A/N: Aww, not as much reviews on that last chapter as I had hoped for. If you guys think there's something missing, please let me know. Alas, I have turned 20 (a long time ago, I wrote this A/N when I started this chapter which is quite some time ago haha) so maybe my writing suddenly matured… I don't think it did :P Hopefully you have fun with this chapter. More of an introspective chapter. Action aplenty in China though. This is half/two-thirds of what was originally Chapter 15, but I've gone so long without an update that I just wanted to put it out. Fluff in this chapter should hopefully make up for all the dramatic/angsty/WhateverTitleYouWantToGiveIt stories I've been penning and posting lately ;)

Also, I've taken the time to update my profile to include my fics and their statuses. If anything changes in them, I will immediately update my profile so if you'd like to keep track as to what I've been doing, you can look there.

Disclaimer: If I owned Chuck, I would've fired Fedak for being an idiot and the staff that thought what the viewers wanted was another season of WT/WT in Season 3. Oh, and the writers of Mary as a character. God, she was/is a horrible character. Would like to own the Eiffel tower, I'd be rolling in cash if that was the case.

Chapter 15

Sarah Walker was in a daze. It didn't happen a lot. Actually, in her twenty-eight years of existence, it had only happened once before. The moment she walked out of her dad's house was the only time she had ever felt like this. But while all she felt back then was numbness and shock, now those feelings were coupled with elation and bliss. Also, an increasing desire to simply bawl for a solid thirty minutes was making its presence known. Why? She didn't know. But she was certain that if the tears would flow, they'd be of the happy variety. And Chuck actually looked like he was on the emotional brink as well.

Her movements were mechanical. She grabbed Chuck who seemed just as close to a freak-out as she was and yanked him into the cart. Although, if she was honest with herself, the make out session that followed was all but mechanical. As a matter of fact, in all the time that she had spent with Chuck, they had never come close to that amount of passion. Sarah was gob smacked. She was under the impression that they had reached their ceiling of passion. Apparently not. She was about ready to start tearing his clothes off.

When the elevator doors opened, Sarah wobbled out. Damn him and his magic powers over her. He could turn her to jelly within the blink of the eye. Most of the time however, it was more like the flick of his tongue, but still. It was funny, Sarah thought. They both seemed to be elated and terrified at the same time. But why was she so terrified? Had she made the wrong decision? Oh God, there was so much pressure on her to answer at that point in time, she didn't have time to think it all through. This was a mistake, she needed more time. They both did. This decision was made too rashly. The elation she had felt had all but evaporated in the wake of the terror that was gripping her.

Sarah turned around to tell Chuck. She had opened her mouth to say exactly that, that they weren't ready for any of this, when something happened. She caught his eye. And in the vast deepness of his brown eyes, she saw not only anxiety but tranquility and happiness. She saw a future that wasn't filled with endless nights of having to be alone on a couch, the only company a bottle of hard liquor. She saw a future where she could walk into a bar and actually look to have a good time instead of playing out her daddy issues. A future where she could come back home from a tough day at work and be able to release all her pent up frustrations. Where there would be someone who would make her chicken soup when she wasn't feeling too well. Someone who would listen to her, laugh with her, cry with her. Someone with who she could prance around in their house or apartment all day long without wearing any clothes and not feel naked. She saw a future where she didn't have to sneak off after a night of passion and try and scald herself with water to try and wash off the dirty feeling she would invariably get after she was lusted after like a piece of meat.

And the funny thing was, in all the possible moments that she could have in her future, she only saw Chuck. She didn't make a mistake. This was far from it. This was the best decision she had ever made in his life.

It was funny; she was positive that their relationship was slowly grinding to a halt. Why else would Chuck stop being receptive to her? He had already seemed off during their entire stay in the hotel. But it all made sense. He was as nervous as she was. But she hoped that he could see in her eyes, the same desire that she was feeling. That feeling of wanting to have it all. The I-Do's, the honeymoon, the house, the white picket fence, the kids and even a dog. Neither of them had proper parents and if at any point during her time B.C. (Before Chuck) anyone would ask her if she would ever want to have kids, she'd probably jab that person in the face. But now, standing in a foreign country, her left ring finger enveloped by the ring given to her by the only person who had ever bothered to look further than the shell that most people saw, the blonde hair, blue eyes, perky breasts and tight body, she realized that he was the only one who had ever seen the little girl inside of her that was so roughly dragged away from her childhood. The little girl that was forced to grow up at a pace that would have psychologists wincing. And he cherished her. Not only that, but he was in love with her. Not the body, although that obviously was part of the package. No, he was in love with what made her, her.

"Sarah," Chuck asked with a note of trepidation as he witnessed Sarah tearing up. "Is something wrong?"

Sarah tried to speak. She tried to convey to him that there was nothing wrong. That she loved him more than she had ever thought possible. That she loved him more than her father. That she needed him more than she had ever needed anything in her life. Even her desire for oxygen was overshadowed by the need for him. She had always scoffed at those romantic comedies that she viewed as contrived. How could a woman ever need a man that bad? But here she was and she finally knew what it meant. It wasn't a question anymore. It was a pure fact. Chuck completed her. Completed the little girl that went by so many different names. The little girl that hadn't known what she was looking for, truly looking for until she looked into his eyes that first time. The little girl that was admonished by her father to never fall in love. The little girl that had devoured men like they were only put on planet Earth to be her playthings. The little girl that maybe, just maybe, could finally become the woman that she was destined to be. Chuck's woman. Chuck's wife. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

"No," she whispered. "Everything's perfect."

Chuck had never in his life seen Sarah so vulnerable. So open. This even trumped the flight to Washington, where she had told Chuck all about the history of Sarah Walker. Speaking of Sarah Walker, there was something that had been bugging him for a while, but he wasn't going to broach the subject. But now, the fact that they had just agreed to spend the rest of their life together, even though realistically they had already decided on that a long time ago, he just had to know.

"Sarah… Is that your real name?"

Sarah looked at him and smiled. "Does that even matter at this point in time?"

Chuck looked affronted. "Kind of, yeah. After all, we agreed to spend the rest of our lives together. Doesn't that entail me to at least knowing if my future wife her name is actually Sarah?"

"Well, I will go ahead and tell you why it doesn't matter what my name is. And it's simple really. It's because you know the real me. You managed to get to know someone that even I didn't know existed anymore." Chuck looked like he wanted to say something, but Sarah held up her index finger. "It doesn't matter whether I'm Sarah, Samantha, Elena, Jessie or even Jennifer. Because those are just names. But that's not who I am. At this point in time, there's only one person in this whole world that can give me the right name. So what name do you want me to have, Chuck?"

"Huh?" was all that Chuck said. He felt it was rather eloquent.

"I'm saying that whatever name you want to give me, is the name that I will take. I'll change it as soon as we get back to America."

"Uh… wow… that's… are you sure?" Sarah nodded. "But that's insanity. I can't just give you another name. And besides, I need to give you something in return… because… wow."

Sarah grinned. "You've already given me something in return. Happiness." She held up her ring finger as the diamond caught the light and reflected it brilliantly. "Besides, I know you better than you might think. I have a pretty good idea as to what you're going to end up saying."

"Well," Chuck contemplated. "I first met you as Sarah Walker… I talked to Sarah, kissed Sarah, made love to Sarah and proposed to Sarah… I'd much rather that you forever stayed Sarah Walker." Sarah's smile outshone the diamond. "Was that the correct answer?"

Sarah nodded and proceeded to fling herself at him. "That was the perfect answer!" She smashed her mouth to his, as had become their thing ever since ten minutes ago, on top of the Eiffel tower. Sure, Sarah much preferred the softer, gentler make out sessions that had developed between them, but this wasn't all that bad either. Actually, it was pretty damn great. As things progressed as they usually did between them, she belatedly realized that they were still in front of the elevator of the Eiffel tower. "Chuck, we really need to get back to the hotel."

Chuck mourned the loss of Sarah pressed against him, but she had a very good point. But then another idea hit him, and this he just couldn't let pass. He waved down a passer-by and asked him if he could take a picture of the two of them. "For Ellie," Chuck whispered in Sarah's ear.

Sarah shuddered as his warm breath cascaded over her ear. Still, she couldn't help the grin that overtook her face and she posed with him, making sure that the engagement ring was plain in sight. After the man gave Chuck his phone back, he sent the picture to Ellie.

"How long do you think it'll take before we get a call?" Chuck asked.

"We probably won't. We'll probably just hear her shouting all the way over the Atlantic," Sarah joked. That's when she did a double take. "Shit, Chuck… Ellie can scream really loud."

Chuck winced. "Okay, so when it rings, we'll just hold it away from our ears for a while, okay?"

Sarah nodded. That's when Ellie's ringtone started blaring through the speakers. Sarah looked at him with wide-eyed terror. She saw the same deep terror reflected in his face.

"Okay, on three," Chuck said. "One… two… three!" He accepted the call, shouted, "Hey Ellie!" and immediately yanked the phone away from his ear. The earth-shattering squeal that followed had both of them wincing.

"How does she do that?" Sarah wondered. "We've got that damn phone at least two feet away from us and still my ears are ringing."

"She's a force of nature," Chuck acquiesced.

As the ringing in Sarah's ears slowly faded back into nothingness and she could hear the bristle of the Parisian streets again, she grabbed the iPhone. "Hey Ellie…" She couldn't finish her sentence as the ringing returned. Sarah winced. "Oh God, Chuck. I'm pretty sure my eardrum just ruptured!"

"Ellie, calm down!" Chuck shouted, hoping that she would hear. When they couldn't hear the high-pitched noise booming from the phone anymore, Sarah tentatively put the phone back to her ear. "Ellie?"

"Sarah!" Ellie shouted. "I'm so happy for you! We're going to be sisters! How did he do it? Was it romantic? Tell me everything!"

Sarah's face instantly sported a shit-eating grin. "Actually, it wasn't that romantic..."

"What? I'm going to kill him! Hand him the phone!" Ellie fumed. Sarah's grin became even wider. Chuck's eyes opened wide.

"What?" he repeated. "Are you trying to get me killed? We just got engaged!"

Sarah stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm just kidding, Ellie. I wanted to see if I could get a rise out of you. Call it sisterly teasing." Sarah was surprised at the longing in her voice. It wasn't until she voiced the word sister that she realized how badly she wanted a true family. How badly she wanted to be a part of Chuck's family. Her face bloomed into a genial grin. The grin increased when she could hear the relieved sigh from Ellie's end.

"Oh thank God. I was about ready to fly out there and smack him on the head. Can I speak to him for a second?"

"Sure."

"Alright, I'll speak to you later. Love you, soon to be sis."

It was said so innocuously but it meant the world to Sarah. She bit back a sob and replied with a voice that was on the point of breaking, "Love you too, Ellie." And she did. She couldn't quite define it and it wasn't the same strong feeling she had for Chuck, but deep down inside of her, in the depths of her heart, she felt a familiar tugging. She hadn't felt it in quite some time. The last time she had actually felt it was when her father had told her he loved her… and meant it. It was the feeling of belonging somewhere where you were loved unconditionally. Ellie had always been a fervent protector of Chuck, but she had accepted Sarah at face value. She was one of the few people, along with Morgan and Devon, who never questioned Sarah and Chuck as a couple. Most people would make snide remarks or say something along the lines of him being way out of her league. But not them. They saw the wonderful man that he truly was and they saw how intensely happy he had made her.

And now she would, for the first time in a long, long time, have a true family again. She wanted to run around, flailing her hands and shouting it from the rooftops. She was in love and engaged to be married and the rest of the world could just mind its own business.

Belatedly she realized that she was still clutching the phone with a silly grin and teary eyes. Chuck was looking at her, thoroughly confused but kept quiet. With a small shrug she handed the phone to him, before quickly pressing her lips to his and a whispered, "I love you." The smile that she loved so dearly returned to his face and he took the phone.

"Love you too," he whispered, before pressing the phone to his ear.

"You'd better, you're marrying me after all," Sarah quipped. Chuck couldn't hold in the chuckle.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he said, before speaking into the phone. "Hey Ellie, what's up?"

Ellie stood in her home, clutching the phone. Her knuckles were wide and the tears were streaming over her face. The lock turned and Devon walked in. He had a day off and decided to spend it at the, and these were his words and not Ellie's, "Awesome new gym downtown."

"Hey babe, I'm…" He dropped his bags as he noticed that Ellie was crying and ran over to her. "Babe, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Ellie still couldn't talk, but she did manage to sniffle and sob. Exasperatedly she thrust the phone in Devon's hands, upset at her own inability to talk, which he belatedly realized was still connected to a call.

"This is Devon?" he said, as a form of greeting.

"Hey Devon, Chuck here."

"Chuckster!" Devon boomed. "Mind telling me what's gotten your sister so upset?"

Devon could hear the grin in Chuck's voice. "She's not upset… at least I hope. I just proposed."

"To Ellie? What the hell, bro?"

"Huh, what?" Chuck asked, sounding like he was taken aback. When he realized what Devon was asking he laughed. "Oh God, Devon. How can you think that. Nah man, I proposed to Sarah."

Devon was slightly flustered. "Oh… well… Oh! That's…"

"Don't say it, Devon," Chuck cut in.

"Outstanding!"

"Oh… right."

"Congrats mi amigo! I knew you could do it."

"Thanks man, but you've got Ellie to thank for that. It wasn't until she told me to look for the ring that I started seriously thinking about it."

"That's awesome, bro," Devon said, as he could hear the sigh from the other end of the line. He chose to ignore it. "Give Sarah the phone, will you?"

"Uh, sure, hang on."

Devon heard the rustling of the phone being exchanged hands and before long, Sarah's positively chipper voice rang through the speaker. "Hey Devon,"

"Soon to be sister-in-law!" Devon shouted, loud enough to make Ellie flinch. "I heard what the Chuckster did! Congratulations."

"Thanks. I guess we're going to be one big happy family now." Even Devon, who occasionally could be described as "just as dense as Chuck," even though he graduated from UCLA with honors, didn't fail to notice the wistful tone in Sarah's voice.

"That we are, sis. And hey, when you two get back I'll throw you an awesome party."

Sarah chuckled. "I'm sure that you are. Hey, we're going to go now. It's time for a celebration."

"I catch your drift, Sarah. I'm thinking that Ellie and I will have our own celebration over here."

Sarah's laugh was rich and heartfelt. "I'm sure that you are. Anyway, we'll probably call you later; it's getting kind of late over here."

"Alright Sarah, I'll talk to you later." He thumbed the End Call button and returned the phone to Ellie. "That's awesome news."

Ellie nodded. Tears were still leaking from her eyes. "I… know," she choked out.

"Babe, why are you still crying?"

"Because I'm so… happy," she burst out. "It's… been… so long after… Stanford… and finally… he's found… the one…" She furiously wiped at her tears, trying to find a semblance of control. After two minutes of Devon just holding on to her, she calmed down. "Sit down, I'll tell you why."

Ellie took a deep breath. "What I'm about to tell you, almost no one has ever heard, and I hope you can keep a secret. I told Chuck that I would never tell anyone this." Devon nodded. "After what happened with Bryce, Jill and Stanford, Chuck became depressed. And I mean, really depressed. He had fits of unrestrained anger where he would lash out at anything he could find. It didn't include me, but everything else in his path would either get a tongue lashing or he would simply break stuff.

After that, he would go on a guilt trip, exclaiming how it was his fault that those things happened to him. How he wasn't good enough for Jill or Bryce to even contemplate staying with them. Every time he would do something that he used to love doing, like for example writing software, he would get upset.

He exclaimed that he would never ever have a relationship again and he severed all ties with pretty much everyone from Stanford. The only people he occasionally talked to were me and Morgan. To the rest of the world, Chuck Bartowski didn't exist anymore. I don't think he ever tried to commit suicide, but I can't know for sure. And there were specks of the old Chuck that came peeking through with time, but they would only come in small doses…" Tears began falling from Ellie's eyes again. "You came in when he was a bit better. He was over the worst of it, but there was still a dark cloud. That's why he used those self-deprecating jokes. It was his defense mechanism. He would subtly try and steer you away from liking him. Unbeknownst to him, it actually made people like him all the more for it."

Devon blew out a sigh. "Whoa…"

"But Sarah changed that all. Ever since she's been in his life, his moods were a lot less erratic. He began to become the old him again. Sometimes he would have a small relapse and the self-deprecating humor stayed, but he was a lot better than when he used to be. And after they started dating he almost became his old self again. And now he's finally going to get married to a woman that's so much more than Jill." Ellie let out a sob, but it wasn't of grief. It was pure, unbridled joy.

Devon tried to comfort her by slowly rubbing her back, when he came to a shocking realization. "Oh my God, imagine the fallout if their marriage would ever not work out. It would literally end him."

Instead of the shocked gasp that he somewhat expected to hear from Ellie, she smiled. "She won't leave him, ever." She pulled up the phone and thumbed her way to the picture that she had gotten from them. On the picture were Sarah and Chuck, but their attention wasn't focused on the camera. Instead, they were looking at each other, both sets of eyes completely and utterly transfixed on one another. The adoration from both their faces was plain and evident. The Eiffel tower on the background was just that. Background. No longer did it hold the meaning that it used to do in Chuck's life.

"Whoa. I've never seen two people so utterly in love. It kind of inspires me."

Ellie nodded. "She truly saved him from himself… wait, inspire you?"

Devon grinned. "This picture made me realize that while it's obvious to me that I will be forever yours, I would like to show you as well. So tonight, we're going to do it like we used to. Be prepared to be romanced, awesome style."

Ellie laughed. "Let's do it." She padded over to her room to look for suitable clothes. Not only was she getting her soon to be husband to romance her again, which he did plenty on his own but it was nice for him to put in even more of an effort, but she was also getting a brand new sister out of the deal. One who she actually loved and not just accepted like she did with Jill. Yep, life was most definitely good for Dr. Eleanor Faye Bartowski.

Bryce was gob smacked. How the hell did Chuck Bartowski manage to land a hottie like Sarah Walker? Not only that, but he got her to marry him? Was he somehow transported in the twilight zone where babes suddenly went for nerds that couldn't hold a candle to Bryce Larkin? Bryce certainly wasn't used to this kind of stuff happening. So Walker had made it obvious that she wasn't interested in him, but damn. To go for Chuck instead of him did hurt a lot more than he wanted to give it credit too. No worries though, he would show her how hurt she had made him soon enough and then some.

At least he knew that his disguise was working. Those two didn't even recognize him when he took a picture of them. He almost threw up when he saw their faces and at the same time couldn't help but thank his lucky charms for the way that this was going. It was going exactly according to plan. They were so plainly in love that they would both be willing to do everything to keep the other safe. It was a simple case of playing them out against each other. He would be Bryce's lapdog to make sure that Sarah wouldn't be touched and Sarah in return would be Bryce's plaything to make sure that Chuck would survive. Of course they'd have limited contact with one another. And who knew, maybe over time Walker would enjoy it so much that she would decide to leave the nerd and play him for the fool that he was.

Bryce sighed. He couldn't believe how much he had changed since his early days. It was true, power did indeed corrupt people. So maybe he wasn't as fair as he could've been to Chuck at Stanford, but somehow, Chuck did manage to make Bryce's time pretty enjoyable. But there was no turning back anymore. The plan was set in motion and he would be damned if he would let anyone mess it up. The only flaw in the plan would be if they wouldn't find the Intersect. But Bryce wasn't lying when he told Sarah how smart he truly was. If anyone could find it, it would be him.

Of course, it helped that the one who actually stole the Intersect was Chuck's father. If anyone would ever have any hope of finding the illustrious Orion it would be his own flesh and blood. Bryce shrugged. He didn't know when, but it would be soon. Soon he would have control over the Intersect and Sarah Walker. He let out a maniacal laugh which dissolved into a coughing fit. He'd have to practice his evil laugh a bit more. But not tonight. He was exhausted. He walked back to his hotel and collapsed on bed, falling asleep instantly. His dreams were filled with him in the position of Jabba the Hutt and Walker as Princess Leia. The grin never left his face.

Mary sat on a bench not far from the Eiffel tower. It offered her a clear view of the two people she was protecting. Her son and her daughter-in-law to be. The smile on her face was brilliant. The shy, innocent, lovable little boy that she had known had grown up to be a formidable man who would take care of his family, much better than she or Stephen ever could.

She sat there, soaking in the serene image that was presented before her. Chuck laughing on the phone while his fiancé clung to him like a barnacle. She sighed as she thought back to the times that she clung to Stephen like that. She wondered where he was. She understood why he left and truth be told, she commended it. The Intersect was simply far too powerful a weapon, far too dangerous even, to be allowed to exist. But did that have to mean that he couldn't even let his wife know?

But all that was done now. Her children had grown up and she was on a long term infiltration of the Ring. And while she was technically absent without leave, the Ring didn't care for that. Just as long as you were reachable under the speed dial.

Mary was shaken from her thoughts by the incessant ring tone of the phone that she was given by the Ring. It was truly the ugliest and most awkward phone she had ever had in her possession. She sighed and picked up her phone. "Frost…"

The annoying voice of the Ring Director came through the line. Mary couldn't wait for the day when she could punch that smug grin of his British face.

"Why does it matter where I am? I'm on leave… Yes, sir, I understand… I'm in Paris… Yes Director… Very well." She shook her head. What an asshole. She would probably punch him a couple of times more after she punched that stupid grin away. Just for the hell of it. But she had a job to complete. Apparently, a Ring agent had decided that maybe he didn't want to be an agent after all. Mary had the "distinct honor" of making sure that he would regret that decision for the rest of his life. And that life could only last twenty four hours, starting now.

Still, she spared a last glance to the loving couple in front of her. She sighed and turned, whispering, "I'll make sure that nothing ever happens to you… the both of you." She stood up and walked away, the biting wind only a mild annoyance as she kept getting reminded of what she had just witnessed.

Casey was waiting in the foyer. He had made his way back to the hotel after the young newly engaged couple had come down from the elevator. He wouldn't ever say it to their faces and when asked under sodium pentothal he would vehemently deny, but somewhere in his core, he was happy for the both of them. They did make a good couple and it was obvious that Bartowski was good for Walker.

But that meant that he had to congratulate them now. And that meant lady feelings and hugs and kisses and general emotions. Casey didn't do emotions. Casey shot emotions, straight through the heart, preferably with a 50 caliber bullet. That's how you handle emotions. He saw the door open and groaned. Here we go.

He stood up and walked forward as Chuck and Sarah came walking in. Sarah's eyes lit up when she saw him. "Casey!" she yelled. Well, at least she's not calling me Alex or Coburn anymore.

"Walker… moron," he said, shooting Chuck a grin. It looked rather crooked and scary. Chuck frowned. That's when Sarah leaped into his arms and gave him a hug. Casey felt rather awkward and tentatively returned it, patting her on the back. "Congratulations,"

"Thank you," she mumbled into his shirt. "Chuck told me what you did. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Casey's eyes widened. "I thought we agreed on you not saying anything, moron!" Chuck just shot him a grin. Of course, Casey would never say this to him, but secretly he was thrilled that Bartowski told Walker. The man was honest, almost to a fault. But he supposed that it was part of his sneaky charm. If he had to be honest with himself, he was beginning to warm up to the kid. Walker picked a good one… finally.

Sarah released her hold on Casey and looked almost bashful. What the hell did Bartowski do to her? Where was the hellcat who didn't give a damn about anything? "I know you generally don't like talking and showing emotions, but I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for everything you've done for me… for us." She cracked a small smile.

"He's good for you. Don't let him go," Casey said. He really did feel like a father dispensing advice.

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not planning on it… I do have one more question though. Will you… walk me down the aisle?"

Casey's throat constricted. Where did that come from? "Are you… are you sure?" Sarah nodded. "I'd be honored."

Sarah's eyes lit up and she gave him another hug. "Thank you, Casey."

"You're welcome kiddo." Kiddo? Oh God, I AM turning into a father figure.

Sarah extracted herself from Casey and stood next to Chuck again. "Now," she began on a slightly mischievous tone. "I suggest you go to your room and don't try to get in touch with us for say… three to four hours. We will be busy doing… other stuff."

Casey growled. "You just had to try and get me to kill myself, didn't you?"

Sarah's smirk gave him his answer.

A/N2: Chapter 16 is fully outlined but I wouldn't dare give you people a date for it. Last time I did that, I missed it by almost a month :D Hope you enjoy'd and please leave a review!