A/N: Hey there, I promised that I would deliver a massive chapter, but it was becoming a bit too massive (read: more than 10.000 words). So after a few days of deliberation I chose to cut it in half so you get a regular sized chapter. But most of the blame of this story being late is because of Frea and her amazing story What Fates Impose. I decided to reread it for what turns out to be the seventh or so time and that took a lot of time. It's such a great story that I couldn't help but reference it a couple of times in this chapter.

By the way, there are multiple references to the French being terrible at speaking English. While it is partly true, they do generally speak English, although not great. This is obviously not a concern in the travel business (or at least, not as heavy as for example a random bakery in the middle of a rural village in France), but for comedic purposes, they have trouble with it in this story. Hope you have fun with this chapter. More A/N after the break.

On a side-note: A massive thank you goes out to agentchuckles and uplink2 who gave some invaluable advice to me with regards to this chapter. Thank you both. If you like this chapter, it's probably due to them.

First time I put this here, but yeah, I do not have a beta. So if storylines seem contrived, that's because of me! No one else to blame! On that same note, if you enjoy a chapter, that's 'cause of me as well! It's a double-edged sword you see.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything I reference. Insert witty line, full of comedic gold here.

Chapter 14

Sarah would never dream of killing anyone. It just wasn't in her personality to be able to pull the trigger, at least that's what she thought. Being locked in a pressurized air cabin with Chuck seriously made her reconsider that notion. Since the moment they had lift off, he had been rambling non-stop. Most of it was about France, and how excited he was to go there. As always, Sarah had found it insanely adorable at first. However, it turned out that the hour and a half they spent in the cabin were the longest she had ever had to suffer through.

"Oh, Sarah, I can't wait to see the Eiffel Tower. Did you know that it's the tallest building in France? They finished building it in 1889 and it was made as an arched entrance to the World Fair. It stands at around the 1000 feet mark, and thanks to the inclusion of the antenna on top of the building, it's actually higher than the Chrysler building," Chuck spouted out, not even taking the time to breathe. He sucked in another lungful of air, before continuing his vocal barrage.

"It's the most visited structure in the world, the entire world, Sarah. It was made by Gustave Eiffel, who also made the framework for the statue of Liberty!"

Sarah sighed. She had seen him nerd out often enough, mostly about video games, but the whole freaking out thing was being taken to a new level. "Yes, Chuck. You seem to have told me this at least three times already."

Chuck was just about to unleash another assault when he stopped dead in his tracks. "Wait, three times?"

Sarah nodded. "I've been counting."

"Oh, God, I'm sorry Sarah. You must hate me now. It's just that… visiting France has always sort of been a dream of mine. And now that I can do it with the woman who I can quite easily call the love of my life, it's just so much more special." He started absentmindedly fiddling with the ring box, safely secured in his coat pocket.

Sarah put her hand on top of his. "Don't worry. It's not too bad. And hey, look on the bright side. Now, when we'll see the Eiffel Tower, I'll know a lot more about it."

Chuck nodded and Sarah noticed his jaws clench, trying not to spew more random facts that would inevitably end up with Sarah drowning in an ocean of facts. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

"Really?"

"Sure, I'll be able to suffer through it."

"Thanks honey, you're the best." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before continuing his factapalooza. "So, we're definitely visiting the Champs-Élysées. It's great for shopping, which I kind of figured you would love to do, because you're a girl and all. And also, let's not forget the Arc de Triomphe. It's the ending of the Historical Axis which is a line of monuments all dedicated to French history. Oh, and we're definitely going to the Louvre…"

"Hey, wasn't that the centerpiece in the Da Vinci Code?" Sarah interrupted.

Chuck's eyes lit up. "Yeah! Oh man, I can't wait to see the Mona Lisa. I heard it's really small. But as you said, it was in the Da Vinci Code and I think that we should do the tour as well. Because we already did the Angels and Demons tour, so I would feel remiss if we didn't do this tour as well. But anyway, we're going to have chocolate croissants for breakfast, every day. Because they invented them here. It's going to be breakfast heaven!"

"Don't forget that we still have to go to that Reno guy."

Chuck grinned. "How could I forget? Jean Reno? He's like a legend in the film community. He even played in the movie adaption of the Da Vinci Code. But y'know, he's also known as Léon in The Professional,"

Chuck's explanation of his various movie roles drew a mostly blank stare from Sarah. She had responded slightly to the fact that he was in the Da Vinci Code, which they had watched for one of the movie nights as Chuck found the Holy Grail and the Knights Templar to be an interesting subject. Plus, he really didn't want to weird Sarah out by popping in Serenity. He figured that she wouldn't be too into the science-fiction genre.

He was probably right.

"So anyway, I'm still wondering as to why he decided to give himself the codename of Jean Reno. I mean, it seems kind of counter-productive to use a name that's so fiercely popular within France," Chuck said, stroking his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"Maybe it's the government's attempt at humor?" Sarah offered.

Chuck contemplated that for a second. "Nah, when have we ever known the government to have a sense of humor? And seriously, could you ever see Beckman making a joke?"

Sarah shook her head. "That would just be weird."

"I know. I wouldn't even know how to react. I mean, I guess I'd just be flabbergasted that she would crack a joke. I'm guessing you would probably have a slight smile and Casey would just laugh. But that's because he looks like the kind of guy that would follow any order given."

A deathly growl from behind Chuck's head reminded him that they were locked up, thirty-thousand feet in the air; in a cabin that was about seven paces in width. And that behind him was an honest to God Major of the United States Marine Corps, who incidentally knew over a hundred ways to get Chuck to kick the bucket. Chuck decided that self-preservation was vital here and he promptly stopped making remarks to spite Casey. "Sorry, Casey. Just trying to crack a couple of jokes, that's all."

"You'd do best to keep those wise-ass remarks to yourself, Bartowski."

Chuck gulped, and nodded. When Casey didn't say anything after that, he figured the danger was successfully averted. He looked to his right, where Sarah was shaking with suppressed laughter. "I don't see what's so funny," he said, with a pout.

"I do," she replied, the mirth evident in her voice.

Chuck tried to keep up the angry façade, but failed miserably. The corners of his lip tugged upwards. "I'm so not talking to you, until we land."

Cabin crew, please be seated for landing.

"Damnit," Chuck muttered.

The ride over felt like one of the longest of Chuck's life. Of course, that didn't say a whole lot, after all, Chuck rarely went for drives that would take longer than ten miles at the most. But most of that had to do with that damn ring box that was weighing a ton, being jumbled by the various road bumps that Paris apparently was rich in. Every time the box would go airborne and land, it would feel like someone dropped an anvil in his pocket. Would she say yes? He hoped so. But still, even though Sarah was like an open book to him, every time the subject of marriage was broached, it would turn in an extremely uncomfortable situation.

Chuck started feeling a little damp. He really wished that he was somewhere where it wasn't so freaking warm… Or maybe he was just imagining the warmth. Still, he couldn't tell what he would give to just go to somewhere cold, like Siberia. Of course, fate had other plans, and here he was, stuck in a cab with the love of his life and a grumpy French taxi-driver.

Of course Sarah, bless her, noticed something was wrong. "Chuck, are you okay?"

"Huh, what? Oh yeah, I'm great… Peachy…" He silently prayed that the words sounded less nervous than they did in his head. He sincerely doubted it though.

Even a blind man could see the skepticism on Sarah's face. "Really?"

"I'm fine," Chuck bit off. Immediately, he felt bad. "I'm sorry. I'm fine, Sarah. I promise."

He gave her one of his heart-stopping grins and it seemed to do the trick. A curve at her lips told Chuck that his arrow had shot true.

"If there was something wrong, you'd tell me though. Right?" Sarah asked.

Chuck nodded. "Of course. Trust is one of the most important things to me. I'd tell you everything." Everything except this, of course, his conscience added. And even though proposing should remain a secret, he felt guilt creep into his system. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

Still, most of that was forgotten as they crept closer to their hotel. The N.S.A. as always had sprung for one of the most expensive hotels for Chuck and Sarah. Of course, a cheaper room in the same hotel was provided for Major Alexander Coburn who, when confronted with the fact that they would be staying in such luxurious hotels, had nearly popped a vein. But what nearly drove Chuck over the edge was the fact that they would be able to see the Eiffel Tower from their hotel room. His Francophile heart almost couldn't take the news. Sure, he may have acted a bit out of his age group, what with him jumping around the street in elation, but damn it, this was his dream.

He ran through his proposal plan once more. It would be magical. He had the speech planned out and if he was honest with himself, simply thinking about it made him tear up. He had put every ounce of emotion into it and he hoped Sarah could appreciate it.

Then again, he also hoped that she would accept and the judges were still out on that one as well.

"Nous sommes ici, monsieur. Mademoiselle."

Chuck responded in kind. "Merci, monsieur. Combien ça?"

The cabbie looked at his meter. "Trente-six euro's, s'il vous plait."

Chuck grabbed two notes of twenty, and handed them to the driver. "Gardez la monnaie."

"Merci, monsieur. Apprécié votre séjour."

"Merci. Au revoir," Chuck said, as he closed the door of the cab. The cabbie drove off, as they walked into the lobby.

"I never knew you could speak French," Sarah said, the amazement plain in her voice.

Chuck shrugged. "I told you, I love France. But really, I don't speak it all that much. I know a few basic sentences to get around, but that's all."

"Well, it's a lot more than me. I'm only fluent in English and sometimes even that's questionable."

"How's that even possible? You're a journalist."

Sarah shrugged. "What can I say? I never really took the course, now did I? I sort of bluffed my way through, if you recall."

"I do recall that. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that I recall a lot of things about you. Such as the fact that you don't like olives, you got wicked sunburn because you used baby-oil instead of sunscreen… Oh, and you get perturbed by small faces." Chuck almost laughed at the instinctive shudder that went through Sarah's body at the mention of the small faces, but kept stoic. "What that still doesn't explain is how you can get away with being as you say 'mediocre' in the English language."

"Microsoft Word," she deadpanned. Chuck burst out laughing.

"And how often is Word actually needed?"

"Only sometimes…" she began, before looking at Chuck's face. "It's not that funny."

"Oh, I know," Chuck said, with an impish grin. "But payback is a bitch."

Sarah huffed. "Fine, in that case, I'm not talking to you until we've taken off again."

That was just unfair, Chuck thought. Still, she looked hurt, and if there was one thing that Chuck couldn't stand for, it was seeing Sarah hurt. And it was especially worse if it was due to something he had said. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you. If anything, it's the last thing I want to do, and maybe I took the joke to far but… you're not actually upset are you?"

Sarah turned around, bouncing on the balls of her feet with a mischievous grin on her face. "You were right, Chuck. Payback's are indeed a bitch."

Chuck sighed. Sarah was good. His shoulders slumped and he joined up with her as they walked to the counter.

Checking in proved to be a true trial and error experience for Chuck. As his French was severely limited to the basics, trying to explain their cover proved to be quite the hassle, seeing as how the receptionist's English was of a decidedly mediocre level. After a lot of "No, that's not what I meant…"'s, they finally managed to make the receptionist, who ironically was named Jean-Pierre, understand that they were a wealthy couple on their honeymoon.

"You'd think that we would eventually grow tired of staying in the most luxurious of hotels, wouldn't you?" Chuck said, as he opened the doors to their room with a flourish.

As had seemed to be the case for their Euro-trip, the room was one of the swankiest that either of them had ever seen. Sarah couldn't help but let out a gasp. "God, Chuck, it's gorgeous." The soft thumping of Chuck's Chucks against the hardwood floor was the only indication that he wasn't at her side anymore. He moved like a blur and before she knew it, his nose was pressed up against the glass.

"Look!" he squealed out with a voice that reminded Sarah of Ellie. "There it is!" He started frantically tapping against the window. Sarah rolled her eyes and moved to join up with her boyfriend. He was still stuck to the window. "Chuck," she softly said. "What happened to our usual way of christening a new room?"

Chuck turned around and blushed. "Give me a few more minutes to gawk. After that, I'm all yours."

Sarah shrugged. "Fine, but don't get all jealous when I get started on my own."

Chuck's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh, but I would," Sarah grinned, with an air of salaciousness. She saw Chuck's resolve crumbling.

"Alright. I guess the tower will still be there when we visit it."

"That's the spirit, now come here." She grabbed Chuck by the lapels of his coat, and smashed her mouth to his. It took longer than normal for Chuck to respond and it seemed to Sarah like he didn't give it his all. That perplexed her. He had never given her anything but his best. Before she could vocalize her thoughts, they were interrupted by the sound of retching. They looked over and saw Casey standing in the doorway, with a scowl that could very well pass Casey off as a rendition of the boogey man.

"Can you seriously not keep it in your pants for more than twenty-four hours?"

Sarah growled. "Casey… This room is private… why are you here?"

Chuck found the growl to be ridiculously sexy for some weird reason. His psyche started to freak him out more, every day that passed.

"I just came by to tell you two that unless you want me to be kicked out of this hotel for knocking out an employee, Bartowski had better get his ass downstairs and sort out my room. These damn frogs have no idea as to what I'm saying, and their language just sounds like gibberish."

Chuck sighed. "Fine. Wait here, Sarah. I shouldn't be long."

Sarah nodded and went to unpack her luggage. Chuck stepped in the hallway, and Casey closed the door.

"So when are you going to pop the question, moron?"

Chuck was flabbergasted. "How'd you…"

"Because I'm a spy, it's what I do. Now answer the question."

"I was hoping to do it tonight, on the Eiffel Tower."

Casey nodded. "Good."

"That's it? No 'I don't care about your lady-feelings, Bartowski?'" Chuck asked, in a poor imitation of Casey.

He shook his head. "I made a promise to Jack, a long time ago. I told him that I'd keep his daughter safe and I would try and look out for her happiness. And for some reason that I don't really understand, it turns out that she's happy when she's with you. And I always keep my promises. Semper fidelis."

Chuck came to an awful realization. "Oh crap! I didn't ask her father. Oh God!"

Casey stopped and laid his hand on Chuck's shoulder, effectively stopping him mid-stride. "Listen to me, Bartowski. I am in no mood to repeat what I just said. Just take it from me, that you have his blessing."

"Thanks Alex… I appreciate it." Casey grunted and resumed his stride. Chuck had to power-walk to keep up with the man. "So do you think she'll say yes?"

"If she knows what's good for her, she will."

Chuck nodded, when suddenly the pieces clicked. "So this was all just a ploy to get to talk to me in private, huh?"

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean?"

"I really do want to punch that guy at the counter. Stupid frogs can't even speak English."

Chuck grinned. As they approached the counter, Chuck increased in stride. Within two minutes, the entire problem was sorted and Casey adjourned to his room, but not before leaving Chuck with a final nugget of wisdom.

"Whatever happens tonight, Bartowski, know that it's not about the perfect spot or anything. All that matters is you, the girl and the ring. The rest is not important."

Chuck felt like making a wise-ass remark. But the fact that Casey was being so open about his emotions, which truly was a first for Chuck, coupled with the still lingering threat of Casey murdering him if he were to make any more comments of the wise-ass variety, simply caused him to nod and say his thanks.

As they separated ways, Chuck couldn't help but wonder about Sarah's family. She hadn't uttered a single word about them, apart from telling him how she grew up and that she hadn't talked to her father after pretty much walking out on him. Maybe he could ask Casey where her father lived. He would definitely want him to be there for the wedding… if there would be one.

He walked back into the room, making sure to close the door. If he was honest, he was probably too nervous to christen any room at that point in time. Still, if Sarah would ask, he would probably participate. It had always been sort of a flaw of his. Well, he just wanted to be there for his girlfriend, but Ellie once warned him that it might make him easy to be used and then discarded. Still, he had faith that Sarah would never do that.

Speaking of which, he hadn't seen her yet. Which is why the tackle from behind was so much more effective than it would've been if he had noticed her. He flew across the room and landed on the bed, somehow getting Sarah to straddle his waist. How she did it, he would never know, but it was damn impressive.

She all but attacked his mouth, to which he responded, albeit with a lot less gusto than normal. Still, he was getting quite into the thick of things, when Sarah pulled away. Chuck let out a soft moan of annoyance.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"Well, apart from the fact that your lips aren't on mine anymore, I'd say nothing's wrong."

Sarah sighed. "What happened to telling each other what was going on?"

The words stung, but he didn't want to spoil the surprise. Still, it wouldn't hurt to give a smidge of truth. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"About what?" Oh crap, he didn't think this one through. What could he possibly say? Luckily for Chuck, Sarah offered him an out. "About the Eiffel Tower?"

Chuck nodded. "Yeah… it's just… I've built this moment up so much in my head, and I'm afraid that it'll fall flat."

"We could find out right now, you know?"

Chuck shook his head. "No, I want to go when it's dark. I want to see the city of lights the way it was meant to be seen."

"Okay, so what do we do until nighttime?"

"Why, we explore the city, of course," Chuck said, with a lavish grin.

The sky overhead was remarkably clear. Chuck's grin hadn't left his face ever since they started walking down to the Champs-Élysées. And Sarah had to be honest with herself. She was having fun. While her youth consisted of conning with her dad and being trained in various ways to defend herself, one of the highlights of her days would always be when her dad would take her to the mall. She loved the mall and simply walking around and window-shopping. Of course, she would also sometimes buy stuff, depending on her cut of the con. But just walking around with her dad and looking at stuff was one of the fondest memories she had of him.

Of course, Sarah noticed that Chuck's grin was slightly strained. One wouldn't get very far in either the conning or the journalistic business if he or she couldn't discern between truth and lies. It made her feel bad for him. He was obviously still nervous about the Eiffel tower. She couldn't relate to him. She had never really had anything to look forward to. Such was the cost of the constant stream of disappointments left by her father and the male population, embedded in her throughout the years. She just hoped that when they did finally go there, he'd find everything he would want.

If Chuck was really honest with himself, walking around the city was a shockingly bad idea. After all, he had always zoned out when Ellie would go on a shopping spree and simply get lost in his own thoughts. It seemed to be that Sarah on a shopping spree had the same effect on him. Which caused him to lament even more on the impending proposal. She told him she had loved him, sure. And well, she didn't seem too adverse to the idea of getting married. But he still couldn't shake that nagging voice in his head that seemed to say that at any point in time, Sarah could simply decide that she was bored with the whole monogamous relationship and pack her bags.

But then again, throughout their entire relationship, she had made it clear what she wanted. She wanted to be done with the life that she had and start fresh. Suddenly, a second thought was added to the growing list of Chuck's neurosis. What if she was simply projecting her desires on the first guy who was seriously interested in giving her that? It felt a bit too coincidental that he was the first one to offer her that possibility and have her fall head over heels in love with him. But then again, he had fallen just as hard.

Ellie's voice cut through the void that was Chuck's inner thoughts. It chastised him for thinking like that, telling him over and over that he was a great catch. And Devon's voice added that Sarah had been eyeing him since way before they'd even gotten together for real. So there was that.

He shook his head to clear the negative thoughts, still managing to keep that goofy grin plastered on his face, as Sarah dove in yet another clothing boutique. What the woman was interested in, only she knew. But judging from the plethora of bags that he was holding, she seemed to be having a grand time. And if he was truly honest with himself, that was what he really wanted. He simply wanted Sarah to be happy. And he hoped that she would be happy with him. According to Casey she would be. But how well did Casey know women? Granted, he had known Sarah for quite a while, so maybe there was some truth in the gruff man's words.

He felt the familiar feeling of the ring box going airborne and landing again. He hoped she would like it. He smiled a genuine smile, thinking on how he got it. Apparently, Ellie had found it necessary to hide their mothers ring in his suitcase. He could still remember the shock he got when he got the text from Ellie to look for it. Apparently, women had a sixth sense when it came to proposing and what not. If he was honest with himself, he had barely gotten over the shock that Sarah wanted to be with him and he had no intentions of making it permanent yet. But well, Ellie, as always, had saved the day. Having the ring there certainly helped putting marriage on his mind and the more he thought about being able to wake up next to Sarah every day for the rest of his life, the more alluring it became.

So if both Casey and Ellie were convinced that this was what she wanted, then who was he to say no to that. After all, he had pretty much been blind to the signals that Sarah had been sending him throughout their illustrious days in the office. So maybe he was just freaking out about nothing. And if it turned out that she did in fact say no… Well, it'd just be one more disappointment to add to the stellar list. Still, if she did say no, it would make the rest of the trip incredibly awkward. Fortunately, awkward was Chuck's second middle name.

Having made up his mind as to his course of action, he threw out the strained grin that was on his face and replaced it with a full blown Bartowski smile.

Sarah walked towards him, obviously pleased with yet another purchase. "Chuck, you were right. These shops are amazing." She immediately noticed that his grin had been replaced by a more relaxed smile.

"I can tell. I feel like a mule."

Sarah's laugh came easy. "So, I'm pretty sure that my money for the next three months is gone. What's next?"

"Now, we return to the hotel."

"Already?" Sarah asked, with a pout. She was having a really good time out here. Maybe she had in fact been wrong.

"Yep. We dump your stuff at the hotel before renting bicycles. After that, we'll go from the Palais des congrès to the Louvre, effectively doing the most interesting part of the Axe Historique. After that," he said, while glancing at his watch, "it should just about be dinner time. So I figured we could have dinner on the Eiffel tower, which is only a few kilometers from the Louvre, before finishing our night with a spectacular view of Paris by night. We can save the Louvre for tomorrow."

"Hmm, sounds like you've got this all figured out," Sarah said.

"Yep, $300 well spent, if I do say so myself."

"Certainly, although I wouldn't mind forgoing some stuff if that would mean that we could stay in bed a little while longer doing… other stuff." It amazed Sarah that she could still get a blush out of him, even though the amount of times they had made love was situated well in the double digits. Just another thing that she loved about him. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

Chuck thought it to be really unfair. While the distance of the route they were taking was roughly four kilometers, he was winded after two. His calves ached and his heartbeat was abnormally high. He was really out of shape. Meanwhile, Sarah was biking alongside him, whistling a tune and acting like nothing was wrong, while Chuck just wanted to roll over and die. Like he said, it was really unfair.

They had just gotten on the Champs-Élysées, all the while accompanied by gleeful outbursts from Sarah about her shopping spree. He was still baffled by the sudden turn-around of her. Sure, she had a sparkling personality and when you looked at her, vibrant would be the only correct word to describe her. But he had never seen her as in her element as when they had entered those shops.

Another thing he learned was that Sarah was ruthless. He thought he had seen Sarah angry in Amsterdam when she dropped the kid that was putting his advances on her. Compared to here, that was like a Care Bear hug. She had seen a bag made by Luis Vuitton that she just "had to have." Chuck shuddered as he recalled the price attached to said bag. So when a woman actually cut her off and grabbed the last one, she turned on her Storm mode. Actually, calling it Storm mode was an understatement. He figured even the real Storm would be scared out of her mind by Shopping Spree Sarah.

Eventually, the women promised not to press charges if Chuck would just take Sarah away from the store. Still, Sarah did in the end get the bag, so there was that.

"Chuck, you okay?" Sarah asked, as she peddled along happily.

"'m… fine… just… tired… that's all…" he panted.

"We can take a short break if you want," Sarah said, amused at the trouble that Chuck apparently was in. She was also slightly baffled at the fact that he appeared to be so winded. After all, his endurance in the bedroom was unmatched. Still, she vowed to help him get a better condition once they would return back to the States. And then of course, all that exercise would make them both sweaty, which in turn would lead to them having to take showers. And in the interest of a cleaner environment, she'd just have to take one with him. Yep, she was definitely going to help improve his condition.

"Almost… there… just… a few more…" he croaked, while gesturing towards an impressive structure.

"I see it. Alright, let's quicken the pace a bit," Sarah said, while inwardly laughing at the devastated look on Chuck's face. Sarah started peddling a bit faster.

"Whatever… you… say," Chuck said, inwardly cursing himself for not having more stamina.

After what seemed like an aeon to Chuck, but what was more like two minutes or so, they finally arrived at the structure that he had pointed out. "Welcome… to the… Arc de Triomphe," he said, before latching his lips to one of the water bottles that they had brought and sucking greedily. The cooling liquid did wonders to his burning esophagus. "And I'm sorry for this… startling lack of athleticism on my part," he continued in a much more even tone.

Sarah simply shot him a cheeky grin. They linked hands and walked up to the counter. "Oh my God, that's a huge line!" Sarah exclaimed.

Chuck shrugged. "C'est la vie."

Sarah arched an eyebrow. "You're really getting into this whole 'being in France' thing, aren't you?"

Chuck returned Sarah's cheeky grin.

The line moved faster than Sarah had anticipated and before they knew it, they were standing on the Arc de Triomphe. "God, Chuck, this is beautiful," she said sounding vaguely breathless.

Chuck's grin threatened to split his face in two. He looked at Sarah's form as he replied, "It sure is."

"Chuck," Sarah started as her eyes kept eating up the beautiful view of Paris lying beneath and in front of her. "You should really stop staring at me when you can see this view."

Chuck's mouth fell open. "How did you know that?"

Sarah turned around, sporting the cheeky grin that had seemed to be there ever since they had gotten off of their bicycles. "I didn't. But for what it's worth, thanks. Now get over here and look at this." She stepped to the side to give Chuck a clear view.

His mouth fell open for a second time. In front of him lay the Champs-Élysées, along with the thousands of people who simply strolled past without a care in the world. In the distance he could see the behemoth of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel as well as the iconic obelisk that was stationed in front of it. Behind him the view stretched to the end of the historical axis as he could see the Grande Arche de la Défense. Dusk started settling over the city and slowly but surely the lights started turning on. It included the Grande Arche, which lit up like a lighthouse.

"It's… gorgeous."

"Right? But, let's not stay here too long. After all, you promised me we'd see Paris by night on the Eiffel tower, and I'm keeping you to that promise."

Chuck conceded. He did promise her after all. "Alright, well, since it's getting quite late, I suggest we just skip going to the Louvre for now and go to dinner. Would you be alright with that?" Sarah's stomach rumbled. "I take that as a yes?"

Sarah giggled. "Sure."

"First though, we've got to head back to the hotel."

"And why is that? And are you sure you can reach it? You seemed kind of… exhausted the first time around."

Chuck grinned. "Yeah, but the place I've got booked is kind of… refined. And don't worry about me; we'll just take a cab. It wouldn't do to soak through my nice clothes before we get there."

As they walked back down to their bikes, Chuck couldn't help but feel excited. After Casey found out about Chuck wanting to propose, he actually got them a reservation at Le Jules Vernes, a restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel tower. It actually had a Michelin star and one was supposed to book months in advance. Casey however, managed to get them in on a moment's notice. Chuck had to hand it to the guy. If he did something, he did it well.

The ride back went a lot smoother than when they rode to the Arc. At least Chuck didn't feel like dying anymore. But twenty-four hours of solid sleep started looking more and more attractive. Still, Chuck had a mission. His objective was to get Sarah to marry him and that involved the whole shebang. Wining and dining, followed by the proposal. He was ready.

At least, he hoped he was.

"Oh, wow," Sarah said, as she stepped out of the private elevator and into the restaurant.

Chuck, as always the gentleman, had let Sarah out of the elevator. But when he stepped out, he couldn't help but agree. "Wow."

The Maître d' laughed. The sentiment was very common with the tourists. "Bonsoir, monsieur. Mademoiselle. Welcome to Le Jules Vernes. Do you have a reservation?"

"Uh, yes… It should be under "Bartowski?"

The maître d' started leafing through the register. "Ah yes, Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski. Right this way."

Chuck winced. This was going to be awkward to explain. But Sarah jumped in. "Sorry, monsieur. But we're not yet married."

Chuck damn near stopped in his tracks. Yet? Well, damn. Chuck could certainly be dense, but even he didn't miss that one. A genial grin overtook his face. Maybe life didn't suck after all.

Sarah winced. Why did she let that slip? She'd seen him stiffen up every time they would discuss marriage or well, maybe attempt was a better word. She didn't dare look at him. He'd probably have that blank expression in his face every time they even got close to the topic.

As they were led to their table, Chuck dashed ahead and pulled out Sarah's seat. Well, that's a good sign. As he sat down his face had relaxed into an easygoing smile. Sarah couldn't help but smile back.

As the menus were delivered, Sarah couldn't help but notice the prices. "Chuck, look at these prices! That's like almost a month's pay."

Chuck didn't freak out. As a matter of fact, he quietly chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Sarah. This is actually expensed."

"What? How?"

"Eh, let's just say it was a gift of sorts…" Noticing that Sarah was about to question further, he quickly continued. "I'll tell you later as to why we can eat here. Trust me Sarah; you'll probably like the explanation." He silently prayed that the fact that this had been an early gift from Casey would be well appreciated.

Sarah's main problem was that she always wanted information. It had been one of her defining characteristics throughout her youth. But she saw an unusual twinkle in Chuck's eyes, so she decided to let him have his fun. That didn't mean that she wasn't burning with curiosity.

They were seated at a table that was to the center of the restaurant. Chuck didn't want to spoil the view for himself, but that didn't mean that they couldn't sneak glances every so often. Sarah had to hand it to the man. When he picked something to get excited about, he usually had a great reason. This was no exception. As far as she could tell, Paris by night was gorgeous. Obviously, the people who called it the city of light had it spot on.

Dinner went swimmingly. Even after pretty much being together non-stop for the past few weeks, they never did stop running out of things to discuss. It helped that the dinner was delicious. They were feeding each other from their meals which elicited moans of ecstasy from both participants. Of course, they tried to keep the moans soft, as to not disturb the other patrons, but Sarah did catch a few people staring at them with a disapproving look on their faces. Then again, there were also a few people who had a predatory look on their face when they eyed Chuck and Sarah. She noticed that most of the stares however were coming from brunette women. The glare that Sarah sent their way however quickly got the stares to stop. No one intruded on property of Sarah Walker, it just wasn't done.

For dessert they went with a single Dame Blanche which they spoon-fed to each other. Along with the wine that was pouring generously, they had a very relaxed evening. As Chuck looked on his watch, he saw that it was approaching 10 P.M. He only had an hour left to go to the third level. He flagged down a waiter and asked for the check, which he paid for by using the American Express Centurion Card that Casey had so generously provided to him for this evening. Sarah's mouth fell open as she saw him pull out the card, but as she had promised Chuck, she wouldn't ask until later.

He got up and held out his hand, which Sarah eagerly took. "It's time to see Paris," was all he said.

"I've been an idiot…" Chuck muttered as he was peering out over Paris at night. The lights that illuminated the city, bathed the streets in an almost surreal glow. It was gorgeous. It was everything Chuck had ever thought it would be. And yet, it didn't… no, couldn't compare to what was truly becoming the one perpetual bright spot in his life.

"What's up?" Sarah asked, as she laid her hand on his arm. Her touch elicited a surge of nerves to flood over him and at the same time a serene feeling came over him. It was amazing what a simple touch by her could do to him. New words began to pop up in his mind, overwriting the speech he had so meticulously crafted over the week. They felt… better… right…

"I've been an idiot," he said, this time more forceful. He was going to do this. It was going to happen. No more backing out, this was it.

"And why is that?" Sarah asked.

"I've been fantasizing about visiting this place for so long. I can honestly say that I've had this dream for almost twenty years now. To see Paris in all its glory and splendor. To see the city bathed in the light that illuminates the city's brilliance. To see it from atop this amazing construction that has become one of the most iconic buildings in the history of mankind. To see what in my eyes was the most amazing view that this world had to offer." He swallowed.

"And when I peered out over this city, it all hit me, Sarah. I've been an idiot and most of all, I've been blind. I always held on to that ember of hope that someday my luck might turn. That I'd find a way to truly be happy again. But I closed myself off and I was leading a miserable existence. Still, that ember always existed. And I've always seen Paris as my endgame. I felt that I would only come here when I would be ready to move on with my life. To start anew. It represented a place where I would truly be happy again. By looking around and soaking in all of its essence, its culture. By standing here, a thousand feet above ground I felt like I could get that tranquil feeling that I was so desperately looking for, in both my life and in love. That's what Paris for me stands for. And now I'm here, and I've looked out over the city. And I realized that it's no longer the most amazing view in the world."

He turned away from the balustrade to look at Sarah. His eyes started to become glassy. "Every day, Sarah. Every day, from the moment that you walked through those doors for the first time. You have been the most amazing view in my life. To be able to see you walk in the door with that beautiful smile of yours. To see you laugh at things that someone said or did. To see you when I kiss you… when I make love to you. To see, to hear, to smell and to taste you has blown Paris completely out of the water. There's simply no comparison."

He sunk to one knee, and pulled out the ring box. His hand was shaking and his voice grew hoarser. But he didn't dare take a break. He was putting it all on the line for her and he'd be damned if something like a dry throat would stop him. "Maybe it was fate that we'd be drafted into this together. And maybe it was fate that we'd get sent to this particular city. But throughout it all, I started realizing that Paris was no longer my endgame. It was you. It has to be you. I was going to ask this very question earlier in my life and it pains me to think that I would've asked it. You should've been the only one I would ever ask this to and as far as I'm concerned, you will be…"

Sarah's hands were cupping her mouth, tears threatening to spill out at any second. Still, she listened on as Chuck declared his undying love for her, afraid to breathe, afraid to break the fragile moment that was developing between them. She didn't dare move a muscle. She saw him open up the box, revealing its contents. A brilliant diamond sparkled, cut flawlessly. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't humungous. It was perfect. Elegant without screaming for attention. It was… Chuck.

"Sarah, will you marry me?

Sarah felt time slowing down. The noises from around her blended together and then faded to the background. Lights grew brighter and then dimmed, leaving only Chuck on his one knee. The only sound left was the rhythmic beating of her heart. The only thing she truly saw was Chuck's expectant gaze. She saw the emotions flicker on his face. She belatedly realized that she still hadn't answered his question. She tried to speak, but found that the saliva that was usually present in her mouth had all but abandoned her. So she did the next best thing. She nodded. One single nod that would forever be known as the kick-start of her new life.

The noise that had faded into the background returned with a bang. She was vaguely aware of people clapping around them. Sight properly returned as multiple flashes of the myriad of cameras around them momentarily brightened their direct surrounding. "Yes, Chuck," she croaked out. She held out her left hand, as Chuck reverently slid the ring around her finger. She pulled him up and into a searing kiss.

When they broke the kiss, Chuck noticed the flush on Sarah's cheeks. "Let's get out of here," she whispered. He nodded. He'd do anything for his girlfr… fiancé. That's when the full force of what just happened hit him. He was going to be marrying Sarah Walker… Holy shit. He almost had a freak out on the spot. Luckily for him, his fiancé had a strong grip on his hand and was already pulling him down. He casted one last glance at the city, before returning his vision to her.

It was a much better view.

A/N 2: Ha! I told you my pacing would be better! No two and a half years of "Maybe. Probably not. Oh yes! What the hell? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Finally!" (For people keeping track, episodes mentioned are: Versus the Imported Hard Salami, Versus the Crown Vic, Versus the Colonel, Versus the Pink Slip, Versus the Mask / Fake Name, Versus the Other Guy) Nope, it only took me roughly 100.000 words to get them hooked up and engaged. Feels good man (kudos for people understanding that one).

So, this is roughly half of the ideas that I had for the France arc. Don't know when the next chapter will appear though. But rest assured. It is coming!

Obligatory nonsense here: This was my early birthday present to you. Hope you all enjoyed it. More milestones broken, I've reached the 100.000 words mark, so that's pretty cool for a first fic. Still love all the reviews I get and to the roughly 700 people that are still (faithfully?) reading this story: Thank you all.

The end is in sight. What's to come? Bryce does something, Jill makes an appearance, people get shot and the tranquilizer gun gets put to effective use. No wedding ceremony though, sorry! Oh yeah, and White Shadow is revealed and YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO IT IS! Actually, you probably will, it's not that hard. Until next time.