Casey slams on the brakes. "Get the hell out of the car, Bartowski."

"But …" Chuck stares through the windshield at the world outside; the darkening trees and the lake splashing forlornly against the velvet grass. "Um, is there some reason you're taking me to a secluded lake on a Friday night, Casey?"

His handler grunts. "Yeah. So you can go deal with your lady feelings. Now get outta my sight."

Chuck arches a dubious brow, but when Casey's jaw hardens and he reaches across the console to fling open the computer nerd's door, he realizes it's either staying in the car with a pissed off spy or venturing into the unknown to discover why exactly Casey thinks the slap of water and the hoot of owls will help him deal with his – how did he say it again? – lady feelings.

"Um, okay." Stepping from the car, he leans down to peek back inside. "But … you're gonna be here when I get back, right?"

"Not if you want to watch me vomit." And he pushes his foot to the gas, streaking away from Chuck into the pitch black night.

"Okay." Chuck tugs at his thin grey tie, swallowing hard against the panic surging through his chest. "Okay. No reason to panic. No reason at all. I'm just fifteen miles from home without a car or a cell phone or … or my wallet. Damn it." He pats his slacks, but the square of leather fabric isn't there to brush his palm. "You just had to rush me out of the house, didn't you, Casey? And now I'm talking to myself. Great …"

Chuck sighs and glances at the water, his brow furrowing at the sight of a thousand flickering golden lights dotting the branches of a nearby tree. They cast their shimmering radiance beneath the light of the full moon, lending a golden hue to the mirror surface of the lake. "H-hello?" Chuck calls, tripping over the gravel to venture closer to the lights. As he does so, he notices a multitude of candles glimmering along the shore. "Is someone there? A friend? A foe? A stalker? … Sarah?"

The blonde stands in stiletto boots and tight black clothes, greeting Chuck with a trembling smile. "Hi, Chuck."

"Sarah? What – what is all this?" A branch cracks beneath his foot, and he nearly jumps at the sound. "Candles and … and is that – are those –"

"Pumpkins," she murmurs, a blush rippling across her cheeks. "I thought … I thought we could try again."

"But," he tilts his head, shivering in the breeze, "it's November. Halloween's over, Sarah."

Breathing deep, she locks onto his gaze, the depths of her eyes darkening, growing bluer, more intense. "Not everything has to end, you know."

And in that moment, he knows. He understands. The reason Casey brought him to this lake. The reason Sarah's meeting him here now. The reason she's staring at him with so much vulnerability, it slips inside and makes his heart race, sending his pulse into frenzied overdrive. "I told you." He swallows. "I'm … I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I don't know if I can – well, if I can try again."

"That's okay." She shakes her head and steps closer, the grass springing beneath her boots. "You don't need to know it, Chuck. You just need to trust me." And as she slips ever closer, so close he can see the golden lights shining within her eyes, a moment from their past rushes through Chuck's mind.

They're sitting on the beach. She's crouched by his side. He's gazing into her eyes. And she's asking him to do just one more thing.

Trust me, Chuck.

"I don't know if I can. Sarah, you broke my heart, okay? You – you left me sitting in my room, thinking you didn't want me. How am I supposed to get over that? How am I supposed to – how am I ever supposed to trust you again?"

"Maybe we start with something smaller, then." She's standing so close now, he can hear her breath, rapid and ragged from between her lips, which she wets with a sweep of her tongue.

His gaze darts to her mouth, his pulse sprinting through his veins. "And what's that?"

She reaches down; slips her fingers through his hand. "Maybe we start with a dance." And she waits for him to lead, settling her cheek against his chest when he begins to sway her to the sound of the waves.

"I meant what I said, Chuck. I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes, I'm not going anywhere."

"What if I don't want you to wait anymore?"

Sarah tenses, her body rigid in his arms. "I understand."

"No." Chuck's heart twists. "You don't…" Pulling back, he meets her gaze beneath a flash of moonlight, a flare of golden lights twinkling upon a lake dark against the shore. "I don't want you to wait anymore. Because if you really mean it, if you really love me … then I'm done waiting. Because I love you, too. God, Sarah. I love you so much. And all I want – all I've ever wanted is just to be with you. So please … if you're ready, then just – just tell me you want that, too."

Sarah's grin is a beacon in the dark, gradually sliding across her lips until it lights up her face, throwing radiance across her features. "I do, Chuck. I want that, too."

"Then that's all I needed to hear." And he captures her lips in a heated kiss, moving her to their silent beat as the lake ripples in the evening breeze, sparking memories of the first time she ever let herself go, the first time he witnessed her vulnerability.