Chapter 6.

Chuck pushed the gun back where he found it and tried to find some semblance of normalcy. He didn't ask Carmen any more questions, doubting whether she spoke the truth, and she appeared visibly relieved with the change, even going so far as to reward him with a smile.

The car ride and the grocery trip were completed in almost total silence, just as she seemed to prefer things. The unspoken divide between them was so great that at one point in the grocery store, a security guard approached Carmen and asked if the man behind her was bothering her.

"Me?" Chuck had asked, startled at the accusation. He realized things didn't look good when he tailed behind his girlfriend like a lost puppy.

When Carmen clarified, the guard had taken a critical look at the pair and grunted, not altogether convinced. After that, Carmen insisted that Chuck walk beside her but she still didn't want to talk and remained aloof to his disappointment.

_

In front of Ellie she was another person altogether; suddenly Carmen was talkative and couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him, stroking his hair, holding his hand, patting his shoulder. It was all very strange.

Dinner was largely uneventful, awkward even. Chuck could tell Carmen wasn't close with his family because she didn't seem to know very much about them, even accidentally calling the Captain Darren instead of Devon.

Chuck wanted to ask Ellie about his past, hoping she would be more honest with him than his girlfriend, but throughout the evening Chuck found it hard to add a single remark much less a whole sentence without being interrupted. Everyone just acted as if the last five years hadn't happened.

The only time anyone made mention of the past was on the ride home when Carmen suddenly turned to Chuck and said, "You really don't remember a thing, do you?"

She sounded surprised and it hurt Chuck that she had doubted him all along. "Well of course, did you think I was faking it?"

Carmen shrugged. "Anything's possible," she murmured.

_

Carmen's demeanor changed again when they entered the apartment. Whether it was the wine or the dark room that did it, she had a positively predatory smile on her face.

"I really missed you, Chuck," she breathed, cornering him before either of them could remove their jackets.

Chuck gulped. He laughed nervously, unsure how to respond.

"I know you don't remember, but I think I've got a trick or two that'll jog your memory." She smiled again and Chuck was afraid his knees were about to give out.

"Ah…Carmen—" She silenced him with a kiss. Chuck knew he must have kissed her a thousand times before but it still felt like kissing a stranger. He pulled away awkwardly, trying to catch his breath.

"Chuck, please…you need to trust me," she purred. Chuck laughed nervously.

"You know, I hope you won't be offended. I think you're beautiful and all—stunning, gorgeous…" he stammered when she turned her full gaze on him. "But I don't remember anything that's happened between us and I would feel uncomfortable sharing a bed with you tonight."

Chuck cringed, and fought the sudden urge to hurl himself out the window. Could he have worded things any more awkwardly?

And also I've found your gun under the fridge. Maybe you'd like to hide it somewhere else?

Carmen pursed her lips. "Fine," she said, the cold tone matching that of the morning car ride. He wondered if she was a robot; it was hard to comprehend how someone's emotions could be flicked on and off so easily. "I understand."

Chuck smiled nervously. "Great. Thanks."

Carmen grabbed his wrists suddenly and Chuck had a premonition that she would tie him up and beat him to a pulp. "Chuck, I want you to know that I care about you. I would never do anything to hurt you." Her dark brown eyes searched his and Chuck so desperately wanted to believe her.

Chuck gulped audibly. "Okay," he whispered.

"And if you see anything, remember anything…anything at all, you tell me, okay? You can trust me." Chuck bit down on his lips, afraid that he might be enchanted into telling her what he'd found. He was sure she could if she tried. She would probably have no trouble seducing any man she wanted.

"Anything," Carmen stressed. Seeing him nod, she smiled and let him go. "Good night, Chuck." She leaned in but Chuck turned his head to the side at the last minute and she had to contend herself with a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"Night," he said, and retreated into the safety of his own room.

He groaned, wondering what was wrong with him. Had he really turned down a ridiculously beautiful woman just so he could sleep alone in the bed he'd owned since high school?

_

Chuck spent the next hour going through his room trying to pick out clues that would give a hint of who he was now. He found a few suits and ties in the closet that was congruent with working 'with computers in an office'. His computer password hadn't changed but there was nothing on there that surprised him. In fact, he felt as if there were files missing from it. There were no documents dated beyond five years ago.

The search for his game console turned up empty. He looked in all the usual places but the bottom of his closet contained only shoes and there was nothing but dust bunnies under his bed. He probably had to become much sneakier living with Carmen.

Chuck pulled out the game case again from the library of DVDs. "Guess I won't be playing you any time soon," he said, feeling rather sorry for himself.

Curious to see what the game was about, he opened the case to read the instruction manual only to find that there was no manual and no game. Instead, several photos fell out, scattering onto the floor.

"What the—" Chuck bent down and quickly gathered them. He looked at the first one and the blood ran from his face.

It was her. The nurse from the hospital.

In the photo he had his arms snaked around her waist and she had them locked there with her hands. A wide grin covered their faces. In the next they were sitting in a restaurant booth and she was looking at him with an expression nothing short of adoration.

Chuck flipped through the photos, each one capturing them as a couple. He didn't know what any of this meant but he knew one thing. The smiles had been genuine.