Hello. Somehow I made it three years with holiday stories. I'm at the end of another rotation, albeit a day late. But I wanted to keep up this tradition and end on a positive note. Sadly, I'm still looking for work, but I'm hopeful I find something soon.

Happy 40th to BDaddyDL. Well, it's still a couple of weeks away, but just in case I don't update another chapter before then. For everyone else, have a Happy Thanksgiving, be nice to each other at the stores on Black Friday, and please leave some reviews.

Thanks!

Echo Park
November 22, 2012
2:45 PM PST

Sarah looked around the living room at the huge crowd of people. Even though all of them were friends who loved her, who would do anything for her…even risk their lives for her…there was still a small part of her that felt distant from truly knowing them. And no matter how many times any of them said she shouldn't, she could help feeling a small amount of guilt for it.

It was crazy, of course. What she had gone through nine months ago was incredibly traumatic. To have the last five years of her life erased by that bastard Quinn was something any person would have a difficult time adjusting to, and everyone in the room knew it. And certainly things had gotten better since that morning Chuck found her on the beach and promised he would always be there for her no matter what. And he had been. She slowly fell in love with him again, just like she had hoped. She knew she had loved him at one point; her video logs proved that beyond a doubt. But now she was finally starting to feel that connection to him she felt before.

If only she had those five years right now, though. She could have used them today.

Taking away the last five years, this now became the first Thanksgiving she had experienced since being a child. She felt out of place. She tried to occupy herself by offering to help Chuck and Ellie in the kitchen, but both of them shooed her out. Rather vehemently, in fact. They did that to anyone who offered and everyone did. Ellie was insistent on cooking the huge feast this year, given this was the first big dinner she was able to prepare since Devon and she moved to Chicago.

"How are you holding up, kiddo?"

Sarah turned to see Jimmy Slade next to her nursing a bottle of beer. "I don't know. It still feels weird. I wish I could remember all of the Thanksgivings I've spent with Chuck and his family. Without that, it feels like I haven't had a Thanksgiving meal since I was 12." She shook her head and smiled. "That probably doesn't make any sense."

"Actually, to me it makes complete sense. This is my first Thanksgiving gathering since I was 7."

"Really? You and Alex didn't celebrate last year?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I was on a mission in Colombia assisting the DEA with some technical issues, and Alex was doing personnel evaluations down at Gitmo. She got to have turkey with the troops, so that's something. And of course, I was in Northern Ireland the year before that."

Sarah nodded. She still couldn't believe the muscular behemoth in front of her was the same person Chuck discovered three years ago at the Buy More. It was one of the stories Chuck told her on the beach that morning, and it was a story that brought her both laughter and tears. But the sadness was short-lived, particularly given the handsome CIA agent standing next to her.

Sarah looked at the couches and chairs, where Casey, his daughter, Alex, Gertrude Verbanski, Morgan, and Jimmy's girlfriend, Alex Forrest, were watching football. Devon was sitting nearby giving Clara her bottle. "Is Alex still giving you crap about Monday night?"

Jimmy laughed. "I've never seen her talk so much smack, especially since the Eagles got their asses kicked, too," Jimmy growled quietly. Alex and he had attended the Bears-49ers game in San Francisco earlier in the week, and he had been hearing about it ever since. "I mean, at least the Bears still have a shot at the playoffs. The Eagles are out of it, and I've been very nice to her about it all season."

"So how does she watch a game between the Cowboys and the Redskins? I mean, whom does she root for?"

"Lots of injuries and dumb penalties."

Sarah laughed as Chuck came up behind her and gave her a kiss. "OK, I got Ellie to relent. She'd appreciate you helping me set up the table."

"Mmm, good. Thank you, sweetie," she replied as she returned his kiss. "I'm going crazy just sitting here and doing nothing." She started walking towards the kitchen.

"Oh, Sarah," Jimmy called. "Remind me I have to consult with you and Ellie on something tomorrow, OK?"

"Sure," she replied with a quizzical look as she went to join Ellie.

"What's going on?" Chuck asked him.

"Oh, I just need their opinions on something," Jimmy replied.

"What?"

"Can't really say right now, but you'll find out soon."

"OK," Chuck replied slowly, curious to know what was going on. "Can you get some more ice? We've run out."

"No problem. Be back in a while." He passed by the couch and stood behind Alex. "Hey, look at that. Two teams that have better records than the Eagles. Just like the first game today."

The icy stare Alex gave Jimmy could solve global warming, but he continued to grin. "Hey, people who throw glass footballs…" he said cheerfully as he exited.

Casey couldn't help but let a grunt of amusement loose. "What, you were giving him crap when your team's stinking it up this year?"

"Hey, there's still time," Alex replied, still upset at Jimmy needling her.

"That's what you keep saying about the NHL lockout," Casey replied to twist the knife further.

On the other couch, Morgan watched Jimmy walk out of the apartment and immediately began to tap his foot nervously. "OK, why did Chuck send him out now?" he whispered to his girlfriend. "He knows we have that big announcement. I thought we were going to do it before dinner."

Alex McHugh took his hand. "Just relax. We can always tell them after dinner. Maybe once everybody is too tired to move. That would be better, right?"

Morgan turned to her and smiled. "And that's why you're the brains of our particular team," he said as he gave her a quick kiss…and immediately pulled back at the classic Casey growl emanating from the recliner. Alex stifled a laugh.

Echo Park
November 22, 2012
7:00 PM PST

Mmmmmm…ugggghhhhh…oooooohhhhh….

The entire group lay around the chairs, couches, and even on the floor, completely unable to move. Everyone was in agreement this was Ellie's best dinner ever. It was so good, nobody could move an inch.

"Is everybody sure they don't want the last of the apple pie?" Ellie asked cheerfully.

She was met by a chorus of weak groans. "Sis, you should be in the next Bond film," Chuck said, unable to even lift his head off of the carpet. "You'd be like that girl from Goldeneye, only you kill people by stuffing them with your awesome cooking instead of crushing them with your legs."

"I'll…take that as a compliment?" Ellie said as she eyed Chuck warily.

"It was amazing, Ellie," Sarah said, only in slightly better shape than her husband. "I've never eaten so much in my life. It'll take me weeks to work it off."

"Well, last year you enjoyed…" Ellie stopped and looked at the ground in shame. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I forgot…"

Sarah gave her a hug. "Never apologize, Ellie. I owe you everything for bringing me back to your brother."

"You were always part of our family and you always will be."

"OK," Chuck said as he slowly got off of the floor. "Should we plan for our Black Friday shopping?"

Everybody gave him a weird look. "What could you possibly need, moron?" Casey grumbled. "Do you really feel the need to fight through crowds and wait in long lines just to save two dollars on the Firefly box set? It ain't worth it, believe me."

"It's not the sales, Case. It's the principal of it. Every year before this, I've been working at the Buy More. I just want to enjoy being on the other side of the register for once."

"Speaking of which," Morgan said as he struggled to get up. "I have to get to the Buy More and get things ready. But before I go, Alex and I have an announcement."

Casey straightened up in his chair. Morgan took a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant," Alex said.

Casey sat in silence for a moment. He then bolted out of the chair and lunged for Morgan. Thankfully, Jimmy was a half-step faster and grabbed Casey before he could put his hands around Morgan's throat. Devon emerged from Clara's bedroom and helped Jimmy restrain Casey.

"Stop it, Dad!" Alex shouted at her father. "Calm down!"

Casey stopped lunging and tried to shake Devon and Jimmy off of him. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You can let go now."

"Yeah, right," Jimmy replied disdainfully. "You know how much TV I've seen in my life? The guy always says he's fine and then tries to kill the daughter's boyfriend again. Forget it. Let them say what they have to say."

"Dad, I only found out last week," Alex said. "I'm not due until late July next year, so I'll have graduated from USC."

"And there are already recruiters trying to hire her when she graduates," Morgan quickly added. "We can afford to raise a child. There's no problem!"

"There's one big problem," Casey growled. "You two aren't even married. You want a shotgun wedding? I've got enough to arm the entire church."

"DAD!" Alex was absolutely livid. "Morgan asked me to marry him. In fact, he asked me a month ago, before I even knew I was pregnant, and I said yes."

Everybody in the room looked between Casey and his daughter in stunned silence.

Casey was equally stunned, and Devon and Jimmy finally let him go. "You're…you're engaged?" Casey whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We haven't been able to get a hold of you," Alex replied. "You're mobile phone kept going into voicemail, and when I called VerbanskiCorp, they said you were out of the country. Where were you?"

Casey quickly glanced at Gertrude before turning back to his daughter. "We were…taking care of a few things. I apologize, Alex."

"Dad," Alex said gently as she took his hands. "This has been the best month of my life. Everything I've ever wanted is coming true. I'm getting some big job offers, I'm going to marry the man I love, and now I'm going to have a child. Can't you be happy for me?"

Casey stared at her with a pained expression on his face. He had missed her entire life, and watching her grow up so quickly since reuniting with her was difficult to take. But he wanted her to be happy, and he knew this day would come. Besides, Morgan had held up his end of the deal. He loved her and wanted to be with her. And ever since Morgan got the Intersect taken out, Casey never saw him work so hard to make Alex happy.

Casey pulled Alex to him and wrapped his arms around her. "Congratulations honey. I wish you nothing but the best."

Morgan walked up to them and put his arms around both of them. "Awww, this is so wonder…" Casey gave him a growl that would make a grizzly bear step back. "And I'll just settle for saying thanks."

Everybody breathed a huge sigh of relief and went to congratulate Morgan and Alex.

Glendale Galleria
November 23, 2012
12:30 AM PST

Despite everyone's protests, Chuck was able to convince the group to go shopping at midnight. Casey, Devon, and Alex Forrest joined Morgan over at the Buy More to do some quick shopping and take advantage of Morgan's employee discount. Chuck, Sarah, Ellie, Alex McHugh, and Jimmy walked through the mall to a jewelry store they knew was having a Black Friday sale.

Alex looked at the display of engagement rings and smiled. "What do you think of this one?" Alex asked Sarah and Ellie as she pointed at an oval-cut ring.

"That looks beautiful," Ellie gasped. "Are you sure Morgan can afford it?"

"It's at the high end of his price range, but I really love it."

"Are you sure you want to pick the ring without Morgan being here?" Jimmy asked.

"Whose taste would you trust?" Sarah replied.

"Touché."

"Just remember, you have a wedding to save for, Alex," Sarah told her. "Maybe you should keep looking."

Alex smiled. "A lot of the positions they're offering me actually pay a lot more than Morgan makes at the Buy More."

"A paper boy makes a lot more than Morgan does at the Buy More," Ellie said with the faintest hint of snark behind it.

"Morgan and I have already been doing research for the wedding. We'll have it this time next year, just so we can have a couple of months to get used raising the baby. Hopefully by then, I won't go crazy if we leave our child with someone for the night."

"I bet I could get my mother to help," Ellie said. "She's turned into SuperGrandmother with Clara. Part of her deal to work for the NSA is they bought her a condo in Chicago so she can help us with Clara."

Alex got the attention of the sales clerk. "I'd like to purchase that oval-cut diamond ring."

Everybody waited patiently for the clerk to get Alex's ring size. She put a deposit down for the ring and got the receipt. It would take a week to get it sized. Everybody started walking out of the store. However, Jimmy continued to look at the selection of engagement rings.

"What's up?" Chuck asked him as everyone walked back inside the store.

Jimmy pointed to a round-cut diamond engagement ring that was definitely on the expensive end of the glass case. "I bet Alex would love that," he said quietly.

Chuck stared at the ring. "Jimmy, that's an engagement ring."

Jimmy looked up and gave a little smile. "Yeah, I know."

Everybody looked at him in wide-eyed shock. "You mean…" Chuck stammered.

"I've been thinking about it for quite a while now. This is as good as my life's ever been, and Alex is the reason for it. Any problems we've had we've been able to handle. Well, except for this whole 'who comes from the better sports town' argument, but that's nothing in the grand scheme of things, right?"

"Congratulations, Jimmy!" Everybody went to give him a hug. "When will the wedding be?" Ellie asked.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah." Jimmy put his hands up. "First she has to say yes and that's not guaranteed. She'd be marrying me, after all." Sarah gave a smack to the back of his head. "But I think we'd try to time the wedding so her brother could attend without taking his daughters out of school. Plus, I'm sure Beckman won't be thrilled about two of her agents getting married. Probably not until summer 2014 at the earliest, so we won't steal any of your thunder, Alex."

"I'd never accuse you and Alex of doing that," Alex replied with a grin.

Everybody gathered around the cash register as Jimmy made the purchase.

Rose Bowl
November 24, 2012
5:00 PM PST

"He had champagne, he got down on one knee and proposed, and then the band played Alex's favorite song. You know, the one they played at the end of An Officer and a Gentleman?"

Chuck smiled broadly as he related the events of the prior night to Devon, Ellie, Morgan, Casey, and Gertrude. Sarah and Alex McHugh already heard the story. In fact, Sarah was there when Jimmy called earlier this morning with the good news.

"Yeah! Go Bruins!"

Devon was almost hoarse from cheering for UCLA as they scored another touchdown on Stanford. He then glanced at the startled Chuck. "Sorry, bro. This must be killing you."

"Devon, I never really followed The Cardinal even when I was there. Trust me, I'll live."

Casey sat back and shook his head. "I'd believe you more if you told me Jeff and Lester found women to marry them than that fat little moron."

"Casey," Sarah admonished. "You should be a lot nicer."

Chuck shrugged. "Trust me, Sarah. Even Jimmy would say he used to be fat."

Sarah shook her head. "I still can't picture it. Maybe I'm better off that way."

"We'll have to go over to their hotel tomorrow," Chuck said. "Someone will need to throw a bucket of water on them after all of the celebrating they're probably doing right now."

Gertrude's mobile phone began to ring. "Hello?" She put her hand to her other ear to block out the crowd noise, but it was no use. "Hang on," she shouted to the person who called. She ran down the steps and went out to the concourse.

"I can't wait for you to see the engagement ring, Dad," Alex told her father. "It's absolutely beautiful."

"Aren't you two getting ahead of yourselves?" Casey said as he glared at Morgan. "What about asking my permission to marry my daughter?"

Morgan look absolutely petrified. "Um…well, I was going to talk…and then…but…"

Casey waved him off. "You already had it. I just like making you piss in your pants."

"Dad," Alex growled as she smacked his arm.

Gertrude returned to their seats and was frozen in place. "What's wrong?" Casey asked her.

Gertrude was shaking uncontrollably. "They…they…approved our paperwork. We can take them home next week."

Everybody was bewildered. "What do you mean?" Alex asked her.

Casey turned to her. "This is why you hadn't heard from us for the last few weeks. We were in Russia."

"My sister runs an orphanage just outside of St. Petersburg," Gertrude continued. "They had two little girls there who were born six weeks ago, but their mother died from complications during the birth. They couldn't find the father, and the orphanage is already over capacity. John and I asked if we could adopt them. That was my sister calling saying our paperwork was approved this morning. We can bring the girls here next week."

Ellie gasped. "Oh, my God. You're going to be parents?"

"And grandparents," Morgan added.

Everybody hugged their congratulations to Casey and Gertrude.

"A toast!" Devon said. Everyone held up their drinks. "To a Thanksgiving where we have a crazy amount of things to be thankful for!"

"Hear, hear!" Casey said as everyone clinked their glasses together.

Sarah turned to Chuck and gave him a kiss. "Thank you."

"For what?" Chuck said with a smile.

"For promising to be there for me. I know you always said I was part of your family, but to see exactly how wonderful of a thing that is…it's overwhelming."

Chuck held her face in his hands. "Trust me, I wouldn't have it any other way. And I am so thankful you're a part of my life. You are my life."

The two kissed as the crowd cheered around them. Sarah knew they were cheering for the game and not them, but it still felt good inside.