A/N: Summer vacation is now upon our favorite teens. Let's see what new adventures await Chuck and Sarah. On with the show.

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck

Chapter 13

"Chuuuck," she whined. "You can't stay in your jeans and T-shirt all day. It's like 93 degrees ….and we're at the beach," Sarah chided him with her hands on her hips and a wry smile on her face. Chuck sat on their blanket, a beach umbrella stuck in the sand behind them to offer some shade from the hot California Sun. Summer break was upon them and Sarah had been begging to go to the beach. Normally, Chuck wasn't a huge fan of the beach, but this time of year it was much worse with all the crowds. There would be people from school there not to mention the perfect human specimens that seemed to find the beach their natural habitat. Not only was he extremely self-conscious of his lanky frame but now Sarah was with him. He had no great desire for her to see him in truly 'stark' contrast to the Adonises roaming the beach. She on the other hand would likely shine among the Aphrodites. How she was with him was still a mystery to him...and well, pretty much everyone else that saw them together. Sarah Walker was so far out of his league it seemed like they weren't even playing the same game.

Sarah was wearing a cover-up over her suit, and he was trying desperately not to think too long about what was underneath. They had been dating for almost two months and while they were no strangers to kissing and snuggling on the couch, they had yet to round 'first base'. At least he hadn't anyway. Sarah was a little more comfortable with her hands roaming over his chest in their more affectionate moments. Chuck, however, was far too apprehensive, too chivalrous to push things further. He tried to tell himself that, but the truth of the matter was he was petrified. She was Sarah 'Freaking' Walker. He would never be so forward as to inquire her 'level of experience', but he knew she was light-years ahead of him. Until Sarah, he'd hardly even talked to a girl, let alone touched one. Of course, being a healthy teenage boy, his mind would frequently venture down that avenue. In reality, his fear of inadequacy in normal social settings, being what it was, was infinitely more crippling when he considered the prospect of a truly physical relationship with Sarah.

Now here they were, in a very public place, with lots of…'public' about. He had been extremely hesitant to shed his pants to reveal his swim trunks beneath. If Sarah were to 'disrobe' to reveal a provocative bikini, he feared he'd need all the covering up he could get. Maybe the water would be cold and help alleviate that affliction. Oh dear God. What if the water was cold? That could bring on a total different affliction, which would do nothing for his concerns of inadequacy. Shoot me!

Sarah was hoping that if she took the lead he would follow. She shed her cover-up and laid it neatly on their blanket. When she looked back to Chuck, she thought that perhaps she'd broken him. He sat on the blanket, speechless, as his gaze slowly scanned up her body. She was wearing a modest one-piece that showed far less skin than he'd expected. Somehow he found that was more alluring. He let out a breathy 'Wooow' as he reached her eyes. Realizing that she had been watching him, watching her, his face immediately turned five shades of red.

"God, Sarah. I'm sorry. That was so disrespectful to objectify you like that. I try to be-" Chuck was cut short as Sarah placed a finger over his lips, kneeling down in front of him.

"Chuck, you're not some pervert off the street. You're my boyfriend. If you didn't look at me like that I'd be offended." She gave him a wry smile. "Besides, I know you have the utmost respect for me. You prove it everyday. Now, come swim with me." She leaned in giving him a sweet kiss then stood looking down at him, her hands on her hips. The 'I'm waiting' look spurred Chuck to do as instructed, taking off his Chucks, socks and pants. He stood to his full height and gave her a self-deprecating smile before taking off his shirt. He awkwardly tried to find a place to put his hands, finally settling on placing them at his sides.

When Chuck removed his shirt, it was now Sarah's turn to become speechless. Her gaze washed over him, her mouth slightly agape. His baggy clothing had been concealing his very well toned, lithe form. She admired his hint of a washboard stomach and defined arms and chest. "Should I … should I put it back on?" He inquired shly. "I should p-put it back on…" Chuck started to reach down for his shirt.

"NO!" Sarah blurted out, placing a hand on his now bare chest. Seeming to catch herself, she relaxed slightly. "Um, n-no. I think you...you look great like this."A hint of a blush crept up her cheeks and a grin spread across her face. She let her hand slide down his chest, across his tight stomach and then finding his hand. She looked up at him, their smiles mirroring one another. Wordlessly they started walking down the beach, hand in hand.

"I assume you're getting ready to start applying to colleges. Who's on your list so far?" Sarah asked, glancing over at him as they walked.

"Well, let's see. There's Caltech, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Stanford so far. I really, really want to get into Stanford. Their engineering programs there are some of the top in the country. It's a long shot though." Chuck shrugged with a rather sad look on his face.

"Why do you say that? You're super smart. They'd be lucky to have you," she rebuked.

"Stanford costs like seventy thousand dollars or more a year. Caltech, even USC are about the same. If I can't get a lot and I mean a LOT of scholarship money, there's just no way. UCLA and UC Berkeley are about half as much, and that would still be way out of my reach without a lot of help." Chuck sighed in resignation and tried to shake it off. "Enough about me. What about you? Where are you looking to apply?" Chuck looked over to her as they walked, trying to give her his full attention.

"Harvard for sure. I've always wanted to go to Harvard since I can remember. Maybe it's just the prestige of the place. I dunno. Anyway, let's see...Columbia... Princeton. Oh, Stanford too, since they have a good Anthropology program and aren't too far from home. I know what you mean about the tuition though. It's crazy expensive. I'm gonna need a ton of scholarship money too. That's why I've been doing all these extracurricular activities, so I can pad my applications."

Sarah's attention was drawn to Chuck as he seemed to be eyeing a group of four girls that were walking toward them. The girls were all very attractive, wearing slinky bikinis and were giggling and whispering among themselves while glancing at Chuck. These girls eyeing her Chuck was enough to get her blood boiling. Seeing Chuck blatantly ogling over those girls didn't just make her angry, it wounded her. That her Chuck would be just as shallow as every other guy broke her heart. The girls finally passed and Sarah let go of Chuck's hand, not feeling much like touching him right now.

"Wow. That's incredible," Chuck exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Excuuuuse me?" Sarah questioned with shock and anger. Chuck didn't seem to notice as he continued on.

"Those girls back there." Chuck motioned over his shoulder with his thumb. "You're so amazing, even the girls are checking you out. I mean, I've seen all the guys stumbling over themselves the whole time we've been walking, but that group of girls were giggling and looking at you. I guess I can't blame them. I think you're pretty amazing too," Chuck confessed, now watching the sand as they were walking. Sarah just stopped walking, trying to comprehend what he'd just said. Chuck looked over to see Sarah no longer with him, so stopped and spun around.

"What's the matter?" Chuck looked to Sarah quizzically. "You OK?" He began walking back to meet her but as he drew near she put her hand up to stop him.

"Whoa. Let me get this straight. Those four girls in the tiny bikinis back there," she gestured over her left shoulder. "... you weren't checking them out?" Sarah accused.

"What?! NO! First off, I didn't notice what they were wearing and second, I wasn't checking them out. I was just noticing that they were whispering and giggling as they were looking at you. Since they were looking at you, of course I noticed. I also noticed the forty-seven bronze gods we passed that were gawking at you as well. For the record, I wasn't checking them out either," Chuck added.

Sarah just looked at him in complete amazement. She should learn by now never to question Chuck's motives. She shook her head and closed the remaining distance between them. Placing a hand on each cheek she looked up at him, "Oh, Chuck. You're somethin' else," she proclaimed, patting his cheeks and reaching up on her tip-toes and giving him a quick kiss.

"So I've been told. Though admittedly, it was never used with a positive connotation," Chuck gave a self-deprecating smile and a small shrug.

Sarah stared into his chocolaty eyes,which took on an amber hue from the sunlight reflecting off the sand. "You're such a goof. You have no idea do you?" Sarah just gave him a knowing smile. Chuck furrowed his brow in confusion. "They weren't looking at me, Chuck. They were looking at you."

"Oh… so they were laughing, not giggling... See. I told you I should've put my shirt back on. Now everyone's gonna be pointing and laughing. That's why I don't normally like to come to the beach." Chuck's expression turned solemn directing his gaze to the sand. Sarah let out a loud exasperated sigh.

"Chuck. You big nerd. You still don't get it." She took him by the chin to bring his gaze back to her. "I assure you they weren't laughing... They were checking you out!" she exclaimed, poking him in the chest with her finger.

"What?! Nooooo. There's...that's just .. but...but...why?" Chuck was so befuddled. He couldn't fathom, given all of the beautiful people walking around, why anyone would look at him that way. That's like passing up on steak to go for the hot dog.

"That's easy. You're smart, funny, charming, kind and considerate…" Sarah started counting off on her fingers. Chuck held up a hand to stop her.

"I'm glad you think those things, but they can't see any of that looking at...this." Chuck motioned at himself, once again with a self-deprecating lilt to his voice.

"Oh, well let's see. You're like six-foot-four, dark haired, olive skinned, incredibly handsome and … um…" Sarah's gaze traveled up and down his slim, athletic build, "very... fit." Sarah accentuated the 'T' as she brought her gaze back up to meet his. She could see the look of astonishment growing across his face and it made her blush a little.

"Did you...did you just… Sarah Walker! Did you just…'objectify' me?" Chuck had a look of mock mortication.

"What? Nooo! I was...it was just…" Sarah's face grew redder as she stammered out, trying and failing horribly to cover her actions.

"You were! You were ogling me! Oh. My. God!" Chuck's expression was now morphing into a smirk. After a moment's pause, his arms shot into the air as he exclaimed in triumph "YES!" Sarah huffed and rolled her eyes before she resigned herself to chuckle at his antics.

"Will you stop?" She giggled as she tried to pull his arms down. Finally he relented and as she held his hands in hers, he leaned down and kissed her softly. The way their lips stuck together briefly as they pulled apart made it seem all the more intimate. They were momentarily lost in each others eyes when their quiet moment was broken.

"Ewwww. What's that taste like?" came a familiar female voice from the sea of sunbathers further up the beach. Chuck and Sarah scanned the area and finally noticed the waving arm of Carina Miller. As the two approached her, they could see that she was laying with Jennifer and Kaitlyn. "Oooo. Come to mama! Where the hell you been hidin' this hotty, Blondie?" Catcalls and whistles from the three young ladies caused Chuck's ears and cheeks to redden.

"I know, right?" Sarah smirked and looked Chuck up and down. "I was trying to explain to him how a group of girls were checking him out and he wouldn't believe me."

"Who? M'I gonna have to beat some bitches ass?" Carina barked, attempting to get up from her blanket.

"Will you sit down? I got it under control. Besides, you have at least another twenty minutes on that side before you reach 'extra crispy'. You don't want to tan unevenly." Sarah chimed in causing Carina to snort.

"Good point. But you call me if you wanna go rough some skanks up," Carina replied, tipping her sunglasses down to look over the top of them. Jennifer and Kaitlyn parrotted their willingness to rough up some skanks.

"I appreciate it, but I don't think that'll be necessary." Sarah just took Chuck's hand and leaned her head against his shoulder and looked up through her lashes at him. "I don't think I have anything to worry about." Chuck beamed his brilliant smile, the one he saved just for her.

"Oh...God. You two are insufferable. I hate you both. Go peddle your sickeningly, sweet crap somewhere else." Carina smirked as she pushed her sunglasses back up the bridge of her nose and laid back on her blanket.

"Hey you guys. Before you go, pool party at my house tomorrow night. You in? My parents are out of town. Sarah, you can crash at my place in case...you know…" Jennifer trailed off with a wry smile.

Sarah's eyes widened slightly and then looked toward Chuck out of the corner of her eye. She seemed hesitant to answer. Chuck picked up on it and assumed that she might feel bad about leaving him out. Chuck craned his head down to look at her and squeezed her hand.

"It sounds like fun. You should go and have a good time with your friends." Chuck looked over to her friends and then back to Sarah. It seemed that all four of the girls were looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "What? What did I say this time?" he asked with a slightly dejected look.

"Chuck, when I said 'you guys' I meant 'you guys'," Jennifer pointed betweening Chuck and Sarah, her voice a little more suggestive.

""But..y-your parents won't be there." Chuck voiced his concern as he looked between all the girls.

"Yes, Chuck. That's kinda the whole point," Jennifer chuckled, Kaitlyn and Carina following suit. Sarah looked a little uncomfortable but forced a smile . Chuck could feel the sweat in Sarah's palm and her grip increase in strength slightly.

'Well. We're gonna finish our walk and get back to our stuff. We'll talk about it and text you," Chuck replied waving his goodbye and slowly pulling Sarah with him. She waved her goodbye as well, but she seemed a bit distant. They walked in silence to their blanket and they laid down under the beach umbrella and got comfortable. Chuck opened their small cooler and pulled out two bottles of water, giving one to Sarah.

"You wanna talk about it?" Chuck inquired.

"Talk about what?" Sarah tried to act nonchalant but Chuck just gave her a flat, unrelenting stare. After a very uncomfortable thirty seconds she relented. "OK! Fine. Stop that." She sighed and tried to collect her thoughts. "It probably sounds stupid. It's just … well...what they're implying. You know.."

Chuck continued to stare, waiting for her to complete her thoughts. When it didn't come he figured he'd try to move the conversation along. "Swimming? Eating?" Sarah just rolled her eyes and made a sighing, gurgling sound of exasperation.

"OK, obviously there will be those things. The unspoken implications are more… adult in nature. Likely drinking and…well..." Sarah trailed off, a mild wince on her face.

"Oh...OH!" Chuck exclaimed, finally making the connection. "You mean...the uh…'the sex'?" Chuck said the last word at just above a whisper for fear of those nearby hearing. That warranted a snort from Sarah.

"'The sex'? Really?" Sarah gave him a wry smile and shook her head. "We've never really talked about…'the sex'. OK. I'm sorry. I can't call it that. It's just 'sex' alright?" Chuck looked a little sheepish but nodded his understanding. "Good. You and I have never really talked about ... sex. I mean, in most relationships, that's the … natural course of things. After a certain amount of time...people come to ...expect that natural course-"

"Whoa. Hold on. Can you stop right there for a second?" Chuck interrupted. He could see her swallow hard and look up from her fidgeting with the blanket they were laying on. "Sarah, I want to go on the record and make something perfectly clear. I don't expect anything from you. OK...that's not entirely true. I expect you to be honest with me and I expect you to trust me, as long as I can show you that I am worthy of that trust. That is all I expect from you. I will never, ever demand anything from you. Whatever is shared between us, it must be freely given of the other. And only when we're BOTH ready. OK? I will never pressure you for anything and I hope you would offer that same courtesy to me." He now found himself fidgeting with the same blanket as he continued.

"I won't lie to you and say I never think about it. Difficult as it may be to believe sometimes, I am a guy. I think about it … about you...a ...a lot. The prospect is both utterly amazing and yet extremely terrifying all at the same time. It's a really big step, not just between two people, but in life really. It's not something you can just … walk back. I hear that it can really galvanize two people, bring them closer together. It can also rip them apart. I really like being with you. You make me happier than I have ever been. I won't do anything to risk 'us'. I hope you understand." Chuck lifted his gaze to look at her and he could see her eyes tearing up and a tight smile. Without a word she leaned in and kissed him for what seemed like an eternity. When they pulled apart and caught their breath she looked down at the blanket, tracing the pattern with her finder.

"So. You uh ...you think about me a lot, huh?" Sarah asked with a smirk growing across her face. She looked at him through her lashes and could see he was still recovering from the kiss. He sighed in resignation, a smile growing across his face.

"Oh...only when I'm breathing," he retorted with a smirk of his own. That elicited a snort from Sarah that quickly turned into a giggle. She rolled over and laid her head on Chuck, using his thigh as a pillow. She stared up into his eyes and let out a long, contented sigh.

"Do you have any idea how happy you make me? And you do it so effortlessly. Just … you. You being you. This." She motioned around them. "Just sitting here, being with you, I feel so content. So at peace. Relaxed. I haven't really felt like that in… well a really long time. I wish I knew what I did to deserve you. That way I could keep doing it." She smiled up at Chuck, returning his huge smile that spread from ear to ear.

"You're doin' it. Just being you. That's all I'll ever need. Just you." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "So what do you think? You wanna go to Jennifer's party?" Sarah pursed her lips and squinted, looking around like she was thinking." I think Ella Eyre put it best," Chuck interjected. Sarah gave him a raised eyebrow, unsure what he was talking about. Chuck just showed his wry smile and quietly started singing.

So come on baby, won't you show some class

Why do you have to move so fast?

We don't have to take our clothes off

To have a good time

Oh no

We could dance and party all night

"Ow! What? I'm just sayin'." Sarah was rolling on the blanket laughing after the playful slap on his leg. After both of their laughter died down she let out a calming sigh.

"Yes. We can go. You're not staying the night, though. My mom trusts me. Well, to be honest, she probably trusts you more than she trusts me. But still, I'm sure she'd freak just on principal. Ellie probably wouldn't be too happy either." Sarah reached up and ran her fingers through Chuck's hair.

"Um, I'm pretty sure Ellie would be OK with it. Did I tell you that she …" he trailed off wincing at the realization we was divulging something he shouldn't.

"What? Tell me. Chuuuuck. Tell...meee," she began to pull on his hair just enough to get his attention.

"OK. OK. Ow! Ow. When I left the apartment on prom night, to go pick you up, Ellie snuck some things into my jacket pocket," Chuck confessed rubbing his head where she had been pulling.

"What sort of things?" Sarah raised a questioning eyebrow.

"The uh…. 'rubber' sort of things." Chuck had a sheepish look on his reddening face as he made a circle with his thumb and index finger. Sarah gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh my God are you serious?!" Sarah was mortified. "What the hell did she think was gonna happen?" She asked a bit incredulously.

"Well, I think in part it was to embarrass me but I think she was just looking out for me. She knows what little… OK, that I have NO experience with women. So she knew I wouldn't be prepared for something that would have never seemed a possibility to me before. But mostly I think she was trying to embarrass me." Chuck's cheeks and ears were red with embarrassment and he couldn't meet her gaze. Sarah began to chuckle but was trying to hide it behind her hand. Soon, the chuckle had blossomed into a full out laugh that she just couldn't contain.

"I'm glad you find it humorous," Chuck chided but was trying to hold back a grin.

"I'm-I'm sorry...Oh, wow. I was...I was just imagining the look on your face when you found them." Sarah broke back into her laughter and soon it became infectious and Chuck found himself chuckling about it too. "Ok…OK. I'm done now. Let's um..let's go for a swim or something," Sarah suggested as she climbed to her feet, brushing any sand off her butt and legs. Chuck stood and followed behind. Once they neared the surf, the mischievous grin had taken over and before Sarah could react, Chuck swooped her up into his arms and raced into the water. Sarah let out a short playful scream of surprise and started giggling. Once they were in deep enough water Chuck spun and dove backwards taking them both under but using his body as a cushion. When they came up for air, they were both laughing until Sarah flipped her long, wet hair back over her head and then shock it from side to side. Chuck was frozen with his mouth agape. Sarah caught the look and became concerned. She looked over her shoulder back toward shore but didn't see anything odd.

"Chuck? What's wrong? You ok?" Sarah pushed through the water to get closer to him, taking him by the elbows. He began to blink and shake off his stupor.

"Y-Yeah..I-I'm fine. That um…that was probably the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life." His confession was a bit staccato as it was still playing over in his mind. He reached out and smoothed his hand over and down her hair, his eyes widening and returning to normal during the process. "Wow. I...I don't know what it is about wet hair but ...holy-" Chuck stopped himself and shook it off.

Sarah put her arms around his neck and slowly pulled him down to her. The smirk on her face looked almost predatory. "Chuck Bartowski, I could really get used to you." She pulled him into a sweet, slow kiss that caused all of the noise and people to drift away. Soon there was just Chuck and Sarah and the gentle waves spilling over them. Yes. I could definitely get used to him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hey El. Before you go, I wanted to let you know I'm going to a party tonight at a friend's house." Ellie was collecting her purse, keys and backpack to head out for her day of class and work.

"Okaaay. You know you don't really need my permission?" Ellie stopped and gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah. I-I know but… see, Sarah will be there and her friends and likely their boyfriends and ... " Chuck trailed off searching for the right words.

"Annnnd, no parents. Is that it?" Ellie questioned with a wry smile. Chuck just nodded, not looking at his sister. "Chuck. You're a teenager and teenagers do those sorts of things. I also know what kind of teenager you are. The fact that you're 'trying' to tell me this proves my point. Are you going to do drugs?" She asked pointedly.

"No!"

"Are you gonna get drunk and try to drive somewhere?" She continued.

'No!"

"Are you going to take advantage of Sarah (as if she'd let you)?"

"What? NO! I'd never do that!"

"I know! I know! Calm down. That's the point I'm trying to make. You're a really good, decent caring young man. You have a good head on your shoulders and you're probably wiser for your years than most other kids your age. I always trust you to do the right thing. Lord knows we've seen enough of the wrong things to serve as a good reminder. I say all of that to say this….Go. Have fun. Use your judgement. If you aren't going to be home until morning, just text me and let me know. OK?" Ellie gave him 'the look' and he immediately nodded.

"Yes ma'am." Chuck gave a little smirk knowing how much she hated the term 'ma'am'.

"I take it you still have those condoms I gave you. Make sure you keep those with you," she directed with a stern glare.

"Ellie! I'm not going to need them. Nothing is gonna happen!" Chuck furrowed his brow and glared at his sister.

"Charles Irving Bartowski! Every unintended pregnancy starts out with that same declaration. You need to be responsible. That means being prepared. Just like taking an umbrella. If it doesn't rain, great! But if by some chance it does, you'll be prepared. Lecture over. I know you, OK. I'm not worried. I just can't help looking out for you." Ellie moved in and gave him a strong one-armed hug. "Be good. Tell Sarah I say 'Hi'. Love ya."

"I will. Love ya too." Chuck closed the door behind her and blew out a long breath and shook his head.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hey Mom. I was gonna go to Jennifer's house and stay the night tonight. She's having some people over to go swimming and stuff. Is that alright?" Sarah asked, waiting with anticipation.

"And stuff?" Emma inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Just eating food, playing music, maybe some games. You know…'stuff'," Sarah was trying to play it off as no big deal. She didn't want to outright lie to her mother. She was a smart lady and was not easily fooled. Sarah just hoped there would not be too many specific questions.

"Mhmmm. And I take it there will be boys at this party?" Emma continued the interrogation.

"Yes, Mom. Not for the sleepover part, obviously, but earlier in the afternoon they will be." Sarah was starting to sweat now. She feared the infamous 'parents' question was looming and that would be the deal breaker. Sure, she should probably volunteer that information but she tried to rationalize that a lie of omission was somehow not so bad. Emma gave her daughter a stern look as if considering her next question carefully.

"Hmmm. Is...Chuck going to be there?" Her mother had crossed her arms and was waiting for the response. The closed off look was not a good sign.

"Yes, Mom. Chuck will be there," Sarah replied with a small sigh. It seemed the line of questioning was leading down the 'No' pathway. She could see her mother nodding her head, accepting her answer. Here it comes. The 'hammer'.

"Ok."

Wait. What?

"You can go. Sarah, I trust you to make good choices. You're almost eighteen so pretty soon you're going to be making lots of choices on your own. You're much smarter and wiser than I was at your age, that's for sure. You've done the math. You know how old I was when you were born. I so desperately want to protect you from the same mistakes I made, but I don't want to punish you for my mistakes either." Emma wrapped her daughter in a hug and let out a big sigh.

"Baby, I have loved you from the first moment I knew I was pregnant with you. I have never regretted a minute of being your mother. If I could have done it differently and still had you, sure I would have rather waited. Sure there were a lot of hard times and I know you remember some of them. I would do it all again if it meant I got to have you and Molly. I just want so much more for you." Emma sniffled a little over her daughter's shoulder and pulled back holding her shoulders.

"So. Tell me all about how things are going with you and Chuck? Are things pretty...serious?" Emma gave a wry smile as she danced an eyebrow.

"Things are good. No. Great, actually. I mean… he is the sweetest, most respectful guy I've ever met. He doesn't have a conceited bone in his body. When we were at the beach yesterday, he 'actually' thought a group of girls were checking me out. He just couldn't believe that they would be looking at him. He's almost too good to be true…" Sarah trailed off, getting lost in thought.

"Is he? Too good to be true I mean." Emma interjected.

Sarah thought for a moment. "I don't think so. He's had a very ...hard upbringing. Since Ellie more or less raised him, I think she instilled a deep respect for women. Well, for everyone really. He just has such an enormous capacity for love, in spite of all the crap that life has thrown at him. I see it more and more since I've known him. I just don't know where it all comes from."

"Capacity for love, huh?" Emma questioned raising an eyebrow. Sarah just huffed and shook her head.

"You know what I mean," Sarah blushed.

"I do. I do. Now...do you suppose this … 'capacity for love' you keep seeing more and more of, just might somehow be related to the company he keeps?" Emma began smiling mischievously at her daughter, just waiting for her response.

"What do you mean?" Sarah looked at her mother with confusion and a furrowed brow.

"What I mean is that maybe the reason you keep seeing more and more of it, is because he keeps seeing more and more of you, my dear." Emma looked at her daughter very pointedly. "I see the way he looks at you. Believe me, I've seen the lustful gaze of many a teenage boy as you've grown into a beautiful young woman. That is not the look that I see from Chuck. He genuinely adores you. I think that magical prom night was a pretty good example. He would move Heaven and Earth for you. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that boy loves you. He's probably too afraid to say it or maybe he just can't put a label on it yet. But I can see it. That's another reason I'm letting you go tonight. Not only do I trust you, but I trust him with you. I know he would never do anything to hurt you and I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you two found each other."

"Mom…" Sarah tried to interrupt, her ears and cheeks taking on a crimson hue.

"I know... I'm not saying this is some fairytale romance that will last forever. I'm not suggesting that you run off together or start picking out china patterns. I'm only calling it as I see it. I know you care for him too. All I want, what any mother wants, is for you to be happy and I can see that he makes you happy. Just … don't rush things. Life isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. Trust your judgement and don't compare yourself to others. OK?" Emma smoothed down Sarah's hair and brushed some hair out of her face.

"OK. I get it. Can I go now, or are you gonna try to embarrass me some more?" Sarah was smirking at her mother. Emma bopped her on the nose and let out a single note chuckle.

"Will you get outta here already. Otherwise I'll send Molly with. I'm sure she wouldn't annoy you all night or anything," Emma cackled.

"You're an evil woman, Emma Walker." Sarah started up the stairs to her room and called back over her shoulder. "Just remember, I get to pick out your home when you're old."

Emma just chuckled and fired back with her own retort."Yeah. It'll be your home."

A/N2: And there we have it folks. I know it's been a while but I hope you enjoy. Please send reviews or PMs. I look forward to reading them.