A/N: Happy New Year all. Here's to hoping that 2018 is the best year yet.

I was looking at my stories and can't believe 2016 was the last update for this collection. It didn't seem like that long of a hiatus. University has been a roller coaster but as my final semester is soon beginning, I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I wrote this one last night, intending it to be a drabble of just under a thousand words but then the words just kept coming. I hope you enjoy it.

It's Not That Over the Top (aka the Birthday Party)- Words: 4,218

Sarah didn't think she could feel more disgusted by the layers and layers andddd layers of pink and purple streamers she saw in the living room. And don't even get her started on the balloons. She had only just woken up from a nap and she wanted to scream upon seeing the state of her living room. As she ventured inside the kitchen, Sarah shook her head as she was greeted by even more party decorations. At this point she didn't even want to look out into the yard to see what extravagant setup Chuck had corralled the men in their family into doing. Their baby girl had turned one yesterday and today was the party- a party which Chuck had been planning for almost four months. She had helped of course, but Chuck, well Chuck was the lead agent for this mission.

She sat down at the kitchen table, surprised that with the many pies, chips and other assortment of food that was already spread out that there was even room for her to set down a glass of juice she had poured. She heard Chuck bid Devon, Morgan and Casey goodbye as they left the yard through the gate and he then came through the backdoor.

"Hey babe," He walked over to her and kissed her temple. "Had a nice nap?"

"It wasn't long enough," Sarah huffed. She looked around the room and sighed again. Her senses could not deal with this bombardment. "Do we really need all these decorations, Chuck?"

He shrugged and nodded. "Come on Sarah, it isn't even that much," Chuck tried to reason.

Sarah was ready to rip half of the streamers down. And the knives on the counter were suddenly looking very appealing to use to burst some balloons. "Not that much," Sarah questioned, raising her eyebrow at her husband. "Chuck, our house looks like if some party store relocated to here. And you can't honestly tell me that the setup outside isn't as wild. You've got what? About fifty balloons out there?"

"Ummm," Chuck scratched the back of his head, not making eye contact with his wife.

"Chuck?" Sarah warned.

"Fifty? Sixty? Maybe even seventy-five. Who was really counting?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I thought we weren't going overboard with this." He'd insisted on doing almost everything and Sarah had let him because his excitement for it had been too adorable to refuse. She did have to steer him away from the idea of renting a pony for the party, telling him that they could consider it maybe for their daughter's fifth birthday.

Chuck laughed. "Babe, you know with what you were wearing I would've said anything." He got a huge grin on his face as his mind drifted to the night in question. Sarah huffed, choosing to let the comment slide. "But I promise, I stuck to what we talked about. I didn't get the pony and I didn't get the airplane to write a birthday message or to tow a birthday banner."

Sarah shrugged. Perhaps she should be thankful for those small victories. "Pass me the peanut butter please," she said as she looked at all the food on the table. Trying her luck with the first covered pan, she found slices of rainbow cake. Okay, so maybe she wasn't too upset after all. "And one of those fruit kebabs too babe."

Chuck handed her both items and watched as Sarah smothered a tablespoon of peanut butter over the cake and then pulled some of the fruit off the stick, rolling it all together. When Sarah reached for another piece of cake, he chuckled.

"What?"

"Just wondering if I'll need to have Morgan pick up another one of those cakes on his way back."

"Ha ha," Sarah replied dryly. She finished eating as Chuck busied himself with the remainder of preparations. She thought that what they had done before her nap had been fine but clearly based on what had happened during that nap Chuck hadn't thought so. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what more he was doing.

She found him in the living room, fluffing the throw cushions on the sofa. "Oh, thank God! I thought you were in here blowing up more balloons or something," Sarah relaxed upon seeing that he was just tidying up the place a bit. Not that it was needed anyway. He and Ellie had already cleaned the house in preparation for the party. Sarah had helped out a bit but she found that even after all the time she had spent in Burbank, she wasn't yet at their level of mastery. They'd even dusted furniture upstairs even though the party guests would mainly be in the living room or outside in the yard. Even when Sarah had pointed that out, the Bartowski siblings had merely shrugged and continued their cleaning extravaganza.

"Is there such a thing as too many balloons?" Chuck sat, and invited her to do the same.

She obliged and curled up next to him. "Balloons are fun and all until one pops while a child is holding it and said child is startled and won't calm down for two hours."

"Aw babe, it was one time!" He laughed, remembering their daughter's one unfortunate incident which involved a clown and a balloon at one of their neighbour's party. "And she's gotten over it."

Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled because what he said was true. Their daughter did seem pretty fascinated by balloons, her one incident notwithstanding. "I guess you're right."

"I am," Chuck kissed Sarah on her forehead. "Don't worry so much. Today will be fun, I promise."

She smiled again. "You're right," Sarah nodded, finding it impossible not to follow his optimistic attitude. "And Chuck?" Sarah lifted her head from his shoulder and craned her neck to look up at him.

"Yeah baby?"

"I'm sorry…for you know, being so cranky and snappy today."

Chuck laughed before bending down to kiss her on the lips. "Oh, I find you much more tolerable now that you've napped." Sarah bumped her shoulder with his.

"I'm serious. I know I didn't really show it, but I do want Aaliyah to have a good party."

His eyes fell to her stomach where a small bump was hidden under her baggy T-shirt. "While I appreciate the apology, I know not to take your mood swings personally."

She laced her fingers with his and smiled. "And even though I do think it's a bit of an overkill..."

"Maybe just a smooch," Chuck laughed. He'd seen many ideas online that looked too over the top- from a rented venue filled with delicate white roses, fine china, cloth napkins and sliver cups which in his mind had all the hallmarks of an expensive wedding; to another with a ballroom filled with a crystal chandelier, table coverings, wall draperies, and framed by gold pillars. Some parents had even claimed to spend over five thousand dollars on their child's party…so yeah, this party definitely wasn't that over the top when compared to those.

"I'm glad that everything has come together." Sarah took her hand and rested it on her stomach, smiling contentedly.

"We should start getting ready," Chuck said, noticing the time on the clock. Their guests would be arriving within an hour but he knew his family would start filtering in some time before then, especially Emma, Ellie and Mary who would want to help tie up any loose ends. Molly and Clara would probably be in tow with the intention of getting first dibs on the party snacks.

"Mhmm," Sarah agreed, though she made no attempt to move. "Let me have a few more minutes with you before I have to share you for hours."

"That I can do babe."

/\

Chuck watched his little girl in her crib. Aaliyah's short brown curls stuck to her face with a small sheen of sweat. Even though her hair was a different colour, she looked so much like her mother that Chuck's heart swelled every time he looked at her. She had a tiny smile on her face and gurgled up at her father. Her body shuffled and she raised her right leg in the air before trying to bring it into her mouth. Chuck thought she was the most precious and beautiful baby in the world. Eventually, Aaliyah tired of her gymnastics and stared up at her father again before using the crib bars to pull herself up.

Chuck smiled brightly at her. He couldn't believe she had turned one yesterday. "You're growing up so fast." Sometimes he wished he could just hit pause. The memory of Sarah during delivery and his first few minutes of holding her were still fresh in his mind. And yet, here he was, making new memories of her first birthday party.

"Dada," Aaliyah cooed. "Up!"

He didn't hesitate to comply and she giggled happily when she felt his strong arms lift her. Chuck smiled as she took his face in both hands and squished his cheeks, eventually kissing him on the nose. "Dada," She grinned and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I can take her while you shower," Sarah said from the door. She came in and opened her arms for her daughter.

"Mama," Aaliyah smiled but clung closer to her father, ignoring Sarah's outstretched arms.

"I was thinking to bathe her and that way you can have some time to finish drying your hair," Chuck suggested.

"Yeah, that can work," Sarah smiled, enjoying the way they worked as team. It would be especially needed when they had their second child. "Just holler for me when she's done."

"Bye Mama," Aaliyah waved as Sarah left them.

"Bye baby girl."

Ten minutes later, Chuck walked into his bedroom and rested the one year old on the bed and boxed her in with some pillows. Aaliyah rolled over to her side, chewing on her teething ring. "She's all yours," he announced. "Your hair looks nice," he complimented, lightly touching Sarah's flowing blonde locks. She had just finished curling it.

"Thank you," Sarah smiled. "If there's one thing I like about pregnancy it's the boost it gives to my hair."

"Yeah?" Chuck ran his hand up and down her arm. "Anything else?'

Sarah smirked. "I'm pretty sure I know what you like." She inclined her head, inviting him to kiss her. And he did. Chuck pulled her flush against him, glad that she was still in her robe and that he wasn't getting her party outfit wet. Bath time with their daughter usually left them with wet clothes as she took great delight in splashing water everywhere.

"Party…soon," Sarah managed to mumble between the kisses.

"We could cancel it," Chuck murmured against her lips.

Sarah laughed and pulled away. "As if!" She caught sight of their daughter sitting up on the bed and frowned. "Chuck! She's making that face!" He snapped out of his kiss induced haze and turned to look at Aaliyah. "If she goes potty on my new Egyptian cotton sheets I will hurt you Chuck," Sarah growled.

"Don't pp on your mother's thousand thread count sheets Aaliyah!"

They managed to avoid what would have been a messy situation as Chuck quickly sprinted his daughter into the master bathroom. Thankfully the seat was already up because had he had to deal with the baby proof contraption, he was pretty sure he would've been left to clean a mess on the bathroom floor.

Sarah handed him the baby wipes and he wiped the baby's bottom clean before handing her to her mother.

"Alright baby girl, let's get you ready for your party."

She was fastening Aaliyah's diaper when she felt a momentary wave of nausea hit her. Sarah quickly finished what she was doing and placed the baby in her crib. The nausea had passed but her stomach felt queasy.

"Momma will be right back baby," as soon as the words left her mouth, Sarah felt the contents of her stomach lurch up her throat. She quickly ran to the bathroom and brought back up all of the food she had consumed that day. When she was convinced that there was nothing left to bring up, she flushed the toilet and washed out her mouth.

Sarah then passed by the nursery to make sure Aaliyah was calm and then went back to her room. Chuck was there already half dressed.

"Is Aaliyah all set?"

Sarah shook her head and went to their bathroom to brush her teeth. Her mouth tasted like death. This was certainly one thing she disliked about pregnancy.

"You okay?" Chuck watched her when she came from the bathroom.

"Yeah, just some nausea. It's gone now."

"You sure?" He didn't look convinced.

"Mhm hmm," Sarah assured him. She went over to her closet and pulled a blue sundress from its hanger. "Chuck, I can still feel you watching me." She turned around to see his eyes dancing in every direction but hers.

"I'm sorry. It's just with Aaliyah you barely had any morning sickness."

"Or afternoon sickness or night sickness," Sarah smiled. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But we were told that this pregnancy wouldn't necessarily be the same." She was already showing more at this stage than she had been while carrying Aaliyah. "I guess this baby is just making up for the sickness Aaliyah didn't bring. Don't worry."

"You're right," Chuck sighed and pulled her into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." She kissed him lovingly. "Bet ya I can get ready before you."

"As if!" Chuck snorted, letting her go and rushing to grab his shirt.

Eight minutes later, Sarah smirked as she and Chuck walked down the hallway to the nursery. "I should've had a wager on that bet."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Such a sore loser," Sarah teased, stepping into the nursery.

Their daughter stood in her crib, glaring at her parents.

"Aw baby," Sarah cooed, lifting her up. "Did we take too long?"

Chuck watched the mother and daughter interact from the door. A wide grin stretched across his face. Seeing Sarah her beam with love for the child was an incredible sight. Since their daughter's birth, he had fallen in love with her a bit more each day, something he hadn't even thought was possible. Her blue dress complimented all the changes from pregnancy- the wider hips, the fuller breasts, and the glowing skin and he loved it.

"Mama," Aaliyah pouted.

Sarah laughed. "Well, honestly your daddy took longer than I did," Sarah pretended to whisper.

"I slowed down so you could win," Chuck defended. "Where did we put her birthday outfit again?" He asked, having gone through the two top drawers of her chest of drawers.

"We put it on a hanger, remember?" Sarah offered and Chuck walked over to the small closet in the room. He found the outfit and brought it over to the pair, holding it up proudly for his daughter to see.

"Look, Aaliyah. Isn't it pretty?'"

"Retty?" Aaliyah reached out to touch the pink tutu.

"Yeah, pretty, just like you and your Mommy," Chuck smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Me 'retty!" She puffed out her chest.

"Yes you are," Chuck affirmed, stroking her hair.

"Mama 'retty," Aaliyah giggled.

"Thank you, baby," Sarah beamed at her daughter. "You're sure this tutu won't itch her skin?"

Chuck nodded. He had done a fair amount of research and he was satisfied that this brand made some of the best baby outfits. He'd also hand washed and soaked the tutu in fabric softener twice just in case.

They'd just finished getting Aaliyah dressed in a purple onesie, the tutu and a pair of cute sandals when they heard the doorbell ring. "That's probably my Mom," Sarah commented as they headed down the stairs.

Aaliyah wiggled in her father's arms when they reached the bottom of the stairs and he set her down on her feet. Sarah watched as her daughter grabbed Chuck's hand and tried to pull him in the direction of the red door.

This was going to be a good day.

/\

This was supposed to be a good day, Sarah miserably thought.

She was sitting on her bedroom floor with her head resting against the bed. A pan of pie was to her side.

"Walker!" Casey grunted from the doorway. "I've got a little ballerina downstairs who wants to know where her Mama is."

Sarah sniffed. "Is that all, Casey?"

He shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "Are you alright?"

"Nooooo," Sarah wailed before shoving a forkful of pie into her mouth.

"Um, do you need me to get Chuck? Or Ellie? Your Mom?" Dear Lord, he'd even go drag Carina from chatting up the postman if that meant he could get out of this situation.

"No," Sarah mumbled. "I'm fine."

Casey sighed. "Alright fine. I'll ask. What happened?"

"Morgan," Sarah cried, confusing Casey. What had the bearded gnome done now? "He, he…. He..." Sarah hiccupped on a sob.

"He what?" Casey tried to sound as patient as possible. "Use your words, Walker."

"He brought cherry pie!"

Casey knitted his eyebrows together. "Andddd?"

"And he was supposed to bring apple crumble!"

"Aw hell no!"

/\

Chuck had outdone himself in the backyard. With Morgan's, Devon's and Casey's help the Bartowski backyard had been transformed. There were balloon arches at both gates and other party decorations. They had pitched a large tent on one side of the yard. The adults congregated under there, mingling and enjoying each other's company while keeping an eye on the children as they played. There was a large table where all the food was spread out and another where all the birthday presents were stacked. Children occasionally ran under the tent, dashing for candy from the food table before their parents caught them. The children were having a great time. Zondra had volunteered to watch the jumping tent so she was the one who had split the children up, allowing the younger ones to have a chance in the jumping tent before the older children. Emma and Mary watched through the netting as their granddaughter tottered in the jumping tent with a few of the infants from her day care.

Sarah and Chuck made the rounds as gracious hosts, interacting with the parents from the day-care and their neighbours from the street. The hours rolled on with the laughter of the numerous children, and the occasional crying mixing into the music Chuck had selected for the party playlist. Chuck insisted on taking lots of photos and videos, wanting to capture the special moments which their daughter could look back on as she grew older.

"I think someone misses their mummy," Alex brought Aaliyah over to Sarah.

"Oh, thank you Alex."

"No problem. I'm gonna head back. Molly and the older kids just challenged Morgan and Awesome to a football match," Alex explained and jogged off, leaving Chuck and Sarah with their little girl.

"Mama," Aaliyah said sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and snuggled into Sarah.

"She's had a long day," Chuck commented. He scanned the yard. Most of the children Aaliyah's age had sought out their parents and besides the football match in which Zondra and Carina had joined and Ellie, Emma, Mary and Gertrude talking with Casey who was manning the grill at the far end of the yard, things had begun to die down.

"We should cut the cake. It's getting late."

"Cake?" Aaliyah's head popped back up, the sleepiness suddenly gone.

Sarah laughed at the sudden exuberance. "Yes, baby girl, cake."

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Aaliyah! Happy birthday to you!"

Aaliyah looked at the people surrounding her and clapped as they sang. She was loving the attention. "Cake!"

"You've got the cameras rolling, right?" Chuck asked his family members. Some of them were assigned to taking videos while others were to take pictures.

"Sure thing," Devon spoke for all of them.

"Okay Aaliyah, it's time to blow out the candle," Sarah said.

"Cake?"

"Yeah, you can have cake after you blow out the candle."

"Any day now before it melts," Casey muttered. Gertrude elbowed him. "What? I don't want to be eating melted wax in my slice."

/\

The guests went home shortly after the cake had been cut and shared and goodie bags had been distributed. The extended Bartowski clan gathered in the living room. They surveyed the amount of work that was to be done. Molly and Clara were passed out on the couch, finally crashing after a sugar rush. Meanwhile, Aaliyah had been wiped down, changed, powdered, dressed in her pyjamas and was now sleeping peacefully in the nursery.

Thankfully, since there hadn't been that much activity in the house, except when the cake was being cut, there wasn't that much to do. "Emma and I can take care of the house," Mary suggested and Emma nodded.

"And the rest of us will take care of the yard," said Chuck.

With that many hands-on deck, they made quick work of the yard, dropped plates and cups were placed in the trash, fold up tables and chairs were stacked to await pickup by the rental company. They would take down the tent tomorrow.

When Casey moved to deflate the jumping tent, Morgan stopped him. "Casey! What are you thinking? I haven't had my turn yet."

He kicked off his shoes and wiggled through the opening. "Chuck! Chuck!" Morgan yelled as he jumped. "Dude, this is fun!"

"What are you? Twelve?" Casey grunted.

"Lighten up Dad," Alex laughed, going to join her fiancée.

"You're never too old for a jumping tent!" Morgan retorted.

The others glanced at each other. "Welllllll," Zondra drawled.

"It does look kinda fun," Ellie nodded.

"Aw, man to hell with it!" Carina shrugged, pulling off her boots.

"Awesome!" Devon boomed.

Chuck and Sarah laughed as Casey and Gertrude walked away, muttering something about a shooting range.

"You don't wanna go in?" Sarah turned to Chuck.

"Nah, I'm good," He pulled his wife closer and watched their family in the jumping tent. They saw Carina bump into Zondra which caused her to fall but the brunette quickly exacted revenge, swinging Carina's legs from beneath her. Their laughter was light and infectious and it travelled back to the house. Emma and Mary looked out the window, laughing at the scene, each thankful for the way their lives were now. They had missed out on too much of their children's childhood but they were determined to be present in the lives of their grandchildren.

"You know that jumping tent was made for up to ten-year olds right?" Chuck commented, noticing they had upped the ante on the horseplay. He chuckled when he saw Morgan and Devon tackling each other, Devon eventually holding Morgan in a choke hold.

"Damage it and you pay for it!" Sarah yelled before grabbing her husband's hand and leading him inside.

/\

Sarah joined Chuck in bed and he pulled her close. She laid her head on his chest and he nuzzled her hair. Under the covers, he intertwined his feet with hers.

"Mhm, pretty soon we won't be able to sleep like this," Sarah commented. Sarah slipped her hand under his V-neck, enjoying the lean muscle of his chest. "Don't you think we should take advantage of these positions while we still can?"

"Hi-yo!" Chuck blushed when Sarah moved her hand to his thigh. Sarah gave him a look, one which normally rendered him completely under her will. The low glow from the moonlight shining through the curtain allowed him to clearly see her intense gaze.

"But…but your mom is in the other room!"

"Chuck, I'm expecting her second grandchild, I'm pretty sure my mom knows we have sex." She slithered her way up his body and straddled him.

"And Molly is down the hall!" Chuck squirmed.

Sarah moved to his right ear and nibbled it. "I can be quiet."

He chuckled. "That's what you said on the plane flight back from Barbados. Casey wouldn't even look me in the eye for two weeks after that."

"I promise this time," Sarah licked her lips.

An hour later, Sarah ran her fingers along Chuck's bare chest. "I really hope this isn't you propositioning me again."

"Oh no, but in the morning, well that's another story."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Thank you."

He twirled a lock of her hair in his hands. "For what?"

"For being such a good father to our baby girl…I know you'll be great with this baby too. Thank you for being you. You're amazing."

"You're not so bad yourself," Chuck joked.

So maybe their little girl wouldn't remember her first birthday party but she had seen her piercing blue eyes sparkle with delight the entire day so she knew that the party had been a success. She had especially enjoyed opening the presents. Sarah snuggled into her husband, feeling extremely contented. She had her house with the picket fence and the red front door, she had her amazing and loving husband by her side, their little girl, their new baby and a strong support system in her family. She really was living the life she had only dreamed of.

A/N: Feel free to review, even if it's as a guest.

Check out some of my other stories if you haven't yet and until next time, take care.

~xoxox

Barbadiangirl 20/01/2018.