AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please note that I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this chapter or in previous chapters.

Chapter 4: Reflections

Chuck Bartowski was trying his hardest to get some rest.

After he had gotten home from the hospital, he had decided to try and relax by watching a movie. So he changed into a t-shirt and Star Wars pajama pants and popped his Tron dvd into the player. He got about halfway through the movie before he realized that he simply wasn't able to focus. Frustrated with himself, he put away the dvd and decided to go to bed, hoping that he would be able to fall asleep.

But of course, that didn't work either. As much as he wanted to, he simply couldn't fall asleep. After all, no matter what he tried to do or think about to help him relax, only one thing came to mind.

His wife, Sarah.

Finally, instead of continuing to fight it, he simply began to replay their story in his head. First, he started thinking about how he had met Sarah. He remembered her coming into the BuyMore, under the cover of needing phone repairs. Of course, she was actually on a mission, but he hadn't known it at the time. All he had known was a hot blonde girl was actually interested in him. The great thing was, he realized now that wasn't just the moment he had fallen for Sarah. It was also the moment that she had fallen for him too.

As Chuck continued this story in his mind, he got out of bed, turned on the lights, and started to pace around the room. He remembered their first date, and how he had found out shortly afterwards that he was a government asset who would be protected by his handlers, Sarah Walker and John Casey. Shortly after that was when he began cover-dating Sarah.

Chuck continued to pace his room as other memories came back to him. He thought about all of the crazy missions they had been on, and how he had actually managed to survive those missions despite his lack of training as a spy. He also remembered all of the times where he was almost certain that he and Sarah would never be together; when Bryce had come back, when Shaw was a part of the team, and all the times he had told himself that their relationship was simply a cover, and that a spy like her would never truly love a run-of-the-mill geek like him. Eventually, however, Chuck and Sarah figured out their feelings for each other. Chuck smiled at that memory, because he understood how that realization had changed everything for him and Sarah. He then continued to think about the twists and turns of their relationship, right up until his proposal to her at the hospital, her close call with dying, and finally, their wedding, where they had pledged forever to each other.

Chuck thought deeply about his situation with Sarah. Thinking about these past memories with Sarah had encouraged him. After all, he knew his story with Sarah like the back of his own hand. He knew that no matter what, he would always love her.

But there was another thought, a frightening one that knocked him to the core. Sarah had lost her memories. He could go back and remember all of their history to reassure himself, but she couldn't. He knew that she had remembered her love for him, but so far hardly any other memories had returned. And what happened if she never remembered? Chuck knew he could handle that, but what if she couldn't? What would happen if her memories never came back, and she gave up on their relationship? That would be something that Chuck couldn't deal with.

However, before he had time to carry the thought any further, he heard his window open. Startled, he turned around to see his best friend Morgan climbing in the window.

"Hi Chuck." as he pulled himself through the window and closed it.

"Hey Buddy…" Chuck replied, wondering why on earth Morgan was climbing through his window in the middle of the night. "What are you doing?"

"What, climbing in the window you mean? Oh, well, I saw you had the light on. I figured that maybe you needed someone to keep you company. I was hoping that the Morgan door would be open."

"Thanks, man." Chuck responded with a small smile. "Yeah…I was just thinking about Sarah. So much has happened, and I just can't wrap my mind around it."

"I know, right?" Morgan told him somberly. "I can't believe it either…I mean, she can't have lost all her memories. Anyway, I'm not 'Mr. Excellent-with-the-ladies', so I can't really give you advice on how to handle the situation. But hey, I bet some good Jedi light saber action might distract you a bit…you want to watch Star Wars?"

"Sounds good to me." Chuck answered quickly. "Anything to get my mind off Sarah's memory loss."

Chuck and Morgan then left the bedroom. Chuck popped a bag of popcorn, Morgan got The Empire Strikes Back set up, and they started to movie. However, about half way through the movie, Morgan started talking.

"Hey Chuck. Remember how I said earlier that I'm not 'Mr. Excellent-with-the-ladies'? To be honest, Chuck, that's your title. Ok, maybe not with all the ladies, but you certainly won over the one that mattered in the end, didn't you? And I wish I had that confidence that you do, but to be honest, I don't. I mean, I love Alex so much, but I'm so afraid I'm going to lose her. It's happened before, and I'm so afraid that it could happen again. Don't get me wrong, Alex and I are great right now, but I'm just afraid our relationship isn't strong enough. But you obviously don't have that problem…I mean, look at you and Sarah! She's lost every single memory of you, and she is still in love with you. That's the kind of love I want to build with Alex. I want to know that no matter what, Alex and I will stick together. And Chuck, I know this is going to sound totally crazy, but I have an idea. I want to ask Alex to marry me. What do you think?"

Morgan paused for a moment, but Chuck remained silent, so he kept talking.

"I mean, the idea isn't totally crazy, right? I love being with her, and I want to be sure that we have this forever. But am I rushing in too soon? I mean, you and Sarah knew each other for years before you tied the knot. And plus, there is the issue of asking Casey for his permission for his daughter's hand in marriage. I mean, it might take me years just to build up the courage to ask him. And asking her is another problem. I mean, what if she says no? What if she thinks I'm crazy, or that we're rushing it? Don't get me wrong Chuck, I'm happy living with her. I just want to make the relationship more permanent. Should I ask her to marry me?"

He then turned around to look at Chuck and hear his opinion. Unfortunately, Chuck had fallen asleep.

"That's ok, buddy." Morgan said softly. "You were a great listener. And I know what I have to do now."

Morgan then moved to the other couch, where he curled up and started to fall asleep. Yes, the night had allowed Chuck to process all that he was going through, but Morgan had needed to process some things as well. And by talking it out, Morgan finally realized what he had to do.

He had to ask the girl he loved to marry him. And he had to ask her dad for permission.

AUTHORS NOTE: Thank you all for being patient in waiting for this next part of the story. School started a week ago, and I have been really busy! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you keep reading. Have a happy Labor Day!