It's July 15th, 2022, and Sarah Walker has finally scored her dream job—working with dolphins at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Socially awkward and academically driven, Sarah's never found love—but when she meets a tech genius whose inventions have the chance to make her research a reality, she finds herself falling for him. Together, their work could change the world … that is, unless someone else gets hold of it first.

Disclaimer: We don't own Chuck…

Chapter 11: The Interloper

Oh, hell no. It couldn't be. Not today.

Hoping she was just hearing things, Sarah spun around … and there he stood, in all his faux-glory. Perfectly-styled raven hair, piercing blue eyes, bespoke crisp suit, and cocksure attitude.

"Hey, baby," he said, lips curving upward in a crooked smile.

She stared at Bryce Larkin—her ex-boyfriend-turned-nemesis—for the first time in years, her eyes narrowing to slits. "I'm not a baby—yours or anyone else's. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Aw, is that any way to greet an old friend? I know it's a surprise and all, but I'd hoped for a little more hospitality. Aren't you happy to see me … even a little bit?" The smile widened, taunting her.

"As a matter of fact, I'm not." The understatement of the century—she'd dreaded the idea that she might have to deal with this asshole from the moment Chuck told her he'd reached out to Reid.

Bryce folded his arms across his chest. "Oh, come on, Sarah. Don't be that way."

"What way is that, Bryce? Honest? The last time I saw you, you were lip-locked with one of my former best friends. I'm surprised I can actually recognize you without her face glued to yours."

Bryce sighed. "I'll admit, that wasn't my finest hour—and trust me … I know how this looks—but I swear I didn't know you were part of this project. Whoever you've got working with you—some dude named Bartowski—reached out to my lead engineer last night. Their conversation piqued my curiosity, so I decided to call Dr. Beckman, and—"

"You spoke with Diane?" This day just kept getting better and better.

"Of course I did. I needed to vet this Bartowski guy. And from what she told me, he's the real deal. She went on and on about him like he was some kind of engineering savant. But she never once mentioned you—although, as fascinating and cutting-edge as this project sounds, I should've known you'd be the one spearheading it." He flashed her that brilliant smile of his, the one that had ensnared and deceived her so many years ago.

Sarah wasn't going to be fooled again. "Oh, cut the crap, Bryce. There's no way Diane would've talked to you about this project—my project—without mentioning me. And you wouldn't have come all this way without so much as an appointment or invitation if you didn't already know I was involved." She fisted her hands on her hips. "I don't care how deep your pockets are. I don't want or need your help."

That was one of the things that had always bothered her while they were dating: Bryce was a trust fund baby who hadn't worked a hard day in his life. His silver spoon was his talisman. The moment he'd gotten out of school and found some tech that caught his fancy, he'd used his parents' considerable wealth to underwrite it … and his obsessive aspirations for fame and glory. Eventually, it'd dawned on Sarah that this was just another way for him to cheat the system, which pissed her off to no end, given how hard she'd had to work to get to where she was now.

He'd always been competitive too, especially with her—another unattractive quality. He'd probably tell anyone who'd listen that he'd been interested in interspecies communication from the get-go, but it wasn't until Sarah had selected the topic for her college thesis that he'd even given it a second thought. At the time, he'd told her that he wanted them to share a common interest … a comment that she'd greeted with skepticism. Bryce had had plenty of opportunities to lend a hand with the things that mattered to her—from helping rescue stranded marine mammals to volunteering at science expos for underprivileged kids—and had taken her up on exactly none of them. When she'd brought this up, though, he'd acted horribly offended, guilting her into dropping the whole thing. She'd blamed herself, thought she was being cynical … until she'd caught him cheating and ended their relationship.

In hindsight, Sarah figured he'd zeroed in on the whole "dolphins talking to humans" thing because he thought it had a high potential for notoriety. When he couldn't ride her academic coattails anymore, he'd tried to buy his way to success, capitalizing on other people's ingenuity and creativity. As broad as the field of cymatics was, she'd hoped they'd be able to avoid crossing paths. Now here he was, stepping all over her turf again, just as her research was finally starting to bear fruit. And she wanted to smack him for it.

That overwhelming desire must have shown on her face, because he lifted his hands, palms out—as if she was holding him at gunpoint. "I swear to God, Sarah, I didn't know. After all, it's not like I had to travel that far … I was already in San Francisco. And I did have an appointment … with Beckman. You can ask her. She had an interview that ran over, so she couldn't come with me—but she encouraged me to swing by and see if anyone was still here. I made a reservation at the Hyatt Regency for the next couple nights. I figured if the lab was empty, no harm, no foul—I could just come back tomorrow."

She glowered at him. "And why in the hell would you make an appointment with Diane?"

Bryce took a step closer to her, his tone placating. "Look … I didn't come here to piss all over your territory, Sarah. Really. I honestly had no idea you had anything to do with this project. I was just intrigued, based on what Reid told me … and now that I've gotten a good look at that"—he gestured at the mechanical dolphin, whose skin was peeled back, revealing the complex circuitry beneath—"I can see my interest was justified. Can we please just go grab a drink … and try to make peace? I'll buy."

"I bet you would."

His jaw tightened, a sure sign of irritation. "Now, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." The source of Bryce's money had always been a hot-button issue for him, and the last thing she wanted right now was to start a big fight. Then he'd never go away. "Forget I said anything. And you can forget about that drink, too. It's not happening. Not now—not ever."

Instead of backing off, he stepped closer still. The smile was back in full force, spreading slow and seductive. "I've missed that spitfire temper of yours. Haven't you missed me … even a little?"

Sure, Sarah wanted to say. That feeling of betrayal and abandonment that your very presence evokes … I just feel so incomplete without it. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I know you remember what it was like when we were together. How hot it was."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "I remember a lot of things about you, Bryce. That, however, is not one of them."

"That's too bad." He was inches from her now. She could smell his expensive aftershave, the same one he'd worn when they were together—smoke and spice and a hint of bay rum, a retro extravagance that she'd always found pretentious. "Would you like me to remind you?" He had the audacity to slide a suggestive hand through her hair.

Aggravated beyond comprehension, she put both of her hands on his chest, intending to push him away. "Would you like me to kick you in the—"

"Sarah?"

Shit, shit, shit.

Sarah shoved Bryce as if he were a leper, spinning around for the second time in the past few minutes to confront a man she'd hadn't expected—or hoped—to see standing in the doorway of her lab. Instead of looking self-assured to the point of arrogance, however, Chuck looked taken aback—and miserable. His eyes darted between her and Bryce, as if trying to reconcile what he was seeing.

Unbelievable. Bryce Larkin had only been here for a few minutes, and he'd already managed to fuck up her life … once again. "Chuck, I swear this isn't—"

"Chuck?" Bryce interrupted, stepping forward. "Would you happen to be Chuck Bartowski—the tech guru who spoke with my engineer, John Reid, last night?"

"I would." Chuck looked him up and down. "Your engineer?—So you're …"

"Bryce Larkin, the CEO and founder of DolphinSpeak." He extended a hand, and Chuck shook it, as if by reflex or mandate. She wasn't sure which.

"Nice to meet you." The words sounded forced. Even though Sarah hadn't known Chuck very long, she could see the dismay in his eyes. She couldn't blame him; this looked terrible. Why the hell hadn't she told Chuck about Bryce the moment he mentioned Reid's name?" I'm sorry to interrupt. I left my phone here … I just came back to get it …" He cleared his throat. "So I take it you two know each other?"

Sarah was still holding Chuck's cell. She held it out to him, wishing Bryce would evaporate, so she'd have a chance to explain. As it was, she settled for, "We went to college together … we were lab partners. It was a long time ago."

Bryce made a production of looking wounded. "Aw, come on, Sarah." He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his side. "We were partners all right—but not just in the lab … although, I'll admit that that's where she captured my undivided attention. Beautiful and brilliant, am I right?"

He winked at Chuck, who looked more uncomfortable than ever. "Well, I—" he began.

Disgusted, Sarah ducked out from under the weight of Bryce's arm. "Yeah, right … undivided for about five minutes … until you met my roommate and were equally bowled over by what she had to offer. How is Amy, by the way? Or did you cheat on her, too?"

For the first time, Bryce looked awkward. "I … don't know. We don't really speak anymore."

"I'm shocked." She wasn't sure if she'd ever sounded more sarcastic. "Anyway, as you can see, I was just about to leave. If Diane promised you a tour of the lab, then she'll be the one to give it to you—but it'll have to be tomorrow. Chuck and I have dinner plans."

Bryce rolled his eyes. "Still all work and no play, I see. Well, before you kick me out…" He turned to Chuck, gesturing at the dolphin on the stand in the middle of the room. "Nice little toy you've got there, Bartowski. Care to tell me what it is and how it works?"

His tone was needling, designed to provoke. As usual, Bryce needed to be the alpha male in every room. He might not know exactly what the dynamic was between her and Chuck—as evidenced by the fact that he'd jumped to conclusions about the nature of the 'plans' she'd mentioned—but he wanted to make sure that Chuck knew who was in charge. Of the many things Sarah hadn't missed about him, this kind of macho dominance bullshit was close to the top of the list.

Chuck straightened to his impressive full height. It was easy to forget just how tall he was; he was usually so gentle, so unassuming. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much. The technology's proprietary—much like your own."

"Touché." Bryce took a step toward the mechanical dolphin. "May I?"

Short of throwing his body on top of the dolphin to conceal it, there wasn't much Chuck could do. He followed Bryce over to it, tension etched in every line of his body. Sarah couldn't blame him; Chuck and Laszlo had invested a great deal of time and money in creating the Intersect, and with the polymer skin peeled back the way it was, Bryce had an all-too-accessible glimpse of exactly what lay beneath.

Though she'd never caught him at it, Sarah had always suspected that Bryce had somehow managed to cheat his way through school, copying others' work and taking the credit. His study hours and grades just didn't match up. She wouldn't put it past him to try and swipe—or at the very least, buy—Chuck's tech out from under him. Feeling helpless, she watched her ex-boyfriend bend down to peer at the mechanical dolphin.

"What is it? Kind of looks like a cross between a stuffed animal and a bunch of tinker-toys," he said, quirking an amused eyebrow. Sarah bristled at the tone of his voice, clearly intended to diminish Chuck … and his work.

"Not quite." Chuck leveled him with a pointed stare. "It's actually a bidirectional communications interface between my AI and Sarah's dolphins—and it's also not ready for public consumption." Reaching over, he sealed the skin back over the electronic components. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not show anyone my unfinished work. I'm sure you understand."

Looking less than satisfied, Bryce took a step back. "Sure, sure … absolutely," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Whenever you're ready. I'm looking forward to a live demonstration. I should be in town for the next few days."

The man was like freaking kudzu. Give him an inch, and he'd somehow manage to acquire a mile. "I don't know if that's a good idea," Sarah said, glancing at her watch in a not-so-subtle hint to encourage him to leave.

As usual, especially when he had an ulterior motive in mind, Bryce ignored her. "Why not? From what Reid and Dr. Beckman told me, this is some pretty promising tech … and if I like what I see, I'm considering underwriting the whole shebang. Beckman seemed pretty excited by the prospect."

Damn him to hell and back again. She was trapped. She couldn't dismiss an offer like that. Not and keep her damn job.

"You … you want to underwrite my research? Just … out of the blue?" She sounded as shocked—and probably as horrified—as she felt.

Bryce gave an innocent, puzzled shrug. "What research project has ever had enough backers, right? You know how it goes, Sarah. I thought you'd be excited to have that kind of capital at your fingertips. The sky would be the limit when it came to your research."

It was just like Bryce to dangle what she wanted most in front of her face, knowing good and well it was attached to strings that she'd rather cut than consider. But she couldn't keep depending on Chuck's expertise and financial support … no matter how willingly he gave them. It just wasn't fair to him.

"Whatever arrangement you have with Diane is between the two of you." Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Now, if you don't mind, there's a glass of wine with my name on it, and it isn't in this lab."

He grinned. "Still drinking Evolution Pinot Gris? Even your tastes in alcohol run to the scientific. I've always loved that about you."

How the hell could he still remember what wine she drank—and not the fact that, when he was putting his hands all over Amy, he'd had a girlfriend?

Chuck shifted his weight, looking increasingly uncomfortable. "Well, Mr. Larkin … I think we could be ready for a demonstration in a week or so … maybe less," he said, stealing a glance at Sarah. She could see so much in his expressive dark eyes—confusion, sadness, pain … and a hint of anger. "We're waiting on a friend of mine to deliver a crucial component."

"Ah … a whole week … hmmm. I guess I could make that work. Worst case, I could always leave and come back." Bryce ran his fingers through his hair, which—most likely due to some ridiculously expensive product—remained annoyingly untousled.

Chuck edged toward the door, caught between his desperation to leave and his desire not to offend a potential funder. "So," he said, one foot out the door, "if it's gonna take us a week or more to show you something feasible … what do you plan on doing in the meantime?"

Bryce gave him a wicked grin, as if he'd been waiting for the question, draping an arm over Sarah's shoulders once again. "Well," he said, drawing out the word, "I figure this'll give me and Sarah plenty of time to catch up and become … reacquainted."

His innuendo couldn't have been clearer if he'd crafted it from crystal—and the possessive grip he had on her was the finishing touch. Despite the fact that she'd told him in every way she could think of that she wanted nothing to do with him, the asshole was still staking his claim. Horrified and disgusted, Sarah opened her mouth in a vain attempt to protest, but Chuck didn't give her the chance. Disappointment darkened his face, and his shoulders slumped. Before she could say another word, he mumbled, "You two have fun," turned, and left, the sound of his retreating feet reverberating down the hallway.

The hell with his money. Sarah was going to kill Bryce.

OoOoOoOoO

Chuck stumbled back to his car, on autopilot. He should've known Sarah was too good to be true—that a woman like that wouldn't give him a second glance, let alone want to have a relationship with him, long distance or otherwise. These last couple of days had felt like he'd been living someone else's life. Maybe he actually had been, given Bryce's sudden reappearance. He supposed he ought to be grateful that he'd experienced them … but he wasn't. He was hurt … and sad … and furious.

This explained Sarah's reluctance to show him DolphinSpeak's website last night … and the shocked expression that flickered across her face this morning when he mentioned that he'd reached out to John Reid. She hadn't been concerned about Chuck's ego at all … she'd wanted to protect the fact that she was dating—had dated?—the company's CEO.

After he'd caught the two of them doing—well, whatever they'd been doing—he'd been too upset to pay much attention to their conversation … but whatever was going on, Bryce had seemed to be a helluva a lot more into it than Sarah was. And Chuck did catch the tail end of something that sounded a lot like Bryce had been cheating on her. Honestly, he was so spun out and blindsided by that point, the only thing he could hear clearly was the shattering of his own heart.

From what he'd been able to piece together, it sounded like—at least far as Bryce was concerned—they'd just been taking a break from their relationship … and now he was back, like the proverbial white knight, showing up in the nick of time to fund Sarah's operation and make everything right again. The bastard had apparently dumped her for her roommate—how long ago had this been?—and now he was trying to buy his way back into her affection. What had she said last night? When I moved here, I wanted a fresh start. She'd probably taken this job in part to get away from Bryce … and this project was the perfect opportunity for him to worm his way back into her life—but she didn't have to accept his help. She could've refused him on the spot, it was her project after all … but she didn't.

Well, if financial support was the only thing that was important to her, Bryce was her man. It didn't matter that Chuck could've backed her research a thousand times over. He'd never thrown his money or his success around like that and he wasn't about to start now.

Still, he felt like such an idiot. Here he'd been, staying up all night to work on the Intersect … calling in favors with Laszlo and Manoosh … spending his vacation shopping for components … not to mention driving all over Monterey to find her the perfect gift … and the whole time, she'd been pining over this slimeball. Yeah, she hadn't looked too thrilled to see Bryce—but she hadn't told him to leave, either. She'd looked surprised when he said he wanted to underwrite her project, and pissed off when he'd asked for a tour of the lab—but when Bryce had called the Intersect "a cross between a stuffed animal and a bunch of tinker-toys," she hadn't so much as spoken up to defend Chuck or his work. Clearly, whatever existed between her and Bryce was unresolved—and he'd be damned if he was getting in the middle of it.

Laszlo was sitting in the Tesla's passenger seat, scrolling through his phone. Chuck braced himself—the last thing he felt like doing was dealing with Laz's wisecracks right now. He yanked on the car door's handle harder than it deserved and slipped in behind the wheel, snatching his sunglasses from the dash and sliding them on.

He and Laszlo hadn't gotten far from MBARI before Chuck had realized he'd left his phone back at the lab and turned around to collect it; he still had to drop Laz off at the Hyatt. Which brought up yet another unpleasant thought—had Sarah known all along that Bryce was coming? Had she been planning on having dinner with Chuck right after her not-so-ex showed up at the lab, never saying a word about Bryce's presence? After all, she'd had ample opportunity to give Chuck a heads-up this morning, saving him the humiliation of this little incident … but for some inexplicable reason, she'd chosen not to. And when Chuck had stumbled upon the two of them together, she'd tried to pass their relationship off as 'lab partners,' when they'd obviously been so much more. What else had she been hiding from him? Had she just been using him, biding her time until Bryce reappeared?

Perhaps worse still … had Chuck himself opened the door for Bryce's return? If he hadn't reached out to John Reid, would Bryce have made that appointment with Diane Beckman—and then offered to underwrite Sarah's project? The whole situation was such a fucking mess.

Frustrated, he wrenched up on the gear selector, jolting the car into reverse. From the passenger seat, Laszlo made an alarmed sound. "Whoa, cowboy. What the hell happened in there?"

Chuck gritted his teeth. "Don't ask."

"But we just—"

"Seriously, Laz." He slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose so that Laszlo could see his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

As pushy as he could be sometimes, Laszlo had known Chuck long enough to understand when it was time to back off. He held up both hands, palms out, in the universal sign for "You win." Then he turned on the radio, sat back in his seat, and didn't say another word until they arrived at the Hyatt.

When Chuck pulled up in front of the entrance, Laszlo got out of the car and turned to go—then thought better of it, leaning in through the window. "Dude, I know you don't want to talk about it—but do you maybe want to grab a beer or something? I know it's a little early, but there's a decent bar here … I think I sampled all six of their drafts last night … and felt every one of them this morning. There's bound to be something you like."

For Laszlo, this was verging on downright touchy-feely. Forcing a smile, Chuck shook his head. "I appreciate it, Laz … but no thanks. I don't think I'd be very good company right now."

"If you're sure …" Laszlo said, looking doubtful.

"I am. But thanks anyway." He flipped the Tesla into drive, pulled back onto the road … and promptly spiraled into oblivion.

Had he completely misread all of her signals? He didn't think so. She was the one who'd grabbed him yesterday and kissed him until he couldn't see straight … who'd kissed him again this morning before he'd even had a chance to hand her coffee to her … He could've sworn she was into him. But maybe she'd just been having some fun—or worse still, trying to get back at her cheating boyfriend. Maybe those kisses and their conversation at her house last night didn't mean as much to her as it had to him … maybe this was the kind of thing that happened to her all the time …

Around and around he went, until he felt more depressed than he had when he'd gone to the beach in search of her, only to come up empty. What was that Tennyson line about it being better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all? Whatever it was, it was total bullshit. If the dude was still alive, Chuck would happily tell him so.

Not that Chuck loved Sarah … how could he? He'd only just met her. Was he that pathetic, to have fallen this hard for a girl he'd known less than a week?

He knew he couldn't go back to Ellie's like this—she'd pick up on what was bothering him in a hot minute and psychoanalyze the shit out of him. Normally he was a fan of her little pep talks—at least in moderation—but he didn't think he could stand to be on the receiving end of one tonight. He didn't want sympathy … he wanted a distraction.

Chuck had been driving aimlessly, with no real sense of where he was going—but when he focused on his surroundings, he realized he was on Lighthouse Avenue, the Bay on his right and the Aquarium less than a mile ahead. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that that was exactly where he wanted to go. He spared a glance at the Tesla's clock display—he still had thirty minutes before the place closed. What he'd do after that, he had no idea … but at least he had a rudimentary plan.

Feeling marginally better, he pulled into the parking garage on Foam Street and got out of the car. Turning right onto David Street, he took a deep breath of the salty air. This close to the Bay, it was hard not to feel soothed. Maybe after the Aquarium closed for the night, he'd take a walk along the water.

When he went up to the front entrance to purchase his ticket, the petite redhead behind the counter gave him a funny look. "You do know we close in half an hour," she said, her tone dubious.

"Yes, I know." He gave her the best smile he could muster under the circumstances.

"And you know it costs 50 bucks to get in."

"Yes, I know that too." Chuck had to resist the urge to drum his fingers on the ticket counter. Every moment he stood here debating the ROI of his visit was another minute he wouldn't get to spend with the dolphins … and for some reason, he was desperate to see them—especially Eden.

"But—"

Chuck was a hairsbreadth away from dumping the contents of his wallet on the counter and just telling her to keep it when the white-bearded security guard who'd been so nice to him when he'd visited before—Milton, that was the guy's name—intervened. "It's okay, Chelsea," he said, walking over to the ticket kiosk. "This is Chuck. He works with Sarah and the dolphins. And his money's no good here."

Now it was Chuck's turn to protest. "I can pay …"

"Of course you can." Milton's voice was firm. "But you won't. Not with 30 minutes left on the clock. It's fine, Chels. He's with me."

The redhead looked Chuck up and down, and then her lips quirked in a smile. "Wait a minute. Are you the guy that fell in the tank?"

Talk about insult to injury. "I was pushed," Chuck muttered. "But … yeah. That's me."

Her smile broadened. "As far as I'm concerned, you can come here for free anytime you want. The entertainment value of that story is priceless. I think the whole staff knows about it by now. How the dolphins went all crazy … and then Dr. Walker jumped in to save you …"

Chuck could feel himself turning red. "Yeah, she was a real hero," he said, sounding every bit as bitter as he felt.

Milton gave him a sharp look. "All right," he said, "time's a'wastin'. Come on, Chuck, you'd better hurry up if you want any time with the new arrival."

The security guard led the way back to his desk, en route to the stairs. Then he paused, looking up at Chuck. "You okay, son?"

It had been a long time since anyone had called Chuck 'son'—since his father had been alive, in fact. From someone else, it might have sounded condescending … but coming from Milton, it just sounded kind and concerned. Still, Chuck didn't want to bother the guy with his troubles. He shrugged. "Yeah … I'm fine."

The older man's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you are. Your current state of mind wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain blond scientist, would it?"

Feeling more awkward than ever, Chuck shrugged again. He might be upset with Sarah, but that didn't mean he wanted to spread her personal business all over her place of employment.

"You don't have to say anything." Milton clapped him on the shoulder. "In fact, I respect you even more that you didn't. I don't want to violate her privacy either … so let me just say this. She likes you, Chuck. A whole lot. I haven't seen her lit up like this since she's come to work here … and based on the conversations she and I have had, I don't think she's had much reason to feel like that before you came along. I adore that girl—but she can be a little too circumspect for her own good sometimes. Whatever's put that miserable look on your face … I'd be willing to wager she didn't mean it. Don't go jumping to conclusions, son … that's all I'm saying to you. Sometimes a missed opportunity can be cleverly disguised as a misunderstanding. Just talk to her."

Chuck did his best to keep a poker face, but he was pretty sure he was failing. Sarah had talked about him … to Milton? That had to mean something, didn't it? But then … why …

"Go on." The security guard gave him an empathic smile, his gaze softening. "It'll all work out … and in the meantime, you've got…" He checked his watch. "…twenty-three more minutes to see the dolphins."

Feeling more confused than ever, Chuck wandered away from Milton and toward the stairs. Without Sarah, there was no way he could get inside the dolphins' exhibit and onto the dive platform, so he settled for walking up the stairs to the second floor. There were still a lot of people in front of the viewing window, but he was tall enough to see above their heads. The tank's divider had been removed, and Finn was swimming alongside Echo and Eden. Chuck was pleased to see that they all seemed to be getting along just fine. He knew Sarah had been worried that the male dolphin might be aggressive toward Eden—that this sometimes happened in the wild—and if that had happened, the calf could've been badly injured.

A few of the people drifted away from the viewing window, and Chuck made his way up to the front, standing next to a family with a toddler and a little boy. As he gazed into the water, Echo, Finn, and Eden swam his way. Echo paused a foot from the glass, Eden at her side, and Chuck could swear that she was staring at him … that she recognized him, even.

He pressed his hand against the glass, curious to see if she'd come any closer—but to his surprise, it was Eden who swam up to him, touching her flipper to the glass. He took a few steps to his right; she followed. Amused, he moved to the left; she did the same. He crouched down low; she swam toward the bottom of the tank.

"Look, Mommy!" It was the little boy who'd been standing next to him. "Look what the baby dolphin's doing with that man!"

Chuck glanced around. Sure enough, the small crowd that had been peering into the tank was now staring at him … and Eden. Feeling self-conscious, he looked back at the tank. Eden was still there, even closer to the glass than before. She tilted her head, as if curious to know why he'd stopped playing.

Chuck had no idea why or how this was happening, but it felt magical … and after the awful incident with Sarah and Bryce, he wasn't going to question it. Inspired, he did a nerd-rendition of the Twist; sure enough, Eden twirled in the water. He covered his eyes; she swam behind Echo, then peeked out again. Chuck went for broke and did his best version of the chicken dance. Amazingly, the dolphin did her best to match his movements, flapping her fins and scrunching her little body as Echo looked on. If he hadn't known better, he would've said the mama dolphin looked … amused.

Behind Chuck, people were laughing—one man wondered aloud if he was a plant, part of a show. Maybe he should've been embarrassed—but the truth was, he didn't care. He'd walked in here in a terrible mood—and spending time with this innocent, perfect baby dolphin was cheering him up more than he'd thought possible. He didn't want to anthropomorphize Eden, but it sure seemed to him like she was doing it on purpose.

He came to a halt, standing still … just looking at her. Eden stopped swimming and hovered in the water, looking right back. Their eyes locked and Chuck froze, unwilling or unable to move. An indescribable warmth suffused his body, and memories from the past few days flashed through his mind like a movie, Sarah's beautiful face starring in all of them: Their first chance encounter on the beach. Her surprised look when he walked into her lab. The fear in her eyes when he'd fallen into the tank and her relief when he was finally safe again. The joy that spread across her face at hearing Finn say her name. Her appreciation when she hugged Chuck afterwards. Her shy expression when she'd asked him over for dinner. The kindness in her eyes when he told her about losing his parents. The passion she'd poured into their first real kiss. And finally … as if he was experiencing it from her perspective instead of his own … the sadness that strangled her as he walked out of her lab, devastation stamped on his features.

This was nuts—he was losing his mind. He blinked, breaking the connection, and the world rushed back around him: the gleam of the overhead fluorescents, the buzz of the crowd. Eden was still there, staring at him—but as he shook his head to clear it, she gave what Chuck could only describe as a curt nod and swam off, Echo tight in her wake.

It was insane, but he couldn't help but feel the little dolphin had known he was upset and was trying to tell him everything would be okay—reminding him of what was really important.

He had to go back to the lab—to find Sarah. He would talk to her, tell her how much she'd come to mean to him in such a short time. If she really wanted to be with Bryce, that was her choice—but he didn't intend to go down without a fight.

"Wow." The word came from behind him, a husky, stunned whisper. Startled, he turned.

Somehow—as if his 'conversation' with Eden had summoned her—Sarah was standing there. She was smiling, as if she'd witnessed the whole thing and was as moved by the experience as Chuck had been. But as he looked closer, he saw it. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes puffy…

She'd been crying.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for the incredible response to this story and for your appreciation of the research we've put into it. Some of you have even gone so far as to look up the science behind the story—it means a lot to us that you've become so invested! We know fan fiction dot net has been a bit wacky as of late … thanks for going the extra mile to find and follow HEART OF EDEN.

As always, please keep your reviews, follows, and favorites coming our way! They really do make this all worthwhile.