A/N: Just a very short one-shot I through together. I was thinking about that piece of music that we hear almost completely in Other Guy, A Question and a Spy. I remember reading a few things where the title was incorrect, A Question and an Answer. But that's the genius of this piece of music, composed by Tim Jones, that plays throughout the series. It's two parts, the soft piano and then a spy thriller sounding bit that plays briefly in Role Models. We know what the question is long before Chuck asks it, and we get an answer reminiscent of the spy that Sarah is, afraid to reveal herself fully to him. The whole piece retroactively makes sense of every interaction in the show before that, as well as the select few where it appears afterward. That was always the question, as far back in their time together as Helicopter, and we also know the answer. Just beautiful and genius. This is from the world of my A Wonderful Life Story, a little restructuring of canon and an homage to that beautiful piece of music. Enjoy. Look for part one of Other Guy tomorrow.

I knew something was up. I didn't know what exactly, but…something.

Chuck and I had been living together since the middle of January, a mere six months ago. Considering we only knew each other for two and a half weeks before we decided to live together, six months was an eternity. But I fell in love with him in 12 hours, so…I had long ago accepted we just had our own time table. It worked for us.

We didn't have to worry about what anyone else thought or said. We knew what we felt. The people who were closest to us understood. That was all that mattered.

Chuck had still been unpacking his apartment after relocating from New York, so it was easier for him to just pack up the few items he had unpacked and moved them to my apartment. We blended our things, blended our styles. My apartment became our apartment, and I loved it.

Part of that was deciding to replace my bed with Chuck's…because that was where we first made love. It was special to us.

For the past few weeks, I was certain Chuck and Ellie were keeping a secret.

Ellie found out for sure she was pregnant a few days after Christmas, and she was due almost any day. Chuck had tried to use that, as well as Devon's overall freaked out state of being, when I asked what was going on.

It was something else. Sure, Devon was a basket case, Ellie was frustrated and uncomfortable, and Chuck was being sweet and supportive as always…but I could tell it was more than what they tried to have me believe.

Having Chuck in my life meant I now had a family, something I had never known before. My friend Ellie, her husband Devon, as well as Chuck's friend Morgan and his wife Alex were all considered part of our family.

After I had finally visited my mother on Christmas, she was now a regular part of our lives too. I had even gone to visit my father in prison, with Chuck, and started to repair my relationship with him.

It seemed that everyone else knew what was going on but me. They would whisper and then stop when I got near. Chuck would get nervous and ramble like he usually did, but without apparent cause or necessity.

Our six month anniversary was upon us before we knew it. Chuck asked me what I wanted to do to celebrate while we laid in bed in the morning.

"How about a fancy dinner in a romantic restaurant?" he asked as he rolled towards me. His skin was warm against mine. We almost always slept without pajamas. I had a wide selection of lingerie that always seemed to end up on the floor, after being worn for short periods of time, but neither one of us complained.

"Mmm," I hummed as he ran his hand over the curve of my hip. "Although, technically, the last time I had dinner out, I got food poisoning," I told him.

"That wasn't…out, like for real. That was a catered dinner in the art museum."

"And if I hadn't gotten food poisoning, we might not have gotten together," I whispered as I wrapped my arms around him.

"You really believe that?" he laughed. "That if you hadn't gotten sick, that we would have never seen each other again?"

"I don't know. I didn't know what to do. I was a mess," I reminded him. "It just seemed so crazy, that I had fallen for you that fast."

He laughed, flashing a beautiful smile. "What can I say? I'm just adorable." It was so nice to laugh about that awful time now, because it was behind us.

I laughed, rolling closer and hugging him. I think I'd laughed more in the past six months than the entire rest of my life.

"Dinner…and then the rest of the night in bed, and it's perfect."

"Ok, then," Chuck said with a smile and kissed me, a soft lingering kiss that made me want to stay in bed with him.

I wanted to, but I couldn't. I had agreed to take Ellie to her weekly doctor appointment, since she couldn't drive any longer and Devon had a shift at the hospital.

I reluctantly let him go and climbed out of bed, walking naked across the room towards the bathroom and the shower. I was only in the shower for a few minutes when I felt him behind me, sneaking in while my eyes were closed under the water.

"This is a nice surprise–" I started to say, but the words fell away as he gently turned me to face the tile wall and then slid inside me in a fluid motion. "Oh…" I sighed at the pleasure of the sensation.

"I thought you didn't like surprises," he panted as he thrust into me. He knew I was time constrained, but even when we were having a quickie, he always made sure I was satisfied. He moved faster; I was hot and slick and I came easily, moaning softly.

"You're the exception," I said when my voice returned. It was still an effort and I sounded out of breath.

I sighed with pleasure when a few seconds later I heard Chuck's breath expel heavily as I felt him release inside me. He stayed pressed against me briefly, then kissed the back of my neck and whispered that he loved me.

"I love you, too," I said.

We finished showering and getting ready. He told me he would make a reservation for tonight, and I left to get Ellie.

I had to help her into and out of the car. She kept shifting in her seat, unable to get comfortable. I felt so bad for her, and offered my help.

"It's ok, Sarah," Ellie said with a tired smile. "It's not like it's a toothache. It's almost over…and then we'll finally get to meet our daughter." She smiled more widely, leaning towards me and bumping my shoulder as I drove. "You should take notes, Sarah. You could be next."

"Us?" I blurted. "Oh, no, Ellie. We aren't even married yet."

"I love the 'yet,'" Ellie giggled.

I blushed furiously, aware of my slip. Ever since the day right before Christmas when we watched the geese in the park, I knew we felt the same about our future. We wanted the same things, and we would work together no matter what to get there. Chuck had recovered from a broken marriage, a particularly harsh break up, and I knew part of his caution was a result of that.

It had always just been understood that Chuck and I would get married. He was it for me, everything I had ever wanted and never thought I would be lucky enough to find. Or keep.

Like I said, I knew our time table was different than most people. We seemed hasty, rushing, to those who didn't understand. But it was normal for us. That was all that mattered.

But the way Ellie had acted, the tone of her voice made me wonder.

Was Chuck going to propose?

He most certainly would have consulted his sister, both about asking, what to do, and even what kind of ring I would like. They were close and shared everything.

Morgan, on the other hand, couldn't keep a secret to save his life. I doubted Chuck would have mentioned it to Morgan, and perhaps to not cause conflict, Alex might also have not known.

Chuck and Ellie were thick as thieves, however. The more the ideas spun in my head, the more excited I became. That had to be the secret.

Chuck's suggestion for dinner, the plans he said he was making…Oh my God, was he planning on doing it tonight?

I did my best to remain calm, focusing on Ellie and helping her. She seemed mildly amused, with no real cause, especially considering how physically uncomfortable she was.

When Ellie emerged from the doctor's office, she looked a little rattled. I asked her if everything was alright. She told me the doctor told her she was already two centimeters dilated. She could literally go into labor at any time.

It wasn't shocking information. I mean, Ellie was nine months pregnant. I think hearing it sort of made it real, imminent in a way it hadn't been before.

After I dropped Ellie off at home, she casually told me to have a nice time at the restaurant that night.

How did she know what Chuck and I were doing that night when we had decided that morning in bed?

Or, now that I thought about it, what Chuck had decided and I'd agreed to.

I was even more convinced. And then I started freaking out.

What should I wear? If I was too dressy, would I jinx it? If I dressed more casually, would I be underdressed? I had never stressed that much about my clothes. I eventually told myself to just dress for an anniversary dinner.

I chose a black dress with spaghetti straps, snug fitting and falling just above my knees. I wore the jewelry Chuck had given to me for Christmas.

Chuck arrived home from work to find me ready to go. He was already wearing a suit and tie, so he just refreshed his cologne and his hair and we were ready to go.

"You look beautiful, by the way," he said after we had been seated at the restaurant. "But you always look beautiful, no matter what you're wearing." He reached across the table to hold my hand. He smiled and I smiled back, even as I felt how slick his palm was. He was nervous.

I felt my heart start to beat faster. I could feel it floating between us, the anticipation. I wondered if he would do it before or after dinner, or someplace else. I was hyper focused on everything, until I realized I was distracted and found it hard to concentrate on the moment at hand when I was already waiting for the next. I told myself to calm down and just enjoy the moment, knowing I would remember this day for the rest of my life.

I ordered a salad, something light, because my stomach was in knots. He would usually ask why I didn't order a real meal, but I think he was distracted, too. He did order a steak and he ate it so fast I almost missed it, his plate full, and then empty in a few minutes. Chuck ate too fast when he was nervous too.

We actually didn't say much during dinner, but the silence was comfortable, minus our mutual jitters. Once the waiter cleared the table, it was like a switch was flipped. Chuck was pale and flushed at the same time, a feat only he could manage to accomplish.

"Sarah, you know how much I love you, right?" He looked at me, then down at the table.

"Of course," I assured him. "And I love you, just as much."

"I never thought–"

Both of our phones vibrating at the same time interrupted the moment. Chuck was in the middle of something important, but because it was both of us, I glanced quickly at my phone.

Ellie was in labor. The texter had to have been Devon, because it was one sentence, followed by one word: Emergency.

"Oh, God, Chuck, your sister," I gushed, my attention immediately drawn to the phone.

Devon was already in panic mode, so it was difficult to interpret what he had texted. Was something wrong? Was it a real emergency? Or was he just freaking out?

I could tell Chuck was thinking the same thing. He apologized for the interruption, but called his brother-in-law. I only heard Chuck's side of the conversation, and he said almost nothing. But his face went so pale I could see the veins standing out in contrast on his cheeks and neck. His hands were shaking so badly he couldn't turn off the phone.

"Chuck, what's wrong?" I asked urgently.

He spoke in a monotone, in shock, like he wasn't fully processing. "Ellie's…water broke…like…three hours ago…everything was fine but…something went wrong and they…she's having an emergency C section…"

I felt my mood come crashing down. The dinner and the impending proposal were forgotten as we rushed out of the restaurant to go to the hospital.

"Chuck, it's going to be alright," I said, holding his hand as he drove. "She's in good hands. They'll take care of her." I was worried too, for my friend. I tried to calm myself by remembering women had babies all the time; it wasn't the middle ages. Even if there were complications, usually things ended up ok.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost my sister, Sarah, I…" He was struggling to hold in tears.

I pressed his hand to the center of my chest and held it there, over my heart. Both of us prayed silently that Ellie would be ok.

I know it took so much for Chuck to not break into a full sprint once we arrived at the hospital. Maneuvering through the hospital to find the right place took a frustratingly long time.

When we arrived at the maternity ward, we first saw Devon, seated by himself in the waiting room. His head was leaning back against the wall. He was maybe dozing, drifting in and out of consciousness, because he didn't hear us approach. I was horrified to see the remnants of dried tears on his cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot when he finally opened them to see us.

Devon's appearance rattled Chuck, too. "Devon, what's going on?" he asked desperately.

"Thank God you're here, Chuck," Devon breathed. "The…baby was in distress. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. They rushed Ellie in for an emergency C-section."

"Are they ok?" Chuck asked, needing to know the rest. Devon was beyond tired, wrung out, like it was too much for him to talk.

"Clara is fine. Ellie lost… a lot of blood. They told me I had to leave the room. That was over an hour ago."

Clara was the name Ellie and Devon had chosen for their daughter. I had been hearing it for so long, it was strange to hear it like that, now that she was here, a real person.

"Oh, God," Chuck sighed, sinking down into the chair beside Devon.

Devon turned to Chuck slowly. "Clara is in the nursery. You can see her through the window. She's the only girl."

Chuck was still in shock. The dichotomy of the situation was difficult to process. Joy at our niece's arrival mixed with fear and worry over Ellie's condition.

We moved to the nursery window, walking with a purpose but feeling aimless. There were five babies, each in a bassinet. Like Devon had explained, Clara was the only girl, the only one in a tiny pink hat. All the others wore blue.

"She looks just like Ellie," Chuck whispered. As if he was shaking himself out of a dream, Chuck added, "I'm sorry about tonight–"

"No, Chuck, don't worry," I gushed, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly. "We need to be here for our family."

He stifled a soft sob, burying his face in my hair. "I always wanted that…for you. I wanted to give you what you never had."

"You did. You have. Because of you, I have everything I ever wanted," I whispered against his ear.

"Ellie thought of you as family. So do I. I wanted to make it official–"

His use of past tense troubled me, but before I could correct him, before he could even finish that thought, which sounded like he was about to tell me what he had intended to do in the restaurant, we heard someone addressing Devon.

"Dr. Woodcomb?"

We rushed to Devon's side to hear what the doctor had to say. A quick glance our way was answered by Devon, "This is Ellie's brother and his girlfriend." The doctor nodded and continued.

"Your wife is going to be ok. We had some difficulty controlling her bleeding, but we managed to get it under control. I know they asked you about a hysterectomy, but it wasn't necessary. Dr. Woodcomb is still able to have more children."

I watched the relief wash over Devon like a wave. It was like a giant, heavy balloon had suddenly deflated and the air around us was breathable again. Devon hadn't explained that portion of his own dilemma, his concern, so it was even more relief to know that none of the things troubling Devon had come to pass.

"She's awake. You can see her now, Doctor. I would ask only one person at a time, though. She needs to rest."

Chuck smiled and patted Devon on his shoulder. "Go ahead. Tell her we're here."

Devon left to go see Ellie and Chuck and I were left seated side by side in the corridor outside. I held his hand and rested my head on his shoulder. The sudden calm, mixed with the late hour, left me to drift to sleep there. Chuck moving woke me up.

He stood in front of me. His eyes were intense, radiantly beautiful and beaming. "You are my family, Sarah. I love you with all my heart. There is nothing that would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with you, to be at your side through everything." He pulled out a small red box and opened the lid. The dazzling diamond inside, in a platinum setting that matched the one in the necklace I wore, took my breath away. "Will you marry me?" He dropped to one knee.

My eyes filled with tears and I covered my mouth with both hands. I launched myself forward, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him, tenderly at first, but increasing in intensity until we were both breathless.

I don't think I ever said the actual word, Yes, even though that wasn't on my mind during the experience. He knew what I meant.

There was no remaining question in either one of our lives that we didn't know the answer to. Yes, to each other, for each other. Always.