A/N: I wish inspiration came this frequent! Ha! Enjoy! :)
Chuck and Sarah vs. The Lost Memories
iii
Their first stop is the beach. January air is not as cold in sunny California, yet Sarah finds herself a little too cold, not much to her liking. He notices and immediately gives her his jacket - he doesn't even offer it, he just drapes it around her shoulder.
"Thanks." She says, and can't help but smile.
He simply nods, giving her an equally bright smile and recalls the last time they were in the exact same spot, in the exact same position. It makes him feel a little lighter, better.
"Did we used to come here often?" He's quite surprised by her question. She doesn't meet his gaze. She's just staring out at the vast horizon, feeling the ocean breeze through her face.
Her words bring a certain ache in his heart. It's sounded like she is describing a life long gone, and in a way, it is...gone.
"No, not really." He answers, and his voice is calm. "The only time I remember being here with you was when we first met." He tells her, neither meeting each other's eyes.
She recalls what he said a few weeks ago, about her asking him to trust her. She smiles at the memory, and nods.
"And we didn't come here together that time. You...well, you actually just found me." He shares, and she can't help but notice the similarity of the story with what happened over some weeks ago.
"Of course you probably just tailed me that time, being the kickass-ninja-spy-girl that you are." He manages to joke, and he gets the laugh he was going for. The sun shines a little brighter, hotter, and they decide it's time to go.
"So what do you want for lunch?" She asks, as she drove them back to town.
"Well, I was actually thinking about drive-thru? Some cheeseburgers, extra pickles of course, and fries, lots of ketchup, coke, and then we can just drive around as we eat?" His tone is playful, but she doesn't notice.
He sees the horror in her eyes, the look of disbelief. In a matter of seconds, he cracks himself up.
"I'm kidding, baby." He tells her in between laughs, knowing how careful she is with her car - especially with the interior of her car - but she is quite caught up with the endearment, and with the cheeseburgers. She remembers how she liked her burgers. She doesn't let him notice though, and kept on driving.
"So that's who you are huh? A guy who makes fun of the girl who lost her memories? Claims to be her husband but makes fun or her anyway." She knows that is not the case, trying to hide a smile she kept her eyes straight on the road.
Chuck falls silent, and for a moment he spaces out. Sarah takes the freeway and an exit and he doesn't notice. He should've known better than to make fun of her and her Lotus, he thinks. When she realizes it takes him too long to give a reply, she finally laughs to herself.
"Relax, Chuck. I'm kidding." She says, and then flashes him a toothy smile. This gives him a smile of his own, then finally noticing they weren't on the right way back to town.
"Sarah, where are you taking us?" He asks, a little alarmed, suddenly mindful of his surroundings.
She shrugs, not taking her eyes off of the road. "You said you wanted to drive around? I'm sure there'll be some place up where we can get food." Even she is surprised by her actions. Since when did she start having spur of the moment ideas?
Noticing how empty the road is, he kind of doubts her idea. Of course, all freeways tend to be like that - nothing but sand and grass.
"Which exit did you take again?" He asks, kind if realizing where the freeway leads to. She gives him another shrug.
"Picked a random exit, but according to the GPS, this leads to-" But Chuck has already beaten her to it.
"Barstow." The look on his face is that of surprise. At the mention of the word, she pulls them over.
Flashes of what was started hitting her like a tidal wave. She was bombarded with memories - so vivid, she feels like her whole body will just instantaneously combust.
The first one is of her and Chuck, in a sleazy motel room. It wasn't how she pictured it when Chuck told her the story. Then it comes again, she's still half asleep when she felt him graze the back of her neck. Their hands were touching, his on top of hers.
Her heart rate seems to recall its beat during the memory. She tries to calm herself, but another wave comes.
He kisses her, fervently, passionately, until he's on top of her. She can see him trying to hold himself back, as if asking her if they should stop, but she initiates another kiss, and they were both...gone.
That's when she finally hears Chuck's voice. It is of worry, and panic altogether. "Sarah? Honey? What's happening? Are you alright?" She doesn't realize how long she spaced out, but Chuck had already unbuckled his seatbelt, gotten out of the car, and then to her side.
"Sarah! Can you hear me? What's happening?" His hand feels clammy on her cheek. She blinks once, twice, three times until she manages to give him a nod. He helps her out of the car. The sun is high, but the January is enough to make them feel cold.
She paces around, while he's left to just stare at her. She feels nauseous from the memory, and her heart hasn't slowed down. It's hard for her to breathe. Along with the memories came back strong, intense feelings. Suddenly, it all feels real to her - the love, and the life she used to have. She paces back towards him. Any moment now, she feels like she'll just vaporize in mid-air.
"What happened? Did you remember something?" Chuck asks as he approached her, running his hands on her arms - as if trying to calm her.
She takes a deep breath, like a last attempt to dismiss everything that she feels. And that's when she fails. The next thing she knows is that she's pulled him towards her, and their lips crash.
It takes him by surprise, and he really isn't sure if he should be doing this - kissing her - but he gives in anyway, because with the kiss, he remembers how exactly he felt back in Barstow.
The feeling of kissing his wife is an overwhelming feeling altogether. But he feels like Sarah is putting all years worth of pent up emotions on this one kiss, much like the way he's putting all his love for her in it.
His knees feel like they're going to betray him. As if knowing what he's thinking, she moves them a little backward so that she is supported by her car. It ends when one of them pulls back for air. Both weren't sure who it was. He's so dumbfounded that he doesn't even manage to ask her what it was that just happened before she spoke.
"I remember..." Her breathing is still ragged from the kiss they have shared. "Barstow...I remember, Chuck." He doesn't know how to react. Everything is happening too fast - what with her kissing him, then remembering. But mostly, he's just happy, his heart constricts - the good kind - and everything just feels so light, better, brighter.
Tears brim on his eyes out of joy. He sees a lone tear escaping her eye, and goes to wipe it away. "That's great baby, that's really, really great." He can't control the smile on his face that seems to be getting brighter each second that passed.
He hugs her and breathes in her scent, kisses her hair, and goes to hug her some more - tighter. "We're going to be okay, Sarah." He adds, as if assuring her that it is just the beginning of good things to come.
With his touch and his words, her heart calms. For the first time in weeks, she believes - really believes - that things will eventually fall back into place. She smiles a content smile as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know." She says, but only she can hear.
"This calls for a celebration, Sarah!" He exclaims, excitement evident in his voice. She can't help but smile. "So what do you say? Let's head back to Burbank and celebrate!"
As much as she liked the idea, she finds herself shaking her head no. Chuck is a little deflated with her answer. "I want to go to Barstow, Chuck." He is quite taken aback by her words. The motel is nowhere near luxurious, or glamorous, and if they weren't on the run then, there is no way he'd settle for that room, especially when it's her he's with.
"Are you sure?" He asks her, only wanting to know if it's what she really wants.
She closes her eyes for a second, and nods. "Yes, Chuck. I'm sure."
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-A.