I have to admit not being sure if I wanted to start another rotation of Chuck holiday stories, but they've become a bit of a tradition for me. I'm still looking for a job (four months later, sadly) and I'm doing some studying to improve my list of skills. Hopefully 2013 will bring better luck on that front.

I kept the story short but sweet. (emphasis on sweet) It was just something I cooked up that I thought should happen in the post-show world of Chuck. I hope you like it. And please leave a review if you do.

I hope everyone has a good holiday and you get to spend it with the people you love.

Echo Park
December 24, 2012
10:45 PM PST

Thank God, he thought to himself as he plopped down on the couch.

Chuck had the last of the gifts under the tree. Everything was all set for tomorrow. This wasn't how he scheduled it, but nothing ever went according to plan. Ellie had called a couple of hours ago to remind him Devon, Clara, and she would be there bright and early to celebrate Christmas morning, and he had to be in the Santa suit before they arrived.

It seemed like a lot of effort to go through for someone who was only eighteen months old and wouldn't remember any of this, but Chuck had a lot of trouble saying no to Ellie where his niece was involved. He offered to fly to Chicago and celebrate with them there, and at least there would be the possibility of a white Christmas, something the warm temperatures of Los Angeles wouldn't really permit. But Devon and Ellie had been working hard for the last ten months and they wanted to get away for a while.

Sarah walked in from the kitchen and smiled at him. Her face still had streaks of flour on it as she finished wiping her hands off using the towel attached to her waist. She had prepared a lot of the food they would be eating tomorrow. Sarah was as good of a cook as Ellie; no doubt her Agency training helped with that. Chuck could only imagine everyone laying around after breakfast tomorrow much like they did following Thanksgiving dinner. If only they hadn't moved the Twilight Zone marathon to New Year's Eve this season. They would have to settle for showing after showing of A Christmas Story.

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asked as she plopped down on the couch next to Chuck.

"Tired, but I'm excited," Chuck replied as he put his arm around Sarah. She snuggled closer to him. "Thank you for making all of that food for tomorrow. I know that's a lot to put on you, and I really appreciate everything you've done for Ellie and Devon's visit tomorrow."

"I was glad to do it. All of you have been so good to me. You've been so supportive over these last ten months. I know it hasn't been easy to be patient with me, but…"

"Sarah," Chuck interrupted as he took her hands. "Believe me; it was no effort for us. We wanted to do this for you. I wanted to do this for you. I said I would be there no matter what, and I always will be."

Sarah gazed into his eyes and smiled. She took his face in her hands and gently placed her lips on his. She could feel that same warm, tingling sensation pass through her; the one that always went through her whenever she kissed Chuck. It had been like this since that day on the beach when she asked him to tell her their story. It took her months to put the last five years back together, but there was no question she always loved him.

"Thank you," she whispered softly into his ear as they embraced. "Thank you for everything you've given me."

Chuck pulled back and smiled, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Actually, there's something I wanted to give you tonight."

Sarah's brow furrowed. "I thought we were going to wait until Ellie and Devon arrived."

"This one is a special gift. One I wanted to give you tonight."

Sarah sighed and looked down at the ground. "Chuck, you drive me crazy when you do that. You know I don't need anything else. What you've done already…"

She froze when she realized Chuck had moved off of the couch and faced her on one knee. He held out a small box. Her eyes widened when he opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

"Sarah, will you marry me?"

Sarah tried to stop herself from hyperventilating. "Chuck…we're…we're still married. I never gave a single thought to ending our marriage after what happened. You told me about how you proposed and everything. Right there in the hospital."

"I know. But I wanted to propose again. You deserve to have a real proposal, not one you had to hear about from someone else. I've been in love with you since the day we met in the Buy More, and I know it's tough for you to put a feeling to that now. But please believe my love for you has just grown more and more with each passing day. And if you wanted me to propose a thousand times, I'd propose a thousand and one times. I want you to have this; to have the experience of being engaged and getting married, even if we already are. I want you to be as happy as you've made me. I would do anything to make you happy because you've already made me a better person than I was ever able to imagine, and I want to spend each and every day with you for the rest of my life."

Sarah sat there in stone-faced shock for several moments. Chuck could not have been more correct. The difference between hearing about a memory and experiencing it yourself was immeasurable. She began to shake as her eyes welled up.

"Yes, Chuck," she whispered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her hand was shaking as she held it out. Chuck's timing was also impeccable; she had taken off her old engagement ring and wedding band to cook the food so her ring finger was ready for the newest member of her jewelry collection. Chuck sported the biggest smile on his face as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Chuck, this diamond must be twice the size of my other ring!" she exclaimed, staring at the ring in shock.

"Well, we have a little more money now than when I did this the last time," he said with a shrug. "Actually, all of that money selling off our company's assets will last us for…until Clara has grandkids."

Sarah looked up again and laughed. She threw her arms around Chuck and tackled him to the ground, kissing every last part of him. The smile on her face couldn't be removed with a hammer and chisel.

"Is this better than the last time you proposed to me?" Sarah asked as she held Chuck's face in her hands.

"Absolutely," Chuck replied. "The rug was so much easier on my knee than that concrete hospital floor."

Sarah laughed hysterically before resuming her assault on Chuck with her lips.