Chuck wasn't quite awake yet. He'd slept like the dead. Even opening his eyes didn't help him feel more alert. Slowly, he became aware of his body and its position in the bed. It was only then that he noticed there was someone curled up against his chest. He froze.

It took him an embarrassingly long time to remember that he'd fallen asleep last night in the same bed as Sarah who was his fiancée, even if he didn't remember proposing to her. He did, however, remember that they'd fallen asleep almost two feet apart.

Slowly, so as not to wake her, Chuck moved away. He'd slept well, and Sarah's presence was pleasant, but he needed coffee. Once he'd snuck out of the bed, Chuck left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Once he had the coffee started, Chuck decided to sit on the couch, and almost sat on his phone. He'd been so tired last night he hadn't realized he'd left it behind. The battery life wasn't great, but he'd find time to charge it later. Right now, he had a text from Morgan.

'How are you doing, buddy?' Morgan asked. 'Still having trouble remembering your smoking hot fiancée?'

Chuck couldn't help smiling at the message. It was a very Morgan thing to say. He took a few moments to answer.

'Yes, Morgan. My memory loss hasn't magically fixed itself since last I saw you, but I am at least out of my mom's place. How did your night go?'

He didn't expect a reply right away. It was quite possible that Morgan hadn't even gotten out of bed yet. Chuck put the phone in his pocket and went back to check on the coffee.

A few minutes later, he was sitting at the table drinking his second cup of coffee with his eyes fixed on his phone. Now that he was a bit calmer about the lack of Jill in his phone, Chuck found it easier to learn about his life from the small black rectangle.

Without even realizing it, Chuck found himself looking at pictures of Sarah. She was so beautiful and, as he'd learned last night, very good at first person shooter games. What more could a nerd like him ask for in a fiancée?

"I know that girl," Sarah's voice made him look up.

"Umm, yeah. Just going through my phone to see what I missed before. Got a lot of time to catch up on, but you knew that already so, yeah."

"It is rather inconvenient not to be able to shut down your rambling in my usual way," Sarah added casually with a little bit of a flirty smile.

"What's your usual way?" Chuck asked, curious despite himself.

Sarah was facing the coffee maker, with her back to him when she answered. "Kissing you works almost every time, but if all else fails, I take off my shirt."

Chuck swallowed. From the first moment he'd taken the time to really see Sarah, he'd been attracted to her. Hell any heretosexual man would have to be blind not to see how gorgeous she was. But even so, there was something about her this morning that was even more alluring.

Her beautiful blonde hair was a bit of a mess, but somehow it managed to look purposeful. She was wearing the same t-shirt she'd worn last night and had clearly slept in it. Unlike Chuck, who'd woken up in his shorts, she'd taken hers off and probably only had panties on underneath that baggy t-shirt. It was a very casual kind of beautiful. No make up, no fuss, just her. Chuck caught himself staring at her legs.

"Did you sleep well?" Sarah asked him as she turned around with her coffee in hand. Chuck snapped his eyes back up to her face and nodded. She giggled. "You are allowed to look, you know. Even touch, if you want."

Chuck made a noncommittal noise and drank more of his coffee.

Sarah didn't push or say anything else on the topic. Instead she just sat down at the table with him and drank her coffee.

"Were you still up for going grocery shopping this morning?" Sarah asked after a few moments.

"Yeah," Chuck agreed, then something occurred to him. "You left work yesterday early for me. It's Wednesday. Don't you have to go in today?"

"I wanted to be around when you came home," Sarah explained. "So I took a few days off. Don't worry about it. So, shopping, then?"

Chuck couldn't help but be touched the way she was prioritizing him over everything else. This woman was amazing, but despite seeing the reality of their relationship all around him, Chuck still didn't understand why she wanted to be with him. He knew he should ask, but he wasn't quite ready to hear the answer yet.

"I think groceries are a necessity," Chuck agreed. "Then we could play more of our game, if you want."

"Works for me," Sarah replied cheerily.

"We'll have to make a list which means meal planning," Chuck began. He wasn't sure exactly where to find a piece of paper and had just turned to ask Sarah, when he noticed her staring at him in a weird way. "What?"

"Oh nothing," Sarah grinned. Chuck pointed out her rather obvious grin and she relented. "It's just very you to start trying to make lists. It's nice to see something familiar, that's all."

"I suppose I can understand that," Chuck replied. "I have a very memory-loss type question."

"Shoot!"

"Where can I find a pencil and notebook?"

"In your desk," she told him.

"Right," Chuck said. "My desk would be in my office?"

"Correct," Sarah reminded him.

Chuck got up from the table and walked down past the bookshelf on his left, then down the hall and found himself face to face with the door to his office. His computer, on closer inspection, was rather amazing. He had two desks with a computer and two monitors on each side. One was clearly for gaming, as it had that glowing gamers keyboard Chuck had always wanted, but the other one looked rather professional. Chuck guessed that was his work computer.

Chuck opened the top draw of the closest desk and was rather pleased that the level of organization wasn't that bad. Clearly, pre-memory loss Chuck had learned a few things since his University days. He collected what he needed and returned to sit at the table with Sarah.

Now the only question was deciding what to make. Sarah was a great deal of help here. She was able to list off many of the recipes he'd made for her in the past. She even showed him the recipe cards they kept in the cupboard. In no time at all, Chuck had a very reasonable list.

The more time he spent in Sarah's company, the more relaxed Chuck felt. Their last day together had felt somehow like a first date, just a very strange one because his date already knew exactly what his food order was. Even so, he had to admit he was quite happy to be in her company.

As they were headed out the door, Chuck saw Sarah grab her keys and he realized he had another question.

"You said I was in a car accident," Chuck began. Sarah nodded. "Which implies that I was driving, so why didn't I have my keys with me at the hospital? Oh, and do I still have the car?"

"You were in a coma for a while," Sarah said. "The hospital called me to collect your things so they wouldn't get lost. That's why I had your phone and keys. Your car, well… that's a bit more complicated."

"It's totaled, isn't it?" Chuck groaned.

"Yeah, kinda," Sarah admitted as they walked together out of the apartment and she locked up behind them. "It was pretty banged up. Wasn't worth the cost to fix it, but we got a good pay out from the insurance."

"Well that's something, at least," Chuck sighed. He made a mental note that he didn't own a vehicle.

"Here," Sarah said as she started taking a key off her chain. "This is your key to our apartment. Sorry, I should have returned it sooner."

"It's okay," Chuck said. "It's not like I remembered to ask before now." He accepted the key she held out to him and put it in his pocket. Now he could come home by himself. It was a small thing but still it made him feel more like a normal person and less like a car accident victim.

"You've had major head trauma," Sarah told him. "You can't be blamed."

They started walking down the hall. Chuck was following Sarah's lead as he assumed she knew the best route.

"How long is this major head trauma excuse gonna get me off the hook for stuff?" Chuck asked. "Because between this and mom spending three days letting me get away with murder, I think I should know."

"Oh, I think it'll be a while yet before anyone is tough on you," Sarah answered. Then, she added thoughtfully, "Maybe with the exception of Morgan. If you broke his big chewbek action figure thing, I feel sure he wouldn't sugar coat his feelings about it."

"Chewbacca," Chuck corrected. "It's a Chewbacca action figure."

"Isn't that what I said?"

Chuck smiled at her. "You are many things, Sarah, but a Star Wars geek isn't one of them, huh?"

"Sorry," Sarah mumbled.

"Don't be sorry," Chuck replied. He didn't know how to tell her why this bothered him. It was almost like he couldn't understand how he'd managed to get such a gorgeous non-geeky girl to love him. Even if he and Jill had fallen apart, at least Chuck had always felt like he understood what had attracted her to him. Jill had liked board games and geeky movies like Star Wars long before Chuck had met her. Okay, yes, she liked the newer stuff more than the originals, but still it had been something they could talk about.

What had he and Sarah talked about while they'd been dating? She'd said he'd gotten her into first person shooter games so they hadn't talked about that at the start. And then Chuck realized he'd forgotten to ask one rather specific question.

"When did we meet?" Chuck asked as they got into her car.

"About four years ago," Sarah said. "But then we didn't see each other for another few months."

"Because I didn't call, right?"

"Yep," Sarah told him. "We saw each other at another work event later the same year."

Just then they reached the parking area, Chuck didn't realize he was expecting his mother's old SUV, until he saw Sarah open the driver's side door of a small silver car.

"We both had cars?" Chuck asked. Sarah just nodded. "Then why did you pick me up in mom's car?"

"I thought it might be easier for you to go home in a car you recognized," Sarah explained. "My car is pretty new, at least to us."

Chuck didn't know what to say. It was such a thoughtful thing to do. He knew from everything he'd been told and everything he'd seen that Sarah cared about him. But this was the first time he felt it. This was something she'd done for the version of himself that he could remember, something thoughtful and unnecessary but so kind.

"Thank you," he said. "It was."

"I'm glad." She was smiling as she moved to get into the driver's side. Chuck walked around the car and got in beside her.

"And on the topic of mom," Chuck asked as Sarah turned the key in the ignition. "Do I want to know how she lost her key privileges?"

To his surprise, Sarah giggled a little and blushed. "Let's just say she walked in on a rather naked situation."

Chuck groaned. No wonder they'd taken her key away!

While Sarah drove them to the store, Chuck sat and thought about all the new information he'd just gotten. He was starting to be able to piece together his life but there were still huge empty spots. The biggest of which was the time between taking Sarah to dinner and asking her to marry him.

"How did our second date go?" Chuck asked, as Sarah was parking at the grocery store.

"It was lovely," Sarah said. "You took me on a moonlit drive and we had a picnic under some trees."

"Wow," Chuck said.

"That was my reaction," Sarah replied before getting out of the car. Chuck's long gangly leg got stuck in the seat so by the time he got out of the car, Sarah was already standing there watching him.

Usually this kind of situation would be embarrassing but there was something in Sarah's expression that made Chuck less concerned than he felt like he'd usually be.

Together they walked in the store and Sarah picked up a basket. She led the way down the aisle as Chuck consulted the list. They made a rather good team, Chuck thought, as they finished their list in record time.

When they reached the till, Chuck learned that they had a joint bank account which Sarah used to pay for the food.

"Sorry I didn't tell you before," Sarah said as they headed back to the car. "I just didn't want to freak you out. It's not a big deal, really."

"A smidge of a big deal if you ask me," Chuck replied. "So who's paychecks go into what account then?"

"Both our paychecks go into our own private accounts," Sarah explained. "Then we both transferred the same percentage of that pay into the joint one for rent, groceries and other joint expenses."

Chuck had to admit it was a rather practical set up and he admitted as much to her. Sarah only smiled at him and said it had been his idea.

When they got home, they unloaded the groceries and Chuck made them a late breakfast. They had both only had coffee so far today and were quite hungry. He'd found a panini press in a lower cabinet in the kitchen while meal planning and had therefore decided to make grilled breakfast wraps. Sarah helped by beating the eggs and chopping the green onion. She was quite skilled with a knife.

He really did enjoy Sarah's company. She liked video games, was drop dead gorgeous and totally in love with him. It was kinda like a nerd's dream come true and yet he was still holding back. Chuck wanted to feel the emotion he knew he'd once had for her. Rationally, knowing it just wasn't the same as feeling it. He wanted to be fair to her. He just didn't know how to get those feelings back. Learning about the past might help but it was no guarantee. Chuck needed to understand whatever spark had ignited this relationship in the first place.

While the scrambled eggs were cooking, Chuck put together the rest of the wrap and heated the press.

"They smell good," Sarah told him as the first finished wrap came off the press.

"Ladies first," Chuck said, handing her the plate. Sarah accepted and Chuck turned back to the press to put his own on the grill.

"They taste good too," Sarah commented.

Once they'd finished eating, Chuck put on another pot of coffee and they split a cinnamon roll for dessert.

"These were not on the list," Sarah reminded him, as she took her first bite. Chuck had warmed the bun up in the oven for a few seconds and it had made all the difference.

"But good, right?" Chuck smirked.

"Oh, yes," Sarah agreed.

Their plates were clean before the coffee pot was full. They took their mugs into the living room and sat down to finish their game from last night. Before he knew it, Chuck was really enjoying himself.

"Look there!" Sarah exclaimed. Chuck saw what she meant. "That last enemy is hidden behind the white car."

"I see him," Chuck said and moved towards the target.

"Nice!" Sarah commented as the end screen announced that they'd won. Her enthusiasm made him smile. She was so beautiful when she smiled. Sarah hadn't put on any make up today, but her lips were still a beautiful shade of dark pink and stood out against her skin. Her blonde hair was out of its ponytail and fell down past her shoulders. She was still wearing the tank top and comfy shorts she'd worn to the grocery store, but somehow the casual nature of her attire just made her all the more stunning. Chuck couldn't even imagine how breathtaking she would be all dolled up.

And she was his… if he was brave enough to let himself fall in love with her.

Chuck put down the controller.

"I wanna try something," he said gently. "If that's okay." His gaze was fixed on her lips he was pretty sure she knew what he was going to do. She nodded slightly and Chuck went for it.

He closed the distance between them on the couch in one fast motion, but once he was kissing her he moved slowly. One of Chuck's hands was at her waist, while the other cradled her face. She all but melted at his touch, making Chuck feel like he was doing something right. As far as Chuck could remember he'd never kissed anyone apart from Jill. He had no idea how Sarah expected to be kissed.

Slowly, as if trying not to startle him, Sarah moved her arms. She reached for him, and as her hand touched his side, Chuck felt a strange flipping feeling in his stomach. Without really meaning to, Chuck pulled Sarah closer pressing her into his chest. It felt so good, like coming home and being naughty at the same time.

And now he was so wrapped up in the sensation of her touch he wasn't thinking about anything else. Her breasts pressed against his chest and suddenly Chuck resented his shirt for being in the way. Chuck deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue. He wanted to be closer to her. He wanted her.

And in that moment, Chuck understood the spark and he realized he could love this woman. In fact, falling for her would be as inevitable as breathing.

And that's about all I had planned.

The other version of this story ends here, but it had no reviewer, no editor and basically no readers so I was highly unmotivated to continue it. In this case I think I could be persuaded to continue though you will have to wait more than 3 days for updates from here on out since I have nothing pre-written or plotted out anymore.

DFTBA