A/N: When is the last time this one was updated?! MAY! A month! I let this sit for a month!? I'm sorry, probably not as sorry as Chuck and Sarah…..*crickets* Yeah, so, I really really really don't like Jill in this, and she kinda messes with my flow…so I'm gonna allude to what happened without spelling it out, I mean you guys know, it's me. Ch 15, Point of No Return
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.
"You sure about this?" Chuck asked, rubbing his hands on his pants, sweat covering his palms.
"Yeah," she said a little breathlessly.
"Okay," he replied. "This may hurt a little."
"Just do it, okay?" She stared into his eyes, and winced.
"Sorry," Chuck muttered. "That's it."
"That was quick, and relatively painless," Sarah admitted taking a deep breath.
He moved her hair out of her face. "I'm still not sure how you managed to end up in the cactus, and got those needles in your head."
"Because of that bitch, Jill Roberts," Sarah growled. "At least she's in jail."
"Hey, I was thinking… you wanna move in with me and Sam?" Chuck asked, a hopeful look on his face.
"I thought you'd never ask," she admitted.
}o{
Earlier
"What are you doing?" Chuck asked, as she headed to the kitchen.
"Making breakfast," she replied, shrugging. "Today's going to be a long day, and I need your mind sharp."
"It's one AM!" Chuck pointed out.
"Listen, we both know if we go in that bedroom, no one is sleeping, and for the record, I am glad we're both on the same page with that."
"Wait, to clarify, you are on the same page regarding you and I being in the same room and not sleeping?"
"Do I need to spell this out for you?" Sarah asked, with a VERY pointed look. Chuck shook his head no. "We are taking out Jill Roberts today, because she is never threatening you or Sam again." Chuck cocked his head to the side and watched her. "Fine, Sam first, then you. Sorry, I've come to think thoughts about that kid in ways I probably shouldn't."
"For the record, I'm okay with that. In fact, I'm glad," Chuck replied before his mouth slammed shut. Sarah stared at him. "We should not go back into that bedroom."
"Right, but not for the reasons you think," Sarah said, an eyebrow arched.
"I mean it's been a while, but I think I remember the concept. I may need lessons to bring me up to snuff," he replied, a smirk on his face.
"You have a kid, you know what to do," Sarah retorted.
Chuck took a step closer to her. "Yeah," he replied softly. "But, I don't know what you like, what you enjoy, what makes you-" there was a loud knock on the door.
"I swear we are going to finish this conversation," she growled, and stalked off for the door.
"I believe you," Chuck said, swallowing thickly. "Trust me, I believe you."
Sarah opened the door, saw who it was, and slammed it back. Chuck walked into the living room. "It was no one," Sarah said, her arms crossed, almost daring him to contradict her.
"You do know I can see a head in the top of that glass?" Chuck asked, being very, very brave. Sarah glared at him, reached over, and never changing her expression, opened the door.
"About time," Carina began.
"You were right, I'm sorry," Chuck apologized.
Sarah smiled at him. "Have I mentioned I like you?"
"Yeah, but I never mind hearing it," Chuck replied.
"Christ," Carina muttered. "Look I'm here to apologize, and to stop Casey from screwing up." Sarah turned to Carina. They exchanged a look and Sarah sighed.
"I've been avoiding it," Sarah admitted.
"Avoiding what?" Chuck asked.
"Casey is going to try and kill Jill," Sarah explained.
"WHAT?! He can't!" Chuck ran over and grabbed his keys and headed toward the door. Sarah grabbed him. "Sarah, she's Sam's mother."
"Damn it," Carina hissed. Chuck and Sarah both looked at her. "I didn't believe you were really that good of a guy."
"Do you know when you sent Cole to my apartment, I grabbed my hair, I was so angry at you. I began to scream and throw things," Sarah said, staring at Carina. Chuck stepped away. He felt like there was more to this than just what he knew… like this was some sort of thing between them that had existed for years. "I was so angry you thought I would give him up, for… what? A piece of ass?"
"He does have a nice ass," Chuck said softly. Sarah snorted and even Carina closed her eyes and laughed. "Maybe Carina doesn't know you, because you never let her," Chuck offered. Sarah spun to him, surprised. "Sarah, be honest… have you ever let anyone really know who you are?"
"She has one guy, Chuckles," Carina said. "You."
}o{
Chuck brought Sarah an ice pack, and gently applied it to her face. "I did love the look on her face when she realized her entire database had been transferred to the CIA," Chuck said, grinning, as he lightly pressed the pack against the bruise on Sarah's face. "Thanks for saving me."
"She tried to hit you in the face with a cactus," Sarah said, shaking her head. Chuck made a preemptive noise, and she quit, knowing it was messing up his attempt to doctor her. "Wow, someone is determined to take care of me." The door opened.
"DAD! SARAH!" Sam yelled as she came running inside. "Uncle Devon said to make sure your pants are on."
Chuck turned red. "Give us a second," Sarah yelled, making Chuck turn red. She grinned at him. "What? I'm moving in." It was then Chuck remembered who he had Sam stay with while the operation was going down. His eyes widened, and his worst fears came true.
"You're WHAT?!" she heard the female voice ask, and all color drained from Chuck's face.
"ELLIE, SHE'S INJURED! ELLIE!" The squeal rattled all the windows.
}o{
"He uses nut milk, Devon… tell me that's not medically acceptable," Casey groused a little while later.
"If Sam is having lactose issues, as long as she's getting her protein…" he trailed off, and shrugged.
"What do you know anyway," Casey said, shaking his head. Ellie laughed. This had been at least the tenth time she had heard some version of this. "So, my one concern, is Sam safe?"
Sarah pulled the girl up on her lap, and wrapped her arms around her. "Jill is going to lose all rights to Sam, and she is going to prison for a long, long time."
"Did she really try to hit my daddy in the face with a cactus?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, she was really angry. And that was the closest thing to grab," Sarah explained.
Sam thought for a second, and shook her head. "She needs her stick pulled."
"I agree," Sarah replied. "Hey, is it okay if I live here with you and your dad?"
"Do I have to call you mom?" Sam asked.
"Honey, your dad and I aren't married," Sarah replied, giving Chuck a significant look.
"Would you want to marry a guy who's about to be unemployed?" Chuck asked, grinning.
"You still have the NSA project, Bartowski," Casey reminded him. Chuck shook his head. "It's done." Chuck nodded.
"Why would you be unemployed?" Ellie asked, confused.
"I only had a job so Roan could keep an eye on me, and now…" Chuck shrugged. Sarah and Casey shared a look. "Wait….is there something I don't know?"
"Yeah, that you need a job for me to marry you," Sarah replied, an eyebrow arched in his direction.
"You may get your stick pulled," Sam said, innocently. The choking noise Sarah and Chuck made was not quite so innocent.
}o{
Everyone had left. Sam was in bed, and Chuck and Sarah walked to his bedroom, stopping before they came to the doorway.
"We build this up too much more, and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to meet your expectations," Chuck admitted, his head hung.
"I just want someone to love me, for me," she said, turning to him, slipping her arms around him. "I want someone that I can trust, that I give my heart to." Chuck looked up into her eyes. "That's you. I love you, Chuck. I love you, and it scares me and excites me, and yes… if you asked, I'd spend the rest of my life here with you."
"Do I need to take tomorrow off, to help you move?"
"No," Sarah replied. "But you might need to take tomorrow off to recover."
"Oh, boy," he choked out.
}o{
"What did you do?" Sam asked him that afternoon, when it was just the two of them back home.
"What do you mean?" Chuck asked, confused
Sam's voice was plaintive, and soft. "I thought Sarah was coming to live with us, I thought…I thought…" she hung her head. "I thought I was finally getting a mommy." Chuck walked over and scooped the little girl up, holding her.
"She's getting her stuff, baby, she is going to live with us," Chuck began.
"What did you do?" Sarah asked, dropping her bags and walking into the kitchen, taking Sam from Chuck. "Why did you make her cry?"
"Oh, brother," Chuck said looking up at the ceiling. "She's upset because she thought you were the one she got to call mommy someday," Chuck replied. He walked out of the kitchen leaving the two of them alone.
"He's upset," Sam said.
"Yeah, he's been pushed and pulled by us both a bit," Sarah said. Sam looked at Sarah as Sarah tucked a lock of Sam's hair behind the little girl's ear. "You can't do it at school."
"Do what?" Sam asked.
"Call me mommy."
The shriek made Chuck trip from surprise.
}o{
"Roan staying on as principal," Chuck said out loud in wonder, lying in bed. "I mean… wow!"
"Diane retiring and joining him out here," Sarah added, sliding into bed beside him. "When do you want to tell Ellie that we're engaged?"
"I figure we should just tell Sam, and then send her to Ellie's for the weekend," Chuck replied, shrugging, making Sarah laugh. "We'll hear the shrieks from here." Chuck rolled to face her, and she pulled him close. "I guess I have to tell Casey."
"Yeah, I'm afraid you two have to quit being so tall together."
"What does that even mean?"
"You think I know?"
Chuck lay there quietly for a second. "You really didn't like me when we first met, did you?"
She twisted her lips, and then grinned at him. "You reminded me of someone… my dad, and not in a good way."
"Ah," he said, letting it go. There would be a time for all of that, later. "Thanks."
"For what?" she asked, a smirk on her face.
"For accepting that you love me," Chuck replied, with his own smirk.
She shook her head. "Great, went and fell in love with a smirker."
"That likes chocolate nut milk," Chuck replied.
"That may be a deal breaker," Sarah began, but Chuck was already giving her the puppy-dog eyes. "Oh, fine!" She pulled him in close for a kiss.
"Hey," Chuck said, just before they kissed. "Will there be any stick pulling tonight?" Sarah threw back her head and laughed.
A/N: I'm not sure what else to do with this one. If I didn't have as many others ongoing, I might try and figure out something else. The funny thing was this one was supposed to sit in my 'to be written later' file (you guys ought to see what all is in that one!) and I published a chapter or two and the demand became nuts to see this one. I love this, but I've got to have something for them to do, that I can see the purpose of doing. That's the hard thing when writers end their story, they sometimes can't see what fans can. Thanks for reading. Reviews, PMs, anything, they're always welcomed.