As the school year wrapped up, Chuck and Sarah were kept busy with the planning of their reception – the one that all of their friends, family, and people from work (including Sarah's students) were invited to. At Morgan's suggestion it was to be at the beach and would be a semi-catered pot-luck barbecue event. They had already secured the permits to rent a section of the beach where a several large tents would be erected just in case the weather turned on them.
Sarah had picked out a knee-length white summer dress for the event that she refused to show her husband, much to his dismay. She and Ellie had even gone so far as to by similar dresses for the girls to wear. The reception was a week after graduation so that it wouldn't interfere with the parties of Sarah's students who were graduating that year. An unintended benefit to this delay, much to Chuck's pleasure, was that his and Awesome's new friend Rick and his family would be able to attend since the boys would wrap up the school year a few days before.
The Bartowskis and the Awesomes, along with Rick and Vicky, had already planned a week and a half worth of fun and adventure for the visit. It would start with the reception, include a few days at Disneyland, a visit to Orion Games for the boys, and end with a short camping trip in the Angeles National Forest. Needless to say, the three young families were excited to see and meet each other again.
The morning of the reception, the courtyard was a hive of activity with the Bartowskis and Awesomes going back and forth between their condos getting ready for the day. Wanting to surprise her husband, Sarah was getting ready over at the Awesomes' place along with the other women and girls while Chuck and Devon got ready over at Casa de Bartowski. Ellie, Emma, and Sarah juggled getting themselves ready with feeding and getting the girls ready. Sarah had just finished her hair and makeup when Clara, followed closely by Molly, came running into Ellie's bedroom in their white sun dresses, each with adorable pigtails in their hair. At a soft word from Emma, the girls were seated on the bed so that the older woman could help them on with their sandals.
"Alright, Sarah, it's time," Ellie sent a smile to her sister-in-law as she pulled Sarah's dress from the hanger and got it ready so that she could help Sarah get the dress on without messing up her hair and makeup.
The white babydoll dress had spaghetti straps, lace detailing around the waist, and fell in a loose skirt to just below her knees. She'd paired the dress with a strappy pair of wedge sandals and her hair had been curled into beachy waves to match the somewhat casual feel of the dress.
"Pretty, Mama," Molly announced.
"Yeah, you're pretty, Aunti Sarah," Clara echoed.
"Thank you, girls," Sarah walked over to the bed and gave them each a hug and a kiss on their cheeks, "Now how about we stop making your daddies wait and have ourselves a party?!"
The girl's cheered their agreement and quickly wiggled down off the bed, running down the hall to where the men now stood. Both were wearing light tan linen pants and white canvas shoes, but different shirts. Devon had on a pale blue button-down shirt with white leaf prints along the right side of the shirt. Chuck wore a white Panama shirt which had vertical rows of texturing in the material.
They turned when their daughters came sprinting out of the hall toward them followed by Ellie and Emma, and shortly thereafter by Sarah.
Chuck's jaw dropped when he caught sight of his wife, "Wow," He sighed, walking to her and pulling her into his arms for a searing kiss, "You look amazing."
"You don't look half bad yourself," She grinned up at him. "Shall we go meet our adoring public?"
"Yeah, let's go," Chuck agreed then turned to the rest of the family who had been watching the interaction, "Alright, you heard the bride, load up, we got some celebrating to do!"
The Awesomes, Emma, and the girls rode over in the Awesomes' minivan while Chuck and Sarah followed not too far behind in Chuck's Aston Martin. When they pulled up, the party was just getting started. Morgan and Alex had offered to help organize the food that was brought in by their guests, so it was all neatly organized by type of food, starting with relish trays, followed by a variety of sides and salads, and ending with a few desserts. They'd hired a few bartenders to serve up the drinks, they'd even crafted a few alcoholic and non-alcoholic mixed drinks for the occasion, their concoctions proudly displayed on a sign that hung behind the bar, listing what they had on offer. Alex had somehow talked her dad, Big Mike, and a few of the other older men at the event to rotate through the grilling station where they were cooking up burgers, brats, and hotdogs for the guest who were mingling around the tents or walking and playing along the beach. There were a couple of tents not too far off that had been set aside as changing rooms so that their guests could play in the ocean as the day wore on.
Morgan saw the two vehicles had pulled up and notified Skip and his brother Sinjin or SJ as he now went by, who were deejaying the event so they could make an announcement. They waited while the families unloaded from the cars and made their way to the temporary venue. Chuck, who held his daughter in one arm and his wife's hand in his other hand, led the group. Just as they were about ten feet away, Skip lowered the music while SJ announced their arrival, "Ladies and Gentleman, may I have your attention please, the couple of the night have just arrived! Join me in welcoming and celebrating the newlyweds, Chuck and Sarah Bartowski!"
The guests erupted in applause, cheers, and whistles as they made their way to the middle of the dance floor where Skip handed Chuck, who had passed Molly over to Sarah, a microphone. "Thank you all for your warm welcome, we know some of you were disappointed when we eloped, and we appreciate you coming out today to help us finally celebrate our marriage with you all. Some of you we have known for a short time, some for our entire lives, regardless, we are so thrilled to have you join us today. We hope you enjoy yourselves, so let's party!"
SJ then got on his mic once more, "Please give the newlyweds and their families a moment to get their food and take their seats before getting in line to enjoy the buffet."
The crowd that had gathered around the dance floor parted, allowing the Bartowskis and Emma, the Awesomes, and the newly minted Grimeses to make their way over to the grills then down the buffet line to load up their plates before taking their seats at the long table across the floor from the deejay booth. Considering the type of fare that was on offer for the meal, Chuck and Awesome had brought along a couple of their old t-shirts for the girls to wear so that their dresses wouldn't get food on them. They enjoyed their meal as their guests lined up and made their way through the line, taking seats at the other tables scattered around the make-shift banquet hall.
Part way through dinner Emma stood, hitting her can of soda with a fork in an attempt to get everyone's attention. Unfortunately, the clicking sound wasn't loud enough to gain the attention of the guests who were carrying on casual conversations over their meals. Morgan made his own attempt, using his knife on his beer bottle, with moderate success, but it wasn't until Ellie let out a shrill whistle, that everyone's focus fell on the table where the newlyweds' family were seated.
"Thank you, Ellie," Emma gave her a maternal smile before continuing, "I know many of you are wondering, 'Who is this weird old lady who is demanding our attention?'"
"You're not old, Grammy Emma," Clara protested, earning humored chuckles from her family and a few of the guests.
"Thank you, Sweetheart." She cleared her throat, "I am Sarah's mom… or so the doctors at the hospital told me some 26 years ago, at least. We've had our ups and downs, there was even a time when we fell out of contact for a while. Thankfully Sarah and I were able to eventually reconnect and rebuild our relationship. Something I will always be grateful for, as if we hadn't had the chance to reunite, I never would have met my beautiful granddaughter, Molly. Nor would I have gotten to know the remarkable young man whom my little girl has chosen to spend her life with. When you have a daughter, you often find yourself wondering what kind of person they will grow up to be, and who they will choose to live their life with.
"Let me tell you, these two have surprised me. Sarah has always been strong and resourceful, skills that were developed and honed throughout her life. I always imagined she would wind up in law enforcement of some kind, or politics. Boy was I shocked when, a short time after we reunited, she told me that she wanted to go to school to study music. As with everything she sets her mind to, she not only met the goals she set for herself, as well as those set by others, but she surpassed all expectations. What is even more impressive is while pursuing her education and passion, she gave birth to and began to raise her daughter as she completed the last year and a half of her degree. Now she is not only an amazing musician, but she turns around and encourages her students to push themselves to reach their fullest potential regardless of any challenges that may stand in her way."
A cheer went up from several of Sarah's students.
"It's my understanding that a few of them are even following in her footsteps and will be leaving to attend her alma mater of Columbia University this fall." Emma's gaze fell on the four students who shyly demurred from her gaze, "Sarah, Serduszko, I am so proud of the woman, the mother, and the wife you have grown up to be. I love you."
Sarah blew her mother a kiss as Emma turned to her new son-in-law, "As for Chuck… let me tell you, he is nothing like I expected Sarah's husband to be. I always dreamed that the man my little girl would set her heart on would be kind, loving, and would be able to provide for her and their family. Chuck blew those expectations out of the water. While I wasn't there when they first met, I've heard them both talk about the weekend they first met in high school. From the start, he has had eyes only for Sarah and now Molly, the depth of his love for them is unfathomable. Kind doesn't even begin to describe him, this man is selfless and has a strength that not many would notice by just looking at him. Earlier this year I was in an accident. Thank God, or fate, or whatever, but as luck would have it, Chuck was a lane or two over, and had witnessed the whole thing. Not only did he call for emergency services, but he immediately began to triage the scene. He coordinated with the paramedics to get me to where I would get the best care, from his sister no less, but he made sure Sarah and Molly were able to safely make it to the hospital to see me. He stayed with them, cared for them, when I was unable, then helped them take care of me as I recovered. Naturally, being Chuck, he did all of this while running his own company and working to locate Molly's birth father in hopes of clearing the way to be able to adopt her. The adoption was approved the same day that he married Sarah, making their little family truly whole.
"Chuck, you are one in a trillion, and words cannot express how glad you are that you are the one that was made just for Sarah. I am proud to now be able to call you son. I love you both and can't wait to see what the future holds for you two." Emma lifted her can of soda in a toast to the newlyweds, "To Chuck and Sarah, may you grow together in love."
The group toasted to Chuck and Sarah before the microphone was handed off to Devon, who handed the microphone over to Morgan, something that earned him a dubious look from his wife.
"Hey everyone, I'm Morgan, Chuck's best friend and… well I promised both him and my wife that I will no longer use the term of affection that used to complete that sentence." Morgan gave a sheepish smile as those in the know chuckled at his omission. "I met Chuck the first day of Kindergarten when we bonded over making lightsabers out of wrapping paper tubes from the creation station in our classroom. Over the past 20 plus years of friendship, we became more like brothers. He was there with some of his favorite comic books when my Papi lost his life in a motorcycle accident when I was eight, and I was there with a cherry cheesecake and my favorite video games the day he and Ellie realized their mom wasn't going to come home. He's defended me when my mouth wrote checks my body couldn't cash, I've helped him to get his head back on straight when he's seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to those of the fairer sex. Sarah, I know what happened wasn't your fault, and I've already forgiven you. If it wasn't for this man, I probably wouldn't have ever gone to college, which means I never would have met my wife – I love you, Baby."
Morgan and Alex exchanged blown kisses before he continued. "Heck, I'd probably still be working at the Buy More, honing my work avoidance skills… or fending off Big Mike's attempts to force me into becoming his assistant manager. I'm loathe to admit that I don't really have a clear memory of the first time I met Sarah…"
"Well, you were pretty focused on your sandwich, Little Buddy," Chuck teased.
"Yeah, that's probably true," Morgan chuckled, "But I do remember meeting her again that day at the beach. My wife, Alex, and I were running late, and missed the impromptu concert they'd apparently given. Thankfully, someone – or rather multiple someones – got it on video and posted it all over the interwebs. We showed up to find Chuck, a curly headed blonde in his lap, and flirting with another blond next to him. Relax, the blond on his lap was Molly, what kind of person do you think he is?" This earned him a laugh from the reception guests, "I could tell right away that the woman he was flirting with was his 'it' girl. I'd never seen him look at a woman like that before, as if she hung the moon and the stars. As time went on, we got to know Sarah better, and quickly realized why she was a perfect match for Chuck. Not only does she look like Vicky Vale and is an accomplished violinist, but more importantly, she is a kick-ass mom. Like her mom just said, she raised Molly on her own while finishing up college and getting her start in music. But most important of all, is that she loves Chuck with everything she has, just like she loves her daughter with all her being, and Chuck loves them the same way. I always knew Chuck would be an amazing dad, and I am so glad that he has the opportunity to be just that for Molly. Although I do hope that one day she won't be the only one calling me 'Uncle Morgan.' Now, please join me in toasting my brother from another mother and his beautiful bride. Chuck and Sarah I wish you a lifetime of love, joy, and happiness."
The microphone was then passed to Ellie, "What is there to say about my little brother and his wife that hasn't already been said? For a long time, it was just Chuck and me, our parents left us for their own reasons, which we may never truly know or understand. Chuck was pretty young when mom left, dad stuck around at least until Chuck was in high school, but then he eventually left too. Even when he was around, he really wasn't fully there, so Chuck and I had to rely on each other. Out of necessity, I became this hybrid of sister and guardian for Chuck. I made sure he did his homework, even when his math and science classes became more advanced than what I even had to take to get into medical school. I made sure the bills were paid, and that Chuck had food, and a relatively safe and normal childhood. I had help, of course, Missus Grimes knew all of what was going on, and Chuck and I were frequent visitors in her home. She took us to Christmas Eve Mass every year, and helped me keep these two idiots," She pointed to Chuck and Morgan, who shrugged unabashedly and grinned, knowing what she was going to say, "From playing Jedi with their candles. We eventually established our own traditions, even our own holiday. Later on, Big Mike and Gladys Tucker came into our lives, first as Chuck's band teacher and boss, respectively, but also as surrogate aunt and uncle. They thought we didn't know that they were looking out for us, but we knew. It behooves me to take a moment to thank the Tuckers, Mrs. Grimes, and all of those who watched out for, guided, and supported us into adulthood. I wish I could take all the credit for Chuck becoming the amazing man he is today, but it was also in large part thanks to you all, but I digress.
"Chuck, I am so proud of the man you have become. You put your all into everything that you do, whether it is developing a new video game for your company, being a brother and friend to those around us, and more recently a husband to Sarah and a father to Molly. I think I have to echo Morgan's sentiment that I look forward to the day we get to watch you guide Molly to become an amazing big sister. I'm sad to say I haven't known Sarah all that long, just barely ten months, and in that time I've found a best friend and the little sister I always wanted, especially since Chuck stopped letting me dress him up and pretend that he was my sister."
"Don't lie, you stopped that little game because you hated that I was prettier than you," Chuck teased her, earning laughter from their family and friends.
"How's the weather over there in your little fantasy land?" Ellie challenged.
"It's beautiful, I got my two best gals by my side, what more could a man want?" Chuck responded.
"Whatever," Ellie rolled her eyes good naturedly, "Sarah you are a perfect match for my brother. You challenge him to be a better man not only at home, but in his day-to-day life out in the world and at work, yet you know when to reign him in when his imagination starts to run wild. In the same way, he is your biggest supporter and champion. The love you two share transcended the years you were apart, and allowed you to pick up more or less where you started all those years ago. I am so grateful that you wake up every day choosing to love him.
"Love is a choice. Sure, the endorphins of new love, attraction, passion, and all that go with it feel amazing, but they only last for so long. Every day you have to wake up and choose to love each other. Sure, there may be days you may not particularly like each other all that much, but if you choose to love your spouse every day, make it your mission, you'll go far." Ellie lifted her drink to the couple, "Here's looking at you, kids."
Once the toasts and dinner were finished, the deejay called Chuck and Sarah to the floor to cut the cake and feed the first bites to each other. As their guests were served, the newlyweds started off the dancing with the only specialty dance of the night. As the song ended, the deejay kicked it up a notch, and the party started in earnest, officially changing the occasion from wedding reception to a beach party celebrating the start of summer. Everyone, the wedding party and guests included enjoyed the rest of the night, swimming in the ocean, listening and dancing to music, and hanging out with friends and family. Just before sunset, a giant bonfire was built and those who were still there enjoyed roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.
Those with young children, including the Bartowskis and Woodcombs, took off not long after sunset so that they could bathe and get their young charges calmed enough to sleep. In the Bartowski home, they lingered just long enough to make sure Molly was truly asleep before slipping down the hall to their room to enjoy a repeat of their wedding night.
A few hours later, they were cuddled up in each other's arms after a couple enjoyable rounds of lovemaking.
"You're thinking too loud over there," Sarah murmured against Chuck's chest. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing much," Chuck hummed, "Just thinking about what your mom, and Morgan, and Ellie all alluded to, or outright said in their toasts about growing our family."
"Would you want to?" Sarah asked.
"Well, yeah, I mean, I love Molly to death, but I would love it if we could give her a sibling or two someday," He shrugged, "Do you think it's too soon?"
"Well, Molly is going to be three before too long," She answered thoughtfully, "By the time we were to get pregnant, and the baby was born, she'd be nearly or just four, if not older. Old enough to learn or understand that any babies we might have wouldn't be replacing her, but that they might need a little extra attention for a time."
"That's true," He agreed, "However, and I'm just playing devil's advocate here, you just started a new job teaching. Are you sure your position will still be waiting for you when you come back from maternity leave?"
"Well, if we time it right, I won't have to take much time off, if any, and may not need to have to take maternity leave," She countered, "However, I also don't want us to put too much pressure on ourselves, either. Part of me wants to just let it happen when it happens, the other side is saying to try to plan it so that the baby would be born just as school is finishing for the year so that I can have all summer for our family to bond with the new baby."
"Maybe we can split the difference, be a little more cautious during certain times of the year, but during the time that would result in a potentially more optimal due date." Chuck suggested, only to feel his wife shrug in his arms, "However, I think we haven't really asked ourselves this, in this context, and not musing over hypotheticals. So, I'll ask it, do you want to have more kids?"
"Yeah, maybe one at first, and maybe one or two more down the line," Sarah nodded then yawned.
"I'm with you there," Chuck echoed her yawn, "It's too late for us to make any decisions tonight."
"Well, we leave for our big family vacation in a week or so, maybe we can discuss it further during the trip?" She suggested.
"I'd like that," He smiled then leaned over to press a soft kiss to her lips.
"Me too," She nodded, "we probably should get some sleep. I love you."
"I know," Chuck gave her a teasing grin, which earned him an eye roll from his wife.
"You are such a nerd," She huffed in faux indignation.
"Yeah, but I'm your nerd," He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, "And I still contend that 'I know' is a perfectly acceptable response to 'I love you.'"
"Good night, weirdo." Sarah laughed then curled up in his arms to fall asleep.
"Good night, Beautiful," Chuck smiled, kissing her forehead before drifting off for the night.