A/N: I hope the New Year is treating all of you kindly. I am currently involved in a Texas death match with Long Term Covid. Some days I'm good, some days…yeesh. Take care of yourself my friends. We're nearing the end of our journey with this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

If the pounding on the door hadn't woken him, the yelling that came from above him would have. "WHADDA YA WANT!?"

"You're quite eloquent first thing in the morning," Chuck said to his finance, not opening his eyes. They had arrived back home, and Sarah had taken to curing the malady that had been affecting him. (See previous chapter.) He was half asleep, but found himself smiling happily as she snuggled back against him.

"See, this is how this mess started… first you enjoyed my lexicon, and now you call me eloquent," Sarah muttered, her head pressed against his chest again. "This is why I'm not sleeping at night."

"Well, the words you use at night," Chuck began, but clamped his mouth shut. Rationally, he realized he was about to get himself in trouble but found himself unable to resist bantering with the love of his life. "They aren't that intelligible, and the ones that are sound like some kind of holy ceremony going on." He paused as she stared at him. "I said too much haven't I?"

She pressed a finger to his lips. "You're so cute when you think that you're about to say too much, and get yourself in trouble." He smiled around her finger. "And you know I do believe there are so many ways of communicating."

"God, that's hot," he muttered.

"You should cover your ears," she told him, as he heard the pounding resume at the front door. Then, turning her head in the direction of the door, bellowed. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT ZONDRA!?"

"How do you know it's Zonda?" Chuck asked. He heard the pounding on the door again. "Oh, now I clearly hear her aggressive, passive-aggressive, aggressive-aggressive knock."

"You hear something passive in there?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Chuck said, sitting up. Sarah pouted, keeping her arms circled around him. She rose with him despite it being in direct opposition to her desires. "I mean, the door is still standing. If there were no passivity, there would be a sledgehammer, or a chainsaw, involved."

"I love you," Sarah told him, sleepily, her head against his chest, the two of them sitting up. "You just… you just appreciate people for who they are, warts and all."

Chuck leaned in to kiss her, when there was a thump on the window. Sarah spun toward the sound, pushing Chuck the opposite direction and off the bed. "WHAT!?"

"Ow," Chuck muttered, laying on the floor.

}o{

"I'm really sorry," Zondra began.

"No, you're not," Sarah replied, handing Chuck a cup of coffee. Chuck and Sarah were now dressed, and sitting on the couch, with Zondra sitting in the chair. "You know you enjoy messing with us."

"Yeah, I do," Zondra admitted, shrugging and taking a sip of coffee. "So, I have a problem."

"You don't want to live with my mom and dad?" Sarah asked.

"It's not living with them," Zondra pointed out. "They live upstairs, and we have basically our own apartment downstairs."

"Is it…" Chuck began, paused, looked at Sarah, and then back to Zondra. "Something in the… boudoir?" he asked in a whisper, his hand beside his mouth, where Sarah couldn't see his lips.

"Oh, no," Zondra said, shaking her head, sitting back. "That part… that part is never a problem."

"Oh," Chuck said, nodding.

"No, that part… well… when you're good you're good," Zondra continued.

"Uh, Zondra," Chuck began.

"I mean, Molly, she thinks-"

"Will you stop!" Sarah growled, making Zondra crack up laughing. "You are purposely trying to get me riled up."

"You forgot the part about seeing how red I can make Chuck turn," Zondra added.

"What would your wife think if she heard what you did?" Chuck asked, in a mock haughty tone.

"She'd probably say I was telling the truth," Zondra said with a shrug.

"Totally checks out," Sarah said with a matching shrug. Chuck gave her a look. "It is the truth. So, what do you need my fiancé for?"

"You just wanted to say fiancé," Zondra replied.

"No, I want to say husband," Sarah corrected. Chuck couldn't help but beam at that. "But Dad would get pissy if I ran off and got married. Besides, it's not far away at all."

"It isn't," Zondra agreed. "So, can I borrow Chuck to help me move out of my apartment?"

"First, he is right here, so you can ask him; second, yes, we'd be glad to help you," Sarah answered.

"First, you're about to get married, so I want to make sure I'm not creating a bridezilla situation," Zondra told Sarah, making her laugh. "And second, I don't want your help. In fact, you cannot help."

"Oh, God, this again?" Sarah asked. Sarah turned to Chuck. "Neither Molly nor I have ever seen her apartment."

Chuck gave Zondra a look. She shrugged. "I'm a very private person."

"You're married to Molly," Chuck pointed out.

"We all have our issues," Zondra said to him, giving him a very pointed look.

"What did I do?" Chuck asked.

"Nothing, it's just how she deflects these things," Sarah told Chuck. "If he's agreeable, then yes, you can borrow him."

"What if I'm not agreeable?" Chuck asked. Both Sarah and Zondra gave him a look. "Couldn't either of you pretended that I might not be agreeable?" Neither look changed. Chuck threw up his hands and, walking over, grabbed his stuff and walked to the door. "Well, are we going or not?"

"Love you, baby," Sarah said sweetly.

"Love ya, buddy," Zondra said. She walked over, opened the door and started out. She paused, slapped his ass, and then walked outside.

"Did you see that?" Chuck asked Sarah.

Sarah shrugged. "She's your friend."

"So, you're just gonna sit there and watch her abuse me?"

"I'll rub it later and make it feel better," Sarah told him. Chuck smiled, then disappeared, as Sarah saw Zondra grab his shoulder and pull him out the door.

}o{

"Wait a minute," Chuck said as he entered Zondra's apartment. He gave out a low whistle, and looked over to Zondra, confused. "I thought your apartment was tiny."

"I never said that," Zondra replied, walking into the spacious apartment.

"But," Chuck began. "But." He looked around. "But why would you leave this?"

Zondra looked over at Chuck. "When Molly and I started dating, there were some neighbors of mine that were… not that happy, with same-sex couples," Zondra began.

"Oh," Chuck said nodding.

"Yeah," Zondra replied. "So, when she asked me if we could go back to my place, I told her my place was too small. We went to Molly's, and…" Zondra trailed off, looking a little uncomfortable. She blew out a breath, then continued. "A few days later, Jack approached me, with a kind of… wince on his face." Chuck bit into his knuckle, trying to keep from laughing, picturing Jack's face in his mind's eye. "He told me, painfully, that if there ever came a time that I needed a place to spend the night, it was fine with him and Emma if I were to stay with Molly."

"Okay, so those people that had an issue," Chuck began.

"Don't live here anymore," Zondra told him. Chuck furrowed his brow, confused. "I just… I am neck-deep in the lie. And I just want to move on, and I am. But also," she spread her hands and looked around. "This apartment!"

"So, tell her," Chuck insisted.

"Don't have to, Dad is subletting it," Zondra replied with a smile.

"Also, you don't want Carina and Sarah to know that you are sweet, and wanted to protect Molly as much as you can from the shit you went through," Chuck told her.

"Molly's been through stuff as well," Zondra replied, crossing her arms.

"But not as much as you, has she?" Zondra shook her head. "I think they'd understand, Zondra."

"I do that, then…"

"They see you as the kind-"

"Take that back!" Zondra insisted.

"Wonderful-"

"Damn it, Chuck, stop saying those things," Zondra said.

"Compassionate, beautiful woman you are," Chuck finished. "Beautiful both inside and out."

"You missed your shot, I'm married, kid," Zondra told him.

Chuck didn't say anything. He just stood there smiling at her. "So, how much of this goes?"

"Not much, there is just one painting I want, that requires two people," Zondra told him. "It's not heavy, just awkward."

"Sounds like me, in high school," Chuck said with a shrug. Zondra snorted and shook her head. "Okay, let's get to it," he said, clapping his hands. He walked over to where the painting was, and turned to Zondra, seeing her standing in the same spot. Her arms were crossed as she studied him.

"You're totally gonna tell Sarah, aren't you?" Zondra asked.

"Well, I could lie and say I won't," Chuck began. Zondra looked up at the heavens and groaned. "I am who I am."

"I know, I know," Zondra groused.

}o{

"Sarah, we need to talk," Chuck said from her office doorway. He had rushed back to the office to find Sarah, and tell her all about Zondra's apartment.

"Listen, I can't banter with you right now," Sarah told him, sighing regretfully. "Your appreciation of my lexicon and language skills – both eloquent – and apparently my guttural, spiritual-like blathering-"

"Blathering?" Chuck asked.

"To talk long-windedly, without making very much sense," Sarah informed him.

"I don't know if it was long-windedly," Chuck replied, smirking.

"Anyway, all of that has made me quite tired, and I need to work. And if we continue in this bantering, I will probably get worked up, and nothing work-wise will be accomplished today," Sarah finished going back to her paperwork. She smiled, knowing he was just standing there, watching her. "You okay?"

"I do have a serious question," he told her. She put her pen down and looked up at him. "But you have work to do."

"Priorities, Chuck," Sarah told him.

"So, you'll put my needs over your own?"

"Yes, because I know you'll take care of all my needs," Sarah told him, innuendo dripping from her tone. He stared at her, his mind blank. "You had a question?"

"Words no know," Chuck muttered. Sarah nodded, picked up her pen, and went back to her work, a satisfied grin on her face. "Oh, I remembered." She chuckled, laid down her pen, clasped her fingers together and batted her eyes at him, expectantly. "Am I going to survive this marriage?"

"Probably not," Sarah admitted. "I suspect, you shall pass, in the bedroom, one of us taking care of the other's needs."

"But I will go with a smile on my face, right?"

"Oh, I promise," Sarah told him, her voice thick with suggestion. Chuck nodded, turned and headed out of her office. She heard a thud. "Please don't hurt the wall, collapsing on it."

"My bad!" he called out.

}o{

Chuck made it out to the lobby, after having gathered his thoughts and possibly his soul that had left his body during his and Sarah's bantering. "You okay there, soon-to-be-bro?" Molly asked.

"Yes… no… maybe," Chuck replied. "So, what if I know something about your wife, that you don't know, that Zondra told me not to tell you?"

"Do you want to get beat up?" Molly asked.

"She never said she would beat me up," Chuck replied.

"Chuck," Molly said, her voice thick with exasperation. "It's Zondra. The beating is implied."

"Sorry," Chuck replied.

"It's fine, I'm sure my sister said things and your brain isn't working right." Chuck started to object, but found he couldn't because it was, in fact, true. "Is this about how Zondra has this huge ass apartment in this now amazing neighborhood, has it paid for, and is about to move with me into my parents' house?"

Chuck stood there, mouth open in shock.

"I thought we were going to mess with him a while on this?" Sarah asked, walking up from behind Chuck. Chuck looked at Sarah and then back to Molly. "What?"

"How?" Chuck asked. "Zondra seemed to think that you had no idea."

"Oh, she never told us," Molly explained.

Chuck looked from Sarah to Molly, and back again. Sarah walked over, looped her arm through his, and guided him toward the conference room. "Come on, Sis. We need to explain this to him. I know it's going to deflate him, but he needs to hear it from us."

Molly got up and disappeared into Jack's office, as Sarah led Chuck into the conference room. Molly retuned with Jack, closed the door, and sat down. "So, how do we want to do this?" Sarah asked.

"Just tell him," Jack said. "Rip off the Band-Aid."

"Sounds painful," Chuck muttered. Sarah snickered at that. "Will someone just please tell me what is going on?"

"Zondra and I didn't get together immediately after what happened on the dance floor," Molly said softly. Chuck looked at the youngest Walker in the room. She had a happy smile on her face, seemingly lost in a pleasant memory. "Zondra was determined to make her dream work, and she was terrible at organizing."

"What?" Chuck asked, shocked.

"Getting commitments, closing deals," Sarah began. She paused, then grinned. "Bullying people into doing what she wants… that she's great at."

"Paperwork, filing taxes and things like that… pbbbbth," Molly said, laughing. "She's my wife, I know her shortcomings, and I love her anyway." Molly sat there for a second, beaming. "Anyway," she continued, realizing what she was doing. "I told her I would help her, and I did."

"Okay," Chuck replied, confused.

"She knows exactly where Zondra lives," Jack said. Chuck looked over at Jack, still not clear as to what was going on. Jack sighed. "Zondra isn't scared of anything, but the thought of taking Molly back to Zondra's apartment… it wasn't good."

"I was worried," Molly said. "Did she have a girlfriend and hadn't told me? Was she ashamed of me? I just…" Molly shrugged.

"I'm a dad, Charlie," Jack said softly. "My girls… they're my life. I haven't always been the best guy, and I worried my girl was being taken advantage of."

Chuck looked over at Sarah. "My dad did a deep-dive on Zondra," Sarah explained.

"What does a deep-dive entail?" Chuck asked.

Jack looked away, a bit of red on his face.

"First, dad had me give him Zondra's address," Molly began. "He researched the area, and the building. He pulled up documents of the size of her apartment, and found out everything he legally could about it."

"Just, Zondra didn't know," Chuck said. Everyone nodded. "Okay, then what?"

"How do you know there's more?" Jack asked.

"Sir, you found out Zondra lived in a nice place, and didn't want your daughter over there?" Chuck pointed out. "There's no dad alive that could leave that alone." Jack burst out laughing.

"We got Carina to go to an open house that was in the building," Sarah told him, a grin on her face. "Dad asked her to find out everything she could about the residents that lived there."

"Why would you do that?" Chuck asked.

"I've known Zondra her entire life, and I couldn't get it out of my head how much she loved my family, how protective she was of all of us," Jack began. "It didn't make sense. All I could think of was she is so protective, she sometimes acted like I did to protect my girls. That really got me thinking. She loved Sarah, and Molly… in different ways, but I knew she loved them." Molly looked over at her dad, shocked. "Darlin', everyone knew how that girl felt about you, and you her. The question was always whether you two willing to do everything you needed to, to be together. Everyone in a relationship has to ask that question, at some point."

"Yep," Sarah agreed. She looked over at Chuck. "To answer any question in your head, yes, Chuck. I will do whatever I have to for us to be together."

"May you never have to do whatever it takes," Chuck told her.

Jack cleared his throat making the two of them jump. "Anyway," he said, chuckling. "I told Carina to find out about the neighbors, what kind of people they were. I was slowly working my way to finding out who each person was, and checking their social media to find out things about them."

"The man's good," Chuck said, nodding appreciatively. Jack spread his hands and shrugged, grinning. "And what did you find?"

"That some of the people that lived there did not care for same-sex relationships," Molly answered. "Actually, they were demonstrably against them, and that's when I began to suspect why she didn't want me there."

"Okay, fair enough, but I don't know if you know this," Chuck began.

"Those people are long gone, and the people there would accept Zondra and Molly with open arms," Jack said, grinning. "Chuck, you're good at a lot of things, but my girls know Zondra, and I watch out for my girls."

"Understood, sir," Chuck replied. "So, why not call her on it?"

"Because she'd be embarrassed," Jack told Chuck. Jack watched, as Chuck began to grin. "And her dad is going to live there."

"I mean you all knew everything, and told me absolutely nothing," Chuck pointed out.

"Babe, I love you," Sarah began. "But we all know you'd have told Zondra everything." Chuck looked over at Molly for support. Molly shook her head and began to chuckle. Chuck turned to Jack, who rolled his eyes. Chuck turned back to Sarah. "It's okay, you are who you are. The man I want to marry."

}o{

Saturday was a bright sunny day. Ellie and Devon had just finished their renewal ceremony, and Chuck was standing by the pond, watching the water. "What is it about you and water?" Chuck turned to find Zondra standing there. "You are okay with me officiating the wedding, right?"

"It will be legal, right?" Chuck asked. Zondra shrugged and began to laugh. "I'm going to marry her, Zondra."

"I know, Chuck," Zondra said, walking over to him, and pulling him into a hug.

"I must be in bad shape if I'm imagining you hugging me," Chuck said, holding her tight as he blew out a breath.

"I am hugging you, and admitting to it, if that tells you anything about how bad you're doing."

"Marriage has changed you," Chuck muttered, making Zondra laugh.

She pulled away and put her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, this is happening. You have nothing to worry about, okay?"

"Okay," Chuck replied nodding.

"Okay, let's do this thing."

"Thank you, Zondra," Chuck told her. She reached up, gently tilted his head down, stood on her tip-toes, and kissed his forehead.

"I got you, Chuck," Zondra told him. "I got you."

A/N: You know, what Zondra said, it almost sounds like…one last mission…nah. I mean, everyone is there, there's no norseman virus, nothing at all could go wrong… right?

Next time:

Zondra looked over the audience. "This is the part where I ask if anyone objects, but if you do, I'll kill you," Zondra said with a smile that was terrifying everyone. "So, if no one objects-"

"I have something to say!" See Three Pee Oh blurted out. Chuck and Sarah's eyes went wide.

"Three Pee Oh! What are you doing?" Chuck hissed.

"Doing what must be done!" Three Pee Oh insisted.

"Three Pee Oh," Chuck said in a low tone. "I will hit the Sith Protocols."

"I have disabled them, Master Chuck," Three Pee Oh said. "This is too important."

*reads what happens next and spits out drink* WHAT THE HELL!?

Come on back next time, for the finale of, Just Two People.