Despite the fact that Chuck had kissed her a thousand times before, this time was different. The tentative nature of his touch and the gentle way he held her face made Sarah feel like he was kissing her for the first time, and she supposed from his perspective he was.

As their lips met, a new and powerful hope flared up in Sarah's chest. Did she have her Chuck back? Was everything finally going to be okay again? Would the ache of missing the man she loved, even as he stood in front of her, finally fade?

Without even realising it, she was reaching for him. She couldn't help it. Sarah was so desperate to feel him close, to have him back, her body moved before she'd even had time to think. To her great delight, Chuck responded by pulling her in, deepening their kiss. She could feel a change in him. It was like some invisible wall had come down inside him.

Her body arched slightly as his lips moved on from her mouth, kissing her neck. Her mind had all but gone blank with the sensation when suddenly, Chuck pulled away.

Sarah looked up to see him breathing rather hard. It was only then that she noticed she was also panting. She wasn't sure if she should break the silence or just wait and see if Chuck wanted to say something.

Long after they'd both caught their breath, Sarah finally couldn't keep the silence anymore.

"What are you thinking, Chuck?" she asked.

"I wasn't thinking about anything at all for a minute there," Chuck said.

"Same," Sarah smiled at him. Chuck's returning smile was awkward but endearing.

"Not sure about that, but thanks," Chuck added.

"You took me off guard," Sarah admitted. "When we first started dating you were so awkward and nervous." She smiled genuinely, enjoying the memory.

"I guess being told over and over that you are engaged to a woman does kinda give the guy a hint about how he'll be received," Chuck added with a laugh.

"Fair point," Sarah replied and she meant it. It was strange but somehow this felt both like a new beginning and getting back something precious. Sarah loved their origin story of how she'd waited for him to make a move then finally gave up and made the move herself. She could remember telling the story over and over whenever someone asked how they met. And now they had two stories. Sarah couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"What are you thinking, Sarah?" Chuck asked, and Sarah realised she'd been silent for longer than a natural pause in conversation.

"I'm thinking about you, Chuck," she replied softly.

"See that doesn't really help, what with lacking details and all," Chuck began. "Thinking about me could mean anything. I'm sure the guy ahead of me at the supermarket check out is thinking about me in that 'why did you buy so many instant noodles' kinda way… you know. Or like Morgan thinks about me when he watches Star Wars, mostly 'cause he knows I'll be mad if he watches it without me and then there's-"

Sarah cut him off. Given the events of the last few minutes she decided to do it her usual way. Gently stopping his moving lips, Sarah covered them with her own. She was rewarded with a soft moaning sound from deep in Chuck's throat.

Sarah knew he didn't need to worry about what she was thinking. Chuck needed to focus on what he was feeling, and she knew how to make him feel. She knew where and how he liked to be touched and this time she didn't hold back.

After a few moments, Chuck pulled away, panting slightly. "Okay so we have established you have a distinct advantage in this department," he said, still out of breath.

"True," she grinned, thoroughly enjoying how out of sorts he was. "Though you have never complained before."

"Not complaining," Chuck added. "Just need to ask one more question first."

"Anything," Sarah replied easily. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, and when he spoke he was more serious than Sarah expected.

"Why do you like me?" Chuck asked. Sarah could tell the question had been weighing on his mind for some time, though she couldn't understand why. It was such an odd question. Even so, she sensed it was important to him and he needed a complete answer.

"I don't like you, Chuck," Sarah replied with an affectionate smile. "I love you. From the moment I first met you, I knew there was something special about you. I love the way you care so furiously for your family and friends. You are loyal to a fault, and far braver than you realise. You're highly intelligent, and yet somehow modest about it. You can make me laugh and put me at ease just by being nearby. You being in my life makes me a better person."

Chuck seemed a bit too stunned to reply for just a few moments.

"Well damn," Chuck said slowly. "You make me sound like the romantic lead in some hallmark movie."

Sarah couldn't hold back her giggle. There he goes again. Being just the most genuinely wonderful person she's even met.

"I'm a cop," she reminded him. "I read people for a living, and over the years I've learned to follow my gut. The day I met you, my gut told me to hold on tight and never let go." She chuckled. "Which was rather tricky when you didn't call me, but we sorted it out in the end."

Chuck was gazing right into her eyes at this point, and for a moment Sarah felt like she was in a hallmark movie. He was just staring at her. She could tell he was thinking hard about something. Before his accident, Chuck would have just told her, probably by babbling on until she kissed him into silence, but this Chuck was simply looking into her eyes as if mesmerised. She'd never once in all her life wished to read someone's mind so badly.

Slowly, as if he'd been processing her words up until now, Chuck broke out of his stare. His eyes softened and he raised one hand to gently cup her face.

"What if I never get my memories back?" Chuck asked in barely more than a whisper.

"It's you I love," Sarah assured him. "It's our future I want, not our past. We'll make new memories together."

This had clearly been the right answer because before Sarah could do more than take her next breath, Chuck was kissing her again and she sensed that this time he wasn't going to stop.

The video game was well and truly forgotten as they wrapped their arms around each other. Sarah wasn't sure when she'd moved to sit on his lap but now she had her legs wrapped around him while his hands rested against her lower back. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, just kissing and enjoying each other, but at some point it was too much for Chuck. His grip against her back suddenly tightened as he stood up, holding her weight. Sarah locked her feet behind his back so she wouldn't fall as Chuck carried her off to their bedroom without breaking the kiss. Sarah giggled and Chuck gently tossed her onto the bed. Just seconds later he was back, his arms holding up his weight as he hovered over her.

Oh how she loved this man. She loved him even more when he stopped to make sure she wanted the same thing he did. Sarah made sure to give him a direct answer, just in case her trying to take off his belt had been too subtle for him.

"Yes," she said. After that, Chuck wasn't so shy. He helped liberate her from her shirt. Feeling like this was a bit uneven, Sarah quickly got Chuck's shirt off as well. She could feel the tension leave her body at the skin to skin contact. Everything happened pretty smoothly after that. The last of their troublesome clothing was removed, deepening the intimacy until they reached their climax.

It felt so good to have her Chuck back again, because he was hers. Somehow she could feel it in his touch, his kiss.

"My Chuck," she whispered and she could feel his smile against her skin.

It had all been worth it. Every moment he'd looked through her, every moment she'd had to force herself to be patient, every single time she'd cried had been worth it to get to this one. She could feel the surrender in his embrace. Chuck may not remember being in love with her, but she could tell that he felt something for her. Sarah had faith that it would grow and bloom into the love they'd had before.

After she was snuggled into his chest, with Chuck's arm around her. As they lay there cuddled up together, Chuck asked her more specific questions about moments in their lives and she answered as best she could remember. He asked follow up questions and the conversation flowed naturally. One thing in particular Chuck seemed to want to know was what interests they had in common. Sarah listed some music they both liked then explained that once they'd started dating they'd shared their hobbies with each other.

"And that's how I started playing first person shooter games," Sarah explained.

"So which of your hobbies did I take on?" Chuck asked.

"While first I took you to the gym," Sarah answered.

"And?"

"You hated it," she laughed. "Next I took you hiking with me."

Chuck looked quite impressed. "You actually got me to hike?" he asked.

Sarah laughed. "Yep, though you did complain about it almost as much as the gym."

"That sounds about right," Chuck replied.

"When we got to the top I got out my camera and started gushing about the beautiful view and I thought you were agreeing with me at first," Sarah explained. She then blushed and added, "Then you made some comment about how it was me you were looking at and not the trees."

Chuck smiled at her. "Wow, old me was so smooth," he said. "Please don't expect that right away."

Sarah laughed and assured him that she didn't care if he was charming or dorky so long as she was at his side.

"So those all sound like hobbies I didn't like," Chuck got them back on topic. "Was there even one I didn't complain about?"

"You actually really liked my archery class," Sarah explained. "We used to go together every other week before your coma. And we love to go out dancing, too."

"Are you telling me I can shoot a bow and arrow?" Chuck asked, clearly stunned by this information.

"Yep," Sarah confirmed. "You aren't a half-bad marksman."

"Well, aren't I full of surprises," Chuck smiled at her. "And you got me to go out dancing at a club, I presume."

"Yep," Sarah said. "And we even did some more ballroom style stuff a few times."

"It sounds like you really pushed this nerd out of his comfort zone," Chuck told her.

"True, but you have done the same for me," Sarah explained. "For example, since we got engaged you've been teaching me to cook, which has never come easily to me. And the video games thing, too. Never in a million years did I think I'd one day be playing a video game."

"In my defence, video games are kinda awesome," Chuck added.

"They are," Sarah agreed. "But I think our cooking lessons have been my favourite so far."

"Oh how come?" Chuck asked.

"Well it's in our own kitchen," Sarah began cheekily. "And it's pretty easy to make a mess which tends to lead to a shower and then I just kinda join you."

"So, what you're saying is your favourite hobby is the one that most often leads to sex?"

"Yep, pretty much," she laughed.

"Well this is rather wonderful," Chuck agreed, squeezing her slightly where she lay in his arms.

Sarah just smiled and snuggled in closer. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Her feet were cold and without really thinking about it she placed them on Chuck's feet to warm them up. He jumped, his whole body jerking with surprise.

"Sorry!" Sarah said. "I forgot, that you forgot that I do that all the time."

"No, it's okay," Chuck laughed. "The cold just startled me." He sat up and for a split second Sarah thought something might be wrong, but all he did was pull a blanket from the base of the bed up over them both. Sarah snuggled in closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his skin, along with the extra blanket.

"Thanks," Sarah smiled at him.

"Can't have my fiancee freezing on me, now can I?" Chuck grinned at her.

She loved his grin. His nerdy, unapologetically happy grin was, as far as Sarah was concerned, the best sight in the universe.

"Speaking of, did we set a date?" Chuck asked. "For the wedding?"

"Not yet," Sarah explained. "So you don't have to worry about that, okay?"

"Who said I was worried?" Chuck replied, but she could hear the anxiety in his voice.

Sarah raised her eyebrow at him. "You may not remember much about me," she said. "And I know you, Chuck."

"Once again, this puts me at a rather extreme disadvantage," he reminded her. "If only I'd kept a journal or something I could read to catch up on my life."

"That would be convenient," Sarah agreed.

"Anyway," Chuck got them back on topic. "Why didn't we pick a date? Or is this engagement rather recent?"

"We've been engaged for just over six months," Sarah explained. "But we kept putting off organising it because work got busy."

"Ah yes, work," Chuck said. "In the interest of not failing miserably at mine could you run me through what exactly I do for a living? My silly memories keep trying to tell me I'm still a student."

"You work in computer security," she said.

"Okay yeah, I got that much," Chuck agreed. "Doesn't really tell me how to do the job."

"Fair enough," Sarah replied with a gentle laugh. "Mostly I know what you've told me over the years." She began giving him the summary of his own career. Chuck had worked for a big company when they'd met, but he'd ended up going freelance and taking most of his clients with him.

"I doubt the company was happy about that," Chuck commented.

"Oh, they super weren't," Sarah laughed. "But they didn't put anything in your contract to prevent it, so we decided that was their problem."

Chuck laughed, a warm sound that made Sarah feel at home. "I bet they won't make that mistake again," he said.

Sarah tried to fill him in on everything she knew about his work. She suggested Chuck spend some time in his office going through his computer and files.

"Good idea," Chuck agreed. "And you should probably go to work, too. I know you've taken a lot of unplanned time off for me, and I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Don't worry about that," Sarah said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. It was so him, to worry about her when he was the one recovering from a brain injury. "When you were in a coma I worked a ton of overtime. My boss was just relieved I wanted to use the hours I've banked. He doesn't like paying overtime."

"I don't think any boss likes paying overtime," Chuck commented. Sarah laughed but agreed with him.

It was only then that Sarah noticed the light in the room had faded slightly. The light on the ceiling was the only thing illuminating the room now. She looked out the window and saw that the sun had set. Checking the time she realized they hadn't merely talked through dinner. In fact, it was almost five o'clock in the morning. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the sun setting hours ago. They'd been so wrapped up in their conversation and each other to realise.

"That explains why I'm hungry," Chuck smiled at her.

"If we stay in this bed much longer, the sun is going to come up," Sarah said.

"Does that mean you want to leave?"

"Not really," she replied. "But I am getting hungry."

"I think breakfast is in order then," Chuck offered as he got out of bed. A part of Sarah wanted to drag him back under the blankets and never let him up, but another part of her was really quite excited by the prospect of food.

Sarah watched as her fiance looked around for the clothes he'd discarded last night. Once the show was over and Chuck had finished getting dressed, Sarah got up and put on a dress so she could join him in the kitchen. There would be time for laying in bed together again when their stomachs weren't growling.

While he cooked Sarah drank her coffee and watched the cooking skills at work. She always did love watching Chuck cook, almost as much as she loved his cooking.

After they finished eating, Sarah could feel the effects of their sleepless night, and from the look of Chuck's droopy eyes, so could he.

"Just a quick nap," Chuck said with a yawn. "I mean it isn't even six yet."

Sarah wasn't about to turn down going back to bed and within ten minutes they were falling asleep in each other's arms.

When they woke hours later, Chuck decided to spend some time on his computer and Sarah went in to check on work.

When she got home, Morgan was there hanging out with Chuck. That was good. She wanted Chuck to get his whole life back, not just the part with her in it. Even if she wanted to be the biggest part of his life, he still needed his job, his friends and his family.

"He seemed really happy," Chuck commented to Sarah once Morgan had gone home. "Like happier than I've ever seen him before."

"Love tends to have that effect on people," Sarah replied. "You said the same thing when he and Alex first started dating."

"I think you are probably gonna have to get used to some repeats until I get caught up on life," Chuck told her.

Sarah laughed. "I can do that," she said. There wasn't any part of her life with Chuck that she wouldn't love to play on repeat. The future would come as Chuck got used to his new normal. Sarah could be patient so long as he was her Chuck once again.

Her patience paid off. Within the month Chuck told her he loved her. By the end of the year, he was ready to talk about wedding dates, and by this time next year she had a ring on her finger and a new name on her passport.

In the case of "Chuck vs. Memory Loss," Sarah felt confident that Chuck had won.

And they lived happily ever after... The End. :)

After a ten month hiatus I am back with a final chapter to complete this story. Turns out I get MAJOR writer's block while pregnant so the ten month gap was rather unavoidable. Now my little buddy is a month old, and I am sleep deprived rather than pregnant, which it turns out makes for more writing. Who knew? lol. I do feel a bit rusty though and my editor (Nevr) had to point out more than one missed opportunity in this chapter's first draft. I'm hoping I can get back into the swing of writing again soon and update my other stories! I have two more Chuck stories in need of updates, plus a bunch of ideas that need to be turned into stories. :)

Also this was the first, and only, Sarah pov chapter for this story? What did you think? I kinda wanted to change it up, especially since I think this chapter from Chuck's pov wouldn't have been nearly so interesting. We already know what he's thinking after so many Chuck chapters in a row so it was time for Sarah's turn at the wheel. I almost always write stories with more than one pov character, so it felt right to me. I know some writers do prefer to stick to just one, but that's never gonna be me. ^_^ DFTBA