A/N: I was looking at the first author's note, a little over a year ago and the notice about mom and her cancer. Man has my family had some physical and mental challenges the last 13 months. Thank you all for sticking around for this one. Hopefully I'll get past this writer's block soon (is all due to stress and anxiety) and get this one going full steam. You guys are the best, thank you for all the positivity you constantly send me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Sarah rushed up to Zondra and Molly as soon as she saw them, pulling them into a hug. Chuck stayed back, to give them some room. "They look happy," he heard Carina say beside him.

"Hey, I'm glad you made it," Chuck said, turning to the redhead. "Everything okay?"

"Had to take care of something this morning," Carina told him.

Chuck frowned a little at that. It seemed evasive, and he worried something was wrong. That said, it was Carina, and she was sometimes evasive, just to be evasive. "But everything is good, right?" Carina nodded. "So, did you think they'd ever actually do it?" He was nodding at Zondra and Molly.

"Once you came along, yeah," Carina told him. Chuck gave her a look. "Oh, don't give me that look, Curls. Since you've wormed your way into our lives-"

"Uh, excuse me? You and your partners in crime literally tricked me into joining your merry band in San Francisco," he reminded her.

"You're welcome," Carina told him with a smile, making him laugh. "Have you not realized how much more open we've all been with each other? I had been low-key engaged for months and they didn't know, but one day with you on a beach in Hawaii…" She shook her head. "We went to his mom's house this morning to tell her what had happened, that we're married."

"How'd she take it?" Chuck asked Carina.

"She was absolutely ecstatic," Carina admitted. "I heard her say something about dying happy now." Chuck shook his head. "She can be a little overdramatic."

"That's fair, since I'm not sure Casey can be dramatic at all," Chuck pointed out. Carina snorted. "I hope you know I meant what I said." She looked at him. "I hope he deserves you."

"No one deserves this, Curls," she told him, indicating herself with a flourish, and winking at him. "But, he makes me happy, and I l… l… lo…"

"You like him a lot?" Chuck asked. Carina nodded. "Okay."

"No, it's not," Carina said, seriousness on her face. She took a deep breath. "I love him," she finally got out. "I really do, I just never thought I'd love anyone. And then… I did." She spread her hands. There was a look of wonder on her face. "There's an old Bonnie Raitt song, That's Just Love Sneaking Up On You. It's us." Chuck moved to hug her. "I'm a married woman now, Curls. You missed your shot."

"You never had a shot," Chuck told her, hugging her. She chuckled into his ear. "I am so happy for you."

"Yeah?" she asked, pulling away. Chuck nodded. "Then will you do me a favor?" Chuck couldn't help the nervousness that crossed his features. "It's actually a favor for Casey. He does security, and he needs help. The people he works for think there is a data leak at one of two locations. They want an outside person to fly to New York and run a diagnostic. It should only take a few days. If nothing is found there, the second location is San Diego."

"Why me?" Chuck asked. "He doesn't know me."

"I know you, and he knows me."

"Jesus," Chuck muttered. "I walked right into that one."

"You really did," Carina answered, trying to look innocent.

}o{

Chuck felt strange. He was at a party hosted by his family, and their company. He was watching two of his friends get engaged, and the joy they shared. He had been fighting with said family… his dad, mostly – okay fine, it was all his dad – but it still felt a bit awkward. He was possibly Zondra's best friend, basically a brother-in-law to Molly, and yet he was the newest of the circle. It still felt a little awkward.

He had moved away from the group, which surprised him. Between he and Sarah, he would be the one to be right in the middle of things, and his… fiancée? Yeah, she was now, regardless of the lack of ceremony. She would be the one to move away, get some space.

Today had been a lot for him, emotionally. He just needed a minute. He needed to be alone with his thoughts. He thought about going back to the pond, but he found he couldn't, or didn't want to. The pond was special to him now, he didn't want to take these weird feelings there. What he had seen there earlier, it was magical.

He found himself leaning against the side of house, looking off into the distance, lost in thought. Thinking about how far he had come since Stanford. Thinking how far he had come since his days at Orion. He was engaged. Not only engaged but engaged to the most wonderful woman he had ever met: Sarah Walker.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder, startling him.

"My God, you are jumpy," Zondra said, her arm draped around his shoulder. She leaned on him, grinning. They stood there a moment like that, comfortable in the silence. "I talked to your dad, and he said the most interesting thing to me."

"He offered to show you pictures of me when I was younger, wearing just a cape and no underwear, and I thought I could fly?"

"No, not that interesting," Zondra admitted. "Let's not tell Sarah that picture exists, or she might want to recreate it and have you 'save' her." Chuck sputtered with laughter. "He offered to give me away."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and he said you should be my best man," she continued. "I told him I'd have to think about it. I wasn't sure you could pull off the dress." They both chuckled at her joke. "Then I told him about the suit you tried on in Hawaii."

"I still think I should have bought it," Chuck said, turning towards her. "Listen, if you want dad to give you away, it's not going to hurt my feelings."

"Only if you're there beside me," she told him. She looked away, muttering darkly. "I said I wasn't going to cry."

"It's fine, I won't tell. Besides, it's not like anyone would ever believe me," Chuck told her.

"I know I've known Carina and Sarah longer, but they've both said the exact same thing: Somehow, you and I… we're closer," Zondra began.

"I'm like a fungus," Chuck told her, batting his eyes, making her chuckle. She shoved him, then grabbed him and pulled him back into a hug. "You're a living, breathing, walking contradiction, Zondra Rizzo."

She pulled away from him, looked him in the eye, and took his hands, giving him a soft smile. "I am, but a lot of it is your fault."

"Yeah," he drawled, grinning at her. "But you know you love me."

"God help me, I do," Zondra admitted. Chuck blinked. "You're my best friend, Chuck. And I don't know how the fuck it happened, or why, but you are. So, when I get married, will you please be there by my side?"

"You know I will," he said softly, squeezing her hands. "And for the record, I love you."

"I know," Zondra sighed, and rolled her eyes. "I mean, it's so obvious." Chuck turned to walk away from her, and she jumped on his back. He tried to catch her by grabbing her legs, and she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, but they both fell, and rolled.

"Do you have any idea why my fiancée is on top of your fiancé?" they heard Sarah ask.

"Wait! WHAT!?" Zondra yelled in Chuck's face, who was underneath her.

"Surprise?" he squeaked.

}o{

"Ow!" Chuck yelled a little bit later.

"Will you quit smacking my future husband?" Sarah asked Zondra. "I mean, he deserves to be smacked for not telling you, but at the same time, he is quite whiny." Sarah paused. "You know what? Go on and smack him."

"OW!"

"She told me to," Zondra said, as if that explained everything. "Now why in the hell did you have me take your spot at the pond? It's your house for shit's sake!"

"It's my parent's house," Chuck countered. Zondra smacked him on the arm again. "Will you stop!" Zondra shook her head, sending him a semi-disgusted look. Chuck started to speak when something occurred to him and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Now what's wrong with him?" Zondra asked Sarah.

"What, are you not speaking to me right now?" Chuck asked Zondra. She turned to him, giving him a look. Chuck mimed zipping his lips. Zondra turned back to Sarah.

"You were saying?" she asked Sarah.

"It's just occurred to him how awkward it's going to be, now that he's to be your best man… is that the right term?" Sarah asked.

"I have no idea, don't care… but, I get what you're saying," Zondra answered.

Sarah nodded. "And now he needs to name his best man or woman, and he's got to figure out what he's going to do about you and Morgan."

Zondra turned to him, an amused look on her face. "It's quite simple," Zondra told him. "Would you like to know?" Chuck nodded. "I'm going to get my license, and marry the two of you."

"Really?" Chuck asked. He looked up at Sarah. "Are you okay with this, because I am really okay with this!"

"But is Morgan?" Sarah asked. Chuck sat there for a second. "Are you absolutely sure he will be?" Zondra stood up, gave Sarah a look, and they nodded at each other. Zondra walked over to Molly, kissed her on the cheek and left the room.

"She's going to go hash things out with Morgan, isn't she?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded.

"You really have no control over your wedding at all, do you?" Molly asked Chuck.

Chuck shook his head.

}o{

Jack walked into the living room at the Bartowski home sometime later, to find his two daughters and future son-in-law sitting there. "I just got the strangest text from Zondra," he began. "I'm worried about her… do we know where she is?"

Molly stood up from her seat. "What did the text say?"

"Do you know where I can get 24 cases of grape soda?" Jack read.

"For the love of…" Chuck muttered. "She's fine." He shook his head and blew out a breath. "Twenty-four cases of grape soda… that's what our friendship is worth?" Molly began to laugh. She tried to stop herself by looking away, covering her mouth with her hand. "Do you know how many times I took care of him getting his stomach pumped?" Sarah had her hand over her mouth, tears threatening to pour from her face. She was choking back laughter. "Twenty-four cases of grape soda."

"I don't follow," Jack said.

"Both of your baby girls are getting married," Molly said. "Morgan and Zondra are currently negotiating who gets to marry Chuck and Sarah." Jack looked at Molly, and then back to Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Right now, Zondra is trying to be the one to marry them." Jack nodded, dialed a number, and put the phone to his ear.

"Weird question, Stan… can you procure twenty-four cases of grape soda for me?" Jack listened for a moment, looked over at Chuck and then winked at him. "Tell you what, make it forty-eight." He listened for a second. "You're the best." With that, he hung up. "Better?" he asked Chuck.

"Some," Chuck said with a shrug.

"You do know you are by no means the focal point of the wedding, right?"

"Oh, I do. But I would have thought Morgan would hold out for a bit more than that," Chuck said, a little bitter.

"No, you didn't," Sarah cut in, shaking her head. "You know damn good and well, all Zondra had to do was growl at him, and he would have given her twenty-four cases of grape soda, plus all rights to you."

"True," Chuck admitted, chuckling. "Joke's on everyone, though." The three gave him a look. "I'm marrying Sarah Walker."

"Yeah, you are," she said softly.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Jack told Molly.

"Nope… if we don't stay, they might do it, right here," Molly told Jack. Jack started to reply, but couldn't. "And yes, I do mean… IT."

}o{

Chuck found Morgan a little while later, sitting at an outside table, staring at the scenery. "You okay there, buddy? Looks like you're having some deep thoughts."

"Yeah, just thinking of the downside of x-ray vision," Morgan replied.

Chuck sat down. He wasn't sure he was ready for this, but he wanted to be sitting, if it turned out as bad as he worried it might be.

"Like, can you turn it off? Or when you turn, and look at a guy sitting in a chair, are you gonna see his genitalia? I mean, who wants to see that?" Chuck couldn't speak. His words had completely left him. "Nobody, dude. Just… nobody."

"Yeah," Chuck managed to get out. Words and thoughts continued to flee his mind.

"Sorry, been on my mind for a bit now," Morgan continued. Chuck blinked. "So, you okay, with me being your best man?"

"Do I even get to ask you?" Chuck asked.

"Dude, of course-"

"Morgan, it's fine," Chuck said with a grin. "Listen, I really don't care about if I asked Sarah to marry me, or she asked me. I don't care who is performing the ceremony, who is beside me, or any of that. I want everyone there, but mostly, all I want is Sarah."

"That is exactly the right answer," Morgan told him. "Proud of you, buddy."

"Thank you," Chuck said, grinning.

"So, do you think they can turn off x-ray vision?" Chuck shook his head to get the horrible image out of his mind. "Sorry."

}o{

Chuck walked into the family dining room and then turned to leave quickly. "SIT!" came the voice of his sister. Chuck winced, turned back toward her and sat at the end of the table. "You got engaged, and didn't tell us?"

"I didn't want to take away from Molly and Zondra," Chuck told his sister, and the rest of the family that was sitting at the table. "They've… they've been through a lot, and I didn't want to spoil their moment."

Ellie beamed at Chuck. "You really are aces, little brother."

"He is," Stephen said. He cleared his throat. "Now, how do you feel about being married here?"

"I have no idea how I feel about it, Dad," Chuck admitted. "All I care about is marrying Sarah Walker. That's it."

"Smart man," Devon said, holding out his fist. Chuck fist bumped him, grinning.

}o{

Chuck told Sarah about the job offer from Casey, and she encouraged him to take it. She told him she needed to do some work at Orion, and when he was around, the other employees tended to get distracted… along with herself.

Chuck found himself at a company whose name he would never be allowed to tell. At least he was pretty sure that was the intent of the ream of papers he had signed. At one point he thought there was something about the NSA, but he wasn't one-hundred percent sure. All he knew was the paycheck was ridiculous, for the amount of work he did.

He and Casey flew to New York on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday, Chuck went through their systems with a fine-tooth comb. He could find no proof of any tampering, hacking, or anything that showed any type of cybercrime had been committed. Casey pulled Chuck into a conference room towards the end of Wednesday, then made a video call. A short woman with red hair seemed somewhat upset by what Chuck had told her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Chuck asked.

"No," the woman called Beckman replied. "I was hoping this was the leak, because the New York office holds less critical data than the San Diego office."

"Is that where we're headed next?" Chuck asked.

"You're heading home tomorrow, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman told him. "Next Monday, you and Casey will drive to San Diego and begin your search there. I must warn you, that facility is much larger, and may take some time."

"It appears Carina and her friends might have a conference there as well," Casey said, wincing.

"Well, that's probably best, since you're a newly married man flying cross country without your wife," Beckman replied. Casey winced again. "After this, take some time off and be with her." She turned to Chuck. "You know he used to constantly whine about not seeing her?" Chuck pointed to Casey, surprise on his face.

"Breathe a word of this to anyone and I will rearrange your face," Casey muttered.

"John Casey!" Beckman snapped. "You have pined for that girl for years!"

"Wait," Chuck said, his mouth dropping. Casey's eyes shifted, as if praying Chuck had not come to the conclusion he feared that he had. "That's your mom?"

"He didn't tell you?" Beckman asked. She huffed and rolled her eyes. "When you get back to Los Angeles, come by, and I will tell you everything."

"I am so confused, yet so happy right now," Chuck muttered, grinning.

"I am going to kill-" Casey began.

"JOHNNY!" Beckman snapped. Casey snapped to attention. "Quit bullying him. Carina considers him a friend, and the last thing you need to do is upset your bride."

"Yes ma'am," Casey said.

"That's better," Beckman replied. "Now, I'll see you this weekend. And tell Carina if she wants my recipe book, I'll gladly give it to her." She tilted her head to the side. "Love you, John."

"Love you, mama," he replied, looking like he was slightly constipated. The screen clicked off. "I swear to God if you tell a soul…"

"How can I not?" Chuck asked. Casey glared at Chuck, and stomped out of the room. "I don't know why this is making me so happy."

A/N: Yeah….I did. Hopefully more soon. Take care friends.