I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway.

Okay. So I've been consumed this week with my son's wedding planning. Maybe that inspired a lot of this chapter. Maybe I'm secretly wishing that he would just elope to Vegas, lol.

I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review.

A Very Good Day

x-x-x-x-x

"Okay, Kate. Tell me the honest truth," Alex said as soon as the bedroom door closed. "Do you really want to get married to me tomorrow?"

All Kate could do was stare at him in stunned silence. She was having a hard time keeping from breaking down. "How could you ask me that?" she finally asked. "Alex, I'm very sorry that I got mad at you. Okay, I was jealous. But just because I was jealous for a second – you think that I'm questioning - us?"

Alex just shook his head at her – as much as his sore body would allow anyway. "You're misunderstanding me," he said. "It's true that I'm not very happy about getting the cold shoulder from you today. I don't think that I did anything wrong. I didn't do anything to encourage that clerk. And Heather? Come on, Katie. That's just silly if you're jealous that Heather hugged me. But that's not even what I'm asking. I just am concerned that I might be cheating you out of a big wedding – and your chance to be a bride for a day. I would never want to do that."

Kate stood there starring at him. She told herself that she was not going to cry. She would not be that girl who used tears to get herself out of a tough spot. So she blinked them away. "I'm so ashamed of myself," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "Of course you didn't do anything wrong. I keep telling you that you can depend on me – and I keep letting you down so miserably. You have been simply amazing. Not only have you risked your life to protect me three times in the past week, you were forced to watch me get intimate with another man – and didn't say a harsh word to me. I don't even know how to begin to say thank you. The only way that I can think of is with sex. And now I can't even do that because you're too hurt."

Alex smiled – as much as he could. "Why do you think that you have to thank me?" he asked. "I hope that you don't have sex with me because you feel guilty. But you really didn't answer my question. Do you want to get married tomorrow – or do you want to wait for a traditional wedding?"

"You're not listening to me," Kate said. "I love you – more than I can possibly tell you with words. We're going to spend the rest of our lives together raising our family. Nothing is going to change that. And if marrying you tomorrow is what you want – then it's what I want. We had a deal – and I'm living up to my end."

"And you're not listening to me," Alex said. His frustration level was becoming plain. "I'm not questioning if you want to marry me. I'm assuming we're way past that. I'm asking if you want to do it tomorrow."

Kate's resolve to not cry was being pushed to its limit. "Alex," she said. "Please don't be angry with me. I don't think I can handle that right now. I'm feeling awful enough already. The honest truth is I'm so horrible at making you happy. I really don't know what you want me to say. Of course, I've always imagined my wedding day with a full church and a white dress and my dad walking me down the aisle. I think that every girl probably thinks about that sometimes. But in my mind that pales in comparison to making you happy. I'm desperate to find some way to make you happy – because I so clearly suck at it. I need that. Please don't take it away from me."

Alex just held out his arms. "Katie," he said gently. "Calm down a little. I'm sorry how that sounded. The pain pill that Heather gave me is wearing off. And I'm really hurting. But that was no excuse to get cross with you."

Kate and Alex didn't get a chance to finish their discussion – because Sarah picked that moment to knock on the door. "Say goodnight, Katie," she said with a grin. "Alex needs to get some rest." Then she held out some pills and a glass of water for Alex. "Take these, sweetie," she said. "This is the same thing that Casey gave you after your fight at the club. It's a special formula that the CIA worked up. It would never get FDA approval but it works a whole lot better than the civilian drugs."

"Mom," Kate said. "Can you give us five more minutes? Please? We're in the middle of something."

Sarah just shook her head. "Sorry," she said firmly. "Say goodnight. This is Mom's time. Whatever you were in the middle of will still be there in the morning."

Alex was in pain – probably as much pain as he had ever been in. So he eagerly took the pills that Sarah offered. But he couldn't keep the grin from his face. "Goodnight," he whispered as he held her – well as tightly as he could. "Katie, you're being very silly, almost laughable. Trust me when I tell you – you are worried about absolutely nothing. I couldn't possibly tell you how happy you make me. Go have a good chat with your mom. We'll talk again tomorrow."

x-x-x-x-x

As it turned out, Sparky and Heather were having their own – well, discussion. And it wasn't going any better than Kate and Alex's.

Sparky wasn't so much angry – it was more depressed. "You don't have any faith in me, at all – do you?" he asked with a sigh.

Heather was stunned - so much so that she couldn't respond for a moment. "Why would you say that?" she finally asked - her voice a little over a whisper.

"Do you know how it makes me feel to see you crying?" Sparky asked. "Especially in front of everyone. I told you in Kentucky that I would do whatever it takes for us to be together. Do you really have such little faith in me that you would doubt that?"

Heather looked at him in horror as the tears that had never been that far away for the past few hours returned with a vengeance. "Sparky," she said. "Please don't take it that way. I don't question your commitment. It's just impossible. I'm in the army for another year. There's no way to get out of that. You're in school here. How can that possibly work?"

But Sparky was insistent. "You are questioning my commitment," he said softly. "You just did it again. You're assuming that school is more important to me than us being together. It's not."

"Sparky," Heather said in shock. "You can't leave school. Your mom would kill you. Then she would kill me. You're on a scholarship. You're going to be a doctor. What about our plans?"

"I can easily take a couple of terms off," Sparky said. "I'm so far ahead now that it's ridiculous. I think I can probably take some distance learning classes over the internet. I really think I deserve a little more credit than you're giving me. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty good at this school thing. And as far as our plans – what good are our plans if we're not together?"

"Sparky," Heather said. "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm sorry if you think that. Everybody knows that you're a genius. But what are you going to be doing all day in Kentucky? I have to work every day. My apartment is ridiculously small. It's designed for one person – who is never there. You would go crazy trapped in it all day."

"I know," Sparky said. "That's not going to work. The army will have to give us a bigger place."

Heather just laughed bitterly. "I don't think that you understand the army," she said. "They follow regulations to the letter. They don't give you a bigger place just because you want one."

"No," Sparky said. "That's true. But the regulations are pretty plain. I just looked them up on the web site when you were working on Kate and Alex with Aunt Ellie. If you have a dependant, you get a bigger place. A lot of solders are married and have their spouse and family living with them – right?"

It took Heather a long moment to figure out what he was saying to her. Then her heart jumped into her throat. "Sparky, is that what you really want?" she finally asked in a soft voice. "Your mom would have a cow."

"Don't worry about my mom," Sparky said with a grin. "I know exactly what to do. I can break it to her in a way that she'll have to agree. We'll wait until Kate and Alex get married – and then I'll tell my parents. But, Heather, only if this is what you really want. This is for the rest of our lives."

For the first time Heather actually smiled. "I'm so sorry that I questioned your commitment to us," she said softly as she pressed her lips to his. "I'm embarrassed. That was very wrong of me. Please don't question mine."

"I don't," Sparky said with a smile. "I guess that means that you owe me one, huh?"

The blush was quickly up Heather's neck and into her face. "Don't tell me," she said with her own grin. "You have something in mind for me to make it up to you."

Sparky just shrugged his shoulders as he fought to keep from laughing. "I might be able to think of something," he said in mock seriousness. "It seems fair, doesn't it? After all, you did just question my commitment to you. That's pretty serious. I'm sure that you wouldn't want to get married tomorrow carrying around all that guilt. Let's see – what could you possibly do that would take away that much guilt? It would have to require a big effort on your part, right? Let's try and think of something."

Heather couldn't keep herself from laughing. "You're so full of crap," she said as she began to unbutton her blouse. "Like we both don't already know what it's going to take."

"Full of crap?" Sparky questioned incredulously with his own laugh. "I have to say – this is not the attitude that I was hoping for. I would think that you would want to get married tomorrow with a clear conscience. I sort of expected, well frankly, a little more enthusiasm. I really don't see how that attitude is going to get rid of any guilt."

Heather stopped laughing. "I'm sorry," she said as she let her blouse fall to the floor. "You're absolutely right. Why don't you sit back and let me show you how sorry I am – and how much I'm in love with you." Then she sat on Sparky's lap facing him and put her hands behind his head. She pressed her mouth firmly to his. Quickly the kiss escalated until their tongues were dancing for a long while. "Was that a better start?"

"Much," Sparky replied – as soon as he could speak. "This is turning out to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah led Kate into the guest bedroom. The very one that Joe and Elise had just vacated a few hours ago. "Are you actually sleeping with me?" Kate asked in surprise. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"It's been a long time since we slept in the same bed," Sarah replied. "I think you were twelve. Do you remember?"

Kate grinned. "Hey," she said. "You know that I was afraid of storms. I still don't like them much."

"I know," Sarah said with a laugh. "Besides – if I leave you alone, you'll go sneaking back in with Alex. I learned my lesson on that one."

"In all fairness," Kate said. "It was Paul who sneaked back in with me that night. And for the record, we didn't do anything anyway. He was scared to death when you caught us. He pretty much thought that his life was over. Speaking of that, I can't believe that he's gone. Do you think that Alex would understand if I called his mom? Paul and his mom didn't have the best of relationships – but she was always very nice to me. We didn't even get to go to his funeral. I'll bet she's really hurting."

"Come on, Katie," Sarah said softly. "Who are we talking about here? Not only would Alex understand, I'll bet that he would encourage you to go see her. That's just the kind of man that he is. You know that I was never wild about you being with Paul – but it's no betrayal for you to be sad that he's dead. You shared a large part of your life with him for five years. It's only natural for you to miss him a little."

"You know what?" Kate asked. "I am sad. But the honest truth is that I feel guilty. I feel like I should be sadder somehow. I really don't miss being with Paul at all. I've known Alex for a month – and already I've had more good times with him than I ever did with Paul. Don't get me wrong. I'm sorry that Paul is dead. It's horrible that he was murdered. But I don't miss him. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"Sweetie," Sarah said. "Of course it doesn't make you a horrible person. It just means that you're in love. That is completely understandable. Alex is unbelievably special. I'm so relieved that you found him. And that leads me to what I wanted to talk to you about. Your dad and I sort of made a deal before you were born. He would tell the kids about the birds and the bees – and I would tell you about some interesting – well, Bartowski family traditions that your dad and I sort of invented."

The room was dark – but Kate could still tell that her mom was blushing. "Traditions?" she asked. "What sort of traditions? I sure hope this goes better then when dad tried to talk about the birds and bees."

"I hope so too," Sarah said with a laugh. "Because your dad was messed up after that for a week. I just want to warn you – you're going to think that they are pretty silly. And they are, I guess. Most of them we made up to get us through a tough time. But some of them either your dad or I made up because we were in – well, a mood."

Kate just looked at her mom – and felt her own blush climbing up her neck. "Mom," she said. "How many of these traditions have to do with… well, with sex?"

Sarah just laughed. "All of them," she said. "Don't worry, sweetie. No one will ever know if you and Alex follow these – or even if you tell him about them. Here's an example. Whenever you fly in an airplane toward the East, its Bartowski family tradition that…"

Kate's eyes widened as she listened to her mom. "Wait a minute," she finally said. "When I was ten and we flew to Disney World, you and dad… In the plane?"

Sarah simply smiled.

"Oh my God," Kate laughed in amazement. "Sparky, Bryce, and I were sitting in the row right behind you. That is just wrong. I can't wait to tell Alex about that one. What are the others?"

Sarah began to describe the westbound tradition when Kate interrupted her. "Oh my God," she said. "Do you remember the three million dollar check that I got from Volkoff?"

Sarah nodded with a smile.

"I'll sign it over to you right now," Kate said with a grin. "If you promise to give me a tape of when you tell Sparky about these traditions."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was tossing and turning. It had been a long time since he actually had to spend the night in bed alone – and the honest truth was he didn't care for it much. So when he felt Sarah slip into bed beside him, he was instantly awake. "I'm surprised to see you," he said as he slipped into their usual comfortable position. "I thought that you would be with Kate all night. I'm assuming this means that it didn't go that well."

"Actually," Sarah said as she snuggled into her normal position with her head resting on Chuck's chest. "It went incredibly well. Kate just really wanted to be there when Alex woke up. So I gave in and let her. And I have to say, I was missing you too. The chat was great. I was a little awkward at first. But Kate was a trooper. It really helped that it was dark."

Chuck smiled – in between yawns. "I'm surprised that you went through with it," he said.

"I know," Sarah said. "Me too. But actually, I'm glad that I did. Kate was very mature about it. She promised to carry forward our traditions. She said that it's important to have a family – and things like traditions. I couldn't have said it better myself. Besides, it was probably our last chance to have that kind of mother-daughter moment. I'm… I'm really going to miss that."

Chuck reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek. "You've been a good mom," he said. "You've raised an incredible daughter. I'm so very proud of you. Remember how panicked you were at giving Kate her first bath? You've come a long way."

"She is incredible, isn't she?" Sarah asked with the pride clearly showing through. "But I had a lot of help. I'm proud of you too. Janice and Elise deserve a lot of the credit."

Chuck glanced at the clock. It read a little past two. "In a few hours," he said. "We get to watch her get married – to a truly wonderful guy."

"I know," Sarah said as she pressed her lips to his. "It's going to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

The first thing that Alex thought of was how soundly he had slept. He hadn't moved a muscle. Those CIA pills were really miracle workers. Then it hit him. He wasn't sore. Well, he wasn't nearly as sore anyway. They really were miracle workers. But the third thing that hit him was most definitely the best. He was spooned into Kate. And she felt - well, like an angel.

Alex squeezed her tightly for a second. That was enough to get her to roll over to face him. Alex didn't know if she had been sleeping or not. But there was no hint of sleepiness in her voice. "How are you feeling?" Kate asked.

"A lot better," Alex said. "I thought that you were going to spend the night with your mom?"

"I did," Kate said. "We had our talk. Then she told me to come take care of you. I think that she's worried about you more than she is me."

"Your mom is… well, she's incredible," Alex said. "She is almost as incredible as you are."

Even though it was dark, Alex could see the tears filling Kate's eyes. "I don't feel so incredible," she said. "Alex, I feel so horrible. I can't tell you how sorry I am. Please don't give up on me."

Alex reached over and rubbed Kate's arm. "Well, you are incredible," he said softly. "Why do you have it in your head that I'm giving up on you? Where is that even coming from? It's ridiculous. I couldn't give up on you if I tried. Katie, you're my life."

"You're my life too," Kate said as she kissed him gently. "Even if I don't always act like it. In just a few hours, we're going to be married. And I just want to make sure that you know. I love you. I'm so grateful to have you in my life. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you. All you have to do is ask."

"Wow," Alex said with a smile. "Anything? That's really tempting."

That broke the tension – and Kate couldn't keep in the laugh. "I'm not talking about sex," she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. "At least, not only about sex. I mean anything."

"Anything?" Alex asked. "I think I have something."

"Name it," Kate whispered.

"Will you stop being so hard on yourself?" Alex asked. "I'm happy when you're happy. I really don't care if we get married today – or next month. As long as you're happy."

Kate smiled – and nodded. "I said anything," she said. "Okay, you got it. But you're not getting off that easy."

"Easy?" Alex questioned.

"You saved my life yesterday for the third time in a week," Kate said with a grin as she started kissing her way down his neck. "Prepare to be rewarded."

Alex, being Alex, put up a mild protest. "Katie," he said. "You don't have to do this. I don't need to be rewarded. I didn't do anything other than what I wanted to do."

Kate paused at Alex's stomach on her trip south. "I know," she said. "But neither am I." She hooked her fingers in the waistband of his boxers – and pulled them off. "Come on, sweetie," she said as she resumed her journey. "I'll try to relax and just go with being happy for you. But you have to give me something too. You say that you're happy when I'm happy. Well, making you happy is making me happy. I need that. It goes both ways."

Alex finally gave in and relaxed. "Okay," he whispered – just before he lost the ability to think rationally. "This is going to be a very good day."

x-x-x-x-x

Author's note: I'm about ready wrap this up. I'm thinking one more chapter – and then an epilog. Or, I could find Bryce a girl. He's only sixteen, so it'd have to be puppy love. But maybe Elise helps him. And maybe – just maybe, she gets him (and herself) in trouble with mom. After all, Elise fancies herself as cupid, right?

What do you think?