summary: Looking for a fresh start after some tough times, Sarah and her three-year-old daughter move to LA. When they find a sweet curly-haired nerd who lives next door, though, Sarah realizes they might just find more happiness than they'd ever imagined, if only her past doesn't catch up to her first. AU.

a/n: Ahhh, another year older, and somehow a little creakier, here I am again. Thanks for your reactions to the last chapter, I had some incredibly lovely reviews and PMs from some of y'all so that was very kind. I love many of you, and you know who you are. A quick reminder to some people: Sarah here hasn't been a spy for four+ years, she has zero CIA resources, and, most significantly, she has a child. She has responsibilities she cannot just up and leave to go on an uncoordinated mission to find someone she doesn't even know the vaguest location of. Even in canon, Sarah protects Chuck against all else, there are literally times she doesn't chase the bad guy just to keep him safe (2x03, anyone?). That's just what she's doing here, with Chuck and with Amy. When it comes down to it, this whole fanfiction thing is just a bit of fun, me writing a silly story for this silly show we all loved, and I try to keep all of this as light and upbeat as possible. And that's all I have to say about that. Everyone who still likes what I'm doing, hooray, we keep going. Christmas in this story is done and we're into the New Year; New Years is a time for resolutions, of course, and Sarah will definitely be trying here to keep hers from the last chapter. I hope y'all enjoy this chapter, I'd wanted to have these guys venture out together for a while and this felt like a good time. If you do enjoy it, feel free to leave a review and let me know!

disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, monkey bars, spaghetti, or tickling.

The Park

The first thing she thinks as she wakes up, is that she's incredibly glad she booked an extra day off work. As she'd scheduled in her vacation time a few months ago, she'd almost chosen one less day than she eventually had, meaning she'd have headed back to work the day after they'd flown back from her mother's- or, today. Waking up this morning, though, Sarah is infinitely glad she'd had the foresight, and chosen one extra day.
Because this morning, she is tired. When she was still a spy, traveling never used to take it out of her, she could hop from A to B to C on forty minutes of sleep and be right as rain. Traveling with a three-and-a-half year old, though, is a lot, whether they're tired and you end up carrying them everywhere, or they're awake and you have to be awake with them, keeping their spirits up and keeping them happy.

So now, as she hears light footsteps in the hall, she just hopes Amy's a little sleepy too.
"Mommy? You asleep?" Amy asks, and Sarah smiles.

"No, baby, I'm up."

The door opens more, light from the hall flooding in, and Amy stands in the doorway, faithful Dog hanging by her side and dragging on the floor.
"Can I come in with you?"

She sits up, nods with a smile, and Amy giggles softly, wandering around to the other side of the bed and clambering up. She dives beneath the covers and rolls to Sarah's side, cuddling into her and sighing happily. Sarah puts her arm around her, feels Amy's cold little feet press against her thigh, and she reaches beneath the covers to tickle them gently as Amy squirms and giggles into her neck.

"What do you wanna do today, bug?"

"Hmmm," Amy says sleepily, still cuddling in. "I dunno."

Smirking, Sarah tilts her head, pretending to think on something she's already got planned.
"Well, should we start with breakfast? Maybe... pancakes?"

Amy leaps up, almost elbowing Sarah in the chin, and squeals.
"Yes! Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes."

"Pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, huh?" she says with a chuckle, trying to stop her daughter from jumping up and down. "Alright, well let me take a shower and get dressed first, then I'll get you dressed, and then we'll have some pancakes."

"Can you make 'em into a shape?" Amy asks, and Sarah blinks. In the run up to the holiday, she'd found out how to make pancakes shaped like Santa Claus, with cream and strawberries for his hat, and a reindeer, with chocolate spread antlers and a dollop of jelly for a nose, but she's got no idea what to try and impress her little girl with now that Christmas has passed. She nods anyway.

"I'll try."

Amy giggles, and Sarah slips out of the bed, heading through to the bathroom to slip into the shower while Amy stays dozing happily. It's always one of the things she hates most, navigating something so simple as washing when there's nobody else to monitor her daughter, but they seem to have a system now, as Amy gets increasingly nearer to being four. She stays where she is, and she knows she can come to Sarah for help at any time. Which she often does- having a child meant Sarah lost pretty much any sense of privacy pretty quickly. Some of her favorite time now is the long peaceful baths she sometimes takes when Amy's gone to bed. Blissful, relaxed, private.
Now, though, she quickly washes her hair, heads through to her room and pulls on leggings and a t-shirt, then gets Amy dressed. She's unsurprised when, for what feels like the dozenth time, Amy points to her new bug shirt from Chuck to dress in. The thing has been worn and washed a ridiculous amount of times by now considering she only got it on Christmas Eve, but the little girl loves it, and Sarah has to admit, it is sweet.

Amy happily watches some morning cartoons on the couch while Sarah heads through to the kitchen, making up some pancake batter from the recipe she knows by heart. As she spoons it up, she's mildly thankful for the steady hand she'd learned in training; somehow, she pours the pancakes in the shape of an A, an M, and a Y. She can't help but feel grateful, too, to her younger self for giving her daughter such a short name. Amy hops over to the counter when called, and Sarah scoops her up to help her sit on her designated chair. Her eyes go wide as she catches sight of her breakfast

"Wow, Mommy, thanks!"

"You're welcome," she chuckles, pouring over a little syrup and not letting Amy try doing that herself. They know from experience, that ends badly. Stickily. Amy digs in, and as Sarah watches, takes in the sight of her daughter, that t-shirt, she worries her lip a little, pondering an idea. Her mother's words from that first night they'd been with her after Christmas are in her mind, right now. About not running, not staying away from Chuck. She feels like maybe she ought to start following the advice, a little. "Ames?"

Amy looks up, mouth full of pancake. The A has been thoroughly demolished.
"Mmhm?"

"Do you wanna see if Chuck's home today?"

As expected, Amy nods enthusiastically, gulping down her mouthful.
"Yeah! I miss Chuck,"

Sarah smiles, soft.
"I know, baby." she murmurs, having heard that a lot over their little trip away. She'd called Chuck twice just so he could chat to Amy, but Sarah hadn't wanted to pester him too much, even if Amy had. The little girl would have happily called their neighbor three times a day, every day, if she could've.

"Do you miss Chuck?" Amy says, with a blink.

"I-" God, her daughter is too intuitive sometimes. Though they'd talked very briefly during those phone calls, it was more just Sarah saying Amy wanted to talk, and then hanging up for the little girl when the time came, so she herself hasn't really spoken to Chuck since Christmas Eve. And, when she was far from him, thinking on him and every other thing in her life, Sarah thinks she'd definitely missed him. Missed his company, his warmth. She swallows, smiles brightly at Amy. "It'll be nice to see him again, yes. Just try not to get syrup on your shirt so you can still be wearing it when we see him, yeah?"

With a strong nod, Amy returns to her breakfast, eating slowly and carefully this time, and Sarah chuckles as she pours herself a pancake with the remaining batter, eating up before Amy's even finished. When the little girl is, though, she cleans her face of stray syrup, grinning a little proudly since she's clearly pleased the shirt avoided a sticky demise.

"Can we go see him now, Mommy?"

She chuckles, checking her watch. It's still pretty early, and she doesn't know if Chuck will be at work today. She should probably call, plan this, like she plans every aspect of her life, but instead, she just nods, slipping on some flip-flops in lieu of proper shoes and then lifting up Amy. She feels like just going with things today, acting on whims or impulses, and she thinks it's probably due to her mother's words to her, the time they'd spent with her the past week or so, combined with the lightness of not going back to work yet, not quite re-entering reality and routine. But it's fun, if a little strange, and so she tickles Amy's sides and heads out of the apartment, crossing to the hall and quickly knocking.

After a few seconds, the door opens, and there Chuck stands, barefoot, in a t-shirt and boxers, hair puffy and fluffy. He hasn't just woken up, Sarah doesn't think, his expression isn't cloudy or groggy enough for that, but he's clearly not dressed yet.

Sarah smirks even as she feels a little like she's intruding into a private moment she's not supposed to see. Early morning Chuck, personal, almost intimate. Chuck, though, just grins after a moment of looking stunned.

"Walkers!"

"Chuck!" Amy basically launches herself from Sarah's grip, flying across to Chuck in some acrobatic feat, and both adults blink in surprise at the move, even as Chuck catches her easily. She cuddles into him, kicking her feet. "I missed you. I haven't seen you for ages!"

"I missed you too, bug," he says with a laugh. "But did you have fun at your Grandma's?"

"Yeah, we played games, I got presents..." And that's apparently the list of most memorable things for Amy. Sarah chuckles, and Chuck turns to her, smiling softer, always so warm.

"Hi," he says, almost a murmur.

"Hi." She smiles in kind, and his gaze softens even more, melting a little. It just makes her grin even wider, something in her chest fluttering as she watches him. Silence falls for a beat too long, though, and she realizes she's probably supposed to say more now rather than just getting lost in Chuck. "Oh, well, because we missed you, and I go back to work tomorrow, we were wondering if you were free to hang out today?"

"Yeah, totally free," he says, not missing a beat. "Did you have anything in mind?"

She shrugs.
"Not really." Amy just blinks blankly too, and Chuck hums.

"Hmm, well since you drew that pretty picture for me for Christmas, bug, how about we go to the park? It's a nice day out,"

Sarah grins. It is a nice day, not too hot, and even though it's January, midday will hardly ever be a bad time for a trip to the park in LA.
"Yeah. Yeah, we could get lunch."

Chuck smiles again, and once more she just can't look away.

Amy, however, isn't so caught up in their looks, and instead latches onto their plans.
"Yay!" she says, wriggling keenly. "I wanna go now, I-" She slithers down Chuck's side, tugging on his arm, and Sarah hides a chuckle behind her hand.

"Ames, I think Chuck might need to get dressed first. And you need to put some shoes on, baby, you can't go out like that."

"Oh." Amy blinks. "Okay. But we gotta be quick!" She runs back through the open apartment door like it's a race against time, hurrying through to presumably find some shoes, and Sarah turns to an amused Chuck with a grin.

"How was your Christmas?" she asks, knowing Amy can wait just a moment, and this gives her and Chuck a little time to talk.

"Yeah, it was good, I ate too much and watched too much TV, so nothing unusual. Awesome had a few too many on New Year's Eve, so he wasn't feeling very awesome for a couple days, but that was about the highlight," He chuckles, nose crinkling. "How was your mom's?"

"It was..." She thinks on the days with her mother, thinks on that first night, being more open with herself, and her mom, than she can remember being in years. "It was good. Better than I was expecting, actually, I think we kind of... got a little more comfortable."

He smiles.
"That's good."

"Yeah. Plus, Amy couldn't stop telling her about you, so... My mom says hi." Flushing, he laughs again, avoids her gaze, and she smiles. "I'll, um, I'll let you get dressed. Meet out here in a half an hour?"

He nods, steps back, but she hesitates a little, and when he sees and pauses too, she steps in, hugs him briefly. No more running away.

"Happy New Year."

He dips his head when she pulls back.
"Happy New Year," With that, he steps back into his apartment, and she holds back a grin as she steps back into her place.

In there, of course, Amy is sat on the floor, determinedly trying to pull on the shoes Sarah's mom had got her for Christmas. Emma couldn't have known that Chuck wears the same brand all the time, of course, but now Amy naturally loves the little pink Converse, even if she can't tie laces yet.

"Sit on the couch, Ames, and I'll get them for you," Sarah says, closing the door, and Amy looks up curiously.

"Where's Chuck?"

"He's gonna get dressed, we'll head to the park in a bit, okay?" Amy pouts a little, and Sarah smiles brightly, trying to keep Amy's spirits up. "It won't be long. But we went right over there so Chuck needs time to get ready."

Amy sighs, even as she heads to the couch. She's never very good at adjusting ideas like this, Sarah knows, and it's tougher when Chuck is a big part of their lives, but at the same time, isn't. It's hardly like he's with them all the time, enough for him to grasp their routine, or them to grasp theirs. His working hours alone are so different from Sarah's regular nine to five, Monday to Friday, and Sarah knows Amy has a hard time understanding that at times. But also, at times like these, they have to wait for him, or if he wants to do something he has to wait for them. Hardly anything can be as spontaneous as it can be just with Sarah and Amy.

Sarah wonders, idly, if that could ever change. If she and Chuck were to... then maybe things would be different. But she can't, not with Caria still not having been found yet. As much as she doesn't want to run, as much as she wants to be with Chuck and doesn't want to shy away, she still has to stay back. For his own safety. Being selfish, and being with him, it wouldn't be safe. She knows she's in the middle of a waiting game, right now. And she doesn't know how, or when, it will end.

But as ever, she has a little girl to attend to, kicking her feet impatiently. She crouches in front of the couch, tugs on Amy's little Converse, tying the laces slowly so Amy can see the technique, even if she can't emulate it yet.

With Amy therefore totally ready to go far too early, Sarah starts her doing some coloring, and she heads through to her own room to grab her usual bag for outings, swapping her leggings for jeans, too. Packing a blanket, a little coloring book for Amy and some crayons to go with it, as well as a couple toys, she gets out the stroller, making sure the usual snacks and wipes are in there. For an ordinary trip to the park she might not prepare so much, but Amy's bound to tire after their day of travelling yesterday, and if they're getting lunch too it's best to make sure there's something to keep the little girl occupied.

When a half hour finally passes, she tugs on a tan leather jacket, slipping Amy's jacket on too, and heads out into the hall, finding Chuck just leaving his own apartment. He's in a similar outfit, jeans, a slim-fitting t-shirt and a black leather jacket, and she tries not to stare. He fits the outfit just a little too nicely.

He grins at them both.
"Y'ready?"

Sarah nods, and Amy giggles, reaching up to Chuck. He lifts her in his arms, settling her on his hip as they head down the hall to the elevator, Sarah pushing the empty stroller.
"I thought we'd just walk? The park's only fifteen minutes away, and a walk would be nice. And healthy." She chuckles to herself. "I ate enough over the holidays to last me weeks, but I can't even imagine going to the gym yet,"

Chuck snorts, looking at her, and he raises an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"You gotta be kidding me." She shrugs. "Sarah, if you're not fit, then I'm..." He shakes his head, and Amy looks up at him, blinking. He grins at her goofily, and she giggles, like always.

They reach the elevator and head down to the lobby, Amy chatting about New Year's and telling Chuck how she'd very nearly almost made it to midnight before falling asleep- it had been nearing 10pm when she finally crashed. Out in the lobby, Sarah sees their neighbor, Mrs O'Leary, smiling warmly at them, and they pass James the landlord, too, as they head outside.
Sarah tries not to wonder just what they might be thinking about this little outing. What anyone might be thinking about this outing. What a certain escaped CIA prisoner by the name of Danny Caria might be thinking, if he's even in the city, the state, the damn country. And so she doesn't wonder, at all, in fact she presses every thought about it far from her mind, and focuses on Chuck, and Amy, by her side.

No more running away.

They begin to head toward the park, and they've been this way a few times by now, enough that Amy knows the way. Chuck sets her on the ground, and instead of jumping into the stroller, she keeps walking by Chuck's side, Sarah sees, reaching up for his hand.

"So, what do you guys usually do in the park?" Chuck asks, and Amy grins.

"There's a big playground, the slide, and the swings, and a sandbox, and a seesaw-"

"Baby, I think Chuck's been to parks before," Sarah says, chuckling softly, sharing a look with Chuck. He grins, all warm, at Amy's listing things, and Sarah bites her lip before looking back down at her daughter. "I think he was meaning what do you like to do?"

"Oh." Chuck laughs softly, and Amy hums. "I like the seesaw. No, the jungle gym. No-"

He laughs again, louder this time.
"Alright, alright, bug, you like 'em all... Well, we'll just try them all, then." Amy cheers, suddenly letting go of Chuck and skipping down the sidewalk in jubilation. Before Sarah can even say a word, Chuck has dived in, scooped the little girl up. "Hey, hey- no running off, okay? That's not safe."

Pouting a little, Amy shrugs.
"Sorry. I forgot." she says, and Chuck instantly sends Sarah a look, one she sends right back. Amy knows better, and she definitely didn't forget. But she's testing Chuck, almost, seeing what she can get away with on these new kind of trips where her favorite person accompanies them.

"Amy, you know the rules," Sarah starts, much like she has done dozens of times in the past. "When we're near the road, you walk with me or Chuck, or you go in the stroller. In the park, you stay where we can see you. Okay?"

Amy sighs, looking at the ground.
"Okay."

Looking to her with eyes wide in permission, to which Sarah nods, Chuck sets Amy down again, and she stays by his side again this time, all the way up to the park entrance.

Since it's early, and most people are probably back at work after New Year's, the space is pretty quiet, just a few other families with young children, a few eager runners, who Sarah looks at with a mix of amusement and envy. She used to be like those people, up and at 'em, running to start the day, but now she's lucky if she gets to the gym twice a week after work. She's not sure she really misses it- running was nice, it gave her a way to clear her head of all the spy drama, all the danger and fear, but for the most part she doesn't need that escape anymore. And if she does, in moments like this, with the threat of Caria hanging over her every day, she finds escape enough in Amy, in her happiness, her adventures.

The little girl skips away happily to the playground, following the rules this time and walking where they can see her, and Chuck stays with Sarah as she slowly pushes the stroller up to the various pieces of equipment set up in the center of the grass.

He turns, quirks an eyebrow.
"You're looking thinky."

She snorts.
"Thinky?"

"Yeah. Like pensive, but less intense. Thinky."

There is no man like him on earth, she's sure. Shaking her head, she smiles.
"Sorry, I was just thinking, about life before Amy."

He looks at her curiously.
"Yeah? What was that like?"

"Nothing special," she lies, sort of. Though some people may consider being a spy something special, Sarah's not sure she'd quite call it that. It was different, certainly, but not exactly special. "But I would run a lot, back then, to clear my head, keep my mind off work and stuff. And then Amy came along and at first I didn't have time to clear my head, and then I realized she was a much better remedy than any run could ever be, anyway."

Amy stands, bouncing up and down by the gate to the playground, and Chuck looks across at her with a soft laugh.
"She's a happy kid," Sarah nods. "And you've got everything to do with that."

"Well, I try." She pauses, though not in step, looking up at him, thought blooming. "But you make her happy too."

Chuck stops, looking stunned, eyes widening.
Until the gate rattles loudly.

"Come on, I wanna go in!"

Sarah sighs at her daughter's insistent tone, frowns a little.
"Amy. Be patient, please." she calls across the way.

Amy huffs, scuffs her shoe in the gravel, letting go of the gate until her mother and Chuck reach her. Chuck undoes the catch on the fence, the gate swinging open, and Amy runs forward, instantly clambering up a ladder and barreling down the slide.
In some ways, the three-year-old inherited her mother's fearlessness.

Wheeling the stroller to a bench, they sit down, watching as Amy runs from piece to piece, spinning on a rocker for a while, gleefully giggling in the sandbox, before she heads to the jungle gym and looks over.
"Mommy?" she asks, before furrowing her brow a little. "Or Chuck?"

Sarah looks to Chuck, finding him looking a little lost by her side. She smirks.
"Oh, she can't hold herself up on any of them, especially the monkey bars. She needs someone to hold her."

Chuck smiles softly.
"You go, I'll look after the stuff,"

She grins, leaving her bag on the bench and scurrying over to Amy, tickling her sides as she lifts her up. She holds Amy by the waist, supporting her weight, as the little girl clutches onto one of the metal bars with both hands. She lets go with one hand, swings to the next bar, Sarah holding her up the whole time and helping her move.

"Hey, bug!" Chuck calls, after they've made it across two of the bars. Sarah looks over and sees him waving at them, and immediately, Amy lets go of one of the bars to wave at him gleefully in return. Sarah holds back a giggle at the sight. Evidently, Amy hasn't even realized that letting go to wave makes her swinging from the monkey bars pretty much pointless.

They go all the way across the bar and back, until Amy decides she wants to go on the swingset.
"Chuck! Come push me, please?" she asks, and as he stands up, Sarah sets her daughter on the ground and heads back to the bench.

She chuckles as she passes him, and he winks at her as she tries not to laugh more at his tricking Amy. It was sweet, and Amy didn't even realize the flaw, but that the little girl fell so easily was pretty funny.

He hoists Amy up onto the seat, waiting as she kicks her legs through the holes, then starts pushing her gently as she squeals in glee. Sarah can't help but grin at the sight, and also love getting to watch her daughter's excitement from this side, from afar. She's been able to before, obviously, at the park with her mom, daycare trips, the few times Bryce had tried to do something like this, but it feels different, somehow, especially from with Bryce. As she'd told her mom, that it's Chuck, in their life, that it's this man in particular, just makes everything so much better. Watching as he laughs as he pushes Amy, watching as Amy squeals and kicks her feet as she goes higher, just watching it all, it feels right. Feels good.
And so she sits, smiles, rests her chin on her hand, and watches, happily.

Chuck comes back eventually, carrying Amy, the little girl's cheeks flushed with elation. He sits next to Sarah, and Amy flops across both their laps, giggling.
"D'you see how high I went, Mommy?" she asks, blinking up from Sarah's thighs.

"I did, baby, that was very high." She tickles her tummy a little, then grins. "Do you wanna go on anything else or should we sit on the grass for a little while?"

"Grass." Amy hums, and Sarah chuckles, scooping up her daughter and sending Chuck a grin as they walk out of the playground, him pushing the stroller this time. They make their way to a free space of grass; there's a family a little way away, and someone sat with headphones in and a dog dozing by their side a bit across, but mostly, the space is theirs.

Sarah turns.
"Chuck, there's a blanket in the bag, would you mind...?"

"Oh, sure," he murmurs, tugging it out, shaking it and lying it down on the ground pretty evenly. He sits and stretches his legs out, and Sarah does too, Amy clambering out of her arms and flopping to the ground, burrowing into the blanket and giggling again. "D'you want something to do, bug? I think your mom packed some coloring."

"'m okay," she says, but Sarah sends Chuck a nod and he reaches into the bag again, pulling out the small coloring book and crayons. It saves having to get them out later, and Sarah knows from years of experience that soon, Amy will want the things. Now, though, the little girl sits up suddenly. "Did you see my shirt, Chuck?" She pulls the item in question a little, stretching it out at the bottom, and Chuck grins.

"I did, I noticed it earlier! I'm glad you like it, bug," He tickles her right over the word 'bug' on the shirt, and Amy giggles.

"It's my favorite,"

Chuck grins.
"I'm glad."

"Mommy loves her present too. She wore it all the time with Grandma."

Sarah freezes, looking up at Chuck as his eyes dart to hers, wide and stunned and dammit, quite adorable too. He blinks, seemingly not knowing what to say, and Sarah's lost for words, too. Because it's true. After talking with her mother, she hadn't wanted to take the bracelet off. Today's one of the first days since Chuck had given it to her that Sarah hasn't worn it, in fact; she just didn't want him to point it out and then lead Amy to say, well, this exact thing. She's just a child, she can't and doesn't know the effect her words have on the two adults around her. But Sarah knows, and Chuck knows, that means a lot. That Sarah loves the charm bracelet so much, means a lot.

While Amy cluelessly flops over onto her stomach, Sarah just clears her throat, shrugs a shoulder a little helplessly, and Chuck smiles. He reaches out, slowly curls his fingers round her wrist until he's holding her hand loosely, softly.

"Well I'm glad for that, too,"

Biting her lip, and fighting the stubborn flush that wants to rise up her neck and cheeks, she squeezes his fingers, sits back, and watches as Amy reaches for her book and starts to color.

Amy starts getting hungry around noon, and since their pancakes were a while ago, they leave the park and walk to a restaurant nearby, Amy in the stroller this time, apparently bored of walking by now.

As they head inside, a server comes up to them.
"Table for three?"

God, it's been a while since Sarah's heard that. She nods, and the guy smiles, picking up two menus and another colorful thing Sarah guesses is the kid's menu before walking them around tables and through the place. As they're walking, Sarah feels Chuck's hand rest lightly on her back, right in the middle, guiding, and she just about resists the overwhelming urge to lean back and relax into his touch.

The seats at the table aren't too low, so as she unbuckles Amy from the stroller she sits her in the chair nearest the window, not on the outer side so she can't just hop off and wander through the restaurant. While she's doing that, though, Chuck takes the initiative and folds the stroller up a little, sliding it behind them and keeping it out of the way, and she sends him a grateful smile as she takes her own seat.

The server places down their menus, takes their drinks order, and heads away.

"Whaddya got to choose from, bug?" Chuck asks, and Amy looks at her menu determinedly, frowning in concentration. Sarah smirks in amusement, and leans over, scanning the list for things Amy will eat and things she wants her to have, thus promptly passing the hamburger on the menu. Her mom had treated them to dinner two nights before, plus they hadn't eaten great at the airport yesterday, and Sarah doesn't want Amy thinking burgers and fries are everyday foods.

"You got pasta or a sandwich, Ames, what do you want?"

Amy hums.
"Pasta please. Can I color?"

Without prompting, Chuck leans over, tugging the coloring book and crayons out of the stroller again and handing them over. Sarah's glad for his foresight in getting the book, too, since the menu isn't a paper one with anything for Amy to doodle on or any puzzles to complete. It's quite a nice one, actually, kinda fancy, and she looks up at Chuck curiously.

"Have you been here before?"

He looks up from the menu, nods.
"A couple times, yeah. When I first moved and Ellie visited me a bunch she liked to come here. The food's great."

"Hm," Sarah hums, tilting her head as she takes in the rather vast menu. "I'll have to remember it."
She's been wanting to hang out with Ellie again, actually, since with Christmas and its madness they haven't seen each other since Thanksgiving, and Sarah genuinely likes the other woman's company. Perhaps they can come here, she muses.

The server comes over with their drinks, Amy's one adorned with a cute crazy straw she giggles at, and once their orders have been taken and the guy's gone away again, Sarah looks back at Chuck, smiling. Before she can say anything, though, his phone suddenly starts ringing loudly, blaring a rock song, and he grimaces.

"It's Morgan," he says, as he tugs out the cell. "He knew I had the day off, he might've come over and wondered where I am."

She waves a hand.
"You can take it, we don't mind." Indeed, Amy seems so engrossed in her coloring she hasn't even noticed the conversation.

Chuck picks up, clearing his throat.
"Hey, Morgan. Yeah, yeah I know, sorry, buddy, I'm with Sarah and Amy."

Amy looks up.
"Hi Mr Morgan!" she calls, thankfully using her inside voice still, and Chuck laughs, waiting as Morgan evidently hears it.

"He says hi back, bug. Yeah... Uh, we went to the park, now we're having lunch." Morgan must drone on or something, for Chuck sends Sarah a look, and she stifles a giggle. He just grins in reply. "Sure. Well, I don't know, tonight, I guess? Maybe. Um, no- no."
Suddenly, without warning, he flushes, cheeks reddening as he looks away, evidently caused by something his friend has said. Though she's curious about just what Morgan might have said, Sarah also finds herself trying not to grin at Chuck's rather sweet awkwardness. Evidently, though, Morgan mustn't press it, for after a couple more choked beats Chuck says goodbye, closes his cell phone.

"Sorry about that,"

"It's okay," Sarah says, smirking. She tilts her head, still curious about his blushing, and leans in a little, reaches out, resting her hand atop the table. Though she briefly wonders if it's a little mean to pull out old training methods, she can't resist. Looking at him through her lashes, she tilts her head. "What was he saying?"

"Oh, nothing much. I was right, he'd come over and he didn't know where I was." He licks his lips, absentmindedly, she thinks, and she curses that it distracts her even when she's the one trying to distract him, if teasingly.

Ignoring that, she drifts her fingers across the table until they reach his own, and gently taps her thumb against his wrist.
"Was that all?" she asks, voice a little husky.

He looks up, raises an eyebrow, apparently recognizing the challenge. Grinning at her, eyes alight, he reaches up with his other hand, rests his head on his palm, and looks at her with a fake innocence.
"Yup." His voice is low, and she doesn't believe his word for a minute.

"Okay," she shrugs, dancing her finger over the top of his hand, running over his knuckles, and he just shakes his head, narrowing his eyes teasingly. She bites back a laugh at the lightness of it all, the easy flirtation, even if what is between them isn't really light at all. Not with the bracelet sitting on her dresser, all it means, all it symbolizes, for both of them.

He breaks first, heaves a deep breath and sits back, sipping his soda and slipping his hand out from under hers. Amy starts humming aloud as she colors, utterly sweet and utterly oblivious, and Sarah has to laugh, Chuck doing the same.

Amy looks up, blinking.
"What?"

"Nothing, baby," Sarah murmurs, leaning over and kissing her crown, and Amy preens a little before nodding, returning to her coloring with abandon.

Their food arrives soon enough, Amy's pasta coming at the same time as Sarah's omelette and Chuck's sandwich, and though Sarah automatically reaches over to deal with Amy's food, Chuck leans in instead.

"I got it," he says, taking the bowl and Amy's cutlery. Sarah raises an eyebrow, and he gestures to her own plate. "Yours will go cold, mine won't," With a lopsided smile, he starts cutting up Amy's food, getting the spaghetti into manageable smaller noodles that won't droop and drip everywhere, and cutting the meatballs into cubes that'll actually fit into her mouth. He returns it to Amy with a smile, and the little girl grins back.

"Thanks, Chuck,"

"You're welcome." He sends a little salute, and she giggles, tucking in. Sarah, already a few bites into her omelette, just smiles at their neighbor, words failing her a little. He can't possibly know how grateful she is, even over such a little thing as helping her daughter with her food. Because Sarah hasn't had a properly hot meal at a place like this in a long time- she's always had to be the one helping Amy out, putting her own self second. He smiles in return, warm and genuine, then goes back to his food wordlessly, and Sarah finds herself glad that, for once, he hasn't shrugged it off. So often, she knows, he acts like these little things are nothing, are just simple acts she needn't be grateful for. But this isn't nothing, this is helpful, and kind, and yet another thing about him that surprises her. Chuck Bartowski is just full of surprises, and she loves every one.

"You were right," she says after a couple more bites. "This food is great."

He nods, widens his eyes.
"Mmhm. I'm glad I came back, honestly, it's just not really in my way, usually, and... kinda sucks to come alone."

She sends him a wry smile. She understands, sort of, but dining alone had been normal for her as a spy, and though dining out with Amy isn't really being alone, it's not quite being with someone else, either. A random thought springs up, about how he should know he doesn't have to be alone, she and Amy will be there, but she swallows it down before she can just blurt it right out, and turns to Amy.
"You enjoying yours, baby?"

Amy looks up, mouth covered in marinara sauce, a noodle sticking out of her mouth.
"Mhm?"

Sarah turns to Chuck, seeing him lost in laughter.
"I think we'll take that as a yes."

They eat pretty quickly, talking still about the holidays, going back to work, and manage a good couple minutes after Amy's eaten before she starts to get a little restless, shifting in her seat, not wanting to color anymore. Chuck sends Sarah a knowing look as he reaches up, signals for the check, and she smiles at him gratefully while getting Amy ready to leave.

When they're out on the street, though, Amy twists round in her stroller, trying to catch her mother's eye.
"I wanna go back to the park!"

"Not after eating, baby, you know that." she says, and the little girl twists around even more.

"But I wanna go play!" Amy wails, frowning and turning back, and Sarah shakes her head.

"Ames, we spent plenty of time playing at the park earlier. We're gonna go home, and you can play some more there."

"But I wanna play with Chuck like at the park." She huffs loudly, curls bouncing. "I always play with you, I wanna play with Chuck."

Sarah takes a deep breath, closes her eyes briefly mid-step, and she hears Chuck clear his throat by her side. Once more, Amy is just testing them, wanting to see what she can get away with, with Chuck spending more time with them. But her stubbornness has never been easy for Sarah, and now, combined with the sudden distaste Amy has for her, Chuck the new favorite, it's tough to keep cool, and not just tell Amy they're not gonna spend more time with Chuck if she keeps behaving like this. That, would lead to a meltdown, which would lead to this nice day taking an abrupt u-turn, and she doesn't want that.

Suddenly, softly, Sarah feels Chuck's hand slip into hers. Her eyes snap open, meeting his, and he smiles a little, eyes worried, before looking back down at the stroller. He can see Amy better from this angle than Sarah can, can gauge the little girl's mood easier.

"Amy, listen to your mom. You might not feel good after going to the park and running around right after eating, and that wouldn't be too fun. I don't mind staying a little longer today, if your mom doesn't mind, so you could play more. But it's not up to you, okay? And it's not up to me, either."
He turns, raises an eyebrow Sarah's way, and she squeezes his fingers tight.

"When are you free until?" she murmurs, and he nods.

"Morgan said he was gonna come back around five,"

She clears her throat and stops walking altogether, letting go of Chuck to move around in front of the stroller. Crouching down, she looks at Amy.
"Chuck can play for a little longer, okay, and then he's gonna go spend time with Mr Morgan." Because Chuck has his own life, and she's gone through this with Amy, she has.

"But-"

"Amy." she interrupts, a hint of sternness in her tone.

Amy pauses, sighs, but she knows that tone well, and she nods eventually. Sarah strokes her cheek and kisses her temple before she stands, seeing the ghost of a smile on Amy's lips. She'll have recovered by the time they reach their apartment building. She rounds the stroller once more, about to push it down the sidewalk again, but Chuck reaches for her hand again, apparently to get her attention this time.

"You okay?" he asks, gaze still a little worried, but warm as ever.

"Yeah," She nods, because she is, honestly. They go through this often, her and Amy, little arguments and tantrums like with any child, this is just the first time Chuck happens to have witnessed it. But damn, if it isn't nice to have someone there to check she's okay anyway. His fingers still loose around hers, she squeezes tight, starts pushing the stroller again, just one-handed this time.

And she knows, what they'll look like right now. The three of them walking down the street as one unit, Chuck's hand in hers, Amy with her blonde curly hair. In fact, when a young couple walks past them, looking sickeningly in love, and both of them fawn a little at Amy in her stroller before looking up and sending Chuck and Sarah grins, Sarah knows it even more.

It scares her, a little. She can't sense someone watching them, anyone who could be Caria, spying, trying to find her weaknesses, but they could be there. But amongst that, it also just feels good. Nice. Warm. She squeezes Chuck's hand again as they keep walking up to their apartment, and he shoots her a grin. No more running away.

They end up over at Chuck's apartment, Amy trying out her new purple controller on one of his games, and both adults end up racing against- and losing to- the little girl. Sarah doesn't even try to be bad deliberately, which is something she often does with games to make her daughter feel good; no, Amy just seems to have a knack for driving a strange little car on the screen. Chuck seems a little bemused, too, though Sarah thinks they both find Amy's elation over winning too cute to be annoyed by.

As she wins another race, Sarah looks over at Chuck amusedly, and he flops back against the couch cushions, shaking his head.

"You're just too good, bug," he says, and Amy giggles, putting her controller down and shuffling over to him. She cuddles into his side rather sweetly, looking up at him.

"Sorry Chuck," She pats his chest a few times. "Maybe next time."

Sarah snorts, choking back a burst of laughter, and Chuck turns to her with a faux-glare.

"Whose side are you on?"

She stands from the armchair, moving to sit by his side on the sofa, and smirks, gently patting his chest.
"Maybe next time." she says, smiling sweetly just like her daughter.

Rather than smiling back, though, Chuck's eyes glint in sudden determination, and before she knows it, he's surging at her, hands dancing on her sides. She screams, half a laugh, and Chuck grins.
"Get her, bug!"

Despite Sarah's essentially just saying she was on Amy's side, the little girl squeals and jumps toward her too, and Sarah tries not to feel the sting of betrayal. All that trust, all that love, and her daughter has stabbed her in the back and joined in on the tickling.
She squirms underneath them both, Amy really having the most enthusiastic approach, Chuck just tapping his fingers on her waist every now and then and losing himself in laughter. Amy can't stop laughing, either, squealing the whole time, and the scene is a raucous one, limbs flailing.

"Traitor!" Sarah finds herself squealing, when Amy suddenly goes for the backs of her knees, evidently remembering Sarah once saying her mom used to tickle her there. It's still effective now, and she writhes into the couch, trying to get away. Amy just screams in a howl of giggles, and Sarah resists the urge to actually slip away or the joy will end.

When she looks up, she finds Chuck towering over her, eyes meeting hers, a grin on his lips and his eyes crinkling at the sides. She grins back, instinctively, but then his hand taps against her waist again and she jumps, holding back another laugh, glaring at him and trying to push him off her. He's a traitor too, though he's used his damn charm to defeat her.

They end up all lying on the couch, exhausted. Amy is lying mostly on Chuck's chest, but at a funny angle so her legs are under Sarah's arm. Chuck's shoulder is Sarah's pillow, her legs propped up along the length of the sofa, feet dangling over the edge.

Amy giggles again, and Sarah turns her head to face her, grinning.
"That was fun,"

"It was," she agrees, and Chuck hums in assent too.

And then, the door clicks open. It takes every instinct in Sarah to only turn, to not immediately stand up and reach to her waist where a knife always used to live. It hasn't been there for years, but the memory of it is, every time Sarah finds herself startled when most relaxed, with her guard down. And right now, she's definitely relaxed. Her guard is certainly down- it's not there at all. If this were Caria, it'd be a perfect time to pounce.

Thankfully, only Morgan stands in the doorway, backpack over his shoulder.
"Oh." he says, and Sarah's suddenly glad he isn't her friend, so she doesn't have to explain this situation to him.

Instead of jumping up, though, or looking at all awkward, Chuck just waves a hand.
"Hey, buddy. We had a pretty intense tickle fight so I'm not moving for at least a little while,"

Morgan blinks, then shrugs.
"Cool. Hey, Sarah," She waves. "Hey, Amy!" This time Morgan waves, and Amy lifts herself up for a moment to look around, then grins, flopping back down onto Chuck.

"Hi Morgan. I beat Chuck on his game!"

Morgan raises an eyebrow, looks at the TV, still displaying the game's victory screen, then to Chuck.
"Seriously?"

"Twice. And it's a victory she's gonna hold over my head until the end of time."

Sarah rolls over a little so she's on her side, facing everyone without craning her neck, and she chuckles.
"At least you're learning," He grins, bouncing his eyebrows up and down, and she has to look away, force herself to sit up, even if he was warm and soft and perfect against her. "We should get going."

Chuck frowns a little, looking as if he's about to question her, but she casts her gaze to Amy, facing away. She widens her eyes, and realization dawns on his features. They'd only agreed to spend time with Chuck after Amy's post-lunch-almost-tantrum on the condition that he had to spend time with Morgan afterwards. And since their time is up and Morgan is here now, Sarah doesn't want to undermine what she said to Amy by letting them stay later, even if she really, really, doesn't wanna move.

"Okay. C'mon, bug, up you get," he murmurs, hoisting Amy up, setting her down on the ground before hauling himself into a sitting position. Sarah stands, picking up Amy's controller and the few other things they'd brought over here, tugging her keys out of her pocket.

Amy sighs, predictably.
"Do we have to go?"

"Yes. Plus, we have to eat dinner, c'mon, scoot," Sarah taps her on the back, and she shuffles to the door, not so sad but clearly still wishing she could say.

Morgan moves out of the way, looking awkward, and Chuck follows them to the doorway, looking down at Amy before back up at Sarah.

"She'll be okay?" he murmurs, and Sarah nods, smiling lopsidedly at him. He smiles too, then crouches down to Amy's height, boops her nose. "I'll see you soon, okay, bug?"

"Okay." She squeezes him in a hug before Sarah can even blink, and she smiles as Chuck pats the little girl on the back while trying to get her to loosen her grip just a tad. She does, eventually, and Chuck sends Sarah a look as he stands, brushes down his shirt a little, ruffles his hair out, his curls bouncing in a way that looks oddly similar to how Amy's do.

Sarah smiles, takes Amy's hand but keeps looking at Chuck.
"Thank you, for coming today. We had fun. I, had fun."

He raises his eyebrows.
"Yeah?"

She licks her lips, nods.
"Yeah. We should do it again, sometime, if you want. Spend the day together." He nods, rubbing the back of his neck, apparently a little embarrassed. She thinks it might be over them having this conversation in front of his friend, but when she looks to Morgan, he's busy sorting something near the TV, not even bothering with them. And so she smiles. "See you later, Chuck,"

And with that, she rises on her toes, and kisses his cheek, before opening the door and heading away, closing the door behind her as she steps out into the hall. She just about sees Chuck's cute half-smile as she goes.

As she's standing in the hall, turning the key in the lock, she swears she hears a loud "Dude, what was that?" from Morgan, but she ignores it, and the wild thoughts of what Chuck might reply to such a question, and pushes open the door, following Amy inside. Letting the day, the good, so good day, wash over her, she heads into her apartment, and turns to spend more time with her daughter.

a/n 2: So much of this story is just them hanging out and it being super sweet, but I wanted to write this whole day and all the time they spent together, and even for me, writing this felt so warm and silly. Tickle fights, c'mon. I'm really enjoying sharing this story with you guys, I hope you're enjoying reading it as much. I love hearing your thoughts, so please leave a review on the way out if you feel so inclined, and see you in a few days for Chapter 11, 'The Mall'!

-Kiera :)