A/N: Hello all my lovely readers, i apologize for the delay. Mondays are never any good but the rest of the week didn't pan out too well either and it's been an unhealthy relationship between school and procrastination.

Thank you for all your kind reviews, i'm so glad that you liked the last chapter. This chapter and the next two are technically one huge chapter that i've split because i don't want to confuse you guys with the POV's. it's also going to read a little different because there's a lot of breaks. let me know what you think.

oh...and i should warn you, this chapter is kind of fluffy.

Chapter 14:

Despite ordering only a cup of coffee and tea, most of which sat in their respective mugs untouched, Chuck and Sarah lingered at the corner table, oblivious to the ire of the café owners. Their conversation flowed easily like old friends meeting after a long reprieve, but Chuck couldn't help likening it to a current of hot and cold water with him wading chest-deep between the familiar and the great unknown.

It was easy to believe that he'd spent months tracking down the whereabouts of his father so the man could walk Ellie down the aisle. He would have done the same thing all over again given the chance. And even when Sarah told him how he'd saved her life once by leaping from the roof of the Buy-More onto an assailant, he thought he might be up to the task should it ever arise.

But there were some things he had no choice but to take her word for. His proposal the night before they left for D.C., for example.

"I lost the ring?" he asked, trying to read behind the playful glint in her eyes.

Sarah's fingers brushed against the object in question, twisting it thoughtfully around its new home on her fourth digit. She smiled ruefully at him, the expression far more subdued than the life that reflected in her eyes.

"Not lost," she corrected. "Misplaced. In your jacket pocket. We were at the beach; you forgot it was there and you lent me your jacket when it got cold." Chuck blushed. He didn't remember any of it, but he was already horrified with himself. "So I confronted you about it and you had no choice but to propose."

"Are you saying that my second attempt was more romantic than the first?" he asked, wondering how he'd gotten her to agree the first time.

Sarah tilted her head and gazed upwards, ruminating on the thought. "You let me keep the ring this time," she said, smirking at him. She laughed when she saw his confusion. "You insisted on holding onto it so you could do it properly when we came back."

It was amazing how a simple slip of the tongue could cause everything to fall. The joy in her features went out like a candle, replaced by a look of remorse. Sarah drew back, leaning against her chair. It was as far as she could distance herself physically without leaving.

Chuck stared at the empty box, understanding now why he'd entrusted the ring to Morgan.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, unable to raise her head.

Chuck knew her betrayal would have been difficult to overlook had he remembered what promises they'd made to one another. As it were, he did not, and he only felt insurmountable guilt for bringing the woman he cared for to the brink of tears.

"Sarah," Chuck warned and squeezed her hand. "I don't know what was supposed to happen, but I think things panned out pretty well, don't you?"

Sarah put considerable effort into hiding her true emotions, but Chuck could see the way her lower lip trembled as she breathed.

"I made a terrible mistake—"

"That I don't happen to recall. All I remember is a woman who came back to me and gave up a whole other life to be with me." Chuck didn't know what more he had to do to make her see. Perhaps if he understood her better, if he knew any more than he did, he would not be at such a loss for words. How could he explain it to her? It hardly made any sense, the way she made him feel.

Since his return he had been a puzzle without its final piece, wandering lost and incomplete. And when Sarah came along, he could almost hear the sound of everything clicking into place; it was as close as he'd ever felt to reclaiming his memories.

"I don't think you understand why I gave you this ring," he said, holding up her hand so the gem reflected off the ceiling light. "I want to be with you, Sarah. I don't remember the details of our relationship and I don't care. This feels right."

He stared into her eyes, wondering what was more brilliant—her tears or the diamond.

"This ring is my promise to you. You are the only one I want to be with." He used all his charm on her, throwing her the fail-proof puppy dog eyes. It was enough to coax a smile from her grim expression.

"You're lucky I have amnesia this time, but next time…" He wagged his eyebrows and despite all control, Sarah finally laughed.

The sound filled him with relief.

"There won't be a next time," she promised. Chuck saw one last remnant of Sarah's sad smile before it broke into something beautiful. It took his breath away when her face lit up again, and he made a silent vow to do everything in his power to make sure that never changed.

_

Having been turned out of the café at closing, the couple walked down the darkened street hand in hand. Each time the diamond caught the glint of a street lamp or car headlight, Chuck felt his heart soar. He was sure he was grinning like an idiot every time he looked at his companion, but she didn't seem to mind.

"What is it?" she finally asked, after allowing him to steal glances at her without comment for the longest time.

"Can I ask you something?" Chuck was afraid he'd said something wrong when he felt Sarah's hand loosen from his. He squeezed tighter, refusing to let her go so easily.

"Okay," she said, though the light in her eyes had faded some.

They stopped and Chuck turned to her, looking into her eyes with all seriousness. "What's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

Sarah did a double-take as he knew she would and he burst out in laughter.

"What?" she asked, relaxing again. "Chuck, that's not funny!"

Chuck shook his head. A part of him wondered what she had been so afraid of but he knew better than to ask.

"Give me a break, Sarah, I have amnesia. It was very traumatic."

She chewed on the corner of her lip, suppressing a smile. "As if you remember," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You can't use amnesia as an excuse for everything."

Chuck's laughed eventually died down and he looked at her, feeling the happiest he'd been since—as far as he knew, five years ago.

"So?" he asked, waiting expectantly.

"So what?"

Chuck nudged her gently. "Come on. It's not fair; I don't know anything about you."

He finally got a laugh out of her. "Well that wasn't very smart of you was it?" she teased. "Asking a stranger to marry you. I could be a real bad person, Chuck." Her eyes darkened but the smile gave it away. When she saw that Chuck wasn't buying the act, she relented. "Rocky road."

"Rocky road," Chuck repeated, ingraining the information into his memory. "Do you know--"

"Chocolate fudge," she responded without batting an eyelash. She looked at him not for confirmation but to revel in her triumph. Chuck loved that smile, she reminded him of a cat who'd just caught the biggest fish from the pond. "I can name all thirty-one in descending order."

Chuck raised his brows in question and she raised her chin, ready for the challenge.

"Peanut butter and chocolate, mint chocolate chip, cherry cheesecake, maple walnut…" Sarah paused, laughing when she saw the incredulous expression on his face. "Do you want me to go on?"

Chuck nodded. He could have chosen to stop her at any time, and she gave him plenty of opportunities when she paused to catch her breath, but there were no words to describe how he felt. And so he listened in awe as she recited each flavor in perfect order, nearly placing the sanctity of his friendship with Morgan in question.

After two consecutive unromantic proposals, Chuck thought better than to confess that he had quite possibly fallen in love with her at that very moment.

_

Neither of them had discussed where they intended to walk so when their stroll ended at Chuck's apartment complex, it took them both by surprise. They stood at the doors and looked to one another. His hand had grown used to the feel of Sarah's and more than a part of him didn't want to let go.

"You…wanna come up with me?" he asked. It was getting late but he held onto the hope that she would stay with him just a little longer.

"Okay," she said, looking just as relieved by the invitation.

Chuck's elation was cut short however when he remembered what awaited. His tension began to mount as they stepped into the elevator's confined quarters and worsened with each floor they ascended.

"Sarah, can I ask you a question?"

She laughed. "My favorite candy?"

If only. "Are you and Carmen friends?" Chuck could see the change in Sarah as she registered what he was asking. Her smile faded and when she didn't immediately answer, he was afraid she was going to build a wall to keep him out.

But Sarah didn't. She was only wary, cautious at most. "Yeah, we're friends," she said. Her eyes shifted but Chuck believed her.

"That's good," he said, sighing with relief. "Carmen has a bad temper and she's going to be really mad when she finds out I left the apartment without saying anything."

Sarah arched one of her perfectly shaped brows at him. "Really?" she said, drawing out the word with a definitive smile. She shrugged. "Don't worry, Chuck, I'm sure she won't mind."

Her matter-of-fact response did little to put his mind at ease. "I don't know, Sarah…"

His nervousness only broadened Sarah's grin. "Trust me," she said, and raised her chin, ready for another challenge.

.

Chuck entered first and when he opened the door to find Carmen clutching the phone, wielding it as if it were a weapon, he wanted to spin around and exclaim "I told you so!" But by then, he was already paralyzed with fear and he froze at the threshold, unable to take even another step forwards.

"Where have you been?" Carmen demanded. "Do you have any idea how long you were gone for?"

Chuck shrugged. "Five hours? Six…maybe?"

The response made the woman livid. Her brown eyes deepened to charcoal black and she clenched the phone so tightly it bent on the verge of snapping in half.

"Charles Bartowski, where have you been?" she growled.

Before Chuck could give an answer, Sarah pushed past him and stepped forwards. "With me."

Carmen took a step back. The fury extinguished from her eyes and she frowned. "Sarah," she uttered, her voice softening in disbelief.

Sarah folded her arms across her chest. "Hello, Carmen," she said in a tone Chuck had never heard before.

The two women regarded one another in silence. The tension in the air was so thick, Chuck felt like he could choke on it. If this were a Discovery channel feature, they would be the lionesses and he would be the dead gazelle lying in the backdrop.

As if sensing his discomfort, Sarah turned to him.

"Give us a minute?" Her face softened when she looked at him, but Chuck was sure it was not the same expression she had for Carmen only seconds before. He nodded and retreated to the safety of his room, only too glad to be spared from whatever they had in mind.