Has it really been over a year? Oof. My bad. Sorry guys! But I'm back and this story is coming to a close. I've got about three chapters left after this one. But a quick update on my life. Med school is hectic and I barely have time to breathe. But now I'm on break so... I'VE GOT TIME TO WRITE.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Chuck.

Chuck Versus the Vineyard

Five weeks.

That was how long Sarah had been gone for.

Chuck knew that it was a good thing – she hadn't been eliminated yet – but damn did he miss her. He barely knew anything that was going on with her. They talked on the phone every now and then but she couldn't tell him anything about the progress of the show because of the contracts and things. That led to Chuck keeping Sarah caught up with their life back home and he wasn't exactly sure that that would help with her being away. Even though she told him otherwise, he knew she was feeling homesick.

And he missed her, too. He'd gotten used to falling asleep with her beside him and waking up with her wrapped around him. He'd gotten used to coming out of the bathroom in the morning to the smell of coffee and a freshly cooked breakfast – because she absolutely refused to eat less than a full meal in the morning. He'd gotten used to hearing her bark orders in the kitchen whenever he popped in for an IT check up. She'd become so integrated into his life that her absence was glaring. Even Ellie missed Sarah's presence. She always asked how Sarah was doing and if he'd gotten any updates from her. The answer was always the same, Sarah's doing great. She can't talk about the show, though.

Just as Chuck was getting ready to leave for the office, there was a knock on the door. Hefting his bag over his shoulder, he answered. "Sarah?" he gasped. "What are you-? You're here? You're home? What? How? Why?" He was shocked. Sarah being home meant that she was eliminated. But… She was happy. Smiling. Her eyes were even sparkling. Regardless, he pulled her in for a hug.

Laughing, Sarah hugged back. "Oh, I missed you so much," she muttered into his shoulder.

"I missed you, too." When they pulled away, Chuck frowned. "What are you doing home? Did you get eliminated?" Sarah shook her head.

"No," she answered. "The next two weeks are going to be filmed here in Los Angeles."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "I can't stay here, though," she added, her voice dropping. "All of the contestants have to stay in the hotel. But, we have some free time in between the challenges and filming so I'll definitely get to spend some time with you."

He'll take it.

"I'll take it." Chuck was down for any time with Sarah while she was in town.

"Are you heading to the office?" she asked nodding at his outfit.

Chuck winced. "I am, actually. I'm sorry. How long are you free for?"

"I have to be back this afternoon."

"Maybe we can do lunch?" he offered weakly.

"I'd love lunch," she promised. "Is Ellie home? I kind of want to check in on her, too. You know? With the pregnancy?"

"She would love that!" Chuck perked up. "She should be home, too." He leaned in to give her a long, slow kiss. "God, I missed you." Sarah smiled, the gleam in her eyes returning the sentiment.

"Go to work. I'll see you soon."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." They kissed once more before Chuck turned and walked out of the courtyard, but not without one more glance at her over his shoulder.

Sarah missed him and was disappointed that they couldn't spend time together, but she knew that he was putting the final touches on the video game release and needed to be in the office. At least she was able to catch him before he left for the day. Instead, she walked the short distance across the courtyard and knocked on the door to the Bartowski-Woodcomb apartment. When the door opened, the elder Bartowski sibling gasped in shock, similarly to her brother. "Sarah! Oh, my gosh! You're home! Wait, you're home?" There was another barrage of questions that Sarah quickly answered before being ushered inside and offered a drink.

"So, how's the show going?" Ellie asked the moment they were seated on the couch with a mug of tea each, the confusion of Sarah's being home resolved. "Chuck wouldn't tell me anything."

Sarah blushed. "That's because I haven't been telling him anything either. We're not really allowed to talk about it."

"Oh, come on," Ellie shooed Sarah's excuse like a bad smell. "They won't know. Just tell me, how have you been doing?"

Sarah smiled, having missed Ellie's inquisitive nature. "I've been doing great, actually. The show is being held at the CIA in New York so I'm on familiar ground. It's kind of like how I remember class to be like but way more competitive and way more high-end. I'm going up against people who have competed and won on Iron Chef America but I've been holding my own." Ellie just smiled like a proud mama bear. Speaking of which, Sarah thought to herself. "But, enough about me," Sarah continued, changing the subject. "Tell me about you! How are things going along now?" She gestured to Ellie's abdomen, a baby bump now apparent.

Ellie beamed, her whole face lighting up and her free hand unconsciously gravitated to her belly. "It's so much better. Now that I'm halfway through the second trimester, the morning sickness and nausea has finally faded but now I've been facing some congestion and mild swelling in my ankles." Sarah scrunched up her nose. "Tell me about it," Ellie said, catching the look. "But, seriously, I'm so excited for this little one to get here."

"I'm so happy for you," Sarah said. "I really wish I could be here with you. Between Devon and Chuck, you could probably use a bit more estrogen around." The two women laughed.

"Oh, no, it's okay, really. Though, I would prefer them both to stop treating me like I could break at any second, they've been really great. My mom has actually been by to help and give some tips and pointers."

"Oh yeah! How are things with your parents?" Sarah asked. Chuck had told her over the phone that his dad was trying to connect with him by helping out over at Orion Tech and that his mom and Ellie have been spending some time together. It was slow-going, but they were rebuilding their family and Sarah couldn't have been more happy for them.

"It's taking a while but we've gotten better. It was a little weird jumping from them treating us like children to treating us like adults because there was no transition stage, but eventually, we figured it out."

"That's good. I'm glad."

"Yeah," Ellie sighed. "I'm really glad that they're back. I've resented them for so long for leaving Chuck and I, but now… I'm just thankful that they're here, you know? I mean, there's no use in hating them now."

"And," Sarah added, "they're family." Ellie sent a small smile to the blonde. In such a short time, Sarah had quickly taken the values of Ellie and Chuck and made them her own.

"And they're family," she agreed.

The two talked more throughout the morning about anything and everything. Over the months since they'd met, they'd become best friends – bonding mostly over their love of cooking and, occasionally, their stories regarding a tall curly haired nerd. Sarah was so glad that she had Ellie around to talk to. As great of a listener as Chuck was, there were just some things that a man could never understand about being a woman. If Sarah were honest with herself, she would have to admit that she missed Ellie just as much as she missed Chuck.

"Oh, wow, look at the time," Sarah said glancing at the clock on the wall. "It's nearly noon. I promised Chuck we'd get together for lunch." Ellie perked at that.

"Well then you better not keep him waiting," the brunette said. "You know how he can be when he's hungry." A beat. "And when he misses his girlfriend." She winked with a knowing smirk to which Sarah rolled her eyes.

After saying their goodbyes, Sarah found herself back in her car, sending a quick text to Chuck, telling him where they could meet for lunch.

She arrived at the café near Chuck's office a short time later only to find him already seated at a table for two, his thumbs tapping furiously on his phone. "I hope that you won't be on that thing the entire time," she said. He jumped, nearly dropping his phone in his glass of water.

"Sarah!" the tall man stood, pocketing his phone, and gave her a hug and a quick kiss. "I was just sending some info to Morgan. I promise… It's just you and me."

"Good." She took her seat across from him and a waiter was quick to take her drink order. "So, how are things? With the business?"

That got Chuck talking. He dove into a whole narrative about how close they were to a final product and how cool it was to see the voice actors record the dialogue that he'd written, only stopping to place their orders and to say his thanks when the food arrived. Sarah listened intently, not really interrupting except for when she needed clarification on a word or phrase or acronym that he'd use occasionally. She missed just listening to him talk. No, what she really missed was the sound of his voice in person and not distorted over a phone or computer speaker. "What about you?" he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I know you can't go into detail, but how are things going with the show? I bet you're dominating every challenge." Sarah smiled.

"Not really," she replied vaguely. "I've won a couple but I've mostly been around the middle of the pack. The other competitors are really good."

"I know they are," Chuck said taking another bite of his meal. "But I also know that Sarah Walker is not one to be trifled with." Sarah chuckled and leaned forward to wipe some of the pasta sauce off of the corner of Chuck's lip. They were silent, frozen, caught in each other's gaze. It was like time slowed down at the innocent touch. Then, the door to the café opened and the bell chimed, shattering the moment. "I really missed you," he said, his voice suddenly hoarse.

"I really missed you, too."

"How much longer?"

"Two weeks here in California and then one more week back in New York," Sarah recited. She'd been counting down the days until she could come home. As much as she wanted to win the competition and become an Iron Chef, she also wanted to end the day wrapped up in Chuck's arms on their bed. "If I don't get eliminated," she added. Chuck shook his head.

"You won't," he said adamantly. "Because you're Sarah Walker and Sarah Walker is a badass." She sent him a grateful smile and the two continued to finish their lunch.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Eventually Sarah had to head back to the hotel where she was staying and Chuck had to get back to work so the two parted ways, promising to see each other again soon. Chuck hated the distance; he wanted nothing more than to just wrap her up in a blanket and hide her away from the world. But, he knew that Sarah was an ambitious woman, and that this was something that she wanted. Who was he to stop her?

Honestly, though, he'd dreamt about Sarah becoming the next Iron Chef a number of times himself. Seeing her standing in Kitchen Stadium in her specialized jacket, that knowing smirk on her lips and confident glint in her eyes. And, just picturing the smile on Sarah's face as she is crowned as the newest Iron Chef, Chuck knew that it wouldn't just be her proudest moment; it would be his, too.

Those thoughts were the only things that helped him through each week without his girlfriend. That it would be worth it in the end. And, by the time she'd be back home, Chuck will be launching his first video game – at San Diego Comic Con, nonetheless. Everything was moving at light-speed and as great as it was, Chuck couldn't wait for things to slow down once again and just enjoy being with Sarah again.

But, for now, he needed to focus; he had a meeting to get to. When he arrived at his office, Morgan was there waiting for him. "Okay, Buddy, what's the sitrep?" Chuck asked once he walked in, not stopping once as he made his way toward his office.

"So, now that we've got all of the dialogue done and are in final editing, we just need you to go over what you want to go into the demo," Morgan said. "The IGN rep is here and is willing to work with you for the demo release and the SDCC release."

Chuck nodded in understanding and Morgan broke away to walk into his own office. "Kiersten Slader," he greeted. "How are you, my dear?"

"Mr. Bartowski," the woman seated in one of the chairs in front of his desk stood and shook his hand.

"I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"No, I just got here," she assured.

"Great." Chuck flattened his tie and gestured for the IGN rep to have a seat while he sat himself. "I'm so excited to be working with you."

"As am I," Kiersten smiled. "I've actually played the PT and I've got to say, for a rookie… You've really put out a great trailer. I can't wait to actually see the demo and the final product."

"That's so great to hear," Chuck smiled.

They went into detail about having a demo release for the game on IGN prime. He didn't want to do an exclusive demo release because he wanted a wider reach through Steam. Once that was squared away, they moved on to talk about the final release at SDCC. "It's very rare for us to do a game launch at SDCC with a rookie company," Kiersten explained. "It almost never happens. But… pretty much everyone on the team loved your trailer so we wanted to give you a shot."

"And, I can't tell you how grateful we are for this opportunity," Chuck added.

"So, here's how it's gonna work," she began. "You'll get a booth where you can sell the game hardcopy and special download codes on the IGN website." Chuck nodded as the rep continued to go over the specifics of the weekend, occasionally taking notes on the legal pad in front of him.

It was half an hour later when the meeting wrapped and he was walking the rep to the door. "Thanks again for all your help."

"No problem."

Once Kiersten was out of the office, Chuck headed straight for his own to send endless emails to the distributers that he'd managed to get a deal with.

He was out of the office by five and on his way home. As he got into his car, he sent a quick text to Sarah to see what she was up to. There was no response so Chuck figured that she was busy. Starting his car, he decided that he'd get some take out from Bamboo Dragon.

As he called to place his order, he recalled the name of Sarah's hotel and decided that he wanted to surprise her. He picked up the order and made his way over to the fancy five-star hotel that the Food Network had sprung for the competitors. He walked up to the front desk and asked for Sarah Walker's room.

"I'm sorry, sir. We're not at liberty to divulge guest information."

"I'm her boyfriend," he said. "Chuck Bartowski. She's staying here as part of a TV show."

"I'm really sorry, sir," the receptionist said. "But unless you're on the list, I can't give you the information."

"Can't you call up or something?" Chuck asked. He'd have preferred the surprise of him sitting in the room when Sarah walked in for the dramatic scene but, he'll take what he can get.

"Chuck?" At the sound of his name being called, Chuck spun around and saw Sarah standing there with a group of three other people, all four of them wearing matching outfits white chef jackets and jeans. Chuck realized that they must be the other competitors.

"Sarah! Hey!" he ran up to her and gave her a hug. Her jacket was rumpled, her hair slightly in array, and she smelled like sweat and food. He was so used to this look on her from the nights she came home after working in the kitchen. He loved it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. The other competitors looked on in curiosity.

"Well," he began. "I remember you saying how much you missed home, so I decided to bring you a Bartowski favorite." He lifted the white paper bag. "Sizzling Shrimp a la the Bamboo Dragon." Sarah's smile grew.

"You're the best." She pulled him in for a hug. "You didn't have to, you know."

Chuck shrugged sheepishly. "I know," he admitted. "But I missed you and I really wanted to see you again."

"Why don't we take this up to my room and we can eat it there?"

"Sounds like a plan."

One of the other competitors cleared his throat and Sarah realized that she hadn't made any introductions. "Right! I totally forgot." She pivoted so that the group was standing in somewhat of a circle. "Chuck, these are the other competitors: Jason Wang, Lizzie Shafai, and Cliff Arculin. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Chuck Bartowski."

"Nice to meet you," Cliff grunted with a firm handshake.

"You as well."

"Your girlfriend here, she's a real firecracker," he complemented. "Knows her way around a kitchen." Chuck smiled proudly as though he had anything to do with that fact.

"That she does," he says.

"Yeah," Jason added. "For a newbie in the competition series, she's giving us all a run for our money." Sarah turned to Chuck.

"Jason here competed in Iron Chef America against Masaharu Morimoto. Lizzie competed against Michael Symon, and Cliff hasn't competed in Iron Chef America, but he is a Chopped champion." Chuck looked on in wonder. As an avid Food Network fan, Chuck recognized the accomplishment in each of Sarah's competitors. The fact that Sarah was among their ranks as the rookie and is holding her own made him even more of a proud boyfriend than before.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Chuck said. "But, if you don't mind, I'd like to pull Sarah away for a romantic dinner featuring Chinese takeout and perhaps a couple of television reruns."

The couple said their goodbyes before making their way up to Sarah's room where Chuck set the table while Sarah got cleaned up. She joined him on the couch shortly after, gratefully accepting the takeout box, snuggling into Chuck's side as he scrolled through his Netflix account.

"Do you know your schedule while you're in Los Angeles?" Chuck asked as they were in between episodes of The Office.

"Actually…" Sarah replied hesitantly. "I found out that we'll only be in L.A. for the week. If I make it through to the next round, we go up to the CIA in Napa next week for the next challenge."

"You'll make it," he replied automatically. "But it sucks that you're leaving so soon."

"Yeah… I'm sorry, Chuck."

"No! No need to be sorry." There was a pause before Chuck spoke up once more. "You know what? What if I took off next week?"

"What?"

"Yeah. Morgan can handle the office for the week. I can go with you to Napa and we can spend time together while you're off and when you're busy, I can do work in the hotel room."

"Chuck, are you sure? You're so close to the release of your game."

"I know," he said. "But, the release has already been set for San Diego Comic Con and that's a month away and all that's really left is organizing everything for the launch and ensuring that the copies are in production. Morgan can very easily handle that."

A smile slowly grew on Sarah's face. "You're coming with me to Napa?"

Chuck nodded, his lips matching his girlfriend's smile. "I'm coming with you to Napa." The two shared a kiss that led them all the way to the bed.

The next morning, Chuck woke up to an empty room, the sun streaming through the curtains. Rubbing his eyes, he picked his boxers up from off of the floor and slid them on as the bathroom door opened to reveal Sarah dressed and ready for the day, clad in form fitting jeans and her specialized chef's jacket. "Morning, Chuck," she said as she walked up to him.

"G' Morning," he muttered, shaking off the last of the tendrils of sleep.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked.

"So much better," he replied.

"Same."

"Are you heading out?"

"Yeah. We're filming in Anaheim today so we all have to be downstairs in time for the shuttle."

Chuck nodded in understanding. "Well, I'll see you later?"

"Definitely," she replied with a smile. "And, I'll add you to my list so you can come up to my room." She leaned over and kissed Chuck. It wasn't a chaste peck, nor was it a long passionate kiss; it was more of a happy medium, one that held promise.

Chuck felt Sarah smiled as they pulled away. "Text me when you're free?" he called out to her retreating form.

"I will," she replied as she pulled the door open.

And she was gone. Chuck finished pulling on his clothes and grabbed his things. He'd decided to make a quick pit stop at his apartment to shower and change before heading in to the office to tell Morgan his plans for the next week.

Needless to say, his best friend was beyond ecstatic that his buddy and boss was taking some time for himself. Morgan knew better than anyone that Chuck had buried himself in work to try and distract himself from Sarah's absence. The production of Orion Tech's first game went at lightning speed. A big project normally took something between five to ten years; their game had taken them less than a year to be fully developed. Granted, Chuck had been working on it since high school. That had to count for something.

This was big for Chuck. Morgan knew that. But, he also knew that his best friend was close to burning out, even if he didn't realize it himself yet. Taking some time off to be with Sarah, in Napa of all places, would do the self-proclaimed nerd some good. Even if it meant that Morgan would have to give up his mad work-avoidance skills more than he already has, it was worth it.

And, with Chuck letting Morgan in on his little side-mission, Morgan couldn't have been more excited. He even encouraged Chuck to take the day off and get all of his ducks in a row.

That's how Morgan was left in charge of the Orion Tech office for the whole day. Well, if he was going to be running the office for the next week, what better time than to get some practice in. He had to admit. He'd gotten better at the whole leadership thing, especially after taking those classes at the El Segundo School of Finance. And it all boiled down to one word. Delegate. The staff had grown past the small group of programmers and tech guys that Chuck hired. Morgan had also hired some of his own employees, whose focus was more on the marketing and financing aspects of the company.

With nearly everything already squared away, all Morgan needed to do was finalize some paperwork, get some advertisements and promos out into the public, as well as schedule interviews for Chuck after the launch. Between the PT and the feedback from the beta – and from having played the game himself, Morgan knew that gamers everywhere were going to love it. Plus, they'd reach out to the female audience more with the female character options. Hell, Alex had loved it and she didn't even like video games.

With a burst of energy, Morgan logged onto his computer to answer the growing number of emails in his inbox. It was going to be a long day without Chuck and an even longer week when he was in Napa, but it was definitely worth it.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"Napa sounds fun," Ellie said from the kitchen as she grabbed to mugs from the cabinet. Chuck sat at the table with his breakfast in front of him. A week had passed and Ellie insisted that he have breakfast at her place before he left for Northern California. He was flying out and meeting Sarah there later that day.

"I'll bring you back a bottle," Chuck replied as he accepted the second mug from his older sister.

"I'd love that."

They talked more about Chuck's plans in Napa and a little bit about the upcoming trip to San Diego for SDCC before Chuck noticed the time on the clock. "Oh, I better get going or I'll miss my flight."

"Alright." The siblings stood and walked to the door, hugging when the threshold separated them. "Good luck, little brother."

"Thanks, Sis."

With one final wave, Chuck made his way out to his car and toward Burbank International Airport. When he finally landed in Oakland, he made his way toward the Car Rental and managed to get a Toyota Corolla. Setting his map on his phone, Chuck mentally prepared himself for the hour drive up to Napa Valley. Sarah was already at the CIA campus at Greystone, just north of Napa. The Food Network producers had set them up in the guest house just to the right of the main building and she'd gotten clearance from the producer on site to let Chuck stay in her room so long as he stayed out of the way when they were shooting. Not that he could go in and watch, anyway. It was a closed set.

By dinnertime, Chuck had pulled up to the campus and was in awe at how beautiful it was. It looked like a freaking castle for crying out loud. What was it with culinary schools looking like royalty lived there? He had to ask her when he got the chance if that was why she'd decided on "Il Castello" as the name and the medieval/modern design for the restaurant. He could see the appeal of studying culinary arts at a place like this. The fancy building made you feel fancy, and feeling fancy made you want to eat. Well… at least to him.

Sarah had texted him when he was close to the campus, telling him that they'd finished filming for the day and that they were headed to dinner if he wanted to join – of course he did. He parked his car where Sarah told him he could and walked toward the small building just in front of the main building. When he entered, a large group of people were seated in a giant dining hall type area. He figured that they were the crew that came along with the television show. At one of the tables, three people sat. Chuck recognized the two that were facing him as Jason Wang and Cliff Arculin. Sitting with her back facing him, Chuck recognized the familiar head of blonde hair fixed in a messy bun. Smiling to himself, he walked up, positioning a single finger over his lips to signal to other men to not give him away. When he was right behind her, he leant forward and asked in a husky tone, "Is this seat taken?"

"Actually–" Sarah began. Chuck could already hear the irritation in her voice. When she turned to face him, narrow eye slits of annoyance went wide in surprise. "Chuck! You're here."

Chuck frowned in confusion, "Didn't we agree that I would be?" he asked. Jokingly scratching his head. The act quickly dropped as Sarah stood from her seat to hug him. He returned the hug with a laugh.

"Sit," she told him, waving a hand to what looked like a worker. "How was the trip?"

"Long," Chuck answered as a plate of food was placed in front of him. He blinked at the filet mignon and potatoes. His stomach growled and he gave a sheepish smile, giving his thanks to the server that brought him his plate. "Sorry… All I've had since breakfast was a bag of airline peanuts and a bag of Cheetos Puffs." Sarah's hand found its way to his hair.

"My poor boy," she said with mock sympathy, sending a furtive wink to her competitors who both had smirks on their face.

"I know," Chuck replied, his faced now stuffed with a chunk of steak and a forkful of mashed potatoes. "Thank goodness I had breakfast at Ellie's."

Sarah groaned. "I miss Ellie's food." She turned to her fellow competitors and said, "You may be able to make gourmet food, but you haven't eaten until you taste his sister's cooking."

"It's that good?" Jason asked skeptically.

"It's that good," Sarah assured.

Eyeing Chuck as he scarfed down the food on his plate, Cliff added, "Chuck here must be a lucky man having two women in his life that have talent in the kitchen."

"Tell me about it," Chuck said, swallowing the bite in his mouth. "Before Sarah, I couldn't even boil water without burning myself."

"That's a lie," Sarah said. "You knew some basics. You just needed to work on your skills so that you didn't cut a finger off."

"But, seriously," Chuck said. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for this woman right here." He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on Sarah's cheek.

"Oh, stop it, you two," Cliff said. "You're making me miss my wife."

"And my fiancée," Jason added.

The four laughed and continued talking until slowly, people began to trickle out, calling it a day.

Soon enough, Chuck and Sarah decided it was time for them to head up to their room, as well. Once they were changed and settled into bed, Chuck turned to Sarah and asked, "so… What's your schedule like for the week?"

"We're off tomorrow while the crew gets set up and then we have the first challenge on Tuesday with the commentary, we're off on Wednesday, and on Thursday we film the second challenge with commentary. That's the elimination challenge. Then, we get one more day off on Friday before we fly back to New York on Saturday."

"Alright, so tomorrow, Wednesday, and Friday, we can go and do some exploring or something."

"Yeah. Just… nothing too long… I want to head to the kitchen and test some flavor profiles."

Chuck nodded. "Of course. I don't want to distract you. I just want to support you."

Sarah looked up at him from her spot on his chest and gave him a smile that spoke of her love for him. He returned it, pulling her body closer to his. They shifted slightly for a more comfortable position before drifting off to sleep.

Monday morning saw Sarah giving Chuck a tour of the main campus. They stopped briefly for lunch in the café before the two of them holed up at a station in the teaching kitchens. Chuck sat nearby doing some work – answering emails that Morgan had either sent him or forwarded him – occasionally tasting something that Sarah had worked up. Sarah told him that whenever she got the chance, she liked to experiment with different flavor combinations just so that she could have that experience prior to a challenge.

"The other two competitors have so much more experience than me with competitions, especially with the Iron Chef franchise," she said. "All I really have is my record at the CIA. I haven't competed since. Plus, it's really good for building menus. I get fresh ideas for different flavor combinations."

"But… you're still here," Chuck added, "which means something." Sarah simply shot him a smile and went back to making her next test bite.

It didn't feel like it, but they spent five hours in that kitchen. Chuck had tucked away his laptop long ago and just watched as Sarah moved around the kitchen space. Yeah, he was a little disappointed that they couldn't go on some vineyard/wine tasting adventure, but he knew that Sarah needed the kitchen time to prep herself and he was just happy to be in the same room as her. And, it wasn't like he didn't have anything to do so it worked out.

When Sarah finally decided that she was done for the day, Chuck had already ordered a pizza that was currently on its way to them and he suggested that they spend the night curled up in their room, watching a movie on his laptop. Sarah had readily agreed since she could get to sleep earlier for the day ahead.

The next morning, Chuck woke up to an empty bed. Sarah had already left for the day, she'd told him as much in the note she left him. He was free to do whatever he felt like doing, as they wouldn't be back until around dinnertime.

Though it was summer, there were some students on campus completing summer courses so he decided that he explore some more of the main building, taking some time to actually go around the market place and look at the different things that they offered for sale. He ran into a couple of pastry students at the Chocolate Discovery Center who were working on different confectionary pieces – they offered him a few pieces, which he gladly accepted. They spoke for a while – he asked them about why they decided to pursue pastry and they asked him what it was like to own his own tech company.

Eventually, he'd excused himself, knowing that he'd taken up their time, and found himself in the baking center where he'd also gotten the chance to taste the various desserts that the students made.

That was apparently how he was going to spend his day: running into random students and tasting their food. He wasn't complaining. Some of the culinary students had found out that he was there to visit with Sarah Walker as she competed on The Next Iron Chef and the two launched into a full conversation about her. Chuck enjoyed the opportunity to brag about his girlfriend.

The rest of the day and week went on with no exceptional incidents. Sarah, like always, refused to talk about the details of the show. But Chuck didn't mind. He could tell by her body language that things were going good for her.

By Friday, all of the filming was done for the week, which meant that Sarah was willing to actually go on a wine-tasting tour with him at one of the nearby vineyards. So, they set out in the early afternoon to enjoy a day to themselves. Sarah fully enjoyed herself and she loved just having time to spend with Chuck, without any responsibilities. She wasn't sure she could say the same for Chuck, however. While he wasn't being a total killjoy, Sarah could tell that something was bothering him. He was trying his hardest not to make it obvious so Sarah didn't bring it up. Despite that, they still had a great time together.

At the end of the day, they found themselves in a castle-like home, just as the sun was setting. The tour of the vineyard was amazing and the wine tasting at the end was delicious. The couple laughed and talked and told stories, recounting moments that they wished the other was there for and just took the time to really reconnect and get back in sync.

So there, at the close of an amazing day, as he and Sarah watched the sunset over the magical view of the vineyard, Chuck knew. He knew that Sarah was it for him. Because no matter how far they got from each other, they always gravitated back to each other. He pressed a kiss to her temple and stepped back, pulling away from her, getting her attention in the process. As she turned toward him, he took her hands in his and gave her a small smile, one that was a mix of nerves and adoration for the woman in before him. "Sarah…" he began. "I just… You mean the world to me. And… I can't imagine my life without you now that you're here." He paused, wiping his hands on his jeans. You've built me up from a deep and dark place and you always supported me in everything that I do. And, I want to do the same for you, you know? I want to be the person you come home to every night, the one you tell all your problems to, the one you lean on for support and encouragement. And, I can't think of a better way to do that than to be by your side for the rest of our lives." He paused once more to take one of her hands in his while another found its way into his pocket. He knelt down to one knee and revealed a small red box. Flipping the latch, he opened it. Sarah's breath caught in her throat. "Sarah Walker," he said. "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked. "Will you marry me?"

She didn't answer right away. She simply knelt in front of him with the biggest smile on her face, before taking his head in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. It was gentle and just a smidge sloppy as the both of them were smiling to big. When they pulled away, Sarah sniffled a bit and swiped at a stray tear that fell down her cheek. "Yes." Chuck removed the ring from the box and slid it on her finger and pulled her in for another kiss. "I love you," she whispered, when the broke for air.

"And I love you."

She looked at the simple but elegant diamond ring on her finger and then back at the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Warmth bubbled up into her chest and spread throughout her body. If this sweet, kind, nerdy man was what she had to look forward to, she couldn't wait.

Boom! And there goes another one. Sorry again for this insane wait. I'll try to make the next one come out sooner.

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