A/N: There was apparently something wrong with the site, otherwise you'd have been able to see the update much earlier, because I would have been able to post it. Well, at least it gave me time to go over it and tweak some scenes a bit. Better late than never, I guess.

And, just because repeating it never gets old, thank you all for the awesome welcome you give each new chapter of this story. I hope you'll like this one as well.

When Sarah arrived at Chuck's office bearing gifts, she found both her boyfriend and Manoosh comparing notes in the lounge. They looked up as she entered. Chuck couldn't take his eyes off of his beautiful girlfriend, while Manoosh was already drooling at the sight of the insulated Styrofoam packs in the clear plastic bag she was carrying. He could already see the one marked with the letter M, which was intended for him.

"You don't mind if we went to my office to talk a bit, do you?" Chuck asked him.

He waved a hand that was already clutching a plastic spoon dismissively. "Go ahead," he added for good measure. "I don't mind being alone with this treat."

"Let me know if you are ready to leave before we are, OK?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill."

Chuck and Sarah made themselves comfortable on the couch of his inner sanctum and opened their containers of frozen yogurt. The conversation mostly revolved around the upcoming visit to the bank. Chuck told her a few things about his buddy as well. Sarah remained guardedly hopeful, pointing out that the bank had merely been where the ad agency had an account. She, on the other hand, might have deposited the check to her own account in a different bank. It was still a clue and worth pursuing, however. In addition, they decided to browse the Harvard Alumni Association website later. Given their lack of knowledge about which school Sarah had attended, plus the unknown graduation date, the task ahead of them could be time consuming.

Sarah also expressed the desire to swing by her apartment and change into something more appropriate than her Double O uniform for a visit to a bank and he agreed. In fact, he was curious. The moment she mentioned owning a suit, he had the burning desire to see her in it – and peel it off of her later, of course.

-o-

"How do I look?" Sarah queried as she emerged from behind the open closet doors, having just changed. Chuck was in her kitchenette, pouring himself a glass of water.

"…" He was well and truly speechless. While he had seen his girlfriend in anything from her birthday suit to casual clothes to her work uniforms, he wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted him when he looked up from the sink.

"Chuck?"

"I… you… I mean, wow… you look amazing, Sarah."

She smiled. The purchase of the professional looking suit had indeed been one of her best choices. The fitted white shirt contrasted beautifully with the black jacket and the also black skirt came halfway down her thighs. It was kind of tight fitting, showing off her perfect figure without being slutty. All in all, Sarah was pulling off the sophisticated woman look quite successfully. "Let's go, lover."

She looped her arm through his and they started for the door, but something didn't feel right to Chuck. A look downwards confirmed it. "Um, Sarah?"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He almost laughed at her perplexed look, but instead nodded towards her feet. She followed his gaze and realized she hadn't put her shoes on. Blushing furiously, she disentangled her arm from his and ran back to her closet. Seconds later, she was back by his side, this time wearing a pair of pricey looking stiletto heels – another bargain, which she'd found in a clearance sale and bought them really cheap. She grabbed the folder with all the documents that might be necessary to deal with the bank and ushered Chuck out the door before following him into the hallway and locking up.

She was quiet during the drive to the bank. Chuck's attempts at conversation were met mostly with one-word replies or mere shrugs. In the end he got the message and focused on driving. He hoped Bryce was going to be able to help. He'd seen how happy she was now that they had a lead. If it didn't pan out… Just then he had an idea. It might backfire, but if he played his cards well she might even get to see the humor in the situation. For now, he kept quiet.

When they got to the bank, they just mentioned that they had an appointment with Bryce Larkin. The moment they entered his office, Bryce got up to greet them. "Hey pal," he said, hugging Chuck and patting him on the back. "You dog you," he whispered in his friend's ear when he got a good look at Sarah.

"Missed you too, buddy," said Chuck, purposely ignoring the last thing Bryce had said. "Allow me to introduce Sarah."

"Any friend of Chuck's is a friend of mine," he said, shaking her hand.

"Thank you," she said. "Chuck and I were hoping you might be able to help us."

"Well, take a seat," he invited them. "Can I get you anything, some coffee, perhaps?"

"Why not?" Chuck said. "By the way, how's Jill?"

"Right now she's in Europe for a convention. Unfortunately I couldn't get time off to accompany her."

Chuck turned to Sarah. "Bryce and Jill have been my friends since the first day in Stanford. He and I were also in the same fraternity."

Bryce poured three cups of coffee from the fancy machine in a corner of his office and rejoined them, sitting behind his desk. "So, what can I do for you guys? Chuck didn't say anything specific over the phone."

Chuck looked at Sarah and nodded encouragingly. She took the cue. "About six years ago, I took a job to make some extra vacation money, probably."

"Probably?" Bryce queried.

"You'll understand when you hear the rest of it," said Chuck. "Go on, Sarah."

"The company that hired me paid me through this bank. And right now the check I got back then is the only lead I have…"

Understandably, Bryce was a bit confused and a little curious. "Lead? What lead?"

"There's no use beating around the bush, I suppose," she said. "I recently had an accident and the doctors diagnosed me with focal retrograde amnesia. All I know for sure about me is my first name and my middle initial." She proceeded to explain how she'd got her current identity papers and she also told him about her quest to find out who she really was.

"I see," said Bryce finally. "What have you got for me to start with?"

"Here is the report from the PI office I hired. It has the name of the company, which unfortunately is defunct," replied Sarah. She handed a sheaf of typewritten papers over.

"Let me see what I can do," he said and typed the name of the company on his computer. "I don't know if I'll find anything in the system though. Do you know when the company folded?"

"According to the PI it was three years ago," replied Sarah.

"Then it should still be in the system… Aha! Got it! Now all I need to do is find the specific transaction."

Both Chuck and Sarah looked hopeful. They shared a long look and a smile as Bryce tried to find the log of transactions from six years ago. Finally, he looked up. "According to the logs I pulled up, there were two checks made out to women with the first name of Sarah in the time period you specified. One was Sarah Collins and the other Sarah Walker."

"Walker!" Chuck and Sarah exclaimed simultaneously.

"Are you sure?" Bryce asked. He needed to have confirmation before proceeding further.

"Yes," Sarah said, nodding emphatically. "Like I said before, I was able to sign my name. The first letter of my last name was almost certainly a double-u and Walker was one of the possibilities."

"And my random generator picked it among all the possibilities when we went to the judge to get you the court order for founding documents," added Chuck. "Isn't life funny sometimes?"

"It is," confirmed Sarah and turned to Bryce. "What else can you tell us?"

"The check was made out to Sarah L. Walker. You endorsed it and deposited it into your account in another bank. I'll print it out for you and then you can take it from here. I'm afraid I can't help you any further."

"You've been a great help already, Bryce," said Chuck. "Thank you."

"Yes," added Sarah. "Thank you so much, Mr. Larkin."

"It's Bryce," he said and shook her outstretched hand. "Say, when Jill gets back from Europe, we should all go out together."

"Funny," said Chuck. "I was about to suggest the same thing. We should get going now. I think we've taken up enough of your time as it is."

"Dude, you're never a bother. Besides, I was almost done here."

"Still, we'll need to drop by the PI's to give them an update. See you around."

"I'll call as soon as Jill gets back," Bryce promised. "Until then, we'll have our online gaming sessions."

As they exited the bank and went to get the car, Sarah was understandably happy. "We have a new, solid lead, Chuck," she gushed.

"Uh-huh. There's still some digging to be done, but we're on the right track."

"You know I was kind of disappointed with myself. Had I had an account with this bank, we'd have much more to go on with."

"I don't know… You're a woman of mystery, Sarah Walker. I like that."

"Shut up," she said and playfully nudged him with her elbow.

"What? It's true."

"Maybe, but I'd like to be less of a mystery, first of all to me."

"Yeah, but it's exciting. I mean, you could be anyone… anything from a high powered businesswoman to, say, a spy."

"Ellie was right. You read far too many comic books," she laughed.

He feigned hurt. "You are spending way too much time with my sister."

"She is my doctor," Sarah pointed out. "And we both love you."

"I know. So, what's our next step?"

"Obviously, I'll have to go turn in my provisional identification documents and see what can be done about replacing the old ones, if they cannot be found, but I suppose this is going to have to wait until we have something concrete."

"Then we should take it to my place. I can fax Cole and Alex the information from there."

"Good idea," she agreed. "I won't be able to go to the bank tomorrow, since I'm working a double shift. We should also make a stop for groceries. I want to cook for you tonight."

"Don't bother with shopping. Ellie stocked my kitchen up earlier today."

"She did?"

"It was her turn," he explained. "She, Devon and I take turns doing the grocery shopping for both households. It's a pretty workable system, considering our occasionally erratic schedules."

-o-

"All done," he beamed at her as he emerged from his study. She was in the kitchen, having changed out of her suit and into the casual clothes she kept in his closet.

"Thanks. I expect him to call any moment now." She smiled when her phone rang. "That was fast," she commented and answered it. She listened to whatever Cole had to say, thanked him and hung up. "Chuck?"

He was rooting in the fridge for a couple of bottles of beer. "Yes?"

"Why on earth do you have a computer in the kitchen?"

He approached her, hugged her from behind with one arm and handed her a beer with the other. "You like it?"

"It looks rather out of place in a kitchen."

"But I assure you, it's just as handy as any other kitchen appliance. I made it myself, too, using my old, smaller flat screen and a broken down notebook."

"Well, it's an established fact how big a nerd you are. But you didn't answer my question."

"I use it to look up recipes online and it's much handier than printing them. I have several more saved in its hard drive, too."

"Would you like to know what I'm making, or…?"

"Surprise me," he said bravely.

"OK. Why don't you go and see if Ellie and Devon can join us for dinner?"

"I'm on my way."

-o-

It was mid-afternoon the following day when Cole Barker returned to the office. The first thing he did was loosen his tie before putting his briefcase down. The meeting at the bank with the assistant manager had been quite informative. He hadn't even had to use his charm smile on the woman to get the information he needed. The documents Sarah had provided him with had been more than enough. Since Alex wasn't back yet, he sat behind his desk and got started on organizing his notes and putting the documents the bank had provided into the relevant file. They'd made good progress, while Chuck and Sarah had helped by going to the other bank the previous day, relieving the private investigators of this particular task.

Alex wasn't long in coming. She entered the office lugging a suitcase with her. Cole ran to help her. "Let me give you a hand with that."

"Thanks, but it's not too heavy," she said. "You hit paydirt at the bank," she added, referring to the address for Sarah that the bank had provided.

"How did it go?"

"The owner is a very nice lady and was very helpful. Care to hear the story?"

"By all means," he said and sat down.

"Okay, here goes: She rented the apartment out last year. She had only praise for our client, saying she was a model tenant, so when she disappeared she kept the apartment available for her for another month, since it was paid up to then, but in the end she had to rent it out to someone else. However, she couldn't bear to throw away Amnesia Chick's shit, so she used the security deposit – it was two months' rent worth – and rented a storage unit in Ms. Walker's name to put her stuff in. I went there and got some stuff that might be able to jog her memory. In any case, it'll help her get her identity back."

"It all adds up nicely. According to the bank's records, Ms. Walker was living in DC until last year when she moved to LA. I've also got comprehensive records of the bank statements about her former job back East."

"She'll be happy to hear all that."

"I'll call her and arrange to visit her and give her the information and her stuff."

"We are free for the rest of the day, so we can do this as early as tonight. What do you say, partner?"

"Sounds like an idea to me," he admitted. "Can I buy you a drink, partner?"

"I'd love to. I'll buy you one as well."

-o-

Sarah was cooking for Chuck in his place again. She'd done a great job the previous day, so he invited her for a repeat performance and considering the awards he'd given her, she said yes without hesitation. This evening, she was even happier, because Cole had called with excellent news, so she wanted to celebrate with her boyfriend. Right now, she was trying to chop some vegetables for both the roast and the salad.

"What's the ETA on the carrots and is dinner going to be ready tonight, Sarah?" Chuck asked, startling her and making her cut her finger with the knife.

"Ouch! No, I don't need any help. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna make you eat the bloody pieces and you're going to love them." She gave him a death glare for good measure and sucked on her injured finger. Chuck also brought her a Band-Aid. When it was all taken care of, she resumed the task of chopping the vegetables. Suddenly, her hands started moving faster, on their own accord it seemed. "Chuck," she breathed. "Chuck, take a look at that!"

"What is it? Oh! How…?" He was impressed to see her chopping vegetables like an old pro. "Never mind. You must have done it before."

"I'm a chef! Woo-hoo!"

"Never a doubt," he smiled. "I have firsthand knowledge of how well you can cook."

"This is different," she pointed out.

"I love discovering things about you, with you."

"Same here," she said, stealing a quick kiss from him. Then, there was a knock on the door. "It must be Cole. He made it here pretty quickly. I'll get it. Keep your eyes on the sauce."

"Will do," he assured her.

She made her way to the door and opened it. Only, it wasn't Cole on the other side, but an unfamiliar man with an ugly scar. Sarah was surprised, but asked the natural question: "How may I help you?"

Instead of replying verbally, the man backhanded her viciously across the face. She stumbled back, stunned, and he followed her in. "I want my face back, you bitch!" Tommy, for he was the unexpected visitor, yelled.

"Who are…?" She never finished the question, because he hit her again. She cried out in pain and went down.

Chuck had heard the ruckus and ran to investigate. "Hey," he called and instinctively moved to stop the man from hurting his girlfriend. He grabbed Tommy by the lapel, but the next instant he was flying to slam against the wall and fell to the floor, totally stunned by the impact, taking down a couple of shelves with him.

Tommy turned his attention back to Sarah. "You did this to me," he bellowed, pointing to his face as she tried to crawl backwards. "And you are going to pay for it!" His foot shot out to kick her in the ribs, but she moved aside so that the side of his boot barely brushed against her body. And she had no idea how she'd managed to avoid it.

With her opponent momentarily off balance, she got up and ran to the kitchen. He followed her, grabbing the back of her cardigan, pulling her backwards and slamming her against the counter. The breath was knocked from her body as her ribs protested the painful impact, but she remained upright, desperately looking around for something to use as a weapon. The pan the sauce was simmering in was within easy reach on the stove, so she grabbed it and swung. She missed, but most of the sauce splashed right on Tommy's nose, mouth, cheeks and neck. He screamed in agony as it burned him. The Tabasco she'd put in it earlier didn't help when some of the sauce came in contact with his eyes. "I'll kill you," he croaked.

It was the perfect opportunity. She swung the pan again, the heavy blow landing on the right side of his face and sending him spinning back into the living room. The impact had broken the pan's plastic handle, so she tossed it aside and, encouraged by her success, went on the offensive, landing a right cross on his jaw and following with another punch, this time to the gut, and a high kick to the sternum. He recovered quickly, however, and countered with a sweep of the leg, catching Sarah by surprise and making her fall on the floor. He then grabbed tried to slam his foot down on her knee, but she was too fast and her own booted foot slammed against his genitals, making him howl in pain. She managed to get up and grabbed the big kitchen knife she'd been using before Tommy came. At the same instant, Tommy drew a gun he had stashed inside his waistband at the small of his back.

Seeing it, Sarah hurled the knife at him in desperation at the same millisecond a gunshot echoed inside the apartment. Tommy got a look on surprise on his face, looking down to see the knife sticking out of his chest next to the exit hole of a bullet. Then his eyes glazed over and he collapsed in a lifeless heap on the floor. It was then when Sarah saw Cole, holding a smoking 45 caliber USP standing right next to Chuck who had a hand on the side of his head and looking at the scene in amazement.

"I didn't know chefs could do that," he mused aloud.

TBC