Disclaimer--Characters belong to Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. No copyright infringement intended. Any similarity to events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Author's Notes—Because Iguana told me to. ;) The inspiration for this story comes from my icon. Hit the profile page to take a peek if you're interested. Crafted by me using GIMP. While the finished product took two photos and a half hour, that was after three prototypes and countless hours before... :-p
Spoilers—None. Random, established Jellie.
Snapshot—Chuck freezes a moment in time.
It was a surprisingly cool spring evening. It reminded her of seasons past, when the seasons changing meant something more than just turning the page on the calendar. When spring really was the transition between winter and summer, when the days were warm but the nights could be downright cold.
They were all going out for dinner, but her brother was taking his time. Ellie rubbed her arms, trying to keep the chill at bay.
"We said seven thirty," he grumbled.
"You know Chuck." She didn't catch all of his mutterings, but she very clearly heard the word "undisciplined" followed shortly by "annoying" and sometime later "numb-nuts." She looked up at him, unable to keep the grin from her lips.
"I'm glad you find this amusing."
"I can't believe you still find it surprising," she countered.
"What's surprising is that Walker is allowing him to be this tardy," Casey said, checking his watch for the third time since they'd stepped into the center courtyard of their apartment complex.
She reached out, gently taking his hand in hers, lacing her fingers with his.
He calmed almost instantly. But, he couldn't prevent the complaint: "We're going to miss our reservations."
Ellie shrugged. "There are other restaurants we could go to."
"But today is special," he said, tugging her gently closer.
"I know," she murmured, moving into the warm safety of his arms. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling his arms go around her.
He rubbed her back absently, kissing her hair. If he had to kill time, this was, by far, his favorite way to do it.
When the door to the apartment across the courtyard finally opened, Casey lifted his head. "About time," he grumbled as Morgan, Chuck and Sarah emerged. He didn't see, until it was too late, that Chuck had a camera in his hands. Casey's eyes narrowed and he drew his brow together angrily. "Bartowski," he said warningly just as the flash went off, freezing the moment in time.
Chuck grinned however. "Too late, big guy. You are saved for all posterity."
Casey growled.
"Now, now," Ellie said, mock scolding.
"Exactly. Listen to the birthday gal, here. It's her day, she gets her own paparazzi," Chuck said, snapping another photo. "It's not every day she turns--"
Ellie cut off her brother. "Finish that sentence and I'll stop trying to prevent John from attacking you..."
Chuck grinned broadly.
End.