Hey! Here's Chapter 7! Hope you enjoy! Thanks again for the reviews! Not sure when I'll get the next chapter posted. I have tons of finals coming up and my sister's wedding to attend. Hope you enjoy!

Sarah vs Touch

August 2, 2020

Amelia and Chuck get up and get ready for the day long before Sarah even gets up. They leave by 7:30 to get Amelia to practice at 8. Sarah stays in bed even though she is woken up by Chuck, Amelia, and the dogs running up and down the stairs. She doesn't want to disturb them, so she stays in bed until they leave. She ends up falling back asleep for a few hours. Sarah eventually gets up and ready for the day. As she goes down the staircase, she wonders if Chuck is home yet. When she reaches the bottom step, she is thankful the dogs just look at her from their spots on their beds as she continues to the kitchen. She finds a note from Chuck on the counter:

Sarah,

I'll be back in a few hours. After I drop her off, I need to run to get groceries and do a few errands.

Chuck

The house mostly looks the same as when she was here a little over a year ago. Pictures have been updated and she can't find a picture of herself anywhere. On the counter, are cards. Sarah pick them up know she shouldn't and quietly reads them. They are all for her daughter. The first card is from the Buy More people who haven't changed all that much in the time since Sarah originally came to Burbank. There is separate from Jeff and Lester that plays Africa by Toto when she opens it. It reminds her of one of the times they played in the Buy More and when Chuck first called her a friend. It feels like a lifetime ago. She hopes that her and Chuck can at least go back to being friends.

Sarah passes through some cards from people she doesn't know and from people like Chuck's mom. A few cards in there is one signed Love Aunt C and Aunt Z. Sarah smiles. Her little girl has made an impression on her friends from the C.A.T. squad. She never received one from them in all the years she had been friends with them.

Sarah continues through the cards. There are a few homemade ones. One is well made and from Molly and her mom. She is happy that her mother got a second chance at raising a kid and that she is better than Sarah could have ever been. The last card is one with a Monkey in a tutu and tiara on it. When she opens it, a piece of paper folded up from a legal pad falls out onto the floor. She reads the card before picking up the paper and is surprised to see a simple message:

Happy Birthday Monkey! Thought this card was perfect for you!

Love, Gramps

Sarah knows that it has to be from her dad. She wants to cry. Her dad who she hasn't seen since before the wedding sent a card to his granddaughter. She can't even remember her own daughter's birthday. Sarah knows that he was in contact with them since the first time she visited her growing daughter a few years ago, but it is still a shock to see that he has been a greater part of Amelia's life then Sarah herself has. She bends down and picks up the piece of paper unfolding it so she can read it.

The Snooke and the Monkey,

Hope all is well. I hope my daughter has found her way back to you both. I made a bet that you loved her years ago and I know that you still do. I wish I could help her see that she loved you and probably still does. I feel it is partly my fault as I raised her constantly running away from everything.

Have fun on your guy's next great adventure,

Gramps

As Sarah read the end, Chuck enters the house holding groceries and a pizza. He smiles at her with his dorky grin that hasn't changed since the day she met him.

"Vegetarian no olives. Just the way you have always liked it." Chuck grins wrinkling his nose at her as he puts the groceries on the table and Sarah stuffs the note back in the card and puts it back at the bottom of the stack hoping Chuck hasn't noticed her going through them.

Sarah moves around the kitchen into the dining room while Chuck does the opposite. Sarah sits down at the table while he continues to go out to the car and grab groceries.

"I am sorry about Amelia last night," Chuck apologies as he starts actually putting the groceries away.

Sarah shakes her head. Chuck shouldn't be apologizing for something he couldn't control.

"It's my fault. I get why she is angry. I was angry with my parents for a long time. Hell, I am angry with myself right now for not being here for her. For just dropping her off all those years ago. For visiting, but never staying," Sarah informs Chuck. He looks up at her with an expression she can't read.

"She'll forgive you as long as you stay. You forgave your parents and I forgave mine. I don't know if you remember that my mom left me when I was 8 and my dad left me when I was 13, but I still forgave them. It might take a while because she doesn't really know you and her only memories of you are of you breaking promises, but I think someday she'll forgive as long as you stay," Chuck says tells her. He is being completely truthful. He thinks it might take a while just like it will take him, but Amelia will forgive Sarah.

"Thanks, I really needed to hear that," Sarah says. She wants to ask will you. But doesn't

"I say the right things sometimes," Chuck says quietly as he finished putting the groceries away which makes Sarah laugh.

When he is done, he sits across from her. She doesn't open the pizza and just sits there waiting for Chuck to finish.

"You could have started without me," he states as he opens the pizza box and hands her a paper plate that is still on the table from the night before and a piece of pizza.

Sarah doesn't say anything but takes the plate. Her mind is still thinking about the cards and how she didn't even remember her daughter's birthday. How her daughter has so many people that care for her other than her. How she pretty much gave up her daughter and never looked back. She might have visited a handful of times, but never stayed. And how the people she loves the most have been hurt by her.

"You good?" Chuck asks as he reaches across the table and puts his hand on hers pulling her out of her mind.

Sarah jumps when Chuck touches her pulling her hand almost away immediately. He wishes he could see into her mind and figure out what she is thinking.

"I am fine. Just thinking," She says curling up into herself her attention on the plate in front of her and not anything else.

"Don't pull away, Sarah," Chuck says his voice quivering, "You're here which is something I never thought I would see again. Please don't pull away."

Sarah looks up at him and gently takes his hand that is still where she left in when she pulled away.

"I won't….I…" Sarah stumbles over her words, "I won't leave you this time. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Chuck warns her. Even though, he wants her here he is still angry she can hear it in his voice. She is pulled back to over a year ago when she made a series of promises she couldn't keep to her at the time 6 year old daughter that resulted in a fight between her and Chuck where she said somethings that resulted in him telling her to never come back.

"This time," She chokes up, "This time I won't. I won't, Chuck. I won't run. I love you. I love her."

The last six words come out completely by accident, but Sarah means them. Over the past year after she remembered everything, she stayed away not because she didn't love them, but because she loved them too much and didn't want to hurt them again. She has loved both Chuck and Amelia for a long time just never admitted it until her memories came back. She had fallen in love with Chuck again at the beach and she loved Amelia the second she was born, but just buried the feelings she didn't know how to deal with.

Chuck watches her closely. He hasn't heard those words in eight and a half years from Sarah. She has sat there and looked at him every time he has said it not saying anything. It surprises him and lets him know something has changed in her in the past year. He doesn't even know what has.

"Sarah, I still care for you…, "Chuck tells her, "But I think last time proved neither of us love each other like we once did. I don't know if we'll ever be able to. Hell, you don't even know what you felt the first time. Before I can even love you again fully, I need to trust you won't just back away."

Sarah could feel the but coming a mile away. Chuck's barely holding it together and she can see he wants to say more but doesn't. She is sad that he doesn't trust her word yet, but she understands because if she were in his position, she doubts she would even let him into the house. She knows in the past he has heard her say she won't leave only for her to leave again and again. He has told her he will always be there even when she wasn't and her to yell, she never loved him and wished she had never had their daughter.

"I am not leaving this time and will do whatever it takes to get your full, trust back. I am here for the long run this time. I want this, " Sarah says. She isn't leaving this time no matter what.

"What's changed?" he questions as he studies her. He can feel she means it for once but has no idea why her mind has changed. Last time, he saw her she said she regretted having their daughter. Now she is saying she wants the life that she has ignored.

"I…" Sarah starts. She has no idea where she is going with it. She has no idea where to start, "I remember" is all she manages to get out. That is the reason she thinks she can do this, but in all honesty, she has wished she could've had this life since Amelia was born. Sarah just convinced herself she wasn't the Sarah that could do this.

Chuck's mind races. He has wanted her to remember since the second she started to lose memories. It has finally happened after he finally started to think it was never going to happen. He is so angry at her for leaving him to deal with Amelia

"How long?" Chuck asks. He needs to know.
"Not that long after I left here," Sarah whispers.

"And yet, you still didn't come back." Chuck says getting up and throwing his plate away. He is angry and doesn't want to fight with her. Not now when he just got her back. He just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why she has now come back after over a year of no contact, "Why now? Why come back now?"

"I missed you," Sarah says getting up and following Chuck to the kitchen. She wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him.

"I'm not sure if that's enough anymore," he tells her pulling away. He loves her, but he is so angry with her. She had been so selfish wanting to stay in the spy life and leaving them repeatedly.

Sarah has tears in her eyes. She has really screwed up. She opens her mouth to say something, but words don't come out.

Chuck turns around and looks at her. He can see what he just did has hurt her even if it was small. He shakes his head and cuts her off before she can say anything. "I know your sorry. I love you and I always will. I just don't think we can ever go back."

He turns around and leaves her standing in the kitchen that should feel like home but doesn't. She wishes so bad he would hug and hold her. Chuck wishes he could just get over the bad feelings toward her and embrace the love and good feelings. Neither have any idea how to fix the mess that is there love life.

August 25, 2020

The next three weeks, Sarah avoids the rest of the family. Chuck doesn't push her to see them for which she is thankful for. Chuck doesn't push her to talk either. He walks on eggshells around her. Sarah is pretty sure both him and Amelia think she is going to leave. Amelia mostly ignores her presence. Even when they sit down at dinner, Amelia stays mostly quiet. Sarah tries her best to show them both that she is here to stay. Mostly Chuck and Amelia go about their usual routines leaving Sarah at home and she mostly sits and watches some of the movie collection that they own.

One day when Chuck and Amelia go to Amelia's scrimmage game, she hears someone knock on the door. She doesn't know if she should answer it or not, but when the knocking intensifies, she knows she better. When she answers it, it is her mother-in-law. Sarah stares at her not knowing what to say.

"Are you going to let me in?" Mary asks. She doesn't look surprised at all.

"Chuck and Amelia aren't home. They went to her scrimmage game," Sarah states not wanting to deal with Mary. Her and Ellie are the last people Sarah wants to interact due to their protectiveness and loyalty to Chuck.

"I know. I came to talk to you," Mary tells Sarah pushing her way into the house.

"How did you know I was here?" Sarah asks she knows Chuck hasn't told anyone that she is back. She asked him not to and he said he wouldn't.

"I am a spy, Sarah, just like you. I know how to read people," she tells her moving into the dining room and sitting at the table, "My son acts different whenever you come around and Amelia is angry at the world, lately, so I made an educated guess and it was correct. By my best guess you have been here since not long after Millie's birthday."

Sarah just nods.

"Sarah, I know you don't want me here," Mary says when it becomes obvious that Sarah isn't going to talk, "I am not here to give you lecture. I came to try and to convince you to go to the scrimmage."

"I don't think she wants me there," Sarah says shaking her head. She knows she doesn't. Her daughter doesn't even want her here in general.

"Oh, I know she doesn't want you there, but if you don't try, it will never get better. Distance might make the spy life easier, but it makes family life harder. I know from experience," Mary tells Sarah looking directly at her. Mary can see that her daughter-in-law wants to be here, wants to change, but Mary herself knows how hard that can be.

"I don't know if I am ready to face, everyone yet. I know they all are going to be there. Everyone. I hurt them all," she says put her head down and looking at her hands. Sarah is disappointed in herself. She knows that she hurt everyone that could be considered family.

"Oh, you defiantly have, but there is no changing that now," Mary says getting up from the table, "You can only move forward from now. I am leaving now, if you would like to go."

Sarah freezes. Her thoughts consume her. She knows eventually she must see everyone. She knows needs to try and fix things with her daughter. To try to make up for everything she has done. To try and get Chuck to love her again. To prove that she is here to stay. Maybe, Mary is right. She decides to go and follows Mary out of the house locking the door behind her.

On the drive over, to the field nothing is said. Mary looks pleased with herself. When they get there, Sarah wishes she could just stay in the car when she can see everyone from the bleachers. Her mom, Chuck, Ellie, Devon, and the young Joshua Woodcomb is sitting all together happy. She doesn't want to ruin their happiness just like she didn't want to ruin her daughter's birthday party.

"You're going to have to get out, Sarah," Mary tells her as turns off the car.

"I know." Sarah says.

"I have to ask what made you come back? Because I know last time didn't end well," Mary asks just sitting in the car not yet opening the door.

"I realized I love them. I always have. I was scared," Sarah says quietly like it is something she should be ashamed of, "I have missed them so much and it just got too much. Everything got too much and even though I knew I had hurt them; I need them still. I need them. I hope everyone will be able to just forgive me."

"Let that be the reason to get out of this car. Also, they'll forgive you. If Chuck forgave me, he'll forgive you. I know I forgive you for hurting them. But you really need to forgive yourself, first," Mary says exiting the car satisfied with Sarah answer, "Then you need to stop holding back whatever you are from him."

Sarah follows Mary to the bleachers where everyone is sitting.

"Mimi!" Joshua Woodcomb yells hopping up from where he was sitting and jumping into Mary's arms. It causes the whole family to turn and look at Sarah and Mary.

Ellie is the first one to see her. Her eyes grow wide in shock and she immediately turn around to Chuck. Chuck immediately breaks out in a smile. He is happy to see her. Glad, she has made the choice to come to their daughter's game. He gets up to hug her and Sarah lets him.

"I am so glad you decided to come," he whispers in her ear before letting go. Sarah grins back at him. It feels like a step in the right direction for once, Sarah just hopes the two steps back won't follow it.

She hugs everyone else and no one questions out loud why she is here. She wonders if Chuck told them. Sarah sits down next to Chuck and her mom. They watch the game. She watches Amelia mostly. She leans against Chuck until her daughter starts motioning their way for a water.

"All be back," Chuck says getting up to go the concession stand leaving Sarah wishing for him back.

"Where's Molly?" Sarah asks realizing her mother is here, but not her sister.

"She's a high school volunteer," Emma says pointing over to the bench.

Sarah looks over to the soccer team and realizes her sister is one of the coaches for Amelia and Clara's team.

"She loves the sport and after she helped with soccer camp, they asked her. She now runs around playing with the soccer team and coaching the 3rd and 4th graders," her mom explains.

"You drive her here every day?" Sarah questions. She can't imagine doing that.

"No. Not long after Ryker found us and you went through your memory loss, we moved. The house was a mess. You went through a wall. We moved to be closer to be near you. Even though, you weren't around I am glad we did because I got to help with my beautiful granddaughter," her mom says grabbing Sarah hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Did you move the restaurant, also?" Sarah asks. She can't see her mom giving up the family restaurant, but so much has changed. She could never see her mother even moving.

"No, well kind of. I opened a second location and eventually a third," Emma tells her, "The third is in the place where the Burbank wienerlicious used to be. It does well."

"It does awesome," Devon interjects from behind them, "Your mom just doesn't like to brag."

Her mom shakes her head. "Only because I have all the people from the Buy More there. They either go there or to subway."

"They have this weird loyalty to Chuck." Ellie answers.

"Who has a weird loyalty to me?" Chuck asks sitting down next to Sarah.

"The Buy Morians," Ellie answers.

Chuck just laughs and wraps his arms around Sarah waist pulling her close. Sarah leans into him again thinking about how she is so thankful that he is here, and the rest of her family is here. That they are okay with her being here. She thinks about her mom and how she moved herself and Molly to Burbank to be closer to herself.

Sarah is so relieved that her mom didn't give up the family restaurant to move closer to her. Her mom didn't exactly raise her as she worked a lot at that little restaurant as Sarah's ageing grandparent couldn't run it anymore. She spent a lot of time with her grandma and grandpa only for her to be practically kidnapped by her dad at the age of 10. She had wanted to go with him, and he hadn't stopped her that time. When she finally graduated Harvard before going to the C.I.A., she had tracked her mom down. It was harder than expected, but she had found her. Sarah had also discovered that she had been marked a missing child. Her grandparents had died by then leaving her mom all by herself with only the restaurant to live for. To the world, Samantha Lisa Langford was still a cold case to this day. Sarah Lisa Walker was linked to a lot of different names but was never linked to her birth name. Graham hadn't even known that to Sarah's knowledge.

Sarah and her mom eventually reformed a sort of mother daughter relationship, that eventually led Sarah to giving her mom Molly. Her relationship with her mom has always been strained in one way or another. In fourteen years, Sarah had talked to her mom only a handful of times. She regrets that now just like she regrets leaving Chuck to raise their daughter alone. Sarah is happy that even though her mother has moved from Sarah's childhood home, that she still kept the restaurant. She is happy that her mom got to raise a better child and be a part of her granddaughter's life.

"I am happy your back," Emma whispers pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I am happy to be back," Sarah smiles back. Her life seems to be going the right direction again for the first time in years. She doesn't know how to feel. She leans up against Chuck a little more and he just holds her tighter as if he is afraid if he lets go, he'll lose her.

October 16, 2020

After the scrimmage, Sarah's life seems to start to become the life she imagined having before Quinn took her memories. Sarah is still working for the C.I.A. She attends meeting through video conferences and Chuck basically gives her his home office to use even though he isn't happy with her still working for the C.I.A. She attends Amelia soccer games and goes to lunch with her mom. Sarah goes to family game nights and most of the time just ends up sitting in the corner, but she is trying. There is a large gap that is slowly closing between her and everyone else.

Sarah and Chuck's relationship improves. They still aren't sleeping in the same bed or wearing their wedding rings, but they are talking like they used to do on the phone. They stay away from the major topics and are a long way from being completely okay, but they are getting better. When Sarah isn't meeting her mom for lunch, she tries to meet Chuck if he is available.

Amelia pulls away more and more as Chuck comes closer. She can see Chuck is worried about their daughter, but as she begins the school year things start to get better. Sarah knows she is the problem but is at a loss on how to fix it. Every time she tries Amelia stays silent, so Sarah decides to wait until her daughter is ready. Chuck recommends that Sarah pick up Amelia after school or her practices instead of himself or one of their other family members since she is home. Sarah accepts that idea and her, Chuck, and Amelia settle into a routine.

"Mom, can you be Padme for Halloween?" Amelia asks one night while Chuck is running late from work leaving Sarah and Amelia alone.

Sarah has her back turned to Amelia as she cooks, and Amelia sits at the counter doing homework. It is something they do when Chuck is running late. They don't talk, but at least they have progressed to being able to sit in the same room Sarah cooking and Amelia doing homework.

"What?" Sarah asks as she spins around. Sarah knows her daughter just asked her something, but she has no idea what. She was too focused on cooking dinner and wasn't expecting her daughter to talk to her.

"She's from Star Wars. I am being Ashoka and dad's Anakin," Her daughter tells. She looks embarrassed she asked the question and fidgets with her pencil. "We always do a family costume when we go trick or treating and you're my mom so you should be a part of it."

Sarah doesn't recognize the character who Amelia is being, but she does know what Star Wars is. "Yeah, Mills I'll be whoever you want to be."

Amelia smiles and wrinkles her nose just like Chuck does. She may look like Sarah in all other aspects, but her smile is all Chuck. "I'll tell dad." She says as she goes back to doing her homework.

As Sarah turns around to go back to chopping vegetables, Amelia starts to speak again.

"We do this thing called a hat parade for Halloween cause we aren't allowed to wear costumes at school and it is my last year cause I'm a 3rd grader and 4th graders don't get the parties anymore. It's kinda really unfair…" Amelia spirals. Another thing that she got from her dad Sarah thinks to herself, "and I would really like for you to go."

"I'll be there," Sarah tells Amelia. Amelia's blue eyes light up with hope and excitement. She has the answer she wanted and goes back to doing her homework.

Sarah goes back to cooking and by the time Chuck gets home, dinner is done. They all sit down as family and for the first time since Sarah came back, Amelia talks nonstop. Chuck's worry melts away and Sarah wonders if this is her daughter's true personality. A talkative nerdy adventurous kid. They end up curled up on the couch, Amelia in between Chuck and Sarah, watching a few episodes of the Clone Wars after Amelia finds out Sarah doesn't know who Ashoka is. Chuck reaches behind Amelia sometime during one of the episodes and just takes Sarah's hand in his. It is a simple gesture, but it is progress. For all three, they feel like a family for once.