xXXXx

Chuck and Sarah sat on their couch together. They were back in their apartment, having excused themselves from Ellie and Devon's shortly after the suppression device attempt, with a promise to catch up further with everyone later.

Chuck reflected on what his sister had said. Then he thought about his behavior and his eyes took on a downward cast. "I'm sorry I walked off like I did. Geez, that was selfish."

Sarah cupped the back of his neck with one of her hands. "Hey. Quinn directly assaulted me, but you were every bit as much his victim, maybe more than I was. I'm just starting to grasp how much he took from me." With her other hand she gently lifted Chuck's chin. "From us. You know the full measure of it and have had to deal with it every day. Worse, after I learned the truth…" –Sarah's face became ashen and a tremble crept into her voice– "... I… I told you I didn't feel it…. The hurt that you must have suffered hearing those words." She took a deep breath and some of her composure returned. "You don't owe me an apology. Me, however…."

Chuck gave her a lopsided smile, appreciative of her forgiveness while not fully convinced his behavior should be excused. "You already apologized to me on the beach, not that you needed to." They kissed, then settled comfortably into the couch.

"How are you holding up?" Chuck asked. "I know going over to my sis's wasn't easy, but I'm glad we spoke with her."

"Ellie is wonderful. I can already see why I hold her in such high esteem."

"Yeah, she's great."

"Must be a Bartowski thing." Sarah inhaled sharply. "Chuck, your mother. I owe her an apology for the way I acted."

Chuck placed a comforting kiss on Sarah's forehead then leaned back. "We'll call her soon." He allowed a couple beats of silence to pass. "Speaking of mothers," he said, his voice guarded, "Has your mother spoken to you since the memory loss?"

"My mother? Why do you ask that? Have you tried to contact her? Please tell me you didn't go looking for her."

"Sarah, I've met her. You and me, right here, together." Visible panic welled up in Sarah; Chuck hastily continued, "No, don't worry, Emma and Molly are safe."

Sarah's look of panic gave way to surprise and then to understanding. "Her name is 'Molly?' How is she? Is she healthy? Happy? What is she like?" Sarah held her breath.

"What is she like?" Chuck smiled. "Adorable and precocious. Poor Morgan can't keep up with her in Mario Kart. And–" Chuck looked deep into Sarah's eyes "–already very attached to her big sister."

Sarah's eyes lost a bit of their focus as she digested what Chuck had said. Her hands came together, one behind the other, and she pressed them against the center of her chest as she choked back a joyous sob. "I know."

Excitement flooded Chuck. "You remember the two of us meeting Molly?"

"I don't, not the way you mean, but," Sarah's smile broadened, "my heart does. I can't explain it. Like with you at the beach. Seeing you there and talking with you and feeling your lips on mine, the emotions flooded over me and I knew with absolute certainty my feelings for you. The same thing happened with Ellie –well, without the kissing." Chuck snorted out a short laugh at the joke. "I have all these feelings in me. They're a jumbled mess, but it's possible for them to be untangled and put with the right person. Does that make sense? I'm saying it and I don't even quite understand it."

"Not really. But things for you and me not making sense is hardly new. And it's a–"

Sarah was suddenly deadly serious and cut Chuck off. "You said the two of them are safe. What did you mean? You know about…?" Chuck could see a mix of eagerness and apprehension in her face as she drew out her question, her expression inviting him to fill in the blank.

"Ryker won't be threatening anyone anymore. He's dead, Sarah. He went after Molly, and you set a trap for him. Casey and I helped." Chuck searched Sarah's face. "Do you remember any of that?"

Sarah shook her head, No. But she was still smiling as she leaned into an embrace with Chuck. "Thank you."

He held her as she squeezed him. "We only helped a little bit."

"I meant for what you've given back to me. I knew Quinn had stolen my life, but I didn't realize how blessed that life was. And because you didn't give up on us, how blessed it still is." Sarah chuckled through tears, her disbelief evident. "My God, twenty-four hours ago I didn't have any sisters, now I have two."

~oOo~

"Oh, Honey, come here." Emma called out from her porch as Chuck and Sarah approached from his parked car. Sarah stepped into her mother's arms. The two tightly embraced while Chuck stood a couple steps back. He could make out Emma whispering "It's ok" over and over. As the ladies separated, Emma waved Chuck to her. He moved closer and, when she placed her hands on his shoulder, bent to accept a kiss on the cheek. For a long moment afterwards she looked into his eyes, a warm, thankful smile on her face.

Relief washed over Chuck. As he and Sarah had called Emma from the car to ensure she would be home and to begin explaining what had happened to Sarah, he had worried he had failed by not telling Emma sooner himself. Throughout the ordeal the thought had never found purchase in his conscious mind –which shamed him now. When Quinn took Sarah every one of Chuck's faculties that he could command was focused on finding her. Thereafter he had found himself repeatedly yanked from one emotional extreme to another and little at that time occupied his thoughts beyond Sarah.

"Emma, it's good to see you," Chuck said. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the front door swinging open.

"Sarah! Chuck!" Molly rushed out, her pure glee, the kind that young children can best summon, was unmistakable. A nose-crinkling grin overcame Chuck. Before Quinn, he and Sarah had driven out to visit a couple times, and Molly was no longer the bashful girl that they had first met in their apartment. "Sarah, Sarah, Rex says you have to play with us!" Molly held up a plush toy dog. Sarah looked to Chuck. Her eyes brimmed with tears but she was smiling; his heart leapt. Did she remember something? She turned to Molly and crouched down to speak with her. He held his question, deciding it could wait so he could delight in the moment being shared by the three wonderful women before him.

~oOo~

"Come back soon, ok?" Both Chuck and Sarah assured Emma that they would. The three of them, after an afternoon together, were back on the porch saying their goodbyes and exchanging parting hugs.

Molly's voice carried out to them from within the house. "Excuse me," Sarah said, grinning, "Sounds like I have to tuck Rex in for his nap before I leave." Sarah went back in through the open front door.

Emma watched Sarah go then turned to Chuck. "She thinks you'll be a great father."

Chuck was caught off guard. "Sarah said that?"

"Mm-hmm, when she and I had a moment alone. Not that she needed to. I could read it clear as day on her face when she watched you with Molly. Same as the other times you visited." Emma paused while what she said sunk in for Chuck. She finished, "I happen to agree, by the way."

Chuck blushed. "Thanks. I would like that… someday. I do want to give Sarah whatever time she needs to, uh, get to know me again." He shook his head with disbelief at the strange place Sarah and he found themselves.

"She's tough, but she needs you and your strength."

"She has it, Emma, always."

"Good." She hugged him.

Sarah came out the door and gave the two a brief, quizzical look, before seemingly dismissing whatever question she had. After one more hug from her mother, Sarah and Chuck walked to his car and got in.

Sarah sank into the passenger seat. "Molly is great. And having my mother back…." She let out a contented sigh. Then she straightened up. "I hope you're not too disappointed." Sarah had earlier found a moment in her mother's house to quietly break the news to Chuck that no additional memories, not even hints of any, had returned.

"Of course I was hoping you'd remember. Something. Anything. And when we arrived I thought… well, I got my hopes up. But it's ok, and I couldn't have been happier than when watching you with the two of them." He meant that, but he also felt frustration rising within. Chuck's hand hovered by the ignition as he looked at the keys he held. What will be the key?

Sarah twisted in her seat to better look at him and gently squeezed his leg. He thought she must have sensed his disquiet. "It may still happen," she said.

Chuck looked at her and spoke softly, "I know. I'm trying to stay positive." One more key to try. "If you can bear with me, I have one more idea –maybe a crazy idea– how we might be able to get your memories back."

~oOo~

Chuck and Sarah stood in front of the door. "Ready to go in?" He asked after a moment. Sarah nodded and inserted the key, unlocked the door, and opened it.

Chuck peered in and was struck by how much the place looked the same as he remembered it: Sarah's suite, or what had been her hotel suite at one time, and then made up again to be her place by Quinn. It still had the same excess of green, the same garish wallpaper.

Chuck had told Sarah his idea about the house and had been prepared to argue his case for it, anticipating that Sarah might be reluctant to return there, but she surprised him, and agreed with little hesitation. She said she was willing to try –wanted to try– even if it was a long shot, for both of their sakes. After the two had finished a call with the realtor to put the house purchase plan in motion, Sarah had told Chuck she needed to retrieve a couple things from the long-term hotel suite she had recently used. And they needed to retrieve her car, which was still at the beach from the day prior. It was evening and they had her car and now were at the suite.

Look at this. Quinn put her up in the same place. He was meticulous, I'll grant him that. Chuck turned to look at Sarah as she was placing her keychain into a pocket. He wondered if returning here with him might trigger any memories, or at least a hint of a memory like the precious few Sarah had experienced so far. Maybe an image of a veggie pizza, no olives, will come to her? Or a burger cut in half and shared? Or a salmon colored dress that practically left me weak in the knees? But he was not overly hopeful after the visit to her mother's had stirred up no memories, and reading her face he did not see any sign that being here was conjuring anything for her.

As they moved into the suite Chuck's attention shifted to the particle board covering where the plate glass window should have been. "So that's where...?"

"Yeah, that's where I dangled Quinn by his neck," Sarah said, somewhat flatly, before adding with an edge, "I should have let him drop."

Chuck thought it best to move the conversation. "Should I start gathering up anything, maybe the clothes out of the closet?"

"No, Quinn put all of that here. I don't want any of it." Sarah moved to the long dresser and vanity.

The flashing message light on the answering machine caught Chuck's eye. "You have messages."

"I'm sure it's just more from the building management pleading to schedule time to repair the window. After we leave I'll let them know I'm out and the place is theirs again."

Sarah closed the lid on a gray box sitting on the vanity and walked towards Chuck, one hand cupped in front of her. "Can you help me with these?" As they had been approaching the apartment building, Chuck thought that Sarah appeared apprehensive, but now her smile returned as she revealed what she held in her hand: her engagement ring and wedding band.

Chuck returned the smile. He thought back to the morning while they dressed when he realized she wasn't wearing them and dread had set in thinking what might have happened to them. Had she slipped them from her finger at some point, seeing them as no more than meaningless props for a cover relationship that was over, and tossed them without another thought? He had not said anything and instead took some solace in seeing her joy over his mother's charm bracelet. So when he had asked on the ride to pick up her car what she wanted to retrieve and she had told him her rings, he was sure his relief had been painted on his face.

"It would be my pleasure." He gently plucked the rings, one at a time and with reverence from her palm. Taking his eyes off hers only for a fleeting moment to ensure he had lined up the engagement ring properly with her finger (his hand was shaking slightly), he slid it on. He did the same with the band. Sarah was now beaming and moved in close. Chuck picked up on her intent and leaned in for a kiss that Sarah eagerly met. You may now kiss the bride.

After a long moment, Chuck reluctantly removed his lips from Sarah's. "You said you needed to pick up 'a couple things.' Now that you have them, do you want to go?"

"Actually, the rings were one thing, the other is over there." Chuck followed the point of Sarah's index finger.

"The DVD player?"

"What's in it."

Sarah arched her brow and tipped her head towards the player. Chuck, his curiosity piqued, followed her cue, moved to it and opened its tray. The disc in it was white, plainly labelled with "Project Bartowski Mission Log."

Mission log?

~oOo~

Chuck hit the call button for the number in his iPhone's contacts. He had the phone in his car's cup holder on speaker mode. As it rang he tried his best to keep up with Sarah in her car (no easy feat). The other phone continued to ring until the synthetic voice of its voicemail system chimed in and informed him that the inbox associated with this number was full, and then it disconnected. It was the same outcome as his earlier attempts.

His mind drifted back to Sarah's suite.

"What is this?"

"I must have been instructed by the Agency to keep a video log. I probably did it for at least the early years while you were treated as an asset. The log wouldn't have been filed with the Agency for review. It is... candid, so I am almost certain of that. Instead, if something happened to me, it would likely be collected to become part of the record for whatever sort of investigation was done. Quinn got his hands on it somehow and used it to manipulate me into believing he was my handler."

"Candid? Quinn showed you this?"

"Yes, candid, but what Quinn showed me was only my initial entry. This disc has later entries from my first two years here. That night when I found you in the courtyard before leaving to go after Quinn and told you I believed you –I had watched this. Please put it back in and hit play. I want you to see it."

Chuck hit the call button on his iPhone in order to redial. The line once again began to ring.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to Sarah, watching Video Sarah on the television. Within minutes he was transfixed, not moving a muscle or making a sound. He might have forgotten to breathe at times. Eventually Video Sarah was saying, "...because, because I love him. I love Chuck Bartowski and I don't know what to do about it."

As Video Sarah blinked back tears Chuck was blinking back his own. "You had found this? Where? Did you take it from Castle?"

"Not me, it was..."

Casey barked over the phone, "Bartowski, what is it?"

Chuck practically jumped in his car seat. "Casey! I'm so glad to finally get through to you! I've been trying your line. First, a couple times this morning from home. Now a couple more times from my car…"

"Chuck," growled Casey.

"Uh, right, I just wanted to let you know Sarah is here, she's with me, well not with me at this very moment. But she's back and she's staying. She wants to stay with me. She, well, she loves me." That last bit Chuck said with a mixture of joy and matter-of-factness. Was that a grunt of relief from Casey? Chuck couldn't quite make out what he heard.

"Her memories?"

"No," Chuck conceded. "But her feelings for me, for others –for you!– they're all back. Uh, so, I wanted you to know that, but I also found out that I need to thank you."

"Why's that?"

"When Sarah returned before leaving again to go after Quinn she had told me she believed me, believed everything I had told her about the two of us. That was all thanks to you giving her her mission log. I… I don't know how to thank you. Casey, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you getting all squishy with me because your lady-feelings got the better of you."

Chuck chuckled at that. "Well, thank you anyways."

"Don't mention it. Really." A moment of silence hung between them. "Chuck, you look after Walker. What she's been through… Take care of her."

That was an order from the Colonel that Chuck intended to do everything in his power to carry out. "I will, John," Chuck solemnly replied.

Casey's voice became, for him, mild. "Good partners are hard to come by. Walker was, well, she was…"

Chuck finished for Casey, "The best."

Casey's gruffness returned. "By a goddamn country mile… You weren't half bad yourself."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, well, later, Bartowski."

"Later, Casey. Good luck."

With another grunt, Casey ended the call and was gone. "Go get Gertrude," Chuck said to his friend, wherever he may be at that moment.

Chuck's phone rang and he thought it might be Sarah calling to tell him to catch up. He looked at the caller ID. It was not Sarah, it was the realtor.

xXXXx