one to tick off your predicted list of ten. All I'm saying about this is that a different perspective can shine a whole new light on a situation. Then again, I am reminded daily that other people sometimes find it hard to follow my logic. If you get why there's no section breaks in the story, great, if not, please feel free to ask. Either way, hope you enjoy.
This wasn't beta'd – all mistakes and sentimentality can be attributed to – one, me getting up at 4:30 to watch Chuck, two, this keyboard I'm still not getting along with and three, cough meds. I don't own Chuck.
"Do you ever just wanna have a normal life? Have a family? Children?"
Sarah had been staring at the ceiling for the past twenty minutes. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Chuck's shoulder. He was lying with his back to her, the covers pulled up adorably high, giving her the quiet time she requested somewhere in the middle of their one hundred and one conversations currently in progress. And even though it was technically 'me time', all she could think about was Chuck. His words kept replaying in her mind. The question is, no matter what the changes are, is the love still there? She was truly terrified, a feeling she didn't experience very often. What if we do 'I do' and it changes us? But he made her see that it was the wrong question. Only one thing mattered. What could change their love?
She turned on her side and took a moment to gather enough courage. "Are you awake?" She lifted her head. "Can you hear me, Chuck?" Spotting no movement she lay back down and sighed. Part of her still thought talking to him while he's asleep was ridiculous, but a bigger part wanted to say it out loud. Maybe somewhere in his subconscious he would hear her. "I love you, Chuck." Those words came easy these days. That's something that has changed. Feeling more confident, she continued, "Nothing's ever gonna change that. And if you ask me for real, then my answer would be yes." With a relieved smile, she closed her eyes. Change may be unavoidable, but one thing will always remain constant.
It had been four days of utter hell. And that had nothing to do with fighting her way through the jungles of Thailand. But all Sarah could focus on now was Chuck's face cradled in her hands. He was breathing, but that wasn't enough. She told him she loved him. She begged him to wake up. "I have so much I wanna tell you." The last word got lost in a sob. She pushed her regrets aside. Instead she told him about the proposal plan she found, trying to express how special it made her feel that he loved her so much to go to all that trouble.
"Chuck I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don't care if you have the Intersect or not. Without you I'm nobody, I'm nothing by a spy. Come back to me, Chuck. I'm gonna marry you."
Sarah pulled away from the kiss slowly and Chuck took both her hands in his.
"I've been to so many places around the world, but..." She gazed out over the picturesque French countryside, crowned by the full moon, "I've never been to place as beautiful as this."
"I have," Chuck responded quietly. Tearing her eyes away from the view, she met his gaze. "Every day. Every morning I wake up and I look at you. When we brush our teeth tandem style." Sarah couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "When we watch TV together. Whatever. Anything. Always. Every time I look at you…it's the most beautiful place I've ever been." Sarah didn't know what to say. How do you respond to something so eloquent? "It's just…I feel like I should be James Bond right now, you know? The guy who's standing on this balcony with you, right now, in this moment, I mean…"
Sarah tugged on his hands. She had to interrupt. "I didn't fall in love with James Bond, I fell in love with you." She poured all her emotions into that statement. He was her hero, because he loved her. And because she loved him. Sarah smiled when Chuck swallowed determinedly and she noticed his hand patting his pocket. This was it. She was glad he didn't get to surprise her. This way she could savor every moment.
"Sarah, I'm…uhm…I'm…I'm gonna ask you a question right now, so please, don't freak out, okay?"
"I won't," she promised.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Going on missions and saving the day and being heroes." Sarah couldn't contain her smile. Or her happiness. "But mostly though, I just want to be with you." His voice cracked. "At your side. Always."
They were sitting side by side waiting. Mary was in the delivery room with Ellie and Awesome. Casey returned to his hospital bed earlier with Morgan and Alex in tow. It was just the two of them. Their hands were entwined the entire time. After weeks apart, even the smallest contact meant so much. Chuck held her hand against his chest. Sarah expected his palm to be a little clammy, given the magnitude of the situation, but he was calm. Almost relaxed. Then he turned to look at her. That's what she missed most. Reading in his eyes exactly what was in his heart. He lifted his free hand and brushed her hair away from her face with his thumb. She was never going to take any of it for granted again.
Sarah gave Chuck a questioning look when he let go of her hand and got up. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her gaze dropped from his face when he reached a hand into his pocket. She recognized the red box he pulled out, but her breath caught in her throat when he flipped the lid open. Her eyes snapped up to his, surprised that they were a little misty. They both swallowed at the same time when Chuck took a small step back and went down on one knee. Sarah uncrossed her legs and sat up straight. She nearly missed the question over the pounding of her heart. The answer was simple. Easy. Almost leaping out of her chair, she captured Chuck's face like that night at the docks. Only this time the kiss was slow and sweet, sealing the continuation of their future that started as a seemingly easy assignment.
A/N: (In this case both an author's note and apology note). Firstly, it's highly probable that this title has been used before – no malicious intent to any author or authors who have used it before me. I will admit that I stole the middle part, but it was from my own story. Secondly, I'm aware that the final chapter of 'The Fight NYE' is now officially a month late and getting later as I'm typing here. Working on it, scout's honor and hopefully it will be up soon. Thirdly, I'm taking a hiatus for possibly a couple of months. It's tax season, audit season and university started last week. That does not mean that I'm giving up writing completely. Random chapters of 'Covers' may pop up, but no promises. 'Inconvenient Truths' will be my priority though and I have set some time aside to work on it, but I'm not going to update until I have at least three chapters in the bag. I'm not trying to be harsh, quite the opposite, I would hate to leave you hanging off a cliff for several weeks at a time.
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I'm happy to report that my hand is in working order again.