"I'd forgotten your middle name is Irving," Vivian giggled.
"You're one to talk," Chuck groused, "Isn't your middle name Millicent?"
"It's a family name," Vivian protested with a slight pout.
"Come now, let's not pick on the bride," Cole interjected, "Besides Millicent is a perfectly lovely name?"
"Oh really?" Chuck smirked, "Try saying that with a straight face."
"None of us should really be teasing each other about embarrassing names," Sarah turned her sights on the groom, "Should we, Colton Archibald?"
Cole looked at her flabbergasted, "How did you…"
"Spy," Sarah gave him a look that said he should know better than to ask, "Plus Carina let it slip along with some anecdote about union jacks and handcuffs?"
"Did she now?" Vivian gave a wicked smile to Sarah, "I think I need to hear this…"
Seeing the slight blush on Cole's cheek and his ticking jaw Sarah gave her new friend a conspiratorial grin, "I'll tell you later." She spared a glance to the men, "And before you ask, Renata."
"Appropriate," Chuck nodded then gave her a questioning look, "Wait, I thought your middle name was Lisa."
"My company cover's middle name is Lisa," Sarah pointed out, "My birthname, however, is a different story. One that will be shared one day in a more secure setting."
"Understood," Chuck nodded once more.
Their conversation was ended when the music faded out and Volkoff was given a microphone. All eyes turned to him as he greeted the guests and thanked them for coming to celebrate his daughter's wedding. As the waitstaff circulated the room, passing out glasses of champagne and vodka to the guests and the bridal party, Volkoff proceeded to toast the newlywed couple, wishing them prosperity and a long life together and raised his glass in a toast. Once everyone had taken a sip of their drink, shouts of "Gorko, gorko, gorko!" Began echoing throughout the room.
It was clear that Vivian and Cole had been hoping to avoid this particular tradition, but they rolled their eyes in resignation for what was expected of them. Cole gave his bride a small shrug before taking her in his arms and giving her a long, passionate, kiss that skirted on the inappropriate, in hopes that there would be no more calls of 'Gorko' or clanking of cutlery on stemware the remainder of the night. Once the masses were satisfied with the kiss, the microphone was passed to Cole who gave a toast to the father of the bride, as he was the only parent related to the couple who was still alive.
The guests drank a toast to Volkoff as the deejay called the newlyweds to the dance floor to open the night's dancing. Since they hadn't wanted to use anything with lyrics, they'd chosen an instrumental piece entitled 'Under the Bridges of Paris' to which they performed a slow, elegant, Waltz. With a low dip to finish off the dance, Cole brought his wife back into his arms for a brief kiss before handing her off to her father as Elton John's 'Your Song' began to play.
When the deejay invited everyone to the floor, Chuck held out his hand to Sarah in invitation to dance, which she gladly accepted. After a while, Cole cut in to dance with Sarah while Chuck invited Vivian to join him for a song or two before the men switched partners once more.
Before long, it was time to cut the cake, which was done with great ceremony and the happy couple politely feeding each other their first bites of the sweet confection, earning them groans and heckling from their guests who had been encouraging them to smash the cake in each other's faces. While the cake was taken away to be cut and served, the honor attendants were handed microphones to toast the couple. Since both the honor attendants had been married for a while, they offered their own advice to a long and happy marriage before offering a blessing and a toast to the happy couple.
Once the cake had been distributed and eaten, the dancing started up again. Seeing that Volkoff had claimed his daughter for a dance, Chuck suggested Sarah ask Cole to dance, and crossed the floor himself to where Frost was seated, enjoying her last bites of the savory carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that had been distributed.
Upon being asked for a dance, Frost reluctantly accepted and linked her arm through her son's as he led her onto the floor. Chuck offered a proper ballroom frame for her to step into as he began to lead her around the floor to the instrumental piece that was being played. "At least now Cole and Vivey can say there was technically a mother-son dance at their wedding," He spoke softly so that only his mother could hear.
"Please don't tell me you dragged me out there just to be able to make that observation," Mary rolled her eyes.
"No," He chuckled, "At least it wasn't the only reason. I needed an excuse to speak with you. I am nearly done reformatting the Intersect glasses to accept the override program."
"Good," Frost nodded, "Do we have an expected time frame for when the final product will be ready?"
"No, not yet," Chuck sighed, "No matter what I do, I keep running into the same problem Dad had before, while I'm able to get the actual data to cancel out, there is an issue implementing it to be absorbed by the host's neural network. I'm going to have to bring in a neurologist to assist me in finishing the project. I already have someone in mind, we just got cleared to read them in on the project."
"It's not that hack Zarnow is it?" Mary groaned.
"No, I um, well I brought him to the attention of the powers that be for his involvement in selling state secrets to North Korea. According to Casey they dropped him in a deep dark hole in a black site somewhere in Nevada," Chuck gave her a small smile. "The neurologist that's been approved is one of the best in the country, which is impressive as they only completed their fellowship a couple years ago. It's um… well, it's Ellie."
The look his mother gave him chilled him to the bone and left no question as to how she came by the code name 'Frost Queen.' "That best be another Ellie with whom you are in acquaintance." She practically growled, "Especially because your father and I made it abundantly clear to the directorate that you children were off limits."
"Need I remind you I work on a joint CIA/NSA taskforce?" Chuck spoke softly, "And was on the shortlist for recruitment before Agent Larkin interceded at dad's behest?"
"Not that it stuck," Mary sighed dejectedly, "Charles, I don't want Eleanor getting involved in all this."
"If we have any hope of fixing Uncle Hartley and paving the way for you and Dad to be able to come home, she just may be our only hope." Chuck gave his mother a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but this is the way we're doing it."
"Please be careful," Mary sighed, "And if at all possible, hide her identity in the records so this is the only thing she's pulled in for."
"I can't do that, Mom," Chuck shook his head, "Her clearance was already in the works before this because she is needed to oversee the neurological impact of the Intersect on my brain. I mean, would you rather some stranger go poking around in my head or Ellie?"
"I'd honestly rather neither," Mary gave him a pointed look, "But since we are beyond that option now, I suppose Ellie would be the best choice. She, at least, has a vested interest in keeping you healthy and protected."
"Assuming she doesn't kill me first," Chuck shrugged, "I'm already on her shit list…"
"Charles…" Mary warned.
"Sorry," He blushed, "I'm already in enough trouble with her for the band trip incident."
"Let me guess," Mary gave her son a knowing look, "She only just found out about it."
"Yes," Chuck averted his eyes from his mother's smug look, "I can only imagine how she's going to react to the fact I've been lying to her about what I've been up to the last few months since Jenny and I reconnected."
"She'll get over it," Mary assured him, "She may be upset for a while, and she'll have a right to be, especially since you have gotten yourself into a potentially dangerous line of work. However, I think once she is over the shock, she'll be proud of the work you are doing. I know I am, even if I'm not fond of the fact you're doing it."
"Thanks," Chuck gave her a soft smile as he heard the song come to an end, "Once we have a successful prototype, I'll reach out to you through the channels we previously discussed."
"I look forward to it," Mary nodded, taking her son's arm again to be escorted back to her table, "More than you'll ever know."
"I have an idea," Chuck gave her a warm smile, "Thank you for the dance, Miss Frost. I hope I didn't step on your toes too much."
"Not at all, Mr. Carmichael," Frost gave him a congenial smile, "You are an exceptional dance partner, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, although I suspect your wife is eager to claim you once more."
Chuck looked over his shoulder to where Sarah stood speaking with Cole and Vivian while shooting the occasional look his way. "I suspect you are right," He chuckled. "If you'll excuse me."
Frost gave him an acknowledging nod and watched her son cross the floor once more to join the woman he clearly adored.
The tempo of the music picked up and several of the men had crowded the floor, jumping and dancing in a circle. Chuck did his best to skirt the group, but was stopped a few feet from his goal when he heard an older man's voice call out, "My dear sweet Sacha, is that you? Give your cousin a big hug!" Before he knew it, he was being pulled into the circle by the man, "Meet fourth cousin on my mother's side. Sacha wants to dance!"
"No! Nyet, Sacha does not want to dance!" Chuck's protests fell on deaf ears as he shot a panicked look toward Sarah who, along with Vivian and Cole, was trying and failing to hide her amusement at the situation he'd found himself in. The interaction did not escape the older man's notice, "You like the blonde!" He then turned and called out to Sarah, "Come here, you dance with Sacha!"
Sarah tried to wave the dancing men off, but a firm push from four hands had her thrust into the center of the melee where Chuck was bouncing along with the other men. She felt his left hand reach for her right while his left pulled her closer to him. She didn't know if it was to keep her out of the way of the men bouncing around her, to claim her so as to discourage the leers she'd been getting from many of these men all night, or if he just wanted to hold her in his arms, but whatever the reason, she wasn't going to complain.
"Ah, I see now!" Sacha's cousin exclaimed, seeing the rings on their fingers, "The blonde is your wife!"
Sarah noticed the proud look on Chuck's face as he pulled her closer for a moment before spinning her and bringing her back into his arms for a quick kiss. Clearly, this confirmed his 'cousin's' words as the men surrounding them cheered. She saw him glance quickly to where Cole and Vivian still stood, watching them, an impish smile on his lips before he spoke.
"You know, the bride and groom are right over there," He nodded toward the newlyweds. The men cheered as the 'cousin' moved faster than a man of his stature should be able to, and grabbed the newlyweds, pulling them into the center of the circle.
"Thanks a lot, Mate," Cole gave him a droll look as Vivian laughed at their predicament.
"Oh relax," Chuck teased him, "It's one song, surely you can endure one song."
"Fine," Cole rolled his eyes, pulling his wife into his arms.
"And don't call him Shirley," Vivian joked, sending the women into a fit of giggles, much to the chagrin of her friend and husband.
"I never should have introduced you to that movie," Chuck groaned, "And since it's the perfect inflight movie, we'll watch it on our way back home." He promised Sarah who gave him a nod.
Once the dance had ended, they were, thankfully free to go and made their way to a nearby table with enough chairs for all of them. Over the din of the revelers, a clock could be heard chiming the hour.
"Is it that time already?" Vivian inquired while trying to suppress a yawn.
"What's the matter Cinderella?" Cole smirked at his wife, "You gonna turn into a pumpkin if you aren't back in our room by midnight?"
"You know, you're not so handsome I won't make you sleep on the couch." She warned.
"Oh please," Cole rolled his eyes, "You'd last all of an hour or two before begging me to come back to bed."
The blush on Vivian's cheeks confirmed the accuracy of her husband's statement. "Shut it." She gave him a petulant look, "It's partly your fault I'm so tired."
"TMI, Vivey," Chuck groaned.
"Oh please, like we don't know what you and your Jenny were doing all night," Vivian shot back at her childhood friend.
"For your information I was working," Chuck looked one moment away from sticking his tongue out at her.
"Ah, so is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Cole teased.
"Fuck you, Cole," Sarah snickered, "You are only a couple years older than the rest of us. Besides, what Charlie and I get up to in the privacy of our rooms is none of your concern."
"In that case, I will need you to excuse my lovely bride and myself," Cole smirked, "We have some 'work' to do." He rose, extended his hand to his wife, and they made their way out of the party, stopping only briefly to say a few words to Volkoff before disappearing
"I really hate smirkers," Sarah groaned.
"You're just mad you didn't think of it first," Chuck teased her, "But seeing as the couple has taken their leave, it is now socially acceptable to head out. I believe we have some unfinished work of our own to attend to."
"Why Mr. Carmichael," Sarah let out a fake gasp, "Are you insinuating you are planning to have your way with me once we are back in our rooms."
"Not insinuating," Chuck shook his head with a sly grin, "Stating definitively that I am planning to have my way with you, Mrs. Carmichael."
"Hmm," Sarah leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Then what are you waiting for?"
He didn't have to be asked twice before pulling Sarah to her feet, handing her wrap, which had been draped over the back of her chair, back to her and leading her out of the ballroom and toward the elevator to enjoy the rest of their night in the privacy of their rooms.
As they had every morning, Chuck and Sarah awoke snuggled in each other's arms. After showering and packing, Chuck contacted Casey to have him meet in their sitting room for a final briefing before taking their leave. While they waited, Sarah ordered breakfast and coffee for the three of them.
Casey arrived a half hour later, through the door that connected their rooms as a knock sounded on the main door. Chuck greeted his teammate as he answered the door, signed the check and accepted delivery of their meal. The trio took their seats around the dining table to begin their debrief over breakfast.
"Picked up Fedorov last night as he made his way to his room," Casey reported taking a bite of his eggs, "He was halfway to being drunk, so it didn't take much pentothal to get him to start talking. Didn't tell us more than we already know; seems the pipeline begins and ends with Volkoff, the man's got his fingers in pretty much every pie, except trafficking, seems that's where he draws the line."
"Do you need more time with Fedorov" Sarah looked to the older man.
"Nah, turned him over to the DGSE," Casey shook his head, "Seems he's wanted as a suspect in an ongoing investigation of theirs. He's worthless to us as a source of information, anyhow. How are we coming on your dad's old project?
"Well, hopefully once we're able to get the removal program working, that should help resolve the Volkoff issue," Chuck nodded, "We got approval yesterday to read Ellie in once we are back stateside. Sarah and I will sit down with her after Christmas to drop that particular bomb. Depending on when we can arrange to leave, we'll be arriving a day or so before the holiday."
"Let me see what I can do about that," Sarah pulled out her phone and dialed a number before placing it on speaker.
"Strykers secure," Came the man's voice.
"Walker and team secure," Sarah reported, "We're about done with what we came here to do, how soon could we get a ride home?"
"Shouldn't take too long to set up and file a flight plan to get us back state side," Major Stryker informed them, "Heck, the wife and I just woke up not too long ago; you caught us in the middle of breakfast. We're rested and ready to go, so we could realistically schedule a departure for a few hours from now. We'll still need to stop over somewhere, likely Paris again, seeing as we can't do the whole thing in one shot."
"Understood, I'll reach out to the powers that be to arrange lodging once you figure our stopping point."
"Rodger that," Major Stryker acknowledged, "I'll send you the details shortly."
"Thanks, we'll be waiting for it," Sarah nodded, and ended the call, "Well if you aren't packed, Casey, I'd suggest you do so."
Casey gave her a look and a grunt that clearly meant 'What do you take me for?'
Sarah's phone chimed with an incoming message just as the team was finishing their meal. "Alright, looks like we will be overnighting in Paris and will departing in about two and a half hours." Sarah confirmed, checking her phone.
While Sarah called headquarters to arrange lodging for the team and the flight crew, Chuck finished collecting his equipment and double checking their suite to make sure nothing was being left behind. Casey, who had gone over to his room to collect his bags, called for transportation and let the team know their ride would be arriving in a half an hour.
The ride to the airport was congested with normal business day traffic as the denizens of the city headed toward their places of business. When they arrived at the airport, they found that their pilots had already completed their walk around and checklists and were waiting for their arrival to take off. The ground crew made quick work of loading their gear in the stowage compartment of the plane while Chuck, Sarah, and Casey boarded and claimed their seats for their flight.
Once they'd reached altitude, Chuck pulled out his laptop and the movie he promised Sarah he would show her. Casey was walking by on his way to the galley and caught sight of the DVD case.
"Put that up on the screen," He ordered, much to the surprise of the young couple, "What? I happen to like this movie; I don't know any pilot who doesn't."
"Whatever you say, Big Guy," Chuck shrugged and started setting up the system to play the movie. When he returned to his seat, he was told to wait for Casey who had gone back to the galley to see if he couldn't locate some popcorn.
Chuck nodded and left the DVD on the main menu until Casey returned, handing each of them a bag of the fluffy snack, and settled in his seat, rotating it to be able to see the screen. They laughed and rolled their eyes at the physical gags and puns. Sarah even pointing out where the lead actor was ducked behind an extra in the dance scene to pop back up from where his character, played by a dummy, was tossed over the heads of the spectators.
The movie finished just as Major Stryker announced they were about to make their descent. "I can't believe I never saw this before!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Well you haven't really been exposed to much pop culture," Chuck pointed out, "But I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Their stopover in Paris went much the way it had before with the team and the flight crew going to separate accommodations for the night and meting up in the morning for the long flight back to DC. They landed at Fort Mead in the early afternoon and went immediately to General Beckman's office to check in and pick up the NDA forms that had been prepared for Ellie and Devon's briefing.
Casey grunted goodbye and headed toward the BOQ leaving Chuck and Sarah to make their way back to DC. Their flight back to Burbank was the next morning and they wanted to get some rest so they weren't too tired to enjoy the festivities that would be starting practically from the moment they arrived back at Echo Park. Casey, of course had been invited and would be taking a later flight in to join them in a couple days on Christmas Eve.