Oh. My. Goodness. It's actually happening! I'm updating this story after... how long? I'm so sorry for the huge delay. School has taken over my life and all this Covid stuff has thrown everything out of whack. BUT! I've managed to carve out some time and get some writing done. So here you go! Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Chuck.

Chuck Versus the Wedding Plans

The couple was lounging in their living room; the movie "Spies Like Us" was playing in the background. Sarah sat up with her feet stretched out, heels resting on the coffee table, while Chuck laid across the couch, his head in her lap. Sarah's fingers were threaded through the nerd's curly hair; it had grown out a bit since he last cut it and his soft curls wrapped around her hand. It was a very familiar position for them whenever they had the time for a movie night. The only difference now, was the way that the diamond sitting on the silver band on her left hand glinted in the glow of the television.

They'd been engaged for over two months now and a lot has happened since. Sarah had won the competition and was crowned the Next Iron Chef. They haven't been able to tell anyone besides their small family because the finale was going to air next week and the announcement would be formally made then. Chuck on the other hand, had just had his video game launch last month at San Diego Comic Con and every gamer and critic did nothing but sing praises for it. Sales were through the roof and people were already asking him about a follow up game and what they have in the works for the future.

The two have been very busy with their own lives, but they still made time for each other. Now that they were back in the same city, the two of them enjoyed the time they got to spend together. Chuck spent his evenings in Sarah's office at the restaurant, working from her couch. Sarah came by Chuck's office with lunch in hand, which they both enjoyed in plain view of Los Angeles sprawled out in front of them. They had finally found a balance between their work lives and their personal lives.

And, when they weren't busy with everything else, they sat together and planned their wedding. They weren't exactly in any rush to tie the knot so the slow pace was far more comfortable for them. Ellie had been a great help as well. Since she was nearing the end of her pregnancy, the hospital had generously allowed her more flexibility in her schedule; she had a tendency to use the extra time off to meet with possible vendors for flowers, food, and locations.

Sarah was thankful for the help. She wasn't exactly a "traditional girl" in the sense that she didn't grow up fantasizing about the perfect wedding or perfect husband. She'd been more practical in her thinking. "One day at a time," was a mantra she found herself repeating mentally. Which got her thinking about her day as she and Ellie took care of some wedding errands.

Sarah stood in front of a cute little bakery not far from Beverly Hills, waiting for Ellie to show up so that they could taste cake samples. It wasn't long before the young doctor was walking toward her with a bright smile on her face and a small red notebook in her hand.

"Sarah!" she greeted, pulling the blonde in for a hug.

"Hey, Ellie. Thanks for helping out with this."

"Of course! I'm happy to help," she assured. "Anyway, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The two entered the store and were ushered toward a small, private table and handed a sample menu to choose from. Sarah perused the different options and had no idea where to even start. "Chuck's really disappointed that he couldn't be here for this," Ellie said.

Sarah rolled her eyes amusedly. "I'm sure he's just sad he doesn't get to eat cake all morning." Ellie chuckled at that.

"Sounds like my brother."

The two took a moment discussing each of the flavors until one of the shop workers approached them. Sarah smiled up at the young lady. "I think we'd like to try the white chocolate raspberry, the lemon, the chocolate, the hazelnut cream, vanilla, coconut and lime, pink champagne, and red velvet."

The worker nodded and took the sample menus away before retreating into the backroom to get the cake slices. Meanwhile, Ellie turned to Sarah. "So, are you excited?" she asked.

"Of course I'm excited," Sarah said honestly. Although, she couldn't help but note the slight hesitance in her own voice. Apparently, Ellie caught it too, if the look the brunette was giving her was any indication.

"You don't sound very excited."

"No, I promise, I am. I'm just… nervous is all," Sarah said. "I mean… marriage is a big commitment, you know? And… I've never really been in a really serious relationship before Chuck. I was more of a one-day-at-a-time kind of girl. Even in school, I wasn't planning my career step by step. It was just 'what dish can I create next?' or 'what do I want to do next?', you know? I traveled a lot as a chef, learning different styles. I spent time in France, and Spain… I took a job in Italy because they offered and I had nothing better to do.

"Don't get me wrong, I love your brother, Ellie," Sarah assured. "I do. And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. I just... I'm getting used to the whole settling down thing."

Ellie gave Sarah a sympathetic smile. "I think I get it, Sarah," she said. "I think you want to know if you can resist the urge to travel when it comes up." Ellie paused before her eyes softened. "Sarah… marriage is about sacrifice. Giving up things for yourself for the good of your partner. It's about choosing your partner everyday for the rest of your life. But most importantly, it's about support. You're there for each other for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Sarah, people don't get married because they think life is easy; they get married so they can be there for each other when things get tough, so they can work through things together.

"It's completely okay for you to want to follow you heart and travel. Devon still loves to do his life-threatening… activities. I absolutely hate them. But he still does it. I can't stop him. I can only hope that he comes back safe. But at the same time, I love the fact that he hasn't changed who he is. He's still the man I fell in love with. As much as I hate the fact that he risks his life the way he does, I support him for still finding time and doing things that make him happy.

"Sarah, Chuck is so supportive of you. He's the one that pushed you to compete in the Iron Chef competition and you won!" Ellie's voice dropped at the end of the sentence as the last bit was still a secret. "I'm sure he'd love to support you wanting to travel every now and then. I'm sure he'll even want to come. It's his dream to travel the world." Sarah chuckled. "It's completely normal to be nervous about marriage," Ellie assured. "But Sarah, you and Chuck… You'll be fine. Better than fine. I've seen you two and I can honestly tell you that the two of you are meant to be." Sarah smiled.

"Thank you, Ellie," she said. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that."

"Anytime. If you ever want to talk, I'm here."

Just then, the worker returned with a tray and the two women began discussing the pros and cons of different wedding cake flavors, the air around them lightening once more.

Sarah smiled at the memory. In less than five minutes, Ellie had appeased one of her biggest fears about marriage.

"Hey." Chuck's voice broke her out of her reverie. It sounded groggy, like he'd just woken up. She looked down at him to see him blinking away the remnants of his short nap. "I forgot to ask… how did the cake tasting go? Did you decide on a flavor?" Sarah smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Hazelnut Cream."

"Mmm. That sounds amazing."

"It is. But I'm not quite sure about using that particular bakery. The flavor was good but the cake itself was a little on the dry side."

"I wish I could have been there," he said.

"You just wanted to be there to eat the cakes," she replied, repeating what she'd said to Ellie.

"Part of me can't deny that that's true," Chuck admitted, "but, a much bigger part of me would have liked to be there so that you don't feel like I'm absent in all of this."

"Chuck." Sarah shifted her hand so that she was caressing his face. "You've made plenty of decisions regarding our wedding. I, in no way, feel like I'm alone in this. You don't need to worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Sarah leaned down and pressed a kiss to her fiancé's forehead. "Yes, I'm sure." When she leaned back up, she tapped her finger to his nose. "You ready to go to bed?"

"With you? Always."

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

Sarah was out in the dining room, visiting with her guests, as she liked to do occasionally, when a familiar blonde head of hair caught her attention. She walked over, habitually wiping her hands down the front of her chef's jacket. "Chef Ramsay," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Lo and behold, Gordon Ramsay was sitting at a lone table with a plate of the daily special sitting in front of him.

"Sarah, darling," he greeted, standing up, wiping down his lips, and holding a hand up to give her a firm shake and a kiss on both her cheeks.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked.

"Well, I've just heard the news and I wanted to see what all the fuss is about for myself," he said, gesturing to the food. "And I've got to say that these dishes are stunning. Absolutely remarkable."

"Thank you, Chef. That means a lot." She'd heard a lot of different things about Chef Ramsay, especially with the way he portrays himself on television. But in reality, he was one of the nicest guys she'd ever met. He only acted condescending to people who constantly bragged about being a great chef without the skills to back it up.

"You, Sarah Walker, have a real knack for flavor profiling. Seriously. One of the best. Keep it up."

"Thank you, Chef. Before you go, is there anything else we can get you?"

"I'd really like to try one of your famous desserts. I hear they are simply divine."

"I'll have them send you our special. On the house. I insist."

"You're an angel."

Sarah gave one more smile and went back into her kitchen to give the order to her chefs. Chef Ramsay wasn't the only top chef that had visited her restaurant recently. Though the official announcement still had yet to be made, word had gotten around to many of the big names in the food business and they had visited her restaurant; many of them had hinted at a potential Michelin star coming her way soon. Sarah always laughed them off. While it was a very nice sentiment, no one really knew about how or when a Michelin star reviewer came to a restaurant. With her restaurant being open for only a little over a year, the chances of her getting a star so quickly was practically impossible.

However, like they said, no one ever knew exactly when a Michelin reviewer came to review a restaurant. She could've had a reviewer drop by the restaurant because of all the buzz it'd been getting since it first opened. Regardless, she wasn't going to keep her fingers crossed.

After giving the order to her chefs and ensuring that her kitchen was running smoothly, Sarah headed into her office for some of the more administrative-side work that owning a restaurant came with.

Later, as the night rounded out to two in the morning, Sarah found herself exhausted as she walked into the apartment. With all the lights off in the main rooms, Sarah figured that Chuck was already fast asleep in their bedroom; that was all right with her. While she appreciated him staying up and waiting for her, she really didn't like him sacrificing his sleep since he had earlier mornings.

She stepped into their bedroom, expecting the room to be as pitch black as the rest of the apartment, but was surprised to see it bathed in candlelight. Her fiancé spun around from where he was standing near his desk. "Sarah!" he jumped. "I didn't hear you come in." Sarah looked around the room and noticed that the bed was set up with a pillow at the foot of the bed and a blanket was neatly folded next to it.

"Chuck, what is all of this?" she asked, hanging her bag on the hook behind their door.

"Well… I've noticed that you've been really stressed and busy lately, so I thought I'd treat you to a nice, relaxing massage at the… ahem, Bartowski Inn and Spa Resort where all of your worries melt away." From there, Chuck dove into a character of someone who was trying to be a fancy bellhop or masseuse at a fancy resort. It made Sarah chuckle in amusement, especially as Chuck broke character a bit. "You'll have to use a little imagination here," he said as an aside, "but picture, if you will, that outside those windows, the gorgeous Ojai valley. And, what may look like a normal… five-year-old mattress is, in actuality, a luxurious massage table." Sarah rolled her eyes at the enthusiasm on her fiancé's face.

"Chuck," she said, "as sweet as this all is… A massage… at two in the morning?" The wide smile on his lips dropped slightly as he realized the slight miscalculation on his part.

Sarah felt bad; she knew that he put effort into tonight and she didn't want him to feel like he'd messed up. So, she stepped forward and took his face in her hands. "Hey," she said, getting his attention. "I love it. Thank you."

"You do?"

"My fiancé is sacrificing his sleep to give me a massage. What else could a girl ask for?" With that, the smile returned to Chuck's face along with the twinkle behind his eyes.

"Well then, let me go check on the oil while you get your pretty little self ready." Before he could leave her grasp, Sarah placed a chaste kiss on his lips before allowing him to leave the room. She stripped down from her work clothes as slid under the blanket, stomach down, her head resting on the pillow. As soon as she found herself a comfortable position, Chuck knocked on the door.

"I'm ready," Sarah called back. The door opened shortly after and Chuck reentered the room with a bottle of heated oil. Without another word, he climbed onto the bed, straddling her hips. She heard the squirt of the oil bottle and felt the warmth of her fiancé's hands on her back. She moaned in pleasure as he worked a particular knot just between her shoulder blades. Chuck worked quietly for the next half hour allowing Sarah the time to just relax and enjoy. As he finished massaging her back, he placed a kiss at the top of her head and pulled away, wiping his hands on a small towel. When Sarah made no move to get up, he checked on her and found that she was asleep. Chuckling softly to himself, he grabbed a pair of her underwear and one of his shirts and carefully slid it onto her slim frame before gently shifting her so that she laid on the bed in the proper orientation. With one last kiss to her forehead, Chuck extinguished the flames around the room and slid under the sheets to join his beautiful bride-to-be.

The next morning, Chuck woke to an empty bed. He was confused as Sarah had taken to sleeping in later than he did since she didn't have to go into the restaurant until later in the day. However, there was a heavenly smell wafting into the room that Chuck immediately recognized as bacon. He climbed out of bed and padded into the hall to see Sarah in the kitchen at the stove. "Hey there, Honey," he yawned. "Whatcha doing?" He made his way around to sit on one of the stools at the bar.

"Making breakfast," she replied, turning around. She flipped the omelet she had in the pan skillfully and slid it onto a plate, placing a few strips of bacon next to it, as well. "Eat up," she said as she slid the plate in front of him.

"Thanks," he smiled as he took a forkful. "What time do you have to be at the restaurant?"

"Not until later this afternoon," Sarah said, popping a strawberry slice into her mouth. "Why?"

"I was thinking we could go around and look at some churches? You know, places for the ceremony?" he offered somewhat shyly.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, bemused at the look on the nerd's face. The pouty lips and hopeful eyes made him look like a puppy dog or a four-year-old asking for an extra slice of cake. "That sounds like a great idea. Do you have a few places in mind?"

Chuck lit up and nodded enthusiastically. "I do. I did some research when I got home last night and found some really nice chapels around the area."

"Great! After we finish eating, we can get head out."

After breakfast, the couple dressed quickly and climbed into the car with Chuck behind the wheel. They visited various chapels and possible locations for their ceremony. At each location, the two toured the area. Sarah critiqued every little detail, taking into consideration a lot of different aspects that Chuck hadn't even thought of, such as lighting, acoustics, seating, the presence of speakers, what the administrators allowed during the ceremony, whether there was an opening on the date they wanted.

Luckily, though, the last chapel they had visited and toured was, by Sarah's words, "absolutely perfect." Once they made the reservation, Sarah pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Ellie to let the other woman know of the newest wedding update.

"Sarah, that's great!" the brunette exclaimed. "So now all you need is a reception hall, right?"

"Yes. But we can wait another day for that," Sarah decided. "I have to head into the restaurant in a bit and Chuck wants to get lunch before we go."

"Sounds good, Sarah," Ellie said. "I'll update our Wedding To Do List."

"Thanks, Ellie."

"No prob. Gotta go!" Ellie hung up after that and Sarah turned to look at her fiancé; he seemed to have a frown on his face.

"What's wrong? You don't like the chapel? I thought you did."

Chuck shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just thought the reception was going to be at Il Castello."

"Why would it be there?"

"Well… I mean… It's… free," he said, tapering off at the end. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"We're not having it at the restaurant," she told him matter-of-factly. "For multiple reasons, actually. One, the staff is attending our wedding; I don't want them to have to work. Two, I don't want some catering company working out of my kitchen because I don't know or trust their standards in cleanliness. Three, I don't want to have to worry about the set up and clean up and all of the stuff that gets taken care of by the venue host. Four-"

"Okay," Chuck interrupted. "I get it, no reception at the restaurant." Changing the subject, he continued on. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

"I'm thinking Japanese?"

"Japanese it is!"

They drove the short distance to their go-to Japanese restaurant and were quickly ushered to a table. They ordered their food and continued on with wedding talk, as well as keeping the other updated on everything going on in their individual places of work. By the time they finished their lunch, the couple had pretty much planned out what they wanted for the remaining wedding details.

As they drove over to Il Castello, Sarah got a call from Big Mike who told her that he couldn't come in because he wasn't feeling well.

"I totally understand, Big Mike," she said. "Feel better. I'll see you on Monday."

"Thanks, Boss Lady. See you then."

Sarah hung up the phone and sighed.

"Everything all right?" Chuck asked, glancing quickly at her.

"As all right as it can be," Sarah replied. "Big Mike is sick so he can't man the front of the house tonight."

"I can do it." Sarah looked over at Chuck with a raised brow. "What? I've worked at Il Castello before and I know how the staff works. Actually, the front of house manager was the position I'd originally applied for. And besides, we're getting married; I like to think that means the restaurant is my baby, too." His voice tapered off at the end as though he'd lost confidence in what he wanted to say.

Sarah felt her heart warm at Chuck's words and a fluttering in her stomach. She did her best to repress the smile growing on her face but couldn't hold it back. She reached across the center console and took his free hand in hers. "Yes, Il Castello will be your baby. Just like how Orion Tech will be my baby, too." Chuck, reassured by her words, gave her a small smile. "And besides, I wasn't trying to say that you couldn't do it. I know you could run the front in your sleep. I was just thinking that you were quick to offer. I thought that you'd want to catch up on sleep."

"Eh… Who needs sleep?"

Sarah had a smile on her face as Chuck brought her hand to his lips and pressed a firm, assuring kiss to her knuckles. Soon, Chuck dropped off Sarah at Il Castello before heading home to change his clothes to something more professional and "front-of-house manager-y" according to his own words.

He arrived half an hour later in a suit with a pale blue button down, his hair carefully styled, and a confident smile on his face. He walked through the back entrance of the restaurant and was greeted immediately by the kitchen's prep staff.

"Looking sharp, Chuckles," Zondra said as he passed through.

He simply rolled his eyes good-naturedly and continued on his way to Sarah's office. After quickly checking with her, he headed out into the main dining hall where the wait staff was rolling silverware and setting tables. Shooting them a wave, he went over to the host stand up front and booted up the computer to view the day's reservations and got to work coordinating the sections for each reserved guest.

It took him longer than he expected and by the time he finished, it was thirty 'til open. He called the staff to the foyer for a quick team meeting and uniform inspection. As the night's staff lined up, Chuck felt a wave of nostalgia hit him when he remembered having to stand there and listen to Big Mike's short yet motivating speech.

Some days, Chuck missed working on the wait staff in the restaurant. As of late, the only real time he stepped in the restaurant was to either run a check, or update the system, or to visit with Sarah when he knew she was working in the office rather than in the kitchen.

It was really nice to be working alongside Sarah in this way where she was in charge of the kitchen and he the front of the house. It made him feel like Il Castello was more of family restaurant than a high end, fancy-pants one.

"Alright, everyone," he said as the staff gathered, "I'm not sure if you've been told, but Big Mike is out sick today, so I'll be filling in. I'm sure most of you know me, but as I understand we have a couple of new hires. My name is Chuck Bartowski, although it is preferred that you call me Charles in front of the guests. What with the 'atmosphere' of fine dining and all." There were a few scattered chuckles. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing, and I promise I won't run us into the ground. Anyway, like Big Mike always says, 'our guests are here for a fine dining experience. Dining part's taken care of by the kitchen. Let's give them a fine experience.'"

There was a 'Whoop!' that came from somewhere in the back of the crowd and Chuck chuckled at the energy that the group seemed to have.

Dinner service was fairly uneventful. With his knowledge about the reservation system and experience as part of the wait staff, Chuck was able to conduct a beautifully smooth service. By his own calculations, they'd turned over tables faster than usual and had even allowed some room for small breaks in between tables for some of the servers. Though he spent most of his time posted at the host's stand, he did spend some time visiting with the patrons. A few times, he saw Sarah making her rounds around the tables and on the rare occasion that they caught the other's eye, she'd shoot him a wink and one of her heart stopping smiles. He, in turn, would blush profusely and return a bashful smile.

It didn't seem to matter that they were engaged. Sarah Walker still had the ability to turn him into a blubbering teenage boy. He hoped that she'd always have that ability. He was sure she'd always have that ability. Luckily for him, no one else seemed to notice the exchange and he took his flushed self back to the host stand to review the tables and reservations once more.

The night closed out as it normally did: slow and steady. Soon, there were only a couple of tables left on the floor and the other sections were being discreetly cleaned up. Chuck remained at the host stand, looking through the system for the reservations made for Monday. Since the next day was Sunday, Chuck and Sarah had the day to themselves. It would be a nice, welcomed break from their crazy lives. It will also be the last time they have a day to themselves before Sarah was announced as the newest Iron Chef. As soon as the episode airs, Sarah will have to start a short media tour on talk shows and making guest appearances on various cooking shows.

Even though they weren't necessarily rushing the wedding, they wanted to get as much as possible done before they got super busy again. Luckily, they got many of the big-ticket items finished like the venue and cake so a lot of what was left were either the little details or the Sarah-specific details such as her dress, the invitations, seating chart, music, etc.

Regardless, Chuck knew that they would figure everything out. He and Sarah made a great team from the very start and he didn't see that changing at any point in the future.

With that thought fresh in his mind, Chuck logged out of the server and left for the back of the house to meet with Sarah. He nodded amicably to the last group of guests as they made their way out of the restaurant.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he wasn't surprised to see that it was already cleaned and that most of the kitchen staff had already gone. Zondra, who was wiping down a station, called out to him.

"Hey Chuckles, she's in her office," she said. "I think she's on the phone, though. Don't know what it's about."

"Thanks, Zondra," Chuck called back. "Have a good night."

"You, too."

Chuck gave a quick knock on Sarah's office door to alert her of his presence before walking in.

"Yes," Sarah said, barely glancing up at Chuck as he plopped down onto her couch. She was writing something on a notepad while her phone was sandwiched between her cheek and shoulder. "I understand. Thank you so much. I'll see you in a few days."

Sarah set down the pen and hung up her phone, swiveling her chair so that she faced Chuck. "Sorry about that," she said.

"No problem," he replied. "Who was it and why were they calling so late?"

"It was one of the Food Network representatives. They have me booked for appearances on a couple of talk shows next week in New York," Sarah explained. "My flight is scheduled for Wednesday."

"They couldn't have called you in the morning? It's, like, two in the morning."

"I know," Sarah replied. "I can't pretend to know what kind of schedule those representatives have, but this media tour means that I'll be gone for the next week or so. I'm glad that they told me this early so that I can prepare and get everything in the restaurant covered." She was moving around the office, gathering her things together and also stuffing folders and papers into her bag as well. "It also means that you'll have to make some wedding planning decisions on your own next week."

"Wait, what?" Chuck asked, befuddled, crossing his arms over his chest. "A-A-Are you absolutely sure about that?"

"Yes, Chuck," she assured, realizing she was rushing around and it was most likely overwhelming her fiancé. She stopped moving and stood in front of him with a sweet smile on her face. Sarah took a hold of his forearms, untangling them, and slid her hands down so they held his. "These decisions have to be made next week and I trust that you'll make the best one. If it makes you feel better, I'm sure Ellie would be happy to help." She released his hands and moved her up to hold his face. She placed a chaste peck on his lips. "Now come on, let's go home."

Chuck smiled and followed his fiancée. He had a feeling he would be doing that for the rest of his life and, strangely, he didn't mind it.

And there you have it! Another chapter in the books! We're on the home stretch. Let hope the wait isn't as long this time. Fingers crossed. ANYWAYS...

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