Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench

Well, in the previous chapter: Bash At the Bench was a rousing success as Jagger and Tom Hulce brought the hospital courtyard down in an incredibly noisy way. Beforehand, Chuck introduced the newest rockstar rebel, 13-year-old Jagger Renner. A talented young man who was considered a role model for his 2 younger siblings. Those two siblings saw their older brother as their hero even though Jagger didn't feel like on. This led Chuck to share who his heo was and that was Ellie. The Bartowski siblings would share an incredibly heartfelt and emotional moment together that nearly took the spotlight off of Jagger. Thankfully, the spotlight was returned to Jagger and the young man proved to everyone that not all heroes wear capes. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Chuck eavesdrop on having a conversation while half listening to someone who was talking to him? What did Winterborne have his twins do in order to settle the fight over the Xbox controller? Where did Chuck go to on Sarah's request? When did Chuck get knocked out that caused Sarah to be totally amused after hearing the story that involved one of the BBQ guests? Why was Hannah nicknamed after a video game character? How does Morgan respond when Casey glares at him after something he said that involved Alex? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.

I don't own Chuck.

Full House

XXX

The following Saturday gave Chuck the opportunity to decompress from everything that happened at an incredibly memorable Bash At The Bench. It went down as the loudest celebration moment in show history to the point where L.A.P. D. not only showed up to the hospital concerning noise complaints being called in, but actually showed up because of the number of calls they received. Of course, Chuck later found out those calls to the police came from one person…Emmitt Milbarge. Normally, what would have happened next was a form of quick retaliation with extreme prejudice against the hospital's weasel-faced attorney that involved his bearded partner in crime. Maybe add a beautiful blonde as well.

However, as much as he wanted to do a petty prank on Emmitt because of how loud it got at Bash At The Bench, it was put on hold for now. In his mind, what Emmitt deserved shouldn't be petty. Instead, it needed to be tweaked and refined so a clear message was sent, while at the same time continually driving the man completely batshit crazy. In the meantime, he was enjoying a relaxing bbq at his home in Santa Monica with family and friends. instead of Ellie's apartment complex. It gave Chuck and Sarah the opportunity to throw a party with Ellie and Devon's help, knowing it would be a tremendous benefit to the nerdy couple. Plus, it provided the beautiful blonde the chance to play with her 7 year old niece by marriage, Clara.

The Woodcombs weren't the only ones at the bbq. Obviously Morgan came with Alex, but at the moment she was in the game room watching him face off with a very competitive Molly who swore she would take her bearded competitor down without mercy in a game of Tennis World Tour for Xbox. As that was happening, Kathleen was enthralled in a conversation in the kitchen with Sarah's mother and Hannah. Meanwhile, Casey was located at the back deck where he was running the beastmaster grill that Chuck bought with a discounted rate during his time working at Buy More as a teenager. He wasn't alone because standing beside him was his girlfriend Gertrude Verbanski who was able to get some time off from being a sought-after travel consultant.

She was explaining what she did for a living. Her job consisted of assisting clients in researching, planning, and booking their travel needs to various destinations within the United States, as well as overseas. It piqued the interest of Dr. Edgar Winterborne and his wife who came to the bbq and were very interested in a much-needed vacation with their twins, Samantha and Dean. Speaking of the couple's twins, they were joining in on the fun with Alex watching Morgan and Molly trash talk each other over a game of Xbox tennis. As for Getrude, the grand opportunity wasn't wasted on her as she gave the married couple her business card knowing she hooked additional clients, which was considered fantastic for her flourishing business.

In any case, there were also a number of the nursing staff that had the day off who were enjoying the BBQ as well. The engaged couple also invited Chief Beckman and Roan Montgomery, but they declined because they had an otherwise previous weekend getaway engagement at Palm Springs. Heather and Mark were invited too but were unable to come due to a scheduling mix up at the studio. Although the engaged couple were disappointed, they understood. As for the tall lanky half of Charah, he passed by Hartley and Vivian who were giving legal advice to Big Mike concerning whether or not Jeff and Lester should pay him damages for his broken marlin, Norman, that he knows they broke. Chuck simply shook his head in amusement and continued going around checking how everybody was doing as a host should, and briefly stopped to talk to Lazlo by the dining table that was filled with trays of food.

While they were talking, the nerd saw Sarah playfully interacting/talking with 7 year old Clara sitting on the couch in the living room with her back facing the both of them within arm's reach away. The daughter of Devon and Ellie Woodcomb was at the tail end of describing her imaginary dream house that was surrounded with magical unicorns, when she stopped to ask Sarah a question.

"Auntie Sarah, what is your dream house?"

It was a question that apparently caught Sarah by surprise because she was momentarily silent. In that instance, Chuck eavesdropped and awaited his fiancée's answer, while he half listened to Lazlo's rant about how the government has been able to listen to everybody through the use of Facebook and Instagram.

"Oh," responded Sarah, with Clara sitting on her lap. "That's a very good question, sweetie," she added, briefly bouncing the young girl up and down in a playful manner.

The spirited and imaginative little girl let out an amused giggle until the bouncing stopped. Afterwards, she took a brief moment and gave her a hug making sure to squeeze her tight showing how much she loved the 7-year-old. The beautiful blonde then proceeded to share with Clara her ideal house without really having to think about it, as Chuck was at that point focused on fully listening behind her, instead of Lazlo in front of him.

"My daddy traveled a lot because of his job so we never really got the house of my dreams. It was the house of his dreams, even though we lived in it temporarily."

For Sarah, reflecting back on a time that involved her father was opening painful old wounds again. True, they lived in nice houses and at times were set up in lavish condos, but every once in a while, they were able to live like millionaires in luxurious mansions that were oftentimes shown on MTV series Cribs. However, what she really wanted was something relatively simple and a place that she could place down roots, instead of living in a suitcase like a wandering nomad, she thought to herself.

"It's something I never really told anybody," Sarah softly began.

"How about Uncle Chuck?"

How about Uncle Chuck!? When Chuck heard that, he quickly made a move and maneuvered himself with Lazlo who was still ranting about the government listening in through social media. By the time the hospital's head IT specialist realized what had happened, a mix of confusion and a WTF look was expressed on his face. He had realized he was now standing where Chuck was previously positioned. Instead of continuing on with his government rant, he walked off leaving Chuck standing there in front of the dining room table intently listening in on the rest of what Sarah said. Afterwards, he heard Clara's response.

"It's not stupid, Auntie Sarah," disagreed the 7 year old. "Stupid is also a bad word."

"It is a bad word, Clare Bear," retorted Sarah. "I'm sorry I said it. So, let's not tell anyone, okay."

"Not even mommy and daddy?"

"Mhmm."

"So it's a secret?"

"Just between us."

"Awesome."

Chuck couldn't help but be tickled by the conversation between his niece and fiancée. He took a brief moment and glanced over his left shoulder. When he did, he saw the two of them pinky swear, which caused the nerdy to express a soft smile. Afterwards, he faced forward and rested his hands on top of the dining chair in front of him while he continued to listen in on the conversation that his beautiful blonde fiancée resumed.

"What were we talking about again?"

"Your dream house. Duh!? "

Chuck nearly let out an audible laugh because the way Clara said that, he was 100% certain she did an eyeroll that resembled her mother's. Like mother, like daughter, he thought to himself. The youngest Bartowski refocused and continued to listen intently to the conversation going on.

"That's right. Thanks for reminding me."

"Welcome."

"Ok, let's see here. Well, I've always imagined a little white house with a red door and it had a picket fence. It was like the houses you watch on tv that people lived in."

"Like Bear In the Big Blue House?"

"Mhmm. Just like that one or Leave it to Beaver. Something cozy, homey and simple. Perfect."

"Awesome! What's leave it chu beefer?"

"An old black and white tv show, baby. You weren't even born yet when it aired."

"How about you, Auntie Sarah?"

"I wasn't born either, but I grew up watching reruns on tv."

As the conversation changed from dream houses to television shows, Chuck stood there in front of the dining room table, now with his arms crossed. In that instance, the sudden thought of moving and buying a house hit him. True, he and Sarah never really discussed where they were going to live once they were married. Truth be told, he assumed that Sarah was going to move in with him and let her mother and Molly live in the condo. Now, after hearing what Sarah confessed to Clara, a new objective was put on the top of his to-do list. At that moment, he made a determined vow to do whatever possible to find Sarah's dream home and wouldn't rest until his fiancée's dream came true.

XXX

"I want a rematch!" demanded Morgan, pointing up at Molly.

"I guess we know who won," stated Chuck, shaking his head. He stood in the open entrance of the gameroom with Winterborne. Westside's attending physician joined Chuck since he was checking up on his twins after a considerable amount of noise was heard from the living room area.

"You've had two," Molly responded. She stood victorious holding up two fingers from her right hand. The other hand, holding up the Xbox controller was like a trusty weapon that helped defeat her opponent. "Back of the line, Grimes!" smirked the teenager. She then motioned with her free hand to move on with a gloating dig at Morgan's expense. "Next!"

"I got next!" Dean announced, quickly shooting his hand up in the air.

"I want next!" Samantha called out.

At that point, Morgan stood up, took out his wallet, and opened it in front of Winterborne's two kids. "How much do you want so I can be next?"

Chuck was about to open his mouth when he heard his bearded best friend's full name called out in a very stern way. "Morgan Guillermo Grimes." After being called out by his full name, the self-proclaimed hetero life partner of Chuck Bartowski lowered his head, slouched his shoulders then let out a defeated groan. A few seconds later, he lifted his head and turned his attention to the source, Alex. She stood there with her arms crossed and eyebrows narrowed directly towards her boyfriend. "You lost 3 times so give it to the next person."

"But…" It's the only word that Morgan got out before Alex quickly interjected.

"But nothing," Alex retorted, taking a step forward inside the game room. At that point, Chuck and Winerborne try to hold in their laughter as Morgan was being lectured for not being a good sport when it came to losing at video games. It was considerably embarrassing for Morgan when she brought up that she's talked to him before about his poor video game sportsmanship, and how his attitude needed to be corrected. In Chuck's mind, Alex has always had a way with kids and it's one of the main reasons she was considered one of the best pediatric nurses at Westside Medical Center. Plus, she knows how to handle Morgan whenever he gets into one of his moods like he's in right now, he thought to himself. "You've played long enough. Now let Samantha and Dean play."

There's a brief moment of silence before Morgan begrudgingly responded. "Yes ma'am," he softly breathed.

Afterwards, he handed his Xbox game controller over to Molly then made his way around the couch. However, before the controller even reached Molly's right hand, there was a mad scramble for, and then a fight to hold, it by the twins. In that instance, Winterbourne stepped in and intervened before the twins killed each other over who got the controller to play with Molly.

Winterborne snapped the fingers on his right hand and just by the sound that it gave off instantly made the twins stop fighting. After they did, they immediately turned to face their father, which completely amazed Chuck. He wasn't the only one amazed as Molly, Alex and Morgan were as well. All 4 individuals continued to watch in amazement as Winterborne proceeded to solve the problematic situation.

"You know what to do," nodded Winterborne, to both his kids. He then briefly glanced over Chuck with Morgan, Alex, and Molly standing there transfixed on what was about to go down. "Played this with my brothers, Michael and Gabe."

"You the oldest?" wondered Alex.

Winterbourne shook his head. "Michael is. He's considered the saint of the family. Can do no wrong in my parent's eyes. Gabe is the middle child and developed a bit of the 'forgotten child' complex." he added, in quotes. So, he became an annoying trickster because he didn't get enough attention."

"So you're a younger brother," Chuck grinned. "Like me," the nerd added, pointing to himself.

"Younger brothers unite," Winterbourne proclaimed, raising his fist in the air somewhat enthusiastically.

"Younger sister here," Molly shared.

"We're both an only child." Morgan stated, pointing to Alex then himself.

A nod was given by Winterborne to Morgan, Alex, and Molly. "Good to know," he dryly remarked, giving a thumbs up.

Afterwards, he turned his attention back to his two kids who were ready for their face-off. All 4 individuals watched as Samantha and Dean stood face to face and then started playing the one game that required decisions that weren't based on flipping a quarter.

It was at that point Chuck took notice of what game they were about to play. "Are they about to…"

"It looks like it, dude," Morgan acknowledged, intently watching the game about to be played. "Rock, paper, scissors," he breathed out.

While Chuck stood there with everybody else in the game room about to watch what he considered the most riveting game of rock, paper, scissors. He knew there was a 50/50 chance for either Samantha or Dean to win. From the look on Dean's eyes there was seemingly a confidence of steel in his eyes as he stared down his twin sister who stood across from him. To the nerd, the young man showed no fear as he prepared himself to win and the mere thought of losing wasn't an option whatsoever. As for Samantha, she exuded the same confidence as well but it seemed to the nerd that there was something different about it. He couldn't put his finger on it. His keen sense of observation was abruptly broken when the game started and then within a matter of seconds the game was quickly over.

"I won," smiled Samantha.

Chuck saw the look of disappointment on Dean's face, but it was soon replaced with determined resolve. "One more time," he uttered, getting into position.

Samantha rolled her eyes and breathed out a sigh. She then reluctantly positioned herself with her right fist on top of her left inside palm. Once again the game was over within a blink of an eye and a winner was declared.

"Give up, bro," she stated, shaking her head.

"I thought I had you this time!" he stated, pointing at his sister. "I know I can beat you."

"Daddy?" As Samantha turned and looked up at her father who stood behind the game room couch, she crossed her arms. She shot a mix of annoyed exasperation towards him.

"He challenged you, baby girl," Winterborne responded, shrugging his shoulders.

There was a stark contrast between Samantha's annoyed demeanor than with Dean who portrayed this unwavering sense of confidence combined with a never say die mentality. The young man stepped up for a third time and prepared himself for his impending victory against his twin sister. The next thing Chuck heard was the resounding growl of utter defeat expressed by the young man.

Apparently, the reason young Dean never won a game of rock, paper, scissors against his sister was because he always chose scissors. His sister Samantha always anticipated her brother's choice because he never went with anything else other than scissors. Of course, by sticking with scissors it became Dean's quintessential Achilles heel to the point where she's won countless times, especially when it involved doing chores around the house that ended up being all done by him. Although he felt bad for Dean, the youngest Bartowski couldn't help but want to take him aside and encourage him to go with something else other than his go-to move. Maybe even going so far as simply going for either rock or paper. That or completely surprising his sister by going with Sheldon Cooper's additions of lizard or spock, he thought to himself. His thoughts concerning implementing a method utilized by a character from the series The Big Bang Theory were abruptly broken by the sound of loud snap once again.

"Sammy, your turn," proclaimed Winterborne. His attention from his daughter was then directed over his son. "Dean, you're next after her. Got it?"

"Yes sir," the twins responded, in unison.

Afterwards, Molly handed over the Xbox controller to Samanth while Dean took a seat on the couch and patiently waited for his turn to be next. As for Winterborne, he had his proud look expressed on his face, which Chuck clearly noticed. For him, he wondered and hoped one day he aspired to be at the level of fatherhood that his fiancée's colleague was. or at least close to it. The thought of whether he would either be a fun, or a strict dad was quickly set aside when he heard his name called out. He had to verify it with Alex, Morgan, Winterbourne as well because it did sound like Sarah's voice to the 3 of them as well. The nerd didn't hesitate and sprang into action by quickly heading off to wherever his fiancée was located within the full house of Casa Bartowski.

XXX

Chuck eventually found Sarah, who had him go out to get some more bags of ice, which left his fiancee taking over hosting duties until he got back. It was a bit overwhelming for her at first, but thankfully Ellie and Devon were there to assist her with whatever she needed help with. After a while, Ellie encouraged her to take a break, so she did and made herself comfortable sitting down on one of the outside deck chairs where she took a much-needed breather. Of course, the moment she sat down, the blonde threw her head back, closed her eyes and let out an exhausted sigh that slowly escaped between her lips. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of a female voice.

"You deserve a break, Chief."

After she heard that, Sarah opened her eyes and took a moment to locate the voice. Fortunately for her, the outside deck wasn't too crowded and was able to easily locate the source of the female voice in question who was sitting just off to her right. It was Hannah Lang, the hospital's traveling physical therapist and one of Chuck's very good, as well as close friends. A close friend that at one point became 'a what could have been', she thought to herself. She was sitting by the now turned off Beastmaster grill that was manned by Chef Casey earlier in the party. The tired hostess shook that thought out of her head. She then cracked a grin and adjusted herself in a more upright position and then responded to her.

"A nap is more like it," Sarah jokingly remarked. Afterwards, she briefly rolled and then cracked her neck, which caused her to express a relieved moan that escaped her mouth. As she reached up with her right hand to briefly massage the back of her neck, she continued on. "Enjoying the party, Hannah? There's still a lot of food left," she added, motioning over her left shoulder towards the inside confines of Casa Bartowski. "Oh and please, it's Sarah. We're not at the hospital so..." Sarah shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant way.

"Awesome. Sarah it is then," Hannah retorted, sounding a bit nervous. There was a bit of awkward silence between the two women before Hannah made the move by speaking up again. "Yeah, I'm pretty stuffed," She lifted her nearly empty plate of food to show her boss even though she wasn't her boss right now. "But I'll go later to grab more food and possibly take some home with me."

"Please do," pleaded Sarah.

Both women shared an amused chuckle. After a few seconds of more awkward silence between the two of them, Hannah spoke up. "I may end up going to the gym to work it all off."

For the life of Sarah, she didn't know what possessed her to do so, but she asked a question that popped in her head, then just came right out of her mouth. Unbeknownst to her, it would open up an enlightened conversation between the two women. "What gym do you go to?"

"9Rounds Fitness. I mainly do kickboxing workouts," she revealed. "Definitely helps burn calories and you get an awesome cardio workout out of it," Hannah further shared.

"I bet you kick butt, and no one dares try you."

"I can handle myself," Hannah confidently stated. "The staff actually nicknamed me Chun Li," Hannah amusingly retorted.

"The Street Fighter character from the anime, live action movies and video games," acknowledged Sarah. It was at that point, her curiosity got the better of her. "How long have you been doing it?" she wondered.

"A month after I moved here to Los Angeles. I'd say 2003/04-ish," Hannah answered, giving a guesstimation of when she made L.A. her home. "I was the new girl in town, and I wanted to find something to do since I was lucky enough to fill the physical therapist job that was left at Westside Medical. All thanks to Chuck," she added, expressing a soft smile towards Sarah.

At that moment, the irrational part of Sarah's brain wanted to investigate further even though a part of her rational brain told her to back off. Although she didn't have anything to worry about between the two of them, Sarah still wanted to dig a little deeper concerning their close relationship.

"That was sweet of him," Sarah politely smiled back.

Hannah nodded. "I remember I tried getting him to join or at least try a kickboxing class with me."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened after she heard that. She then leaned forward, picked up her deck chair, and slid herself to the right, a bit closer to where Hannah was seated. It all happened in a matter of seconds and it was a humorous sight to see for those who witnessed it happening. In any case, after she took a brief moment to adjust herself in her deck chair, she turned her head and faced the woman who was seated to her right.

"What happened!? Don't leave anything out,." she requested, wagging her right index at Hannah.

Hannah was both intimidated and amused by Sarah Walker and how she carried herself, especially when she was in Chief Operating Officer mode at the hospital. However, as she sat next to her, the intimidating figure that she was somewhat fearful of gradually subsided and was replaced with a totally down to earth woman who she learned was a total nerd at heart just like Chuck. The hospital's traveling physical therapist was given a whole new perspective as she described in lengthy detail what happened when she actually roped Chuck into taking part in a class that he wasn't really physically prepared for.

"You knocked him out!" Sarah blurted out loud.

Sarah's outburst caused everybody who was standing on the deck to stare at her for a moment. She was considerably embarrassed for a brief moment but then ignored the stares and focused on how Hannah knocked out her fiancé. Speaking of Hannah, she was embarrassed for her and a bit amused with all the staring directed towards Sarah, but then quickly moved on for her sake.

"He thought I was just a beginner at kickboxing and told me not to hold back," Hannah recalled.

"Look at you. A force to be reckoned with in such a small package," stated Sarah sounding, absolutely impressed. Afterwards she reached up and initiated a high five. Thankfully, it was reciprocated back.

"I thought he was joking, but as we were sparring together, he was playing around. Goading me to bring it," she further shared, shaking her head.

"Did you bring it? Please God. Tell me," pleaded Sarah, holding up both hands together in prayer. She was totally riveted in the story. "You brought it."

"After a couple quick kicks and punches, I let loose with the two hard punches with a spinning roundhouse hook kick combo that he wasn't ready for. It caught him point blank on the side of his face. It was lights out after that," Hannah described, snapping her right finger.

As for Hannah, she noticed a mixture of amused disbelief and shocked horror on Sarah's face, which led Hannah to immediately quell any concerns she may be having.

"Don't worry," she reiterated, holding up both hands. "He was wearing protective headgear at the time."

"Chuck certainly got his bell rung," Sarah chuckled, shaking her head.

"And his ego was bruised as well," Hannah added.

"Well, he deserved it for goading you into it."

"After that day, whenever he walked past any kind of gym or fitness studio, he would get a skittish look on his face as if he suddenly flashed back to that moment," Hannah humorously pointed out. "He hasn't really picked a fight as a way of joking with me since." This caused Sarah to burst out into laughter.

Once the laughter subsided, Hannah sat there and stared at Sarah for a moment, which caused the blonde woman to not only notice, but responded as well.

"What?"

"Do you want to do it?"

"What? Kickboxing?" questioned Sarah.

"No. The Great British Bake Off," Hannah sarcastically responded. "Yes, kickboxing!"

What Hannah suggested, she actually took into consideration."Never thought about it. I've done yoga."

"Pfttt," Hannah breathed out, disregarding the latter part of what Sarah said. "Yoga smoga. You'll feel like the female version of Jason Bourne when you're done."

"Do I look like a female government agent who kicks ass to you?" Sarah threw out that question thinking Hanna wouldn't actually have an answer to it. She was wrong.

"Female spy, not so much," replied Hannah, shaking her head. "You do kick ass as Chief Operating Officer of Westside Medical Hospital. Everyone agrees," she firmly nodded.

"Everyone?" questioned Sarah. Hannah firmly nodded.

Sarah is momentarily silent as she lets what Hannah said to her sink in. To hear out loud how very much appreciated and being acknowledged for everything she has done so far at the hospital. It deeply touched her in a very impactful way, which led to her giving Hannah her answer.

"Let's do it."

"Awesome," Hannah excitedly responded. "And I'm sure Chuck has since forgotten about it."

"Forgotten about what?" Both women turned to the opened sliding door where Chuck was standing. "And what are you going to do?" he asked, directing his attention to Sarah.

"Hey, you're back," Sarah smiled, seeing her nerd.

"She's going to try kickboxing," Hannah shared, briefly glancing at Sarah. "With me"

In that instance, Chuck suddenly stood frozen. He then expressed a look like he was having a flashback as if he was a military veteran flashing back to 'Nam. It was the same look that Hannah pointed out to Sarah that she referred to in her story, which tickled the beautiful blonde greatly.

"Are you okay, babe?" inquired Sarah, trying not to burst out laughing. Hannah wasn't any help as she was snickering right beside her.

"I…I.." Chuck stammered out. He then glanced behind him and then spoke up. "What!? What was that!? Someone's calling me," he stated, backing up and pointing behind him inside. "I'm coming!"

"I didn't hear anything, Chuck," Hannah pointed out, arching her right brow. "Did you, Sarah?"

"Nope. Nothing," Sarah responded, shaking her head.

Chuck just stood there. Instead of saying anything, he just pointed to his ears and then quickly ducked into Casa Bartowski through the blinds of the opened sliding door. The words 'I'm coming' were heard coming from somewhere inside. As for Hannah and Sarah, they couldn't hold it in any longer as both women busted out laughing together at what initially started out a bit awkward, on the patio deck but then turned into a genuinely enjoyable bonding moment.

XXX

The Bartowski-Walker BBQ at Casa Bartowski was considered a tiring experience, but at the same time it was considered a rousing success. Food was eaten, laughter was shared, strangers met then got to know each other, stories were told, and most of all everybody thoroughly enjoyed spending time together. It was around 10 p.m. when the number of guests dwindled down and so did the amount of food that the host and hostess encouraged them to take home because there was certainly enough to feed an army. Verbanksi tried to stay a bit longer but had an emergency phone call from one of her clients who was panicking about a conflict in travel plans that couldn't wait until Monday to discuss with her. So, she apologized to the hosts and before she left, made sure to kiss her hulking boyfriend.

As for those that lingered behind, they helped Chuck and Sarah clean up the place, but before that happened, they gathered in the living room. Alex, Morgan, Kathleen, Emma, Molly, Devon, Ellie and Casey. Speaking of the proud marine, he was on his feet and was gently holding Clara who tuckered herself out with the food she ate and all running around she did. The 7-year old's head adorably rested on Casey's shoulder with her face facing outwardly. Her mouth slightly opened as the faint sound of snoring could be heard. Both her arms were tucked inside against her chest and her bubble butt protruded out, while her legs were tucked securely inside the strong tree trunk-like right arm of Alex's father.

The guest who remained didn't waste a perfectly candid moment and snapped a photo of what was considered a rare sighting to behold, like Bigfoot or a UFO. Although a soft but noteworthy growling grunt was expressed it didn't diminish the fact that they all caught a glimpse of the big soft teddy bear he truly was while cradling his little buddy in his right arm. Essentially, it was considered an instinctual act of fatherhood that Devon couldn't help but smile at as he watched his daughter being cradled in the very protective arms of someone he and Ellie absolutely trusted. After the Woodcombs briefly glanced at each other, Devon softly spoke.

"If you need a break, big guy," he softly uttered. "Say the word and just tag me in," Devon generously offered, holding up his right hand.

"I'm good."

"You sure?" questioned Devon, standing up as Casey was turning around.

Casey said nothing. Instead, he just turned around on heels and narrowed his eyes at Clara's father. He gently rubbed the back of the toddler's back as he shot Devon a glaring look. Beforehand, Casey made sure he had the 7 year old safely secured in his right before he turned around.

"He's sure, Devon." Ellie pulled her husband down back on the couch right next to her for his own safety and well being.

Afterwards, faint chuckles of amusement were expressed at Devon's expense. A few seconds later, Kathleen sat there in her chair briefly gazing at her ex-husband then turned her attention to her daughter who was seated next to Morgan. At that moment, she fondly remembered something that caused her to smile softly.

"I remember when you were that age, Alex," she recalled, sounding a bit emotional. "Look at that cute butt sticking out."

At that point, Morgan said something without thinking about it. His eyes widened when he realized it as it was coming out of his mouth. "Your daughter's butt is cute, Ms. K. Trust me, I should know." In that instance, he didn't dare direct his attention to Casey because he knew the big guy was shooting a death glare directly at him.

"Dead man walking," Molly announced, thoroughly amused by what was happening.

Emma would have normally admonished her teenage daughter's comment, but she actually agreed with Molly. For the matriarch of the Walker women, it was like a fiery car accident that she couldn't look away from. It would have even been better if she had a bag of popcorn on hand to watch the potential carnage unfold.

Meanwhile, Chuck was sitting down in a dining room chair that was turned around and faced the living room side. Sarah was sitting across his lap when she heard Chuck whisper in her right ear.

"It's like the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where you want to close your eyes like Marion and Indy but you can't look away."

Sarah nodded. "At least they avoided getting their faces melted off unlike the Nazis."

"Oh, would you look at that," Morgan whispered as he checked and then tapped the non-existent watch on his left wrist. Afterwards, he immediately stood up. "I'd better be going." He glanced behind him and gave his girlfriend a quick two finger salute goodbye. "Alex." He then started speed walking towards the front door.

"Morgan!" she loudly whispered.

"Daughter!" whispered Casey, in a low growl.

"Dad!?" whispered Alex, narrowing her eyes at her father. It was absolutely uncanny for everyone who noticed the similarities between father and daughter. Afterwards, there was a momentary stare down with her father as she took a step forward and then made her way towards her bearded boyfriend. She eventually broke eye contact with her over- protective father and locked eyes with Morgan who she was now facing as both of them stood in front of the hallway leading to the front door. "Call you later?" she softly said.

A goofy smile was given by Morgan with an equally goofy nod. At the same time he did, his knees buckled. Fortunately, he steadied himself before his legs went out from underneath him. Afterwards, Alex initiated the kiss between herself and Morgan in full view of her father. By that point, nobody uttered a word as they all sat totally riveted at what couldn't potentially happen next as they all were keenly aware that Casey's left eye was twitching.

Once the kiss was over Alex reached up and caressed the left side of his cheek. It certainly caused Casey to react in such a way Kathleen sprung up from where she was seated with purse in hand and quickly made her way to her daughter. Instead of saying anything, she simply guided her toward the front door while Morgan stood there watching her leave, but not before waving goodnight to everyone in the living room. A few seconds later the sound of the front door opened then closed. There was a bit of awkward silence as Morgan stood there rocking back and forth on his feels. He then briefly checked his non-existent watch again and slowly turned then leaned towards the front door.

"Grimes," growled Casey. He clamped down firmly on Morgan's right shoulder with his left hand and pulled him back. "How about we give my daughter a 5 minute lead?" Afterwards, Casey squeezed Morgan's shoulder hard causing the sound of a whispered yelp to faintly be let up. Clara, unaware of what was happening as she continued to slumber, totally undisturbed.

It was at that point, Chuck patted Sarah's legs, signaling her to get up, then stood up himself. He then headed over to Morgan's location and extracted him from Casey's painful grip on his bearded buddy's right shoulder. The youngest Bartowski sibling intentionally placed himself between him and Casey then addressed everyone in the living room.

"I think now is as good a time as any to clean up," he suggested, raising both eyebrows. That signaled everyone else to get up on their feet and started cleaning up. However, one individual in particular voiced her disappointment as picked up a number of plates sitting on the coffee table.

"Laaaaame." Molly breathed out, rolling her eyes.

XXX


NOTE: Charah hosted their first BBQ together as a couple and hope you enjoyed the interaction amongst the guests. One of those interaction and I'm pretty sure you all enjoyed is Sarah and Clara. We've never really seen any sort of interaction between the two of them in the series so why not add that into my story. Also, I added a bit of Supernatural in this chapter as well with Winterborne's kids settling who got the xbox controller next by playing rock, paper, scissors. We all know how that ended up. Poor Dean. LOL. As always, leave a comment and share your thoughts as they're considered an incentive for a fanfiction writer to keeping on writing. As always, tip of the hat to NEVR for doing the beta! You rock, dude!