Finally, the day Chuck had been dreaming of for two years had arrived. He was relieved to have the day off so he would have time to get everything ready. First, he needed to pick up a few things. The first stop Chuck had to make was at a chocolate shop. There were so many choices. Boxes of every size and shape. He finally selected a medium sized box in the shape of a heart that was being held by a fuzzy brown teddy bear with a red bow around its neck. Next on Chuck's list were flowers. He picked up a large bouquet of various wild flowers and single red rose, complete with a sprig of babies' breath. Chuck selected a beautiful vase for each.

For dinner, Chuck picked up a no-olive pizza. Sarah didn't like olives. It was the first real thing he'd ever learned about her. Today, he knew more things about Sarah that were real. Her birthday was August, 15. Her favorite color was blue. She loved animals and had a pet dog named Roger and a cat named Patches when she was growing up. Oh yeah, she'd also told him that her middle name was Lisa. They were small things, but he loved learning little details about her. Well, the middle name thing was pretty big. Back near the beginning of their relationship he'd once pleaded with her to tell him her middle name, but she never would until about three weeks ago. Why she'd finally told him he never knew but he didn't care, she was finally beginning to open up to him. In the future, he hoped to learn more about her.

After having picked up Sarah's gifts, Chuck headed back home to get everything set up. First, Chuck put strands of white lights on all the trees surrounding the fountain. With the fountain gently flowing, Chuck placed five circular honey colored floating candles into the fountain's lower level.

In front of the fountain Chuck placed a large blue checkered blanket. In the center of the blanket he placed two tall slender white candles and between them he set the vase containing the rose and babies' breath. Chuck then scattered a few handfuls of red rose petals around the fountain. He got his stereo from his room along with his CD of Arcade Fire' first album and carried them outside. Sitting it down next to the blanket, he put the CD in, pressing play and setting it on repeat. He got two plates and two glasses and a bottle of champagne along with a bucket of ice from his apartment and set them along with the pizza on the blanket.

Finally, Chuck set Sarah's gifts along the fountain's edge. The wild flowers, the teddy bear with the chocolate and the handmade card. Wait! He was forgetting something. Chuck hurried back to the apartment and headed into his room.

Opening the drawer on his bedside table he reached in and removed a box. Chuck opened it to admire the beauty of the necklace which it contained, a locket in the shape of a heart, with a beautiful design of a rose on the left and the words I love you on the right, made of white gold, a picture of him with Sarah on the inside and an inscription on the back that read: You're the light in my life and the joy in my heart. I'll love you always.

It took him weeks to save up enough to afford it. He'd bought it almost seven months ago, in hopes that one day he'd be able to give it to Sarah. The time had finally come. Today was that day. Chuck's grin widened as he closed the box, thinking of the smile it would bring Sarah.

Chuck headed back out to the fountain placing the necklace along with Sarah's other gifts. Everything was set. The courtyard outside his apartment had been transformed into the perfect setting for a romantic date. He couldn't wait to see the look on Sarah's face when she saw it.

All the while Chuck had been setting up for his date, Casey had been watching from his window. As Chuck was setting out the gifts, Casey stepped out of his apartment. "What's going on, Bartowski?" Startled, Chuck whipped around to find Casey standing inches in front of him. "Finally got yourself a hot date with Walker?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yeah, as a matter of fact, I do." Just at that moment Chuck's phone began to ring. "Nerd Herd. How may I be of service to you? Yes ma'am. Sure no problem. I'll be right there."

Now Chuck was gonna have to call Sarah to tell he wasn't gonna be able to pick her up for their date. He felt horrible about it. I mean what kind of gentleman didn't pick up his date? But what choice did he have?

"Walker."

"Hi, Sarah."

"Chuck! I'm really looking forward to our date tonight." Sarah replied in such a sweet tone it made Chuck's heart melt. He couldn't bare that he was about to crush it.

Chuck swallowed hard. "Um... about that."

"You're canceling?" Sarah responded with obvious disappointment in her voice.

"No! No. Nothing like that." Chuck heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone. "I just got a call from a woman who needs me to do a little work on her computer. It's not a major problem and should only take a couple minutes to fix. I just won't be able to pick you up. So can I just meet you at my place?"

The excitement in Sarah's voice had returned. "Oh, sure, that won't be a problem. I'll see you tonight."

"I'm really sorry about not being able to pick you up."

"It's okay Chuck, really."

"Okay. Well bye, Sarah. I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye Chuck."

"Hey Casey. Can you do me a favor and make sure no one bothers this stuff while I'm gone?"

Casey's only response was to grumble. "Thanks." Chuck said as he hurried off to respond to the service call.

At precisely eight o'clock Sarah pulled up to the gate in front of Chuck's apartment. Steeping through the gate Sarah's jaw dropped in amazement at all Chuck had done for their date. "Wow" she breathed. As she took in the romantic setting, tears formed in the corner of her eyes. While she continued exploring the surroundings, her phone rang. "Hi Chuck." Sarah answered in an excited and slightly flirty tone.

"Hey Sarah." Chuck responded equally excited. I'm finished with the repairs and I'm on my way. I'll be there in about ten minutes.

"Chuck. This is really beautiful. You really didn't have to do all of this."

"Yes, I did. I wanted tonight to be special, to show you how much you mean to me."

"It's really wonderful. I love it. No one's ever done anything like this for me before." They said their goodbyes and hung up as Sarah sat on the fountain's ledge next to her gifts, anxiously waiting for Chuck to arrive.

Forty-five minutes later, Sarah was still sitting on the fountain's ledge. Only now she wasn't smiling, instead she held her head low and looked to the ground. Sadness and anger filling her heart. Tears were threatening to spill their way out of her eyes. Casey had witnessed this and he could no longer take it. After working together for two-and-a-half years, they had developed a kind of a friendship and he couldn't stand to see her hurting like this. Darn, that heart of his. Yes, he did have one. "I'm gonna kill, Bartowski!" Casey growled as he stormed out of his apartment past Sarah and got into his car driving off in the direction he had seen Chuck go earlier.

Forty-five minutes earlier.

Chuck had just called Sarah to let her know he was on the way and got into the herder. Heading toward his apartment and Sarah for their date, Chuck felt like he was floating on air. Chuck came upon a stoplight about two minutes from his apartment. As the light turned green and Chuck began to cross the intersection, a car far exceeding the speed limit came barreling up the road and slammed into the side of the herder, causing a horrific explosion. Chuck was dead.


A/N: I'm really sorry. Please forgive me for the end of this chapter. The idea for this story got stuck in my head and refused to go away until I agreed to write it. Please don't stop reading/reviewing. The real heart of the story is contained in the remaining chapters. I'm a huge Charah shipper and would never want anything like this to happen on the show. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing my story so far.