A/N - Here is the next installment. Thank you to all who have reviewed and favorited and followed the story. The song lyrics below are from a song sung by Adele in her album 21 . I know that the album was published in early 2011 and this part of the story is taking place in 2010, but I liked the song. So, since this story is pretend, please pretend that Sarah somehow knew the lyrics and melody. Maybe she downloaded the intersect. lol Just kidding. ;) To give credit where credit is due, the song is titled "Love Song" and was written by Robert James Smith, Simon Gallup, Roger O'Donnell, Porl Thompson, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst and Boris Williams. Published by Lyrics (c) Universal Music Publishing Group. Also, I goofed. When I shortened the previous chapter I forgot to move the second A/N about the pronunciation and location of La Jolla. So you don't have to look back, it is a beautiful beach town just north of San Diego, California and is pronounced La Hoya. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.

Chapter 11

Sarah picked up Chuck in the limo and they went to get her parents. They all piled into the limo and decided to go to the Oru Cuisine restaurant by the water for some local cuisine. Jack and Emma were eager to see how their daughter's relationship with Chuck was progressing and they were amazed at how far they had come in such a short time.

Once inside, they settled in at a table by the window and ordered some drinks and looked over the menus.

Jack said "Still staying away from alcohol I see, Chuck."

"Yeah, I have a big game tomorrow night against Slovakia and I think it's better if I wait. Although I did have some champagne with Sarah a few nights ago."

Sarah got lost in her thoughts for a moment as she remembered what they did with the whipped cream after the champagne.

Emma said "Sarah honey, are you OK?"

Sarah blushed a little and said "I'm fine, mom. I was just reliving a very pleasant memory."

She looked over at Chuck and winked. He blushed and squeezed her hand that he was holding under the table.

Jack and Emma looked at each other after they witnessed the exchange. Jack whispered in Emma's ear "I wonder what that was all about."

Emma raised an eyebrow and said "Somehow I don't think we really want to know."

Jack smirked and simply nodded. He really didn't want to know.

The drinks were delivered and the waiter took their food orders.

Emma asked, "So have you decided on the Worlds yet Sarah?"

"Yeah. We had dinner with Bryce last night and we both decided that we weren't quite ready to retire. So we decided to go for it. One last hurrah for Walker and Larkin."

Jack smiled and said "Well, looking at you two, if you weren't planning on retiring, next year you would be skating as Bartowski and Larkin."

Sarah grinned and said "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Chuck smiled and said "Yes it does. But the way we skated together yesterday when you were showing me how to do some jumps and lifts and stuff, I think Bartowski and Bartowski sounds a lot more like it." He gave her the Bartwoski eyebrow dance.

"I can see the headline now. Star ice hockey player becomes pairs figure skater and wins the gold medal. Sounds like it would make a cool movie."

"You forgot the most important part sweetheart."

Sarah raised an eyebrow and asked "What's that honey?

"He wins the gold medal with his kick ass, super gorgeous, and incredibly wonderful wife."

Sarah beamed and leaned in and gave Chuck a big smack on the lips. "You're right sweetie, that sounds a whole lot better." Chuck leaned in and returned the kiss.

Jack cleared his throat. "Did something happen that you forgot to tell us?"

"No, no, no." Chuck stammered. I haven't asked Sarah to marry me, yet. But I will and I will ask for your permission first."

"Why don't you just ask for permission right now?"

Chuck, stunned, looked over at Sarah and she nodded.

"Well, I always thought that I would do this without my hopefully future bride being present, probably because I was afraid of what might happen if her parents said no. But my wonderful time with Sarah has been anything but what I expected or imagined. It has been far beyond what I could have ever hoped for or dreamed about, so why should I stick to my preconceptions? So, here goes."

He grabbed Sarah's hand under the table for support and she held on tight.

"Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Jack, Emma, I love your daughter with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life making her the happiest woman on the face of the earth. She has made me the happiest man on the face of the earth and I can't imagine my life without her. I know we have known each other for a fairly short period of time, but I know that Sarah is the woman I have been waiting for my entire life and I can hardly believe she loves me back. I promise that I will do everything in my power to give her every ounce of love I have and will treat her with the respect and honor she deserves. So, will you please give me the honor and grant me permission to marry your daughter, Sarah Lisa Walker?

While this was going on tears of joy were streaming down Sarah's and Emma's faces and it was even getting Jack a little choked up.

"Wow Charlie, that was some speech. From the looks of my wife and daughter, I couldn't possibly say no. But I want you to know that we would be proud to have you as our son-in-law and I know you will take good care of my little girl. So yes, you have Emma's and my permission and we wish you all the best and all the happiness in the world."

Chuck smiled a smile so big that it actually hurt. He stood up and came over and hugged Emma and she hugged him back. Sarah had also gotten up and hugged her father and then her mother after Chuck finished. Chuck then shook Jack's hand and patted him on the shoulder.

They sat back down after Chuck and Sarah shared a big hug and kiss and the waiter came and served their food. While they started eating Emma looked at Chuck and asked "When are you going to make this official?"

Chuck looked over at Sarah and said "I want it to be really special for her and I'm working on some ideas. So Jack, how did you propose to Emma?" He took a bite of his fresh salmon.

Jack waited until he finished chewing his bite of Caesar salad. "Oh, I don't know, Charlie."

Go ahead and tell him, Jack," said Emma. "It wasn't like the restaurant caught on fire and we barely escaped with minor burns."

"Well Charlie, I had made big plans, like it sounds like you are doing. It seemed like every time I had everything set up for a perfect proposal, something would go wrong. Finally, we were just walking along the beach in La Jolla and there was a beautiful sunset and everything felt right. It wasn't planned, but I had just what I needed. Because when you get right down to it Charlie, all you need is the girl."

Emma swallowed a bite of her shrimp scampi and added "It was really sweet and just perfect. He got down on one knee on the beach, pulled out a ring, took my hand in his and popped the question. Of course I said yes."

Sarah asked "Were you surprised mom?" She took a bite of her scallops.

"Maybe the timing of it, but no, we had been talking about getting married for a few months before he finally asked me."

"What took you so long, dad?"

"Like I just said, I had plans that went wrong. I was planning on asking her when we were at the top of a Ferris Wheel at the county fair and it broke before we even got on. That was just one of the times."

"You never told me that story before, Jack. I remember that day. So THAT'S why you were so angry that the Ferris Wheel broke."

Emma turned to Sarah and said "Your normally mild mannered father started swearing under his breath and kept bugging the operator about getting it working. Normally he could care less about that ride."

That got a chuckle out of Chuck and Sarah.

Sarah turned to Chuck and said "Promise me that you won't wait for some elaborate plan to come to fruition. Dad's right, all you need is the girl and you got me. You already know I'm going to say yes."

Chuck said "I promise Sarah, but I still want it to be really special."

They finished their meals and ordered dessert. Sarah and Jack got Rocky Road ice cream, Emma a slice of cherry pie and Chuck apple pie a la mode.

After gathering their coats, the four of them took a walk along the waterfront and looked at the boats. Much to their surprise they ran into Morgan and Alex.

Sarah noticed something hanging around her neck. "You won a medal Alex? Congratulations!" She gave Alex a hug. "Can we see?"

Alex pulled out a shiny silver medal, just like Morgan had won.

"That's great Alex," said Chuck. "Congratulations. How did your race go?"

Morgan chimed in. "It was similar to mine, actually, except she got a better start. She was in second most of the way until she got passed right before the last jump and fell to third. The leader lost control going into the takeoff of the jump and wiped out on the landing and ended up fourth. Alex came really close to winning a gold medal."

Chuck and Sarah realized that they hadn't introduced Alex to her parents.

Sarah said "Alex, I'd like to introduce you to my parents Jack and Emma Walker. Mom and dad, this is Alex."

Alex stepped forward "Pleased to meet you. My surname is McHugh. Sarah didn't know."

Emma and Jack shook her hand and said "Congratulations and pleased to meet you too."

"Where are you two headed, Alex?" asked Chuck.

"Since Patel's closed, we decided to check out a sports bar around the corner. It's called Castle."

"That's an unusual name for a sports bar," said Chuck.

"Yeah," said Morgan. "I hear it used to be a secret spy base for the CSIS. It's the Canadian version of the CIA."

"Interesting. Do you need to dress up like James Bond or something to get in?"

"No. We'll get in no problem because of our dates. Besides we're Olympians. Why don't you join us? You too, Jack and Emma."

Sarah looked at her parents. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Jack looked at Emma and said, "Why not. Let's see how the younger generation lives. Besides, this place sounds interesting."

The six of them headed over to Castle and saw a rather large bouncer at the door. Morgan walked up to go in.

The man asked "How many are in your group?"

"Six," Morgan replied and indicated with his arm to his companions.

"Wait here. I'll see if we have room."

Alex and Sarah came up and stood next to Morgan while they waited. The bouncer came back. He did a double take when he saw the two women. "Wait, didn't I see you on TV," he asked, looking at Sarah.

"Maybe. Did you watch the pairs figure skating?

"It is you. You're Sarah Walker and you won the gold medal."

"Guilty as charged. This is Alex McHugh and she just won a silver medal in snowboardcross like her friend Morgan right here."

"This is cool, three Olympians. You better be careful. A lot of guys are going to try to hit on you in there."

"Somehow I don't think that'll be a problem."

"Why's that?"

"Because there are actually four Olympians here. I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Chuck Bartowski. He plays on the US Ice Hockey team."

Chuck stepped forward and shook the man's hand.

He recognized Chuck's name as he was a big hockey fan. "Pleased to meet you. That was a great goal you scored last game."

"Thanks."

"Can we go in?"

"Sure. Go ahead. Since you're Olympians you and your party don't need to pay the cover charge."

"Thanks."

They walked in the large room and the first thing they noticed were all the flat screen TVs. There must have been a hundred of them.

A long bar was situated to the left with at least twenty bar stools and a wide variety of alcoholic beverages hung upside down behind it. TV monitors were at each end of the bar play Olympics coverage. To the right were about fifty square wooden tables with wooden chairs that could be pushed together if needed for a large group. In the back, to the right of the bar, was a metal door that they would later find out goes downstairs to the basement where the former CSIS base operated. The floor was bare cement causing the room to be very loud.

A hostess, dressed in tight black bike shorts and a Vancouver Canucks jersey came up to them.

"Good evening. Party of six?"

Morgan nodded.

"Would you like to be seated on this level or down in the spy base?"

Morgan looked at the others with a raised eyebrow. "Spy base sound good to you?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Spy base it is," said the hostess. "Please follow me."

They followed her to the metal door which when opened led to a metal staircase. The sound coming from below was almost deafening. As they descended the stairs, the saw the source of the sound. It was coming from a small stage to the left where a four piece band was playing and in front of the stage were dozens of young men and women standing and waving their arms, singing along.

The hostess shouted "Do you want to sit near the music or in one of the detention rooms. It's a lot quieter in one of the detention rooms. You can always come out here when you want to."

They decided to try one of the detention rooms and when they got there, the hostess opened the door and let them in. Inside was a 40 inch flat screen TV on the far wall and a rectangular metal table with eight metal chairs. The chairs had black vinyl cushions and back rests.

"Your waitress will be here in a minute to take your orders. You can change the channel on the TV if you like."

After they all sat down, the hostess passed out menus and left the room. After she closed the door, which was clear glass, they could actually hear themselves think again.

"It sure is loud out there," said Alex. "It's nice to have a little quiet in here."

Morgan said "Yeah, but we can head out there when we want to boogie."

"Boogie, Morgan?" asked Chuck. "I thought you weren't in junior high anymore."

That got a laugh from the others. "Drinks are on me," said Chuck, "Although I'm only drinking coke."

Jack said "You sure, Chuck?"

"I got a gift from a "friend" (he made the quote sign in the air with his hands) a few days ago that will take care of the bill. He was very generous." Chuck winked at Sarah and she smiled, knowing that the money came from the CIA.

The waitress walked in. "Hi, my name is Tammy. I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you?"

Morgan ordered six Tequila shots, Chuck a coke, Emma a glass of white wine and Jack a beer. Alex and Sarah decided to try the shots. They also asked for a glass of water, each. Chuck handed the waitress two crisp $100 bills and told her to let him know if she needed more money later.

Tammy smiled broadly. "Thank you sir. Will do." She hurried out to get their orders smiling, knowing that she would have a good night with tips.

Sarah asked, "Do you think they did any enhanced interrogations in here?"

Morgan said "Probably. I bet if we had one of those fancy crime scene detectors we would find traces of blood somewhere."

"Ewwwww," said Alex. "Do you have to be so morbid?"

"Hey, don't blame me. Sarah brought it up."

"Yeah, but she didn't talk about blood."

"Are you squeamish about blood Alex?" asked Morgan.

Alex nodded.

Emma spoke up. "You should have seen Sarah's reaction when Chuck was cut over the eye last game. She freaked out."

Sarah glared at her mother. "It wasn't because of the blood, mom. It was because Chuck got hurt."

Jack added "My little girl never liked seeing blood when she was young. She demanded a band aid every time she got a cut, even if it wasn't bleeding."

"Dad," Sarah protested. "That was a long time ago."

"Yes, sweetheart, but you'll always be my little girl."

Sarah smiled and blew her dad a kiss.

Chuck picked up the remote and switched to the hockey game between Russia and Sweden. Sarah noticed a mountain of a man playing defense for Russia. "Who is that man, Chuck? He's huge."

"That's Yuri Gabrienko, aka Yuri the Gobbler. Rumor has it that he bit off the finger of teammate for taking his hockey stick without permission."

"Are you going to have to face him, Chuck?" Sarah looked worried.

"Most likely. You know what they say? The bigger they are the harder they fall."

Tammy came back with their drinks and passed them out. When she got to Chuck she said "Are you the designated driver?"

Chuck laughed. "No, I just have a game tomorrow against Slovakia."

"You're an Olympian?"

"The four of us are. Alex and Morgan here are silver medalists in the snowboardcross and my beautiful girlfriend Sarah here won the gold medal in pairs figure skating."

Tammy squealed. "Oh my, really? My little brother, he's 16, has the biggest crush on you Sarah. Can I take a picture with you?"

"Certainly," said Sarah. Tammy took out her cell phone and took a selfie with Sarah, then with Chuck, then Morgan and finally Alex. Emma then used Tammy's phone to take a picture of all five of them together. Then they took two menus and all signed their autographs for Tammy and her brother. Finally Sarah asked, "What's your brother's name?"

"Jacob"

Emma pulled a picture of Sarah and Bryce from her purse that she gave out to fans of her daughter when they found out she was Sarah's mom. She handed the picture to Sarah.

Sarah took her pen and signed the picture.

To Jacob,

Go for the gold!

Love and best wishes,

Sarah Walker

After she handed the picture to Tammy, she thanked them profusely and went to get them another round.

After Tammy left, Chuck, who saw what Sarah wrote, leaned over and whispered in Sarah's ear. "Should I be jealous of a sixteen year old?"

Sarah smirked "Of course not. But you have to admit it's nice to have some secret admirers."

Chuck laughed. "You just made his year, Sarah. He's going to be having dreams about you, you know."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I can't control someone's dreams, but I can give you, my love, the real thing. Me." She leaned in and captured Chuck's lips with hers and kissed him hard, making Chuck see stars afterward.

"Wow, Sarah. Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

She giggled and said "Just making sure you know the real thing is far better that your dreams."

Chuck kissed her back, just as hard. While Sarah was catching her breath he leaned in and said "Trust me, I know. You have far, far away exceeded what I have ever dreamed of. I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Chuck. I can hardly wait to be your wife."

Tammy brought in two more rounds and Alex, Morgan and Sarah all laid out their shots in front of them with the lime and salt. Together, they took the salt, drank back the tequila and sucked on a lime and slammed the glass down. Twice more in succession they repeated the act. Since Sarah hadn't had much alcohol recently, she started to feel woozy. She gave her parents each a shot and they decided it would be fun, so they joined in. Alex and Morgan downed another shot each were feeling no pain.

Just then, Tammy walked back in and they heard the music had started back up. Sarah and Alex stood up and grabbed their partner's hand and said "Let's dance," and headed to the dance floor. Emma and Jack decided to follow them out and watch. As they headed out, Morgan said "Two more rounds of shots please Tammy." She nodded and after cleaning up the table some, headed back to get their drinks.

Sarah stood in front of Chuck, with her back to his chest. She grabbed his hands and raised them over her head as they swayed to the music. She pressed her perfect behind into his front and he pushed back, not wanting to break contact. They stayed like this until the song was over and when a new song started, Sarah turned to face Chuck and put her arms around his neck and Chuck put his hands on her waist, their bodies pressed together, swaying to the music. Looking deep into each other's eyes, they leaned in and shared a delicate but passionate kiss.

Jack and Emma watched them from the back. Jack said "Sarah chose a good one. Finally."

Emma smiled and nodded. "She sure did. She's had a lot to drink. Will she be OK?"

"It's out of our hands now Emma. She belongs to Chuck now. He'll take good care of her. Don't worry."

Emma looked over at them and smiled. "He sure will, Jack. He sure will."

After the song was over, they went up to tell them they we're going back to their hotel. Chuck offered the use of the limo to take them back, but Jack declined. "Thank you anyway, Chuck. We'll grab a cab after we take a little walk. I need some fresh air." They hugged goodbye and headed out.

Alex and Morgan were dancing up a storm and enjoying the music. Chuck and Sarah worked their way over to them. Chuck shouted "Having fun you two?" Alex slurred "Yup. How about you?"

Sarah slurred back "This is great. Too bad they don't have a karaoke machine."

"You feel like signing, Sarah?" Chuck asked.

"Sure do, sweetie. You make my heart sing."

Just then, the band finished and said, "We're taking a break now, but do you know what that means?"

The regular customers all shouted "It's karaoke time!"

"Come back in twenty minutes, and everything will be set up."

Chuck, Sarah, Morgan and Alex all headed back to their table. Tammy was waiting by the door and said "Just holding the room for you. It's starting to get a little rowdy."

Chuck said "Thanks Tammy. How are we doing for money?" You're doing fine. You've got several rounds left on your tab."

Chuck handed her another $100 bill. "Please bring us two more rounds and two bottles of mineral water. We'll probably do some karaoke and leave after that."

"You've still got enough to pay for those drinks and then some from what you paid me so far."

"Thank you for taking such good care of us Tammy. You've earned it."

Tammy thanked Chuck again and he looked over at the love of his life playing quarters with Morgan and Alex. Tammy came back with the rest of their drinks and took away the empties. After downing the rest of their drinks, the group headed out to sing.

After hearing a several other "singers" try their hand, Morgan got up and did a passable version of Stairway to Heaven followed by Alex singing Firework by Katy Perry.

On the last call for songs, Sarah went to the front. Even though she was well "lubricated" she was surprisingly articulate. "I would like to sing a song for my boyfriend, Chuck. He's standing right back there." She pointed and he sort of waved to the crowd. She started in, surprisingly on key.

"Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am home again

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am whole again

Chuck stood there rooted to the ground, absorbed in the words.

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am young again

Whenever I'm alone with you

You make me feel like I am fun again

Oh Sarah, Chuck thought, I feel the same about you.

However far away, I will always love you

However long I stay, I will always love you

Whatever words I say, I will always love you

I will always love you

Chuck was fighting back the tears in his eyes as he watched his beautiful girlfriend sing to him. She looked right at him and tears started falling from her eyes. She dropped the microphone and ran to him and jumped in his arms and they kissed long and hard, pouring their souls into the kiss.

The crowd was momentarily stunned by the beauty of the song and what it meant. Then the crowd started to cheer and hoot catcalls at the young lovers who were oblivious to what was going on around them. After a very long minute, they broke for air and realizing finally where they were, looked sheepishly around the room while their arms were wrapped tightly around each other.

The man in charge of the karaoke machine, spoke up over the microphone. "That was great. Come up here you two."

The crowd pushed Chuck and Sarah to the front.

"My name is Mark," as he stuck out his hand to shake Sarah's and Chuck's hands. "What's your's?"

"I'm Sarah…. and this is my boyfriend, Chuck."

"Well Chuck, what did you think of the song?"

Chuck smiled and said "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard." Turning to Sarah he said "Thank you sweetheart. That was too beautiful for words to describe." He put his arms around her and pulled her close and gave her a toe curling, passionate kiss.

When he broke the kiss, Sarah looked dazed, far out in space. Mark asked "Sarah?" "Sarah?"

The crowd chuckled and it shook her from her reverie. "I I'm sorry, what did you say"

The crowd laughed at what she said and Sarah blushed. Chuck put a protective arm around her and held her close.

Mark asked "What brings you to Vancouver?"

Chuck answered. "The Olympics, of course."

Mark chuckled. "You're Americans?"

"Yes. I'm originally from Los Angeles and Sarah's from San Diego."

"What's been your favorite event so far?"

"That's easy," Chuck replied. "The pairs figure skating."

Sarah said "I like the Team USA ice hockey games the best."

Mark said "That's interesting. I would have thought it would be the other way around."

Chuck laughed. "I suppose you would. But it would make more sense to you if knew a few more facts."

"Like what."

"Like my beautiful girlfriend here is none other than Sarah Walker, the Olympic gold medalist in pairs figure skating and I love to watch her skate."

Sarah chimed in "And Chuck is a Center for the US Ice hockey team and I love to watch him play. Although I don't like when he needs seven stitches for a cut over his eye like last game."

Morgan stepped forward "And Chuck's been my best friend since we were in first grade."

That got a chuckle from the crowd.

Mark asked "Are you an Olympian, too?"

Alex stepped forward and said "We both are. We won silver medals in snowboardcross." She held out her medal so everyone could see.

Mark said, "Wow, what a treat. Four Olympians in our midst. Let's give them a round of applause."

Everyone cheered and clapped.

"That's all for now," said Mark. "The band will be back up shortly."

Chuck looked at Sarah and noticed she was looking very sleepy. Looking at Morgan and Alex he said, "It's getting late and I'm going to take Sarah home. Do you want a ride back with us?

Morgan and Alex looked at each other and shook their heads. "We're going to stay longer. We don't have any events like you."

"OK then. There's still some money left on the tab, so drink up. Just tell Tammy."

"Thanks, Chuck."

Sarah and Chuck headed back to the penthouse.

A/N 2 - We are getting close to the end of this arc. Really. I didn't realize I could be so verbose. lol Next chapter will feature the quarter finals and semi-finals of the hockey tournament.