Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck! :)
A/N: Yeah, so basically I love family fics. This is going to be a series of family fics, based around Chuck and Sarah and their twins, Jackson and Danielle. A friend of mine helped me name the kiddos a few months ago, and the story ideas just blossomed from there. I'm starting out with the kids as babies, but I'll probably jump around in later chapters. I'll always post an author's note to let you know what age the kids are and maybe a bit about what the fic will be about. I hope you like this slice of life! PS, I'm basically going off the idea that Sarah eventually got all of her memories back over time. ^_^
Chuck vs. the Bartowski Legacy
"I'm Not Crying, You're Crying"
Chuck and Sarah had been on loads of seemingly impossible missions and come out on top, but this was the one they were already proudest of. Mission Start-a-Family, or Project Progeny as Chuck had fondly called it, was officially a total success.
"I think you might need to pinch me again," Chuck said. He was sitting on the edge of Sarah's hospital bed, a pink-wrapped bundle nestled in the crook of his left arm. The tiny baby girl was asleep, her precious little squishy face all relaxed as she snoozed against the soft blanket. He was probably never going to move again if it meant getting to hold her like this, unless it meant he got to hold her brother as well. "I'm still sure I'm dreaming."
Sarah reached out and pinched the back of his hand, a small smirk on her tired face. "How's that." She had gone through labor without drugs thanks to her own goal to do everything naturally.
It had been a long twelve hours.
"Ow." Okay, so it was definitely real. The baby in his arms was truly their daughter, and the matching blue bundle Sarah was cuddling was really their son. How crazy was that. Leaning over, he kissed the top of Sarah's hair. "Just so you know, you're amazing."
"Yeah." Sarah yawned. "You've said that a few hundred times, but keep going."
He bumped her forehead gently with his and kissed her cheek. "You're amazing." Another kiss brushed her lips, and he would've kept going, but right then there was a knock on the door. And another one.
And a third.
They had managed to steal a few minutes of time for themselves, but now their family and friends were desperate to get in. Sarah's mother had been there during the delivery, but she had left to go check on Molly. Chuck could imagine Ellie and his own mom standing outside the door, rabid to see the babies and check on Sarah, but they might have to fight Morgan. The bearded wonder was already calling himself an honorary uncle and demanded godfather rights, basically just so he could forever more be referred to as the Godfather by everyone.
"We're going to have to let them in," Sarah said, settling back against the pillows.
"We could just jam the lock and say it broke," Chuck said with a sleepy grin.
"Yeah, and have Casey find a way to safely blow up the door and wrack up an even larger hospital bill?"
"We can afford it."
"Chuck…"
"All right, fine," Chuck said, sliding off the side of the bed, his daughter still cradled in the crook of his arm. He doubted he would ever get over how tiny she and her brother were, or the fact that they were both perfect little mixes of himself and Sarah. Man, he hoped they got her coordination and brains and pretty smile, and yeah, well, basically everything. But they did both have fuzzy brown hair, which he thought was adorable. Carefully he placed the baby on Sarah's free side, trying not to tear up again. But really, how was he not supposed to be emotional right now.
This was everything he'd ever wanted for the both of them.
Steeling himself, he walked over to the door and glanced back at Sarah. "Ready?"
She nodded, and he opened the door, revealing Ellie pointing her finger in Morgan's face while Devon, holding his and Ellie's second oldest Annabelle, tried to get in between them. Behind those three, Casey and Alex were waiting a little more patiently, though Alex was bouncing a little on her toes. Chuck's mom and Sarah's mom were off to the side, and Molly and Clara were right next to them, looking both eager and also a little concerned since Morgan and Ellie were arguing. They had all frozen the moment the door opened.
"Hey," Chuck said, giving a little wave, "So, is this a good time, or—"
"Uncle Chuck!" Clara dashed over to him, skidding to a stop at the edge of the door. The four-year-old bobbed on her toes and grinned brightly as she tugged at his hand. "Where are they, can we see them, I wanna hold 'em, I practiced with Annabelle, I wanna see 'em!"
Chuck smiled right back at her. "You can see them, but they're sleeping so we have to be quiet, okay?" He looked up from his niece to look at the rest of his family and friends. "Would it be okay with everyone if Ellie and Mom and Clara come in first? Then we can figure it out from there." He wanted everyone to be able to flood in at one, but he had a feeling that it would make Sarah anxious or grumpy, one or the other. However, he didn't want to tell them that. "The room is sort of small."
"I'm cool with that, bro," Devon said, all smiles.
Casey gave a curt nod and short little grunt before whipping around and heading toward the elevators. Weird. Chuck caught Ellie giving Morgan a victorious smile before she took Clara by the hand and hurried into the hospital room, followed by Chuck and Ellie's mom. Automatically both Ellie and his mom started tearing up the moment they saw Sarah cuddling the twins.
"Oh my gosh, they're perfect," his mom said, resting her hand briefly on Chuck's arm before walking over to the bed.
"Of course they are," Ellie said, as if there was absolutely no way that any kid of her brother and Sarah's could be anything less than perfect.
"Meet Danielle and Jackson," Sarah said, her smile a little tense but extremely proud. "Or just Dani and Jack."
"Hi…Can I…?" Ellie said, her hands already outstretched.
"Definitely," Sarah said. Chuck had a feeling that Sarah wouldn't be so willing to let people outside of their immediate circle of friends and family hold the babies.
Ellie swooped over and picked up Jackson, nestling him into the crook of her arm. "Oh..." Her eyes sparkled with tears as she looked over at Chuck. "He looks just like you did. Except his nose, he has Sarah's nose."
Their mom peeked over Ellie's shoulder. "She's right, Chuck. He's like a little mini-you."
"Geez, I hope not," Chuck said, though he was inwardly beaming, "He'd be better off if he got everything from Sarah."
"I think I'd have something to say about that," Sarah said and then looked at Chuck's mom. "Mary, do you want to hold Dani?"
"I'd love to," Mary said. Sarah carefully handed her the pink-wrapped little bundle of baby, and Mary held her close. "Who's Grandma's littlest princess? That's right. You are."
"But I'm the oldest princess, right?" Clara said quietly.
"Of course," Chuck said. He bent down and picked up his niece to set her on the edge of the bed then bopped her on the forehead with a forefinger. "You've got your own crown and everything."
"And you and Aunt Sarah will still play tea party with me and Annabelle, right?" Clara said, glancing over at Sarah and then the babies.
"How could we ever miss the tea parties?" Chuck said, "We'll be there whenever we can, and some day Dani and Jack can come too, if you invite them."
"Duh, I'll invite them," Clara said, "They're my baby cousins."
Ellie and Mary cooed and aw-ed over the twins for a few more minutes, snuggling and hugging the two tiny babies. Chuck took the time to gently stroke the back of Sarah's hand, making sure that she felt all right with all this. She probably would've preferred to hold everyone at bay for a little while longer, but that wasn't really an option with their family. Luckily Ellie and Mary knew Sarah well, and they soon excused themselves so Awesome, Annabelle, Sarah's mom and Molly could come in. They didn't stay long since Sarah's mom had already seen the babies and Annabelle kept trying to pat them on their heads.
Chuck could see Sarah stifling a yawn as they all left, making room for the last batch of visitors. "You need a nap."
"Nap? I don't need a nap, I need to sleep for a week," Sarah said, smirking a little. She was holding Dani now while Chuck cuddled Jack. Jack was looking around now, his grey-blue eyes unfocused, but Dani was currently still sleeping. He bet that wouldn't last long since her brother was awake.
"Where are my godchildren?" Morgan demanded as he stepped inside, oozing with enthusiasm for his new title.
"You know you share that responsibility with Ellie, right, Morgan?" Chuck said. They had discussed it more than once, especially when Morgan started talking about getting a 'Godfather' license plate.
"Small technicality," Morgan said. He grinned at Chuck and shook his head. "Dude…you're a dad now. Isn't that crazy?"
Chuck grinned right back. "I think it's my favorite kind of crazy ever."
Casey rolled his eyes at his friend and son-in-law as he walked in behind Morgan and Alex. His eyes landed on Jack, and his mouth twitched into an almost smile. "He's sort of…tolerable."
"Yeah, it's okay, big guy, I know you think he's adorable," Chuck said. He was too happy to even worry about getting popped on the head by Casey.
"How are you feeling, Sarah?" Alex asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed, peeking at Sarah and Dani.
"Sort of like that time I got shot in the stomach in Holland," Sarah replied, giving an affirmative nod. Seeing Alex's horrified look, she held up her hands. "But it's fine. I'm exaggerating."
"Okay…" It'd probably be a while before Alex and Morgan had kids, thanks to Sarah.
Chuck and Sarah glanced at each other, silently coming to an agreement, before Chuck looked back at Morgan and Casey. "So, do you want to know what their names are?"
"I thought we were calling them Luke and Leia," Morgan said, sounding mildly bewildered.
"You didn't think we were seriously naming them that," Sarah said, frowning.
"It would've been cool…"
"Those were just the cover names," Chuck said. He stepped toward Morgan and carefully held out his son. "This is Jackson Morgan Bartowski. Jack for short."
Morgan stared for a moment, not entirely processing, then his eyes widened. "No way…"
"Yes way," Chuck said with a grin, "I mean, if it's okay with you, buddy?" Morgan had been his best friend for so long, through so many things, it made sense to Chuck to give his son his best friend's name in some form. Sarah had been all right with it as well, as long as she got to give Dani a middle name. Chuck just happened to support her choice wholeheartedly as well.
"Yeah, man," Morgan said, getting choked up as he took Jack in his arms, holding him close, "That's more than I could've ever asked for."
Chuck grinned. "I was hoping you wouldn't mind."
Sarah flicked her gaze up at Casey, who was looking at Dani. "I know you want to hold her."
Casey grunted, but there was a mix of hesitance and eagerness in his expression. "I'd break her." Chuck knew that he was probably excited even though he was struggling to not show it.
"No, you won't," Sarah said, "Get over here. She's a baby not glass."
He made an unconvinced sound but stepped closer and gingerly took the baby from Sarah. He held her like she was an extremely sensitive bomb, but luckily Alex reached up and pushed the baby closer to his chest.
"Hold her like that, Dad," she said, standing up so she could get a better look at the baby. She reached out and gently stroked Dani's cheek.
Casey actually did smile this time, just a little. "She's light. Like a guinea pig."
"Did you just call your namesake a guinea pig?" Sarah asked, lifting an eyebrow imperiously.
"No, I just—" Casey stopped and frowned back at her. "What do you mean, namesake?"
It was Sarah's turn to smirk. "Her full name is Danielle Casey Bartowski. For reasons." Mainly because Casey had been the best partner that Sarah had ever had, and she had thought it was a good way to show him she cared.
"I—" Casey didn't seem to be able to find the right words. Instead he just looked down at the little girl in his arms, and suddenly Chuck guessed that their daughter had just gotten a fierce bodyguard for life. "I'm honored."
"Great. And I'm tired." Sarah yawned again.
"We'll let you guys get some rest, then," Alex said.
Casey looked reluctant to let Dani go back to her mom, but he finally settled the baby back down with Sarah. They nodded to each other, and Casey clapped her on the shoulder. "Good job. Get some rest, Sarah."
"Thanks," she said, smiling a little.
"Hey, buddy, don't you think you're forgetting something?" Chuck asked. Morgan was halfway out the door, but he hadn't given Jack back yet.
"But this is my godson," Morgan said, "I'm the godfather."
"Well, I'm the father," Chuck said, enjoying how that sounded, "And I'd like my kid back, please."
"Give them the baby back before I take him and break your arm," Casey growled. It looked like Jack was getting the same bodyguard his sister had.
Morgan ended up giving the baby back to Chuck before letting Alex and Casey drag him out of the room. "We'll be back!"
"Counting on it!" Chuck called after him. A moment later Jack started fussing, making little grumpy baby noises. Chuck sat down on the edge of the bed. "What do you think, Sarah? Think we'll make good parents?"
"We'll figure it out as we go," she said, blinking her eyes rapidly, struggling to stay awake.
Chuck leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I like the sound of that."