A/N: So, we're six months into the year but Happy New year lol!

It's been a while since I've updated this, but you know, university was kinda rough. So much has happened since my last update- turning 21 and completing my last set of exams are my highlights.

I'll be pursuing some more challenging academic stuff soon and as such, I am going to try to wrap up all of my stories/ collections. Right now, I'm thinking to wrap up Our Past and Present at five chapters so, if you have any suggestions of missing scenes you'd like me to try my hand at, throw them at me.

This one is inspired by that short scene in Chuck v the Subway. Canon wise, the past scene would fit in the earlier part of Season 4. To my mind, it works as a little snapshot of what our favourite spy couple gets up to when they have the weekend off. I originally wanted the present and past scenes to be of almost equal length but then it sort of took on a life of its own.

This is unbeta'd and I tried to correct the mistakes I saw. If there are any oversights (hopefully there aren't that many), I apologise.

The white house with the red front doors, black shutters and white picket fence was home to Chuck and Sarah Bartowski. They'd been able to purchase it five months after the mess with Quinn thanks to Beckman who had managed to get their money unfrozen. Chuck had considered purchasing another house, maybe even a fixer upper which they could have remodelled to fit their tastes but Sarah had been adamant that this would be the house that they would raise their family in and they'd replace the horrible memories with brighter, happier ones. And that is exactly what they've done.

Sarah tentatively squeezes her husband's forearm. "Chuck?"

He buries himself further under the covers, grumbling. "Five more minutes."

"Chuck?" Sarah presses again. She knows he's tired after having run around with their two-year-old all day. Their daughter, Maya had really been playing the 'terrible twos' the hilt. From not wanting to eat her breakfast, to undressing herself because Chuck had chosen an outfit which didn't suit her fancy and her mini tantrum when she was not allowed to play dress up using her mother's makeup, their daughter had done it all today. Chuck doesn't budge and for a few moments, Sarah considers letting him sleep. But, the longer she sits in bed with one of her hands on her bulging stomach as their second child kicks, she finds that she really needs her husband awake.

She squeezes his arm again, this time with a bit more force. "Chuck! Get up!" Sarah yells.

Chuck jumps up with a start and presses a finger to his outer ear to get rid of the ringing in his ear. "Sarah, what is it?" He groans, propping himself up against the headboard.

She's quiet for a moment, taking in the sight of her husband - Chuck's hair is all tousled from sleep, the curls going in every which way and all she wants to do is run her hands through them. A small grin comes to her face as she recounts running her hands through those very curls a few hours ago.

Chuck notices the rush of colour to her cheeks and chuckles. "Babe, please don't tell me you woke me up for sex."

Sarah raises her brow, challenging him. "And if I had?"

Chuck scratches the back of his head. "Um, well, um..."

Sarah leans into him, her gaze intense. "What? Do you think I'm fat, Chuck?"

"What? No! No!" He swallows thickly, trying to find a way out of the current line of conversation.

"Then what is it? In the few hours that passed since we last made love did you come to the sudden realisation that I disgust you?"

Chuck looks at her with wide eyes, alarmed. "Sarah, come on. You know I'd never think that."

He tries to kiss her but Sarah is having none of it and she scoots away from him. "I didn't exactly get into this by myself, Chuck," Sarah snarls, while looking at her stomach. Chuck follows her gaze and he has to bite his tongue from pointing out that she had been the one who had first broached the topic of a second child. Noticing, and not pleased with his silence, Sarah continues. "But you know what? It's fine Chuck! I even picked out a lacy number for when my mom took Maya this weekend but never mind, I won't subject you to that horror either."

Chuck's brain takes a momentary break as he imagines the lacy lingerie his wife had picked out. The one she had chosen for Valentine's Day had been...immaculate to say the least. The way it had hugged her new curves and accentuated Sarah's wider hips, larger breasts and her new found extra roundness had cemented itself into his memory. He almost whimpers at the memory. "Sarah, I'm sorry," Chuck edges over to his wife, happy that she doesn't flinch away from him. "Babe, I love you." He wraps an arm around her waist and presses a kiss against Sarah's temple. She's silent for a while and Chuck thinks he might have to do a bit more damage control. Just then, he notices Sarah's shoulders beginning to shake. Yes, he definitely needs to do more damage control. "Aw, honey, please don't cry. I wasn't thinking straight when I said what I said." But Sarah's shoulders shake even more and scolds himself for putting his foot in his mouth. "Sarah, please talk to me," Chuck pleads.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long pause, Sarah turns to Chuck. "Gotcha!" Sarah laughs heartily, placing a hand on her belly. She takes in the incredulous look on her husband's face and laughs even harder. "You are too easy!" Sarah snorts.

"That's what she said," Chuck deadpans, sending Sarah into another fit of laughter. Chuck rolls his eyes at his wife's antics but finds himself grinning along with her anyway. "That was a good one Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck quips, "I didn't know you had it in you."

"I've only had you in me," Sarah responds in a saucy tone, wiggling her eyebrows.

Chuck feels his face flush red. "Well, I never!" He places a hand over his heart, feigning discomfort.

"Oh, but you did," Sarah smirks. "Twice."

"Sarah!" Chuck shakes his head, although he does admit to himself that he likes this side of Sarah.

Sarah smiles before giving Chuck a quick peck on the lips. "Fine. I'm done," she says, trying to control her giggles.

"Well now that you've had your fun at my expense, do you care to share the real reason that you woke me up?"

"I want blueberries,'' she says, biting her lip shyly.

Chuck's eyebrows knit. "Now?" He looks past her to see the clock on the nightstand reads after three. "Like right now?" Even as he asks the question, Chuck knows that her answer will be affirmative. With Sarah's first pregnancy, there hadn't been that many cravings. But she sure was making up for it with this one. In her third trimester alone, Chuck thinks the number of cravings Sarah's had outnumbers those she'd had in her first pregnancy.

"I really want blueberries," Sarah grins apologetically.

Momentarily, Chuck wishes he had pretended to have been asleep. He loves Sarah...he does. And he would do anything for her...he would. But tonight, tonight he really wants to sleep. "Sarah, can't you maybe think of something else? You know, something we actually have in our kitchen?"

"Sorry," Sarah sighs, clasping her hands above her bump and playing with them. "It's just that I had a dream that we were at IHOP and I ordered blueberry pancakes and they were really good, you know like that time we went for Clara's birthday and I had a second serving?" Sarah purses her lips before continuing. "Anyway, I woke up really wanting blueberries."

Chuck sighs, closing his eyes and barely stifling a groan. He remembers that day because besides from it being his niece's fifth birthday, it's the day he first suspected that Sarah was pregnant with their second child. He'd been surprised when she'd ordered blueberry pancakes instead of her usual banana ones.

"I know you're tired. Maybe I can go get them my-"

"No!" Chuck cuts her off. She's seven and a half months pregnant and Chuck knows that in the time she would take to first get out of bed, pull some clothes over her sleepwear and waddle down the stairs, he would probably be to the corner store and back with her desired food. "I'll go," he kissed her forehead and rested a palm on her belly. "Anything for you," he smiles and Sarah kisses him in appreciation.

"I love you," Sarah says as she watches him pull a sweater over his T-shirt.

"Ha!" Chuck snorts. "I hope you're not saying that just cause I'm your midnight snack errand boy."

"That is a part of it," Sarah replies. "But it's also because you're the most caring, selfless and loving man I've ever known."

He walks over to the bed, placing a chaste kiss on his wife's lips. When he pulls away, he grins. "You forgot to mention handsome."

"I prefer the word adorable," Sarah meets his warm gaze.

Chuck rolls his eyes. "Come on, you know how I feel about that word, it makes me sound like eight."

Sarah grabs him by his face, guiding his lips to hers. When she deepens the kiss, Chuck has half a mind to forgo going for the blueberries altogether and becoming completely lost in his wife's presence. As Sarah eases herself back on the bed, pulling him along with her, Chuck thinks that maybe she has a similar idea. But then, as he hovers over her, he feels a strong kick from their unborn child, which causes him to pull back.

"Someone really wants those blueberries," Chuck places his palm on Sarah's belly, grinning up at her.

"Mhmm," she agrees.

Chuck responds by kissing her bump and then Sarah on her forehead. "I'll be back soon with your blueberries, okay?"

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah beams contentedly.

Chuck returns to the white house with the red front door almost twenty minutes later with a bag full of blueberry flavoured foods. The store hadn't had any blueberries and rather than coming home empty handed, he'd bought everything he saw with blueberries- jam, pop tarts, ice cream, cereal bars and even juice. He hopes that at least one of them will satisfy his wife's cravings. Chuck quickly puts away most of the groceries and then makes his way up the stairs, taking one of the blueberry pop tarts with him. First, he checks on his daughter. He spends a few moments watching the little girl in her 'big girl bed', resting comfortably with her stuffed turtle which she'd named 'Kitty' clutched under her arm. Chuck bends down to kiss his daughter on the forehead and she stirs lightly, her eyelids fluttering.

"Daddy?" Maya mumbles sleepily.

"Hey baby," Chuck smiles. His smile seemingly brightens the night light lit room even more. He sits down next to his daughter and smooths down her blonde hair.

"I had an awesome dream."

"Yeah?" Chuck responds.

"It was with me and you and Mommy and Kitty and Clara and Auntie Ellie and Nana Emma and Mimi Mary and -"

"Whoa," Chuck laughs, 'that's a lot of 'ands'."

Maya pouts. "Daddy, I not finished," she exasperates.

"Right," Chuck nods while wondering to himself how his daughter is still so talkative even if the wee hours of the morning.

"And Molly and Uncle Devon and Uncle Morgan and Uncle Casey and Auntie Alex and Auntie Gertrude and Auntie Carina and Auntie Zondra," the two-year-old continues to ramble on. "And we went on a picnic and there was lots and lots and lots and lots of cookies."

"And that means you'd have to brush your teeth lots and lots," Chuck cuts in.

Chuck mentioning teeth seems to spark something in his daughter as she launches into a new line of conversation. "Clara doesn't let me play with her deskist set," Maya huffed.

"Her what?"

Maya props herself up against the headboard and rolls her eyes at her father. "Her deskist set, Daddy." She then looks to her stuffed turtle. "Even Kitty knows that the deskist looks at your teeth." She glances back at her father before adding: "And she doesn't even have teeth, Daddy!"

"Oh, you mean the dentist set," Chuck corrects his daughter.

"Right, her deskist set," Maya continues, "she says I can't play with it cause I'm a baby."

"Well honey, I think Clara just doesn't want any of the pieces to get lost."

"But I not a baby," Maya insists. "Momma has the baby in her tummy. Me a big girl now."

"Tell you what, we can finish talking about this in the morning. How does that sound?" Chuck says.

His daughter nods and Chuck fixes the covers around her, making sure she's snug. "Daddy, can I have cookies for breakfast?"

Chuck laughs. "You know you can't."

"I have ice cream?"

"Good night Maya," Chuck tries to end the conversation, knowing that if he engages her, she'd just keep on talking.

"Night night Daddy, I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl," Chuck says, making his way out of the room.

"Me not a baby!" Maya shoots back.

"Good night, Maya," Chuck amends.

When Chuck enters the master bedroom, he finds Sarah curled up on one side, one hand resting atop her stomach. He shrugs, placing the pop tart on the night stand before tugging off the Buy More jacket and slipping back into his pyjama bottom. Chuck slips into bed and Sarah rolls over to him, resting her head on his chest. Chuck wraps his arms around hers and intertwines his feet with hers, warming them up.

Sarah hums softly. "Chuck?"

"Yeah baby?"

"I ate an apple instead."

He wants to be angry at her for making him leave the warm cocoon of their bed to go fetch blueberries for no apparent reason but, watching her resting peacefully in his arms, hearing her voice thick with sleep, Chuck can do nothing but smile. "That's okay." He feels Sarah nod against his chest and he places a gentle kiss on her temple. The pair is soon promptly asleep, all talks of blueberries forgotten.

The next day, Chuck comes home from an 'evening of Morgan' earlier than he had been planning to. He had been over at Morgan's house when Sarah called, informing him that she was in need of a blueberry slushie from the corner store. She had said she would go for it herself but Chuck had volunteered to bring it instead. With any luck, Chuck thinks that he can just drop off the slushie and head back to Morgan's place for a few more hours, maybe even taking Maya with him so Sarah can have some time to herself to rest.

That idea is nixed when he walks through the red front door and is met by the sounds of Sarah sobbing upstairs. Chuck runs up the stairs to their bedroom. There, he finds Maya on the floor colouring and Sarah a few feet from her sitting in nothing but her underwear. Her wedding dress is cast off to her side.

"Hey guys," Chuck greets, crossing the threshold of the room. "What's going on?"

"I draw you and Momma at your wedming," Maya says, smiling brilliantly.

At that, Sarah begins to cry harder. Chuck places the slushie down on the nightstand and quickly makes his way to his wife. "Sarah? What's wrong?"

Sarah sniffles, pointing to the wedding dress. "It won't fit!"

"Hey," Chuck tries to soothe her, "it's okay."

"No! It's not!" Sarah shakes her head defiantly. "I've tried everything. I tried putting it on over my head but it can't come pass my breasts because they're the size of freaking milk jugs and it can't come up my thunder thighs either," Sarah sobs.

Chuck pinches the bridge of his nose. "Honey, why were you even trying it on in the first place?"

"Because Maya and I were watching our wedding video and she wanted to see it and I thought I'd try it on for her but then I realised I'm fat!"

Chuck casts a glance to the two-year-old who is now looking at her mother curiously. "You not fat Momma," Maya scampers over closer to her mother and hugs her. "You a nice and pretty Momma!" Maya enthuses.

Sarah sniffles again. "Really?"

"Really." Chuck affirms.

"Really, really," Maya parrots, kissing her mother's cheek. "Wanna see my drawing Momma?"

Sarah nods, wiping the tears from her eyes. Maya goes for her paper and skips back to them, showing her drawing proudly. For a moment, Chuck thinks that Sarah is finally beginning to calm down but that is before he notices that her lower lip is quivering and that tears are welling up in her eyes again. He looks at the drawing their daughter had done- it's really just a mass of stick figures (one whom he assumes to be Morgan since it's noticeably shorter than the others). He's able to pick himself and Sarah out as their daughter had given him a full head of brown hair and had given her mother long yellow hair. It's not the best drawing he's ever seen but he knows that Maya probably worked really hard on it and for that reason alone, he likes it. Besides, Maya's two and he expected stick figures from her so he's not too sure what about it has upset his wife.

"Hey Maya," Chuck gets the little girl's attention and she skips over to him, oblivious to her mother's turmoil. "Why don't you go into your room and play with your toys for a bit?"

"Okay," Maya dashes away at the mere mention of toys. Usually, Chuck would have made her pick up her stuff but right now, he's more concerned with not letting his daughter see that her drawing had upset her mother. Otherwise, Maya would probably cry too, hurt that Sarah doesn't like her drawing.

Sarah, still holding the child's drawing in her hands, lets out a loud wail. Some of her tears fall on the paper and she feels horrible, notwithstanding the fact that a few minutes ago she'd wanted to rip the drawing to shreds. "Now look what I've done! I've ruined her drawing!"

Chuck eases the drawing from her hands and sets it aside. "It's okay. It will dry soon."

"I don't like that drawing that much at the moment."

"What's wrong?"

"She drew me as a stick."

"Sarah, she drew everyone as a stick," Chuck knits his brows in confusion.

"It's not the same!" Sarah huffs.

Chuck runs his fingers through his hair, exasperated. "Hey, guess what? I got your slushie. Do you want it?" He's desperate to restore some sense of calm and stop Sarah's tears. "I even added in a little watermelon flavour, just like you like it!"

"Wow Chuck!" Sarah growls and he decides not to bring the slushie to her. 'Now I can get fat! You're so helpful." Her gaze goes from the drawing and back to her wedding dress and her tears turn to anger then into more tears. "But I'm already fat, so I guess I should say fatter."

Chuck cocks his head back, looking up at the ceiling in desperation. "Sarah, you're not fat."

"You weren't thinking that the other night!" She retorts.

"Wha- what?" Chuck blinks, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't want to have sex because you thought I was fat," Sarah crosses her arms.

Chuck, still confused, splutters. "Are you talking about the other night when you woke me up?" Seeing Sarah nod, he continues. "Sarah, don't be ridiculous. You said you wanted blueberries, not sex."

"So?" Sarah pouts.

"Soooooo," Chuck drawls, "you're being silly." Sarah's about to protest so he places his index finger on her lips. "You're carrying our child and you're beautiful. Please don't ever doubt that."

"You're not just saying that?"

"Scout's honour," Chuck grins.

"You weren't a Boys Scout," Sarah deadpans, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Chuck inches his way over to Sarah so that there isn't much space between them. "It's the thought that counts," he offers. "You know I'd never mislead you," Chuck adds seriously. After gently wiping her tears away, Chuck presses his lips to hers. She doesn't deepen it but she doesn't pull away either and Chuck thinks that perhaps he has gotten through to her. "Better?"

Sarah looks away shyly, shrugging. "Maybe with a few more."

"As you wish," laughs Chuck. He takes her face in both of his hands, his warm brown gaze meeting her still teary eyed blue. Slowly, he leans in and when their lips finally meet, the kiss is gentle, yet passionate and leaves Sarah yearning for more when they break apart. She rests her forehead against Chuck's, a sigh of contentment escaping her lips. "How about now?"

"Maybe just one more?"

Chuck uses his thumb to trace her jawline before they engage in another affectionate kiss. He pulls away, but only slightly so that when he whispers that he loves her, she feels his breath on her lips. He says it with such a certainty, such honesty that Sarah's heart swells and she thinks that she's just fallen in love with him a bit more, if even at all possible. And, as she oftentimes is, Sarah is struck by just how much she loves Chuck Bartowski. She's overcome with emotion then, her face scrunching up when he pulls away and he mistakes it for sadness, thinking something has set her off again.

"What is it?"

"You love me!"

Chuck nods, not sure where this is going. "Yes, I love you Sarah Bartowski, always have, always will."

That line reminds her of the time he'd said it in Castle and she sniffles, temporarily angry at herself for the three years of 'will they/won't they'. But then, she looks back into Chuck's eyes, into her husband's eyes and that anger slips away. They're here now, in the present and she's incredibly thankful for and happy with the life they've built. "I love you too!" She rests her head on his chest. "I'm sorry I'm such a hormonal mess."

'Ah, but you're my hormonal mess and I wouldn't trade you for the world."

"You are the best baggage handler ever," Sarah giggles through tears.

After a moment, Chuck speaks. "How about we put your dress away?"

"Yeah, okay," Sarah nods, allowing Chuck to help her up from the floor. He picks the wedding dress off the floor and lays it on the bed before going to get its box from the walk-in closet. Meanwhile, Sarah slips back into the cotton dress she was wearing before she had the crazy idea to try on her wedding dress. She walks over to the dress, with the intention of folding it. Her fingers lightly pass over the beautiful fabric and Sarah remembers the feeling she got when she first tried it on. She'd just known that this was the dress she would wear to marry the love of her life. The dress she'd found in Castle, while nice, didn't even come close to this one. From the strapless satin bodice, to the full rosette skirt, and the ballgown silhouette, everything was perfect. When she holds it up, outstretched from her body, it's only then that she notices that the dress has a tear.

When Chuck comes back, he finds her sitting on the bed, clutching the dress in her hands as tears stream down her face. "Please tell me you didn't try fitting in to the dress again." He sets the box down at the foot of the bed and sits down next to his wife. "What's wrong?"

"It has a tear. Now Maya won't have a wedding dress because I ripped this one."

"Babe, you know Maya might not even want to get married and even if she does, she might have her own sense of style that's different to yours and want to find her own dress. Besides, you know bridal trends change every year. Who's to say that by the time Maya's ready, orange or some weird colour like razzmatazz that no one really knows its correct name won't be all the rage," Chuck tries to diffuse the situation, Sarah narrows her eyes and furrows her brows at her husband's response. "You know what?" Chuck laughs nervously, taking the dress from his wife and examining the damage. "It's not even that big of a tear. I'll take care of it."

"Oh, thank you Chuck!" Sarah's mood immediately brightens.

He places the dress in its box and covers it over, making a mental note to take Sarah's dress to a bridal shop to have the tear taken care of. "Now, what do you say we go check on Maya and you can have your slushie."

Sarah nods and waddles over to the nightstand where Chuck had set the slushie down upon entering the room. She takes a sip, swallows and frowns before setting it back down. "Chuck, it's all wrong. I can taste too much..." she pauses, smacking her lips. "It has too much of something in it and I don't like it." Sarah looks over to the frozen treat with disgust. "I don't want it anymore."

"So, you're just gonna let it go to waste?" Chuck asks, picking up the drink and taking a sip. The slushie tastes just fine to him but he's not about to argue with Sarah over her heightened sense of taste.

"Well since you like it so much, you can have it."

"Daddy, I have some too?" Out of nowhere, their daughter was in the room.

"Gah, Sarah, I'm telling you! She has your sneaky ninja skills," Chuck looks at Maya who is still eyeing the blue slushie in his hand.

"Well heaven help us when she's a teenager," replies Sarah.

Maya tugs on her mother's dress. "Momma, I have blue drink too?"

"Just one sip," Sarah relents, not wanting to deal with her sugar rush.

Chuck holds out the cup to the toddler and she runs over to him. "One sip," he repeats. Maya nods before taking a big gulp, one which Chuck thinks would make even Morgan proud. "Okay, that's enough," Chuck pulls the straw from his daughter's mouth and sets the slushie back down on the nightstand.

"More Momma?" Maya pleads but Sarah shakes her head no and Chuck does the same.

"Since you don't want the slushie, am I to assume that your craving is gone?"

Sarah rested her hand on her belly. "Actually, I'm feeling for blueberry pancakes now."

Maya, who had been sulking after being refused more of the slushie, immediately perks up, "Me want pancakes too!"

"I guess we're having breakfast for dinner then," Chuck says and Maya squeals in delight, already heading downstairs to the kitchen. He goes to grab the slushie to discard it but Sarah does so before he can. He watches her precariously as she takes another sip. "Thought you didn't want it?" He teases.

Sarah elbows him lightly as they make their way down the stairs. She continues to drink the slushie until they reach the kitchen and then she hands it back to him. "You can have the rest."

Chuck shakes the cup, feeling its weight. "Hey! You drank almost all."

Sarah shrugs innocently, "Oops?"

The next weekend, Emma takes Maya over to her place, leaving Charah with some time to themselves. They're on the couch, watching the latest Star Wars movie. Well to be more accurate, Chuck is watching it and Sarah, playing with his hands as she lies in his lap, is enjoying his presence.

"I want ice cream," Sarah says, already trying to ease herself from his lap. Chuck pauses the movie and helps her up. Slowly, Sarah rises from the couch, placing a hand on her back when she is finally upright.

"You okay there babe?"

"I'm good," Sarah nods. "My back just hurts a little."

"Maybe you should sit. I can go get the ice cream for you."

"You're sweet," Sarah smiles, "but I think I can manage walking a few feet to get some ice cream."

"If you're sure," Chuck relents, settling back on the couch. He's only gotten maybe three minutes further into the movie when he hears Sarah groan. After turning off the TV, he quickly makes his way to the kitchen. There, he finds Sarah resting against the open freezer door with fire in her eyes. 'Babe, what's wrong?"

Sarah slams the door shut with a heavy sigh. "We have no ice cream."

He and Maya made sundaes yesterday, but he's certain that they didn't use all the ice cream. Chuck pulls the freezer and finds three tubs of ice cream, just as he'd expected. "Um babe, we have Mint Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road and Vanilla. Did we not look in the same freezer?"

Sarah grumbles, turns up her nose and shakes her head. "They're all gross." Sighing, Chuck shuts the fridge, not that surprised that she 'found something wrong with the flavours they have in the fridge. "Where's the blueberry one?"

"Sarah, you ate it, all."

"Oh," Sarah huffs, "well that's disappointing." They'd picked up a small pint of said ice cream on Monday while on their way home from work but Sarah really doesn't remember eating it all. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well maybe we should have gotten the larger size then," Sarah huffs.

Chuck suggests that they take a walk to the corner store to fulfil the craving and Sarah quickly waddles to get her slippers. They walk to the store at a leisurely pace, mostly for Sarah's benefit as Chuck doesn't want her to exert too much pressure on herself. When they get to the store, Sarah takes her time and they end up purchasing a bundle of Sarah snacks, two pints of ice cream- one blueberry and the other fruit salad and some other groceries to tide them over until they went to the supermarket. They're walking back home now, hands entwined when Sarah spots a sign that says there will be a Farmer's Market the coming week.

"Chuck, look."

"Oooh, a Farmer's Market. Nice! We could take Maya."

"Mhmm," Sarah agrees. "Do you remember that time we went to one?" They had been a couple of times but she doesn't need to clarify because they both know which time she is referring to...

/\

Sarah woke up just as the sun was rising. Normally, she would have buried her face in the crook of Chuck's neck and gone back to sleep but today she had other plans. The alarm clock on Chuck's side read 5:00 AM. Looking over to her sleeping companion, Sarah smiled before peppering kisses all over her boyfriend's face.

"Chuck?" He grumbled in response, pulling the covers over his head. Sarah giggled and pulled them back down. "Chuck," she called again, tapping his nose lightly.

"Mhmm, five more minutes," Chuck mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Come on, I've got somewhere for us to go."

"Another road trip?" asked Chuck, slowly becoming more awake.

"No," Sarah shook her head, moving over to straddle Chuck.

Hie rested his hands on her hips, grinning. "I'd much rather stay in bed with you."

Sarah smacked his chest lightly. "I really wanna go to the Farmer's Market today."

"Okayyyyy fineeeee," Chuck relented.

Sarah leaned down to kiss him soundly. "And who knows? Maybe we can pick up things when we get back."

Chuck wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Ooooh, I like the sound of that."

"I'm sure you do," Sarah smirked.

"Why do we have to go so early though?" Chuck asked, throwing the covers off of his lower body.

"Because," Sarah trailed, swatting his bottom with the camisole she'd just taken off. "You get the best stuff when you go early."

"Okay, Miss Expert," Chuck grinned. "I'll go get breakfast and the coffee machine started."

They showered, dressed, had breakfast and were out the door by six. The Farmer's Market Sarah wanted to go to was about twenty minutes away from their apartment and when they get there, they see lots of farmers have already set up their stalls. They exited the car and walked around for a few minutes when Sarah paused, staring at Chuck.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, placing a hand on Chuck's neck and turning his face to her.

He let out a long sigh and shrugged. He wanted to tell her that nothing was wrong, that he was perfectly fine, that he was enjoying just being with her- out in the open like this, not at all worried that there was a target on their backs as they had been a few months ago. And honestly, he was enjoying being here with her, but still, at the same time, there was a little tug at his heart as he remembered the last time they had been at one of these markets. "It's just a bit weird you know" Chuck pursed his lips into a fine line. Sarah looked at him, patiently waiting for him to continue. "Last time we were at one of these things we were fighting the Ring, the Intersect was malfunctioning and my Dad had come out of hiding."

Understanding washed over Sarah and she chastised herself for being so clueless. "Gosh, I'm so sorry Chuck," she said, pulling him into a hug. "I wasn't thinking. This was so insensitive of me." She remembered that day distinctly- Chuck had been so caught up about the Ring trying to kill his father and Shaw being out there and trying to kill him, the latter being something that they had at the time thought was only his imagination. So, that had led her to take him to the Farmer's Market in an attempt to get him to relax just a bit and in the end, they'd realised that Daniel Shaw, was in fact alive.

Chuck pulled away from the hug and kissed her on her forehead. "It's okay," he said, sending her a smile when he saw that Sarah still looked unsure.

"We can go home..." Sarah offered, switching the basket she'd planned on using to store the various items they'd get from the market from her left hand to her right.

Chuck shook his head. "No, no, I'm sorry for putting a damper on our morning. I didn't mean to be a Debbie Downer." Chuck looked down at his feet.

"Hey, you know that whenever you want to talk about it, I'm here," Sarah said seriously. "I'll always be here."

Chuck nodded, taking Sara's free hand in his. He squeezed it comfortingly as his mind went back to the night after they'd had dinner in remembrance of Stephen Bartowski and he'd been overcome with grief and all he'd wanted to do was escape from the pain. Sarah had been a tremendous help to him in his grieving process. "I know you are," Chuck smiled, rubbing his thumb over Sarah's hand affectionately.

"I love you, Chuck."

"I love you too, Sarah," Chuck leaned in and kissed Sarah on her lips. "Now how about we get this show on the road? I remember you giving me some amazing blueberries the last time we came to one of these things."

"And they go great with cream," Sarah reminded him.

Chuck grinned at her and took her hand. They strolled through the market, occasionally stopping at some of the stalls.

"Devon invited us to watch the football game tomorrow night. I was thinking we could make the guacamole."

"Orrrrrrrrr, we could just buy some," Chuck smiled.

Sarah slugged him on the arm and then took his other hand, leading him to a stall that had avocados. "Now, Chuck Bartowski, where would be the fun in that?"

Chuck watched as Sarah took up an avocado and tested it. "How do you know when it's good for guacamole?"

Sarah looked at the fruit in her hand, checking for spots in its dark skin and giving it a gentle squeeze. Finding it mature enough, she hummed in satisfaction and handed it to her boyfriend. "See how the skin is clean?" Chuck nodded and Sarah watched as he turned the fruit around in his hand. "And if you squeeze it a little, you'll see it's soft." Chuck nodded again. "It's perfect for guacamole."

"How do you even know that?" Chuck asked after they'd paid for the avocados. Sarah had planned on buying four but Chuck reminded her that Morgan's stomach was like a bottomless pit so they'd ended up buying two more just in case. Now, Chuck was carrying the basket in his left hand, his right intertwined with Sarah's left.

"Just because I burned food at the Wienerlicious doesn't mean I'm completely inept," Sarah grinned.

"I do miss that outfit," Chuck commented, a wistful look on his face.

Sarah shoulder bumped him. "I bet you do," she laughed.

"No, but seriously, I think it's amazing how much you know about food."

"When I was younger I wanted to be a chef. I had the apron, the toy stove, the plastic food...the whole works..." Sarah said, remembering the happier moments of her childhood. "And my Grandma, she'd get so excited when I '"cooked" and made her a plate. She acted like it was worthy of a five-star restaurant or something," she added and Chuck detected a trace of sadness in her tone.

He squeezed her hand gently and when she caught his gaze, he smiled understandingly. "I'm sure you would have been an awesome chef." In his head, he could see a young Sarah with her long blonde hair fixed into two ponytails, busying herself over her toy stove as she prepared a signature dish.

"Yeah," Sarah snorted. A long pause played out as they continued walking, looking for a stall with plantains. Sarah was the one to break the silence. " My Grandma used to take me to the market with her on Saturdays. That's part of the reason I like coming to the Farmer's Market...It reminds me of her...and of when I was young...before life started getting complicated," Sarah huffed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, this is...it's so trivial. I shouldn't bore you with this."

Chuck brought them to a halt and he pulled her closer to him. "You're not boring me," he said seriously. He loved the fact that she was sharing a piece of her past with him so openly. "You know how I get like a kid in a candy store whenever you share stuff with me."

Sarah smiled shyly and grabbed his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "Chuck Bartowski, you're the most amazing guy I know." She loved that he was always so patient and kind.

"You're not too bad yourself," he retorted as they continued walking.

"Sometimes, when I had downtime between missions," Sarah began, pausing and pursing her lips. She'd never told anyone this before because she didn't think they'd understand. But then Chuck squeezed her hand reassuringly and she realised that Chuck wasn't like anyone else she knew. She didn't have to be afraid of being open with him. "Sometimes I'd just go to a Farmer's Market and watch the vendors setting up their stalls and the customers coming and selecting their produce. I especially liked seeing the little old ladies with their baskets...kinda like the one we have...cause they reminded me of my Grandma... And the air, gosh Chuck, it didn't matter if I was in Venice or some little neighbourhood in a Caribbean island, when the air was full of the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables, I always found it so soothing."

"Sarah," Chuck said, his voice thick, "that's so..."

"Sentimental?" Sarah offered, stopping at a stall.

Chuck scratched the back of his head, watching as Sarah selected the hand of plantain she wanted. "Well yes," Chuck agreed. "Butttt, it's also kinda sweet," he quickly added noticing Sarah's expression. Sarah smirked, letting him off the hook and together, they selected sweet potatoes and other ground provisions from that stall until Sarah was satisfied with their lot. Sarah paid the elderly woman, thanking her and allowing her to keep the change. As they made their way back to Sarah's car, Chuck spoke. "You really liked that vendor, didn't you?" He had noticed that Sarah had paid with a hundred-dollar bill and their total wasn't even over fifty.

Sarah smiled. "She reminds me of my Grandma," Sarah offered. "Hey, we forgot the blueberries."

Turning around, they went back to the same vendor Sarah liked and got the largest size crate of blueberries she had. When Chuck tried to pay for the fruit, she swatted his money away and told him to be sure to treat his beautiful girlfriend right. Chuck had grinned at that and promised to do so and Sarah had beamed at the woman, taken by the motherly nature she showed. Before they'd left the stall, the woman's husband asked Chuck to help him unload a couple of boxes from his truck. Sarah watched Chuck as he did, lightly liking her lips when she saw Chuck's arm muscles flex under the thin material of his T-shirt. She had half a mind to pounce him then and there, his aversion to PDA be damned but thought better of it. When Chuck finished unloading the last box, he shook the farmer's hand and after they bade the couple goodbye, Sarah all but dragged Chuck to the car.

"Where's the fire?" said Chuck as he fastened his seat belt. The look Sarah gave him made him gulp.

"We're about to make one in between the sheets," Sarah winked.

"Oh boy!"

/\

"We had to soak those sheets for two whole days in stain remover before we could wash them," Chuck recounts, shaking his head.

Sarah smirks. "Who knew blueberries and whipped cream could make such a mess?"

"After that day, I think blueberries became my favourite fruit," Chuck laughs, wagging his eyebrows at Sarah flirtatiously.

"You know we do have whipped cream at home," Sarah begins, toying with a lock of her hair. "We could try to recreate that afternoon."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Chuck laughs, and the pair continue their walk home, albeit at a bit quicker pace than before.

Later that night, after video calling with Maya, Chuck and Sarah settle into bed.

"Maya seems to be enjoying her time at your Mom's," Chuck says.

Sarah hums in agreement. "You know she thinks Molly is the coolest person ever so she's in heaven." Every time Maya spent time with Molly, she would regale her parents with tales of 'Molly did this' or 'Molly said that' and whatever Molly did or said was always 'awesome'.

"I think it's sweet."

"You know what else would be sweet? If this child of yours would ease up off my bladder." Her hands fly to her stomach, feeling a flutter of movement. "Seriously, he's been there for like the last half hour," Sarah grits through her teeth.

Chuck slides down the bed until his head is in alignment with her belly. "Hey buddy," Chuck begins excitedly. He looks back up at Sarah and she nods so he pushes her shirt up. He's then able to see the faint outline of the baby's limbs as he moves. "He's really fussy tonight."

"Yeah," Sarah agrees, moving her hands around her swollen belly. "You'd think that after I fulfilled my craving, that he would have settled down some."

Chuck nods, turning his attention back to Sarah's bump. The first time he'd done this, back when Sarah was pregnant with Maya, he'd felt kind of silly speaking to her bump but that feeling had been quickly replaced by excitement and a hint of nervousness. But now, he's more comfortable with it and he especially likes seeing and feeling the baby respond to his voice. "I know you're probably feeling a little cramped in there," Chuck begins.

Sarah snorts and he quickly meets her gaze. "Then imagine how I feel."

"Sarah, it's baby bump time," he chides and it reminds her of when Ellie was pregnant with Clara and Devon seemed to spend more time talking to her bump than he did with her. She doesn't verbally respond but instead smiles apologetically and pretends to zip her mouth and throw away the key. "Right, where was I little guy? Right, as I was saying, I know you're probably feeling a bit cramped and your mom's internal organs probably make a really good pillow or cushion or whatever but you'd really be doing me a solid if you ease up a bit off your mother's bladder. We love you."

Sarah runs her fingers through his hair, gently massaging the nape of his neck. "Thank you, Chuck."

"Did he move?" Chuck asks, still keeping a firm but loving hand on the side of her stomach.

"No," Sarah sighs. "But it's the thought that counts."

She yawns, an action which Chuck notices and he said good night to their son before climbing back up the bed. Sarah crans her neck, meeting Chuck's lips in a gentle kiss and when it ends, they hold each other's gaze, exchanging loving glances. Sarah turns on her side and then reaches behind her. She grabs Chuck's hand, placing it atop her bump and he scoots closer, eventually resting his head on her pillow.

"Good night Chuck. Love you."

''Good night Sarah. I love you too."

The baby finally moves into a more comfortable position and Sarah easily falls to sleep unlike previous nights which had involved lots of tossing and turning. Chuck falls asleep shortly after she does, perfectly content with the life they've built with each other. It's just after twelve when Sarah shifts in her husband's arms. Chuck shifts his position too, turning on his other side, his back to Sarah. She stirs awake and, as quickly as her belly would allow, she props herself up against her pillows.

"Chuck?" Sarah whispers, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Yeahhhhh?" He responds, not opening his eyes and hoping he doesn't have to get out of bed.

"Chuck, I need you to get up."

Biting back a groan, he complies, and turns on the bedside lamp on his side. "What do you need? More blueberries? Or is it strawberries this time?"

He's already thrown the covers off him and is searching for a sweatshirt to put on when Sarah calls out to him. "I don't need anything from the kitchen or the store."

"Then what do you need?" Chuck queries, walking back over to the bed.

Sarah bites her lip and bats her eyelashes at her husband. "You."

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and please consider leaving a review, even if it's as a guest.

Until next time,

xoxoxox

~Barbadiangirl 26/06/2018.