Sarah realized pretty quickly where they were. “This is where that night ended, isn’t it?” she asked Chuck. “After the stand-off on the helipad, and the bomb at the hotel, you came out here, and this is where I found you the next morning.”
She looked over, and realized Chuck was digging around in his pocket for something. He looked over at her and said, “Yeah, but you could also say that this is where it all begins.”
Sarah was confused. “What do you mean?” she asked, coming to a stop.
Chuck’s arm slipped off of her shoulders. She saw him swallow hard as he turned and stood in front of her. The words he said, though, hit her with the force of a freight train.
His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. “I mean just what I said. This, right here, this is where… where our life begins.”
Sarah could feel her breathing quicken as her eyes went wide. She could hear her heartbeat pounding in her head, and a gasp involuntarily escaped from her mouth as Chuck lowered himself onto his right knee.
He took both of her hands in his. “Sarah Walker, if you had told me a year ago that I would be here, tonight, doing this, I would’ve said that you were crazy.”
I would’ve said that I was crazy, too, she thought.
“Six months ago, I might’ve believed it could happen, but I still would’ve had a hard time processing it.”
Tears began to build in her eyes. Leave it to Chuck to think about processing this.
“But right here, right now, I have come to the realization that there is nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my crazy life with you…”
Me, too.
“… doing outrageous spy stuff, going to Comic-Con, trying to not be walked in on by Morgan…”
As the tears began to slowly trickle down her face, she laughed in spite of herself. But Chuck wasn’t done yet.
“So, Sarah, I suppose I should get around to asking the question… how would you feel about being Mrs. Bartowski?”
Took you long enough.
“I think that I would like that a lot,” she said with a laugh, nodding, and making more tears drip down her cheeks. “But I also think you need to be a little more specific here.”
“Fair enough,” Chuck replied, the laugh that she had grown to love coming out of his mouth. He let go of her hands for a moment, moved something from left hand to right, then took Sarah’s left hand in his own. With his right hand, he slid a ring onto her left ring finger. “Sarah Walker… will you marry me?”
Sarah looked down at her ring – a small silver band, with a single diamond mounted on the middle. Simple, elegant, understated – very Chuck.
She looked back up at him. Sarah could tell that she had a smile on her face larger than any smile she’d had in years. The wind had whipped a few strands of hair onto her face that had gotten stuck to the wetness from the tears, but she didn’t care about that right at the moment.
“Yes.”
The smile on Chuck’s face threatened to split his skull in two as he jumped up, wrapped his arms around Sarah’s waist, and literally picked her up, spinning around in a circle. When he dropped her back down to the sand, he moved his hands up to her shoulders, pulled her tight against him, and kissed her hungrily.
But here’s the thing about a kiss like that, with emotions running that high. It generally doesn’t stay just a kiss for long. In fact, before too much longer, Sarah was hoping and praying that the Santa Monica Police Department didn’t have a regular beach patrol…
Chuck and Sarah finally returned to Sarah’s room just after two in the morning. They desperately wanted to spend the night together, but it was likely that there would be very little sleep gotten, as high as their emotions were running, and they both had to work opening shifts the following morning. So, with a reluctant farewell, they bid each other good night.
When Chuck got home, Ellie and Devin were waiting up for him. They wanted a full report on the evening. They got one, too – or at least, the edited version. Chuck figured there were some details that they really, REALLY didn’t need to know, although it was clear from the looks on his sister and brother-in-law-to-be’s faces that he wasn’t fooling anybody.
That weekend, Sarah was essentially summoned to the apartment, where Ellie informed her that if she didn’t have any objections or anybody else in mind, she’d like to plan the wedding.
“I’m assuming you’re not planning on getting married in the three months between now and my wedding?” Ellie asked.
“No, of course not!” Sarah replied. “We don’t even have a date yet.”
With that, Ellie’s eyes had narrowed, and she picked up her phone, calling her younger brother.
“Chuck!” she snapped when he answered. “You propose to this woman, and then you don’t set a date?”
Sarah could hear his muffled protests over the phone, and did her best not to smile, knowing the uncomfortable position he had to be in. After a moment, Ellie put her hand over the end of the phone and looked at Sarah.
“How’s March 7th?” she asked.
Sarah shrugged. “Fine with me. Although, tell him that if he gets to pick the date, I want to pick the location.”
Ellie relayed this information to Chuck, who seemed to be okay with it. Ellie hung up the phone.
“Okay,” she said. “So did you have a location in mind?”
“Actually, I do,” Sarah replied. “The first weekend I was in Los Angeles, I went up to Griffith Observatory, and fell in love with it. If it’s available, I really want the ceremony to be there.”
Ellie nodded, and picked up the phone again. Ten minutes later, Griffith Observatory was booked on Saturday, March 7th, 2009, for the Walker-Bartowski wedding.
A week later, Sarah and Chuck had gone to pick out invitations. Realizing that she really had to have a middle name for the invitations, she made one up on the spot – Elisabeth, “with an ‘s’,” she made sure to say.
Chuck liked it. “Clever combination of ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Lisa’,” he remarked.
“Well, I thought it worked,” Sarah said.
The months flew by. Chuck and Sarah decided to just have one attendant each, mostly because Sarah had hardly any female friends who she could actually invite to the wedding. Chuck, of course, asked Morgan to be his best man.
Sarah’s choice was taken by surprise when she was asked. Ellie had certainly not expected Sarah to ask her to be her maid of honor – “or rather, matron of honor, as I’ll be at that point” – but she accepted quite readily, telling Sarah how honored she felt to be asked.
Ellie and Devin’s wedding came and went at the end of December. It was a beautiful affair, at Balboa Park in San Diego, and then, they were off for ten days in Italy.
When they came back, Ellie turned into a wedding planning machine. If she wasn’t at work, she was working out some detail of the wedding. Much of the time, Sarah was there helping her, and occasionally, Chuck would join in, although he found that most of the time he was more a hindrance than a help.
Sarah went on fewer and fewer missions with Chuck and Casey, and finally, in February, the CIA brass made a decision. Due to Sarah’s situation, it was decided that it would be better to put her in an analysis position, working out of the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, and move Father Mike O’Halloran into Chuck’s CIA controller position. Though Sarah was a little disappointed, she understood the reasoning.
Every so often, though, she was needed to go on a mission with what Morgan had once called (and been told never to call again) the Scooby Gang. However, Casey and Father O’Halloran always departed the car with the same instructions to her that they gave to Chuck – “STAY IN THE CAR.”
Since this meant that she was alone in the car with Chuck for indeterminate periods of time, she was more than happy to comply.
Chuck had eventually gotten in contact with Bryce, and hard as it was for him, had to tell him that he wasn’t going to be able to invite him to the wedding. Bryce was extremely disappointed, but Chuck told him – and the CIA had told Chuck – that too many people who knew Chuck thought that Bryce was dead, and having him show up at the wedding would just raise WAY too many questions.
Finally, the countdown was almost over. It was the night before – March 6th. The rehearsal had been finished, and they were now being served a rather incredible rehearsal dinner in the hall of Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, courtesy Father Mike O’Halloran.
Toward the end of dinner, Chuck asked Sarah if he could talk to her outside. She readily complied.
“Listen,” he said. “After we leave here tonight, we’re not going to see each other again until the ceremony, and there was a question I needed to ask you before then.”
Oh no, she thought, her stomach sinking. But it wasn’t what she expected.
He took a deep breath. “Just after I met you, I flashed on a ring you were wearing. I had a flash of you beating up and then shooting several men, followed by shooting out the video camera.”
Sarah’s eyes went wide and her stomach tied itself in a knot as she realized exactly what he was talking about.
“All I need to know is that those guys were the bad guys. That’s all you need to say, and I’ll never ask about it again.”
She took a deep breath. “Those men you saw,” she began, “were members of a sleeper cell of an extremist faction of the Irish Republican Army. They were plotting to assassinate Martin McGuinness and completely throw the power-sharing agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland off track.
“Obviously, this was not in the best interests of the United States, so a small team was sent in to take care of them.”
Sarah paused, the memory clearly not pleasant. “One of the men I had to shoot was Father Mike’s younger brother.”
Chuck’s eyes widened, and he blew out his breath slowly. “Wow,” he murmured.
He didn’t say anything else, but rather just stepped forward and embraced Sarah. She was glad that’s what he did, because she didn’t really trust her voice any more at this point.
Saturday, March 7th, 2009, dawned bright in Los Angeles, with nary a cloud in the sky. Sarah found herself up at Griffith Park early, wandering through the odd tract of wilderness in the center of this huge city, slowly meandering toward the Observatory.
When she reached the lawn out front of the Observatory, she saw a rather striking brunette woman sitting on a bench on the path that bisected the lawn.
“Hi!” she called, approaching the woman.
“Hello,” the woman replied, standing. “Are you here for the Walker-Bartowski wedding?”
Sarah smiled. “I’m actually the Walker half of it.”
“Oh, okay!” the woman exclaimed. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jill Tanner.”
JILL.
Sarah’s smile suddenly lost a little bit of its genuineness, but she made an effort to keep up a polite front. “I’ve heard some about you.”
“Well, I was Chuck’s first serious girlfriend,” Jill replied, her face also seeming to take on a bit of a hardness.
“I guess I was just a little more serious.” Bitch.
“Yes, but I hear that’s not all we have in common – I understand that you dated Bryce Larkin after I did?” Whore.
“I did, but I’m glad that that ended.” Neenerneenerneener.
“Well, Chuck’s a great guy,” Jill said.
Sarah didn’t say what she was thinking, which was, And you’re an idiot for not holding on to him, but rather, just said, “I know,” with only a trace of smugness.
There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then, Jill said, “Nice to meet you,” stuck out her hand, shook Sarah’s, and walked away.
Hah. I win!
The following five hours were gone seemingly in the blink of an eye. Sarah got her hair done, her makeup done, and got her dress on. The dress was simple – a flowing, lightweight calf-length white dress with a very faint pink tint, no sleeves – perfect for an outdoor wedding in the spring. Ellie’s dress was similar, except it had a very faint yellow tint to it as opposed to the pink tint. The photographer came and took pictures of Sarah, then of Sarah and Ellie, and then moved on to the men.
And now it was 2:02 P.M. Sarah was just inside the doors of the observatory, waiting to go out onto the lawn. She couldn’t stop playing with her bouquet – a mix of tulips and daisies, which for some reason, had suddenly fascinated her. A string quartet that was apparently made up of Ellie and Devin’s co-workers was playing some piece of music that Sarah thought was familiar, but couldn’t place.
“What is this song?” she muttered.
“It’s Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D,” she heard from behind her. She turned to see a middle-aged woman standing behind her.
“I’m sorry,” Sarah said, a look of puzzlement crossing her face. “Have we met?”
“No,” the woman replied, just as the music changed to Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus”.
“But I’m pretty sure you’re about to go get married to my son.”
Sarah’s eyes widened in shock, but the woman put her hand on Sarah’s back and nudged her out.
And so, Sarah processed down the aisle, as everybody stood, in for another shock as she approached the front of the lawn.
There, sitting in the front row, was her father, in full Army dress uniform. She looked at him, then looked at Chuck, who pointed to the end of the row. General Beckman was sitting there.
She smiled as she realized the work that must have gone into getting him there, and then, she looked back toward Chuck. He stood at the end of the lawn, dressed in an open-collared light blue dress shirt and khaki pants – not traditional wedding attire, but there wasn’t much traditional about this wedding. Morgan was dressed almost identically, except his shirt was a darker shade of blue.
When she got to Chuck, Sarah wanted to tell him that his mother was there, but there just wasn’t time, because as soon as she reached the front, Father O’Halloran started talking – his Irish accent coming out to play in a serious fashion.
“Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today t’ join together this man and woman in marriage, which is commended t’ be honorable among all men; and therefore, is not by any, t’ be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, and solemnly. Into this estate, these two persons present now come to be judged. Should any person be able to show just cause why these two may not be joined together, let them speak now, or forever shall ye hold yer peace.”
There was nothing, although Casey did have a bit of a smirk on his face for a moment.
“Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind. ‘Tis intended for their mutual joy, and for th’ help and comfort given one another both in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly, ‘tis a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained.
“Through marriage, Charles Irving Bartowski and Sarah Elisabeth Walker make a commitment together t’ face their disappointments, embrace their dreams, realize their hopes, and accept each other’s failures. Chuck and Sarah will promise one another t’ aspire t’ these ideals throughout their lives together, through mutual understandin’, openness, and sensitivity to one another.”
Sarah’s father sort of winced at the mention of her cover name, but quickly recovered.
“We are here today to witness the joining in marriage of Chuck and Sarah. This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment with which this man and this woman begin their lives together.
“Who gives this bonnie lass in marriage to this man?”
Sarah’s father stood in the front row. “I, her father, give… Sarah… on behalf of her family and friends.”
He stepped forward a little, and Sarah stepped toward him. “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered, wrapping him in a hug and kissing him on the cheek.
When she pulled back, he had a smile on his face, and tears in his eyes. “I love you too, my little Beth,” he whispered.
Chuck had stepped toward Mr. Reynolds as well, and shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”
Taking Sarah by the hand, he led her back to where Father O’Halloran stood, and Sarah’s father returned to his seat.
“This is a beginnin’ and a continuation of their growth as individuals. With mutual care, respect, responsibility and knowledge comes th’ affirmation of each one’s own life happiness, growth and freedom. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to love unconditionally. Within the emotional safety of a loving relationship – the knowledge self-offered one another becomes the fertile soil for continued growth. With care and responsibility towards self and one another comes the potential for full and happy lives.
“By gatherin’ together all the wishes of happiness and our fondest hopes for Chuck and Sarah from all present here, we assure them that our hearts are in tune with theirs.”
Father O’Halloran paused. “It’s a bit warm out today for me t’ be goin’ on like I’ve kissed the blarney, and bein’ that we’re not in a church, I do believe I’ll be skippin’ over some of the yada-yada and hullabaloo – that is, if it be alright with the two of ye.”
The audience laughed, while Chuck and Sarah looked at each other. She nodded slightly, and he looked at Father O’Halloran, nodding to him.
“Good lad, Charles,” Father O’Halloran replied. “Now, I’ve been led to understand that ye and Sarah have written yer own vows?”
Chuck’s eyes went wide. “We have?!”
“Just kiddin’, Chuck,” the Irish priest said. “But seriously…
“Do ye, Charles Irving Bartowski, take Sarah Elisabeth Walker t’ be your wife? Do ye promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better or worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and be devoted to, forsakin’ all others, for as long as you both shall live?”
Chuck was practically bouncing up and down. “I do.”
Mike O’Halloran turned to Sarah and asked her essentially the same set of questions. When he finished, she smiled, and said, “I do.”
O’Halloran had insisted on taking the rings from Chuck beforehand, because he didn’t trust Morgan not to lose them. So now, he pulled them from his jacket pocket, and said, “With these rings, ye show t’ each other yer pledge of unity, yer vow t’ be one with each other, and t’ have and t’ hold each other for the remainder of yer lives.”
He handed a ring to Chuck, and said, “Place this on Sarah’s finger, and as ye do so, say, “Sarah Walker, with this ring, I pledge my love t’ ye, as a symbol of our unity. Ye shall be my wife from this day for’ard.”
Chuck gently slipped the engagement ring off of Sarah’s hand, slipped the wedding ring on as he said the words, and then slipped the engagement ring back on behind it. Then, O’Halloran handed the other ring to Sarah, and had her say similar words to Chuck as she placed the ring on his hand.
“Well then, folks, ‘tis the ball game!” O’Halloran said, drawing a round of laughter. “Sarah and Chuck have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family. They have declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring, and they are now joined.
“Therefore, by the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce ye husband and wife! Mr. Bartowski… knock yerself out.”
Chuck smiled, and kissed Sarah, to a round of thunderous applause.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski!”
Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” began to play, and Chuck and Sarah swept quickly toward the Observatory building itself, where the reception was to be held. As they went through the door, Chuck heard somebody say his name.
He turned – “Mom!”
The older woman approached him and embraced him. “I’m so proud of you, Chuck!”
Chuck practically froze in shock. Finally, he hugged his mother back, and then, backed up a little. “Uh… have you met Sarah?”
She nodded. “We met, right before the ceremony.”
“How did you know, Mom? I mean… we didn’t send you an invitation… we didn’t even know where to send one to!”
Mrs. Bartowski smiled sadly at her son. “You’re my little boy,” she replied. “Mothers find out about these things.”
Chuck, still in a little bit of shock, asked her, “How long are you here for? Can you stay for the reception?”
“I don’t think I can, Chuck.”
“Mom, I know Ellie would really want to see you.”
She slowly shook her head. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea for me to talk to your sister right now. I think she just still hurts too much, especially since I wasn’t at her wedding.”
She paused. “But I just had to see my little boy get married.”
She reached up and pinched Chuck’s cheek. “I love you, Chuck. Don’t ever forget that. And tell Ellie… tell her that I love her. Please.”
He smiled, a tear slipping down his face. “I will. I love you too, Mom.”
And with that, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the corridors of Griffith Observatory.
Chuck turned back to Sarah, who wordlessly embraced him. After a moment, she loosened her grip.
“I love you… Mr. Bartowski.”
He pulled back a little and smiled. “I love you too… Mrs. Bartowski.”
The reception was in full swing. Toasts had been made – Devin’s was particularly “awesome” – and wineglasses had been repeatedly “dinged” with spoons to get the bride and groom to kiss. Needless to say, the bride and groom weren’t complaining.
About an hour in, Chuck grew a worried expression on his face, and his eyes went wide. Mistaking it for a flash, Sarah leaned in. “What is it? What did you see?”
He pointed. “I saw a Buy More salesman and an NSA agent with a guitar going to the microphones.”
Sarah turned and looked. “Oh dear God.”
Chuck leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Come on, what’s the worst thing they can sing? ‘The Hero of Canton’?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Please, dear God, no.”
“Excuse me,” Morgan said into the microphone. “Excuse me, yeah. Um, my name is Morgan Grimes – I was the best man – and this is John Casey, Chuck’s next-door…”
He paused. “Wait a second. Chuck, have you figured out where you’re going to live yet?”
Chuck’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped. He turned and looked at Sarah. “How the hell did we forget about that?!” he hissed.
She smiled back at him and shook her head. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “My bed’s big enough for the both of us. Although it’s not big enough for us to wear clothes if we’re both in it.” A naughty grin flashed across her face.
Chuck’s eyebrows shot up. “Patience, Sarah. Patience.”
He turned back toward Morgan. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Okay. Well, John Casey WAS Chuck’s next-door neighbor. Anyway, Chuck, Sarah, we know that from time to time, life might be a little more than you bargained for, so we just wanted to sing you this little song that will hopefully get you through the tough times.”
Casey strummed an A major 7 chord on his guitar, and Morgan hummed his pitch, then sang…
“Some things in life are really bad… they can make you really mad… other things just make you swear and curse.”
Casey spoke the next line.
“When you’re chewing on life’s gristle, don’t grumble – give a whistle!”
Morgan whistled, and then he and Casey sang the last line of the verse in a harmony that sounded surprisingly good:
“And this’ll help things turn out for the best.”
Chuck, finally realizing what song they were singing, clapped his hands to his head. “Oh, dear God.”
“Always look on the bright side of life!”
As Casey whistled, Sarah’s eyebrows shot up, and she couldn’t help it, she just started laughing.
“Always look on the bright side of life!”
Then, totally unexpectedly, Devin jumped up.
“If life seems jolly rotten, there’s something you’ve forgotten, and that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.”
“Since when can HE sing?” Chuck muttered.
But it got better, because Father Michael O’Halloran got in on the act.
“When yer feelin’ in the dumps, well, don’t be silly chumps, just purse yer lips and whistle – aye, that’s th’ thing!”
And the four men began to sing, in four part harmony…
“Always look on the bright side of life!”
Sarah leaned over and kissed Chuck as he slumped in his chair.
“Always look on the light side of life!”
“When the hell did my life turn into a musical?”
Morgan took back over, heading into the third verse.
“For life is quite absurd, and death’s the final word, you must always face the curtain with a bow.”
“Chuck,” Sarah whispered, “this song is hilarious. How is it that I’ve never heard it before?”
“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Monty Python.”
“Who?”
Chuck sighed. One more deficiency to be remedied.
“Forget about your sin – give the audience a grin! Enjoy it, it’s your last chance anyhow!
“SO always look on the bright side of death! Just before you take your terminal breath!”
Chuck shook his head. “That’s it.”
He stood up, just as Morgan was about to dive into verse four. “Alright, guys, hold it right there.”
Morgan stopped, with a hurt look on his face. “But… Chuck, dude, we thought this was funny, and quite honestly, it seems like everybody else – including your bride – thought so too.”
Chuck put his hands on his hips. “Yeah, well, Morgan, let me tell you something.
“Life… it’s a piece of shit. Well, when you look at it.”
Then, to the delight of the crowd and Sarah’s utter amazement, Chuck himself started singing. “Life’s a laugh, and death’s a joke, it’s true!”
“Yeah, buddy!” Morgan exclaimed, as Casey picked back up with the guitar. “You’ll see it’s all a show, keep ‘em laughing as you go!”
Chuck joined him for the last line of the verse. “Just remember that the last laugh, it’s on you!”
“EVERYBODY!” Casey shouted
“AND… always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the light side of life!”
Those lines were sung about four more times, as Chuck made his way back to his seat. When he sat down, Sarah looked at him, then leaned over, and whispered, “That kind of thing right there, that’s why I married you.”
“I thought you married me because you loved me!” he whispered back, pretending to be shocked.
“Well, that, too.”
He took her face in his hands and whispered, “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Sarah smiled, bright enough to light the city. “Yes, but I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”
“So always look on the bright side of life! Always look on the bright… siiiide of LIFE!!!!!”
The End. No, seriously. Stop it. There aren't going to be any more chapters.
Probably. Maybe. Oh, shut up.
