Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, here's what happened in the previous chapter: The newest Rockstar Rebel was introduced at Bash At The Bench and her name was Kaitlyn Rudd. The courtyard crowd learned from Chuck about the type of cancer she was battling. Of course, to distract her from being in the hospital and dealing with the pain Kaitlyn focused on knitting. She was good at it and knitted stuff not only for the hospital staff, but for the kids that are going through the same thing she's going through. One of those kids was the late Camden Willard. According to Chuck, he shared with the courtyard crowd how Kaitlyn knitted the young man a Harry Potter scarf and was buried with it. She truly and will forever be considered a Rockstar Rebel. Moving forward, Chuck was about to sing the dedication song for Kaitlyn when she interrupted him. Why? The 15-year old did want the dedication. What she wanted was something she wished for and granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her wish was for Chuck and Sarah to be married. Needless to say, Chuck and Sarah talked it over with Kaitlyn and Chief Beckman. Needless to say, Charah mutually agreed to get married on Bash At The Bench. So what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who do Chuck and Sarah reference in regard to characters in a movie when they bring up the subject of a wedding planner to Casey? What does Casey do that Sarah notices? Where do Casey and Sarah have a meaningful talk between the two of them? When does song the "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson play a part in her wedding to Chuck? Why does Chuck reference the movie Men of Honor? How does Morgan react to the heartfelt words that bride and groom exchanged? Read and find out! I hope you enjoyed 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.
A Moment Like This
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The setup for the wedding ceremony between Chuck and Sarah took a bit of time to pull together. Fortunately, since the stage was already set up in the courtyard, the crowd was going to be provided with some much-needed entertainment before the nerdy couple's big moment. Enter Jeffster. They duo remarkably stepped-up big time with a number of cover songs one of them being A-HA's "Take On Me". As they performed for the crowd, pictures of the couple were shown on all the lowered screens within the courtyard. Although it was considered short notice many of the hospital staff, friends, and family were able to provide Lazlo a number of photos for the slideshow. In any case, the performance and the slideshow itself were a hit evident by the applause of the courtyard crowd.
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Westside Medical Center
Outside Courtyard
Present
"Although it wasn't the dream wedding we wanted," Sarah paused and shook her head. She took a brief moment to reflect on how a simple wish by a 15-year-old was manifested into reality. Under normal circumstances, Chuck's brutal attack never happened, and they had their wedding without any problems whatsoever. Both of them heading off on their happily ever after. However, these weren't normal circumstances, she thought to herself. "What we ended up having was something far more spectacular than I ever could have possibly imagined." she furthered added.
"All thanks to Make-A-Wish," responded Bentley. "And a Rockstar Rebel named Kaitlyn Rudd."
Chuck and Sarah nodded knowing that without either of them, the wedding wouldn't have come together the way it did. Afterwards, the nerdy host of Nerfherder and Fuzzball spoke up.
"We couldn't thank Make-A-Wish enough for being able to turn the courtyard into a wedding venue so quickly." Chuck noted, giving credit where credit was due. "It looked awesome."
"They had some help," Sarah turned her attention from her husband to the man sitting to her left. "Isn't that right, Casey?"
Of course, the Hospital's Head of Security responded by sounding off a soft grunt before he spoke up. "Did I look like a wedding planner to you?"
Sarah arched her right brow and leaned back before a second. "Mary Flore and Frank Eggelhoffer, you are not," she answered, shaking her head.
"Who?" grunted Casey.
"Jennifer Lopez's character," answered Sarah. "The Wedding Planner. I love that movie whenever it comes on tv because of her." she fondly recalled. The beautiful blonde turned to her husband and expressed a heartfelt smile towards him.
"But mostly for Matthew McConaughey. Don't lie." Chuck humorously chimed in.
The youngest Bartowski sibling pursed his lips together while he squinted his eyes at his wife. In response, Sarah innocently shrugged her shoulders. Afterwards, his attention turned from his wife to Casey.
"Come on, big guy," The nerd shook his head and resumed speaking. "Martin Short's iconic character from Father of the Bride and the awesome sequel," he further added. "Plus, other iconic characters like Ed Grimley when he was on Saturday Night Live and oh," Chuck's eyes lit up in excitement. "Ned Nederlander from," The nerd suddenly hopped up out of his interview chair much to the surprise of Bentley who was completely caught off guard. "The Three Amigos!" he bellowed out. He stood momentarily still in a superhero-like pose and executed one the greatest salutes in movie history.
Chuck crossed his arms one at a time in front of his chest and turned his head to the left. He ended the salute with a fabulous flourish with a grunting hip thrust that Martin Short, Chevy Chase, and Steve Martin did in the movie. Bentley sat there utterly speechless, confused, and absolutely perplexed after what just happened. Casey, on the other hand, leaned forward and firmly pointed his right index finger towards Chuck.
"Don't make me come over there and have your lips permanently removed, Bartowski." the Colonel barked.
It wasn't long before Chuck quickly responded by sitting down and sat down in his seat tight lipped. He quickly leaned back in chair and avoided eye contact with the big guy. Fortunately, Sarah was far braver than her husband was because of the brother-sister relationship she and Casey shared.
"I'm surprised you actually knew what bunting was and how it clashed with certain materials." Sarah pointed out, expressing her amusement.
Chuck's eyes widened after he heard what his wife shared concerning Casey but wasn't daring enough to look at him. The nerd's eyes grew even wider when the hulking Head of Security responded to his wife.
"My mother had a side job for a sewing and alterations shop. I ended up becoming her assistant," grunted Casey, in response. "I was young, and it helped pay the bills," he firmly reiterated.
Silence blanketed the interview area by the blue courtyard bench until it was broken by Sarah speaking up. "Hey," The beautiful blonde faced the man who she considered a big brother from another mother. "It shows you're simply a jack of all trades. Plus, I'm truly appreciative and grateful when you stepped in knowing you would be there for me on the most important day of my life." she shared, getting considerably emotional.
At that moment, Casey expressed a low growling grunt. "Lady feelings" he softly growled.
Sarah wasn't intimated one bit because she knew there was a soft spot behind Casey's gruff and tough exterior. They would have to take time to get to know and be around him, she thought to herself. It was that thought in which Sarah smiled and brought up a particular memory between the two of them.
"I don't know why but I was feeling so nervous standing several feet away from the double doors leading to the courtyard."
"I take it Casey was there doing his best in helping calm your nerves." stated Bentley.
Sarah nodded. "He did much more than that," She paused, briefly reflecting on that moment. Her attention turned from Bentley to Casey who continued sitting there next to with his arms crossed. The smile on her face never wavering. She could tell Beckman's enforcer was noticeably uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. At that moment, she didn't really care. "Do you remember the conversation we had together after the groomsmen and bridesmaids took their positions? It was just the two of us alone and…"
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Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Entrance/Exit - Inside Hospital
XXX
"You look beautiful, Walk…," Casey stopped and corrected himself. "Sarah." he softly uttered, proudly smiling at Sarah in her wedding dress. She was holding close to her heart the bouquet of flowers, which brides traditionally carried down the aisle.
Sarah smiled back at Casey who was handsomely dressed in the tux that he was going to wear for her wedding before it was unfortunately postponed. As they both stood in the entryway/exit leading to the outside courtyard, Sarah saw him briefly reaching up with his right hand and speaking into the communication device concealed in his right cuff. She knew he was contacting his security team and was making sure there would be no disruption that would end up ruining Sarah's wedding. Her attention with what Casey was doing turned to the double doors several feet away from her, which she walked in and out from so many times before. However, this time it was different. It was different because it meant she was going to be walking through them and marrying the man of her dreams, which was a very comforting feeling. Unfortunately, she was also experiencing another feeling as well. She was nervous. For the first time in her life, she was nervous about marrying a man she was truly in love with and was actually being given love back in return. She also felt something else that was very familiar to her, and it had been ages since she had the feeling. Fortunately, the aforementioned feeling was answered when she was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts with one word.
"Butterflies."
"What?" questioned Sarah, turning her attention to Casey.
"Butterflies," Casey softened his gaze instead of expressing his usual death glare of intensity. "I had them with Katherine when we first met. They never really go away." he added, softly smirking.
"You still love Katherine, don't you?" Sarah asked.
Casey nodded. "I do, but" At the moment, Sarah saw him reflecting on his relationship with his ex-wife then versus now. "It's more respect than anything else with Katherine. The love we share for our daughter is what matters most." he explained.
"Alex is lucky to have the both of you as her parents." the beautiful blonde responded.
Casey softly grunted in response. Afterwards, Sarah watched as he crossed his arms and turned his focus on the same two double doors that she was staring at before he interrupted her. As she stood there next to him, she noticed something Casey was doing, and it made her smile.
"Alex does the same thing."
It wasn't long before Sarah heard a familiar grunt, which she deciphered as mild confusion. Afterwards, she directed Casey's attention to the two fingers on his right hand. Apparently, he was rubbing them together like a violin while he stood next to her with his arms crossed. Speaking of Casey, he immediately stopped and expressed a seemingly embarrassed look on his face because he didn't realize he was doing it.
"She told me she does it whenever she gets nervous. Don't worry," Sarah gave a reassuring smile as she slowly leaned over to him. "I won't tell anyone that you're nervous. It's just between you and me, partner." she whispered, winking up at him. Afterwards, she playful tapped him with her bouquet that she was holding in her hands.
The sound of a faint grunt with a bit of smirk was expressed by Casey. Afterwards, there was a moment of silence between the two of them as they were both facing the double doors leading to the outside courtyard. A few seconds later, the silence was broken when Casey leaned over this time.
"The moment you stepped into Bartowski's life he turned from a boy into a man," he softly uttered. "I've known the kid a long time, Casey paused and took a moment thinking back on it. Afterwards, he shook his head. "Far too long if you ask me." What he said warranted a soft chuckle from Sarah. A few seconds later, Casey turned and peered down at the beautiful blonde bride looking her in the eyes. "You were able to bring him back to life like no one else ever could." A firm nod was given to her. "The same can be said about him changing your life as well."
"He didn't have to impress me or manipulate me," responded Sarah, shaking her head. "Just him being adorably cute and charmingly unique in his own awkwardly, nerdy way." She breathed out a satisfying sigh of contentment. "Chuck being Chuck. That's the guy who I fell in love with. Wheelchair or no wheelchair."
This time, Sarah heard a noteworthy grunt from Casey. Speaking of Casey, he responded to what she shared with him concerning Chuck.
"Don't get me wrong. The kid's still a moron but," Cased paused, briefly squinting his eyes. "He's a smart moron."
The beautiful bride expressed a glowing smile in response. "He's my smart moron," she softly uttered. "My Chuck." Sarah proudly added.
"You picked a good one, Walker." he proudly shared. A few seconds later, Casey leaned over to her like Sarah previously did with him. "If he screws it up, Bartowski answers to me." he firmly nodded.
Sarah was considerably touched by Casey's response. She couldn't help but peer up at him expressing a soft smile towards the best damn partner she ever had. Speaking of Sarah, partner, he responded by expressing a confused and perplexed look.
"What?" grunted the hulking Head of Security.
Instead of saying anything, Sarah placed her right hand on Casey's left shoulder. It was long before she lifted herself up and softly kissed Casey on his left cheek. At that moment, Sarah saw how much her hulking partner was in his "lady feelings". She was about to enjoy ribbing him when they were suddenly interrupted when someone contacted Casey via his earpiece. A few seconds later, he spoke into the communication device concealed in the right cuff sleeve of his tuxedo.
"Roger that," responded Casey. Afterwards, he turned his attention to Sarah. "Your wedding planner."
"What did she say?" wondered Sarah.
"It's time." Casey responded.
The two words Casey uttered quickly made the reality of the situation very real for Sarah. She was about to experience the most joyous and scariest event of her life. The following 3 words kept repeating in her mind: don't freak out.
XXX
***
Westside Medical Center
Outside Courtyard
Present
"What do you remember most when you walked through the courtyard, Sarah?" inquired Bentley. She pointed to the flatscreen television showing her walking down the aisle for the married couple to rewatch and relive the moment.
Sarah sat there next to her nerdy husband watching the footage together while she thought back on that moment in question. After a few seconds of watching herself walking down the aisle with Casey, she spoke up.
"It was such a surreal moment. Devon and Ellie's daughter was absolutely adorable as our flower girl," she recalled. "And before she left, Clara waved at me and saluted Casey. Of course, Casey saluted back. I wish I had taken a video of it." she added, expressing a mix of disappointment and regret.
Bentley smiled. Afterwards, she resumed the interview. "Who was the ring bearer?" she curiously wondered.
"It was short notice, so it ended up being Kaitlyn and she was awesome." Chuck chimed in, smiling. "She ended up pulling double duty. She was also Sarah's honorary bridesmaid." he proudly noted.
In response, Sarah nodded and smiled as well. It wasn't long before she spoke up again. "Everybody was so proud of her."
Afterwards, Bentley nodded. "Please continue, Mrs. Bartowski."
The beautiful blonde nodded. "Anyways," Sarah sat there in her seat and briefly gathered her thoughts before she resumed speaking. "When I first stepped out with Casey, I saw the Bartowski Brigade. A few seconds later, I suddenly noticed out of my peripheral vision all the hospital staff seemingly huddled together and standing out on their office balcony. So were the patients who were looking out their open windows," she recalled, shaking her head. Her focus on the flatscreen returned to Bentley and continued sharing what she remembered as she was walking down the aisle. "If Casey's security team hadn't closed off access to the roof there's no telling how crazy it would have gotten."
"Safety reasons," responded Casey. "And it's considered protocol for any high-profile event in case of any possible dangers."
"What possible dangers? Accidental falls or," questioned Chuck. "Hans Gruber and his team trying to take over the hospital in a Die Hard situation kind of possible danger?"
"That or a psycho stalker that nearly killed and paralyzed you." Casey retorted, eyeing his partner's nerdy husband.
"Gotcha." Chuck breathed out. Afterwards, he nodded and acknowledged Casey's military expertise.
A few seconds later, both men suddenly heard the sound of a clearing throat. Chuck and Casey turned their attention to the source. It was Bentley who expressed a stern look towards them. Afterwards, her attention was redirected back to Sarah.
"Please continue, Mrs. Bartowski," requested the award-winning documentarian.
A slight nod was given for her to continue sharing what she remembered about when she was escorted down the aisle by Casey. After nodding back in response, Sarah continued recalling what she remembered from her wedding day.
"The walk down the aisle was nerve wracking," Sarah shared. "Luckily, Casey kept squeezing my hand and leaned over to remind me to focus on Chuck instead of the distractions of my surroundings. So," She softly smiled, turning her attention from Bentley to her husband. "I did." she added, taking his advice to heart.
"The moment I saw Sarah," Chuck briefly glanced over at Bentley before expressing his trademark toothy smile. "She instantly took my breath away like she did the first time we met," For the nerd, it was a cherished memory he fondly remembered while he continued to gaze into the eyes of wife with loving admiration and adoration.
Bentley didn't waste any time and pressed on with her line of questioning for the happily married couple. She decided to focus her attention on the beautiful blonde first sitting across from her first.
"Mrs. Bartowski," Bentley's strong emphasis on Sarah's name was able to break up the married couple's moment shared between the two of them. It certainly got the beautiful blonde's attention as Sarah turned her focus from her husband to her. "What was going through your mind as you made your way towards Chuck?" After Bentley asked her question, it didn't take long for Sarah to answer her.
"Well, I didn't want to trip and fall flat on my face." she revealed, shaking her head. "Thank God I didn't because that wouldn't have been awesome." She briefly paused before she continued to share what was on her mind as she made her way to her now husband. "When Chuck and I locked eyes, I saw how emotional he was getting and…"
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Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Outside Courtyard
Sarah smiled after she was finally focused on Chuck instead of all the distractions happening due to her surroundings. It seemed like everything was visually noisy and chaotic until she saw the man she was going to marry, which caused everything to move in slow motion. For her, she always dreamed of a moment like this as a young girl and now it has come true. Although they are surrounded by a courtyard full of people in person and countless others watching online, she imagined that the only people in the courtyard were just the two of them. Of course, it was a moment she considered a last memory she wanted captured and bottled. Sadly, she couldn't. However, she felt her heart singing. The song that she was not only feeling but somehow hearing was the song Kelly Clarkson sang when she beat runner up Justin Guarini and became the first American Idol. A song she knew the lyrics to by heart word for word.
What if I told you it was all meant to be?
Would you believe me?
Would you agree?
It's almost that feeling
We've met before
So, tell me that you don't think I'm crazy
When I tell you, love has come here and now
A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
It was truly meant to be between her and Chuck, she thought to herself. Unfortunately, she didn't think that way at the time because of the circumstances of how they met. When she thought back on that particular moment, she never believed, imagined or even agreed with anyone for that matter she would ever meet the love of her life in that courtyard. She truly didn't plan on it because she was focusing on trying to get her life together with a fresh start and living in a completely different zip code. True, she got to know Chuck through his family, friends, and YouTube channel before she got the chance to find out organically, which was a crazy albeit situation to begin with. What was even crazier was she fell instantly in love with him even though she didn't know it at the time, she thought to herself.
Everything changes but beauty remains
Something so tender, I can't explain
Well, I may be dreaming but still lie awake
Can't we make this dream last forever?
And I'll cherish all the love we share
After reaching the halfway point of being walked down the aisle by Casey, the beautiful blonde bride's life was forever changed when she met Chuck Bartowski. When she thought back on it, Chuck was able to open up the hidden beauty of his world, which somehow remained hidden until he showed it to her. In her mind, it was the way he was able to show and open up a whole new world of possibilities couldn't quite explain at first. However, it was a world full of warmth and tenderness she never truly experienced before mentally and emotionally. At first, she thought it was merely a dream. Why? Essentially, there was actually a guy who was able to quite possibly make all dreams come true become not only a reality but have it last forever instead of turning it into a long-lasting nightmare. Thankfully, it all came true and it will certainly be a cherished, loving memory they will share together for the rest of their lives.
A moment like this, some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Could this be the greatest love of all?
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall
So let me tell you this
Could Chuck Bartowski be the greatest love of her life? Will he catch me whenever I fall? Will he be able to take my pain away when I find myself mentally, emotionally, and physically hurt? Yes. Those questions and others like it were something she didn't have to be unfortunately burdened with, she thought to herself. It's those same questions where she knew from the bottom of her heart she wouldn't be laying in bed up all hours of the night because Chuck didn't have her questioning his motives for his own selfish needs and/or wants. What she also knew was the man she fell in love with selflessly looked out and did his best in taking care of others before looking out for himself. It was something that was thoroughly ingrained in him because of the type of man he will forever and always be thanks to his older sister, Ellie Bartowski. A woman she would eternally be grateful for knowing she practically taught and raised him to become the man she ended up marrying.
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Some people search forever for that one special kiss
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this
Oh, like this (moment like this)
Oh, I can't believe it's happening to me (moment like this)
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this, ooh
XXX
Westside Medical Center
Outside Courtyard
Present
"I kept my focus on Chuck all the way to the altar. The smiles on both our faces never went away." Sarah shared, softly smiling. The lyrics to Kelly Clarkson's song slowly faded away as she stood across from her husband-to-be. "After reaching the altar, Casey lifted my wedding veil and instead of kissing me we hugged. Once his part of giving me away to Chuck was done, Casey took his place as one of the groomsmen with Devon, Hartley, Mark, and Bryce. Bryce was Chuck's Best Man."
"Bentley arched her right brow after what she heard. "What happened to Morgan? I thought for sure he was going to be Chuck's Best Man since they've been best friends since childhood."
"About that," There was a momentary pause before the beautiful blonde responded. "You see, after Chuck took my hand and turned his wheelchair around, we ended up facing someone I didn't count on who was going to perform the ceremony." she added, shaking her head in disbelief.
XXX
Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Outside Courtyard
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Morgan proudly announced, into the mic attached to the mic stand. He smiled as he stood two feet away from Chuck and Sarah. "Bartowski Bridge and the audience watching online," he smiled, scanning the packed courtyard. "We are gathered here today…"
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***
Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Outside Courtyard
XXX
"The bride and groom prepared something they've written for each other. So," Morgan announced, addressing the courtyard and online viewers. Afterwards, his attention was directed to the person speaking first. "Sarah, you may go first." he added, with a smiling nod towards her. He motioned for her to step up to her mic attached to her own mic stand.
It wasn't long before Alex stepped forward as Sarah's Maid of Honor and took the bouquet of flowers her best friend handed her. Afterwards, she stepped back and rejoined Ellie, Alex, Molly, Heather, and the honorary bridesmaid Kaitlyn. In any case, the momentary interaction between the Maid of Honor and Bride gave Sarah time to get out a folded piece of paper she had tucked away somewhere to read out loud to Chuck. Granted, it took a moment and combined with how nervous she was standing there across from him, she didn't want to mess up. Once Sarah felt she was ready, she took a couple deep breaths before she lifted her head and locked her eyes with Chuck's who was seated in his wheelchair in front of her.
"Chuck," Sarah briefly peered down to read the opening lines of her speech. "You and I met at a period of my life when I was trying to find myself. I was lost and thought I was never going to be the person who I was comfortable being." she added, shaking her head. "You changed that. Unfortunately, it didn't quite start off on the right foot." Her mood quickly changed and softly chuckled to herself. After taking another deep breath, she resumed speaking. "I will always remember I was walking up and you were standing behind the blue courtyard bench. What I also remember was you were rapping something about Vicky Vale from Batman while wearing a Harry Potter sorting hat.
"I can personally attest to that," chimed in Morgan, proudly raising his right hand in the air. "I was there and ended up wearing the sorting hat."
After the bride and Morgan provided their shared memories of Charah's first meeting together, the courtyard crowd softly erupted in laughter. Of course, Chuck simply shrugged his shoulders knowing how awkward it was standing there in front of an incredibly beautiful woman with the Harry Potter sort hat on his head. It wasn't a great first impression to say the least, he thought to himself. Fortunately, he had a sense of humor about it. He simply turned his head to the courtyard crowd and shrugged his shoulders while he continued sitting in his wheelchair that was facing Sarah. A few seconds later, the oldest daughter of Emma Walker pressed on with her speech after the laughter subsided. However, after looking at her speech, she suddenly decided to ignore it and just started speaking from the heart.
"Little did I know the blue courtyard bench will always be considered special because of how it connected us together in a way."
Sarah briefly turned and looked back over her right shoulder towards the blue courtyard bench, which was located just a feet away from the two of them. Afterwards, she continued to let her heart speak for her.
"You helped me bring back a side of myself I never thought I would see again," she proudly shared. "A side I wasn't able to fully embrace and because of that I was made to feel I should be embarrassed about it." Sarah added, shaking her head. "Nobody should be embarrassed to enjoy going to places like San Diego Comic Con or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando. I know I would have the time of my life," She raised her hand high without any embarrassment whatsoever. "And I did," Sarah stopped and corrected herself.
No. We did," she firmly insisted. "And since I'm a Potterhead I proudly wore my Gryffindor robe while Chuck chose to wear Ravenclaw." the bride further shared.
Coincidentally, pictures of Sarah wearing the aforementioned Harry Potter house robe and holding her wand were shown on all the screens within the crowd. Of course, Chuck was pictured right there by her side enjoying every moment with her. The bride and groom smiled as they were able to look back with fond memories of a magical experience they shared together.
"What I'm saying is," Sarah paused and took a deep, comforting breath before she directed her focus to Chuck once again. "You taught me so many things from the time we first met till now, Chuck. I know I'm going to be spending a lifetime learning so much more being married to a genuine, down to earth nerd like you." she added, pointing to him.
There was a momentary pause as Sarah stood there in front of Chuck. For the first time in a long time, she had the freedom to be herself and enjoy what being a nerd was all about. She felt absolutely comfortable in her own skin knowing as a nerd, she no longer had to put on a facade for the sake of someone who didn't know who she truly was.
"I am a nerd," she proudly declared, into the mic. "And I'm standing in front of another nerd. My nerd. My Chuck." Sarah softly added, getting all emotional. Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. Fortunately, she was able to hold back her tears and continued speaking. "I don't have to ask you to love me because I know you do."
"Notting Hill," blurted out Morgan, struggling to keep his composure. Afterwards, he quickly reached up to bite his left hand, which was balled up into a fist.
Of course, everybody heard what Morgan blurted out and the crowd's reaction was mixed. One of those reactions came from one particular groomsman who responded softly under his breath.
"Moron." softly grunted Casey.
Instead of focusing on what Morgan blurted out, Sarah kept her focus on Chuck. After she took a few seconds to gather her train of thought, she pressed on with one last thing on her mind.
"Chuck, you're a gift," At that point, the tears Sarah was trying to hold back started flowing. "You're a gift I never dreamed I could want or need. Every day I will show you that you're a gift I deserve." Sarah paused. She briefly took the moment and wiped away her tears. It wasn't just the beautiful bride who was emotionally tearing up. Everybody in the courtyard was getting emotionally teary eyed as well. After composing herself, she took one last satisfyingly deep breath before she finished the rest of what she wanted to say. "You make me the best person I could ever hope to be. I want to spend, learn and love the rest of my life with you."
After finishing her speech, Sarah expressed a loving smile as she kept her focus on Chuck in order to see his reaction. She wasn't disappointed because Chuck was clearly emotional as he was sitting in his wheelchair. Of course, someone else was emotional as well. That someone was Morgan. He was all choked up to the point where his lower lip quivering as he directed his attention to his childhood best friend.
"Chuck, ummm," Morgan's voice was quivering and was doing everything in his power not to cry. After taking a few deep breaths and biting the bottom of his lip, he was able to soldier on. "Your turn." he squeaked out.
All eyes were now on Chuck after Sarah gave a very impactful and deeply moving speech. In any case, when it came to Chuck's mic/mic stand, it lowered beforehand since he was in a wheelchair.
"Thanks buddy," acknowledged Chuck.
A slight nod given up towards his bearded best friend. Instead of leaving the mic on the mic stand like Sarah did, Chuck leaned forward and reached up to take it off. Before he held it up to his mouth and spoke into it, he retrieved his speech from his inside pocket of his tux. Once it was opened, he cleared his throat and directed his full attention to the beautiful blonde woman who was standing across from him. He took a second and peered down at his speech before he spoke up. The nerdy groom sat there silently in his wheelchair staring at his speech, which was a concerning moment to everyone else. After what seemed like forever sitting there in silence, Chuck finally spoke up.
"Yeah," the nerd nodded. "My turn. Wow." At that point, Chuck lowered his head instead of looking up at Sarah. After another few seconds of silence sitting there in his wheelchair, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sarah."
Instead of lifting his head and looking Sarah in the eyes, Chuck dropped the mic down on his lap and started rolling away backwards from her. When that happened, there was suddenly an audible gasp amongst the courtyard crowd who were left utterly confused and perplexed. They weren't the only ones as the groomsmen and bridesmaids were wondering what was going on as well. The bride was too. Speaking of the bride, she watched as Chuck rolled all the way to where Mark was standing and suddenly stopped. He turned around and faced the other direction. His head still lowered. After another seemingly silence, Chuck's voice was finally heard.
"I can't do this."
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Nationwide Community Spotlight
Studio Headquarters, Hollywood, CA
Present
"What a shocking turn of events. Shocking and surprising right?" Bently uttered, looking directly into the camera. "Don't you just hate cliffhangers?" she added, shaking her head in disbelief. "Did Chuck suddenly have second thoughts? Don't worry," The award-winning documentarian lifted both hands in front. "You'll find out after the break. You don't want to miss why Chuck backed away from Sarah." she further added. Bentley sounded seemingly reassuring to her viewing audience. "I suggest you go get a box of tissues while you're at it."
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Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Outside Courtyard
"Chuck," Sarah called out, taking one step forward. "What's wrong? Why can't you do this?" A look of worried concern expressed on her face. Her bridesmaids huddled around her in support.
After Sarah's question was asked, Casey faintly sounded of a soft growl. He was about to step forward when an arm suddenly blocked his way, which caused the hulking groomsman to quickly turn his head to the individual the arm belonged to. It was Bryce. Instead of giving a reason why he did, he looked at Casey who was shooting a death glare towards him. A death glare in which Casey wanted to not only rip the Olympian's arm off from its socket but repeatedly beat him with it. Fortunately for Bryce, his arm wasn't ripped off and just as he was about to say something to Casey he was interrupted by the sound of Chuck's voice.
"The reason I can't do this," Chuck slowly turned his wheelchair around and faced in Sarah's direction. A few seconds later, the groom finally lifted his head and looked directly at his confused and bewildered bride. "I don't want to look up at you to express how much you mean to me." He shook his head. "I want to be standing when I do." he shared.
The expression on Chuck's face turned serious and looked as if he was doing his best in concentrating for his next move. It wasn't until he started pushing himself up while he was still holding the mic in his hand that everybody suddenly realized what was happening. The courtyard crowd gradually erupted by sounding off a clearly audible gasp that echoed within the courtyard. The entire courtyard was so incredibly silent once the echoes faded afterwards a person could have heard a pin dropped on the ground at that very moment. Granted, a number of Bartowski Brigade had their phones out and were documenting it all on video. In any case, as much as the crowd wanted to loudly support the nerd with applause and cheers, they chose to silently root for him for the time being. However, no one was silently rooting for Chuck harder than Sarah as all eyes continued to be transfixed on Chuck.
Meanwhile, Lazlo made sure to keep the camera focused on his friend and business partner making his attempt to stand up. For the head honcho of the Hospital's IT department, he knew everyone watching in the hospital and online were not only glued to what they were witnessing, but they were quite literally on the edge of the seat in regard to Chuck. Speaking of Chuck, it seemed like he was struggling to get to a standing position, and it led to the moment where a couple sporadic shouts suddenly broke the silence in support for Chuck, which mainly came from the group of pediatric kids. The group of pediatric kid's shout of support quickly died down as Chuck finally stood straight up. There was a momentary pause and during that moment the courtyard fell dead silent once again. It seemed as if nobody wanted to say or do anything to ruin the moment by causing Chuck to be distracted.
XXX
Westside Medical Center
Outside Courtyard
Present
"I was dialed in," Chuck recalled. "And I felt like I was in that 12 steps scene from the movie Men of Honor starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro." he pointed out, noting the comparison.
"What scene?" wondered Bentley.
Chuck quickly answered Bentley's question. "The 12-step court scene where Gooding had to prove to some douche bag Navy Captain, he could still do his job after severely injuring his left leg while on duty. A left leg he ended up losing. Unfortunately, there was a catch. He had to wear an updated heavy diving suit. Fortunately, he wasn't there alone because De Niro's character, his former Master Chief and mentor, was there. He motivated Gooding's character to make those 12 steps no matter what." he shared, shaking his head. "It was certainly an intense moment to say the least." Chuck paused before he finished his thought. "Although it didn't have the same movie moment of intensity, it sure felt close to it despite not working the heavy dive suit."
"How many steps did you actually take?" questioned Bentley. "Do you actually remember?"
In response, Chuck shook his head. "No idea."
"What I remember is," Sarah chimed in. "My heart definitely felt like it was beating out of my chest, especially when Chuck took his first step forward towards me." Sarah shared, thinking back on the moment in question. "Needless to say, I was in tears as I watched him taking one step and putting it in front of the other."
The husband of Sarah Bartowski nodded. "All I kept hearing in my head was De Niro's character barking at me to keep moving forward. The funny thing though," Chuck briefly paused and expressed an amused grin. "De Niro's voice was coming out of Sarah's mouth."
"I didn't know that." Sarah mused, shaking her head. "Either way, when you finally reached and stood across from me, I hugged you. When that happened, I heard the courtyard crowd loudly celebrating."
"I remember," nodded Chuck. "I also remembered being face to face and nose to nose with you," he further revealed. "I had the urge to kiss you, but I didn't."
"Why?" inquired Bentley, chiming in.
"Why else," Chuck responded. He turned his attention from Bentley to Sarah who was sitting next to him. "So, I could first share with everyone why I wanted to marry Sarah Walker." he added, expressing his trademark toothy smile.
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Westside Medical Center
Bartowski-Walker Wedding
Outside Courtyard
"I wanted to keep it as a surprise," Chuck said, shrugging his shoulders.
The groom stood eye to eye with Sarah holding each other's hands. It was his turn to express his love for his bride. This time the bride and groom relocated. They were now standing on center stage with Morgan ready to resume officiating duties as ordained minister. The bridesmaids, honorary bridesmaid, maid of honor and the groomsmen were also on stage as well.
"I'm sure there will be more surprises in store in the future," the nerd shared, smiling at Sarah. "I'm looking forward to finding what they are with you." Chuck further added. "You know what's awesome. Today didn't exactly go how I pictured it going in my head." he added, briefly flashing a smile. "To be perfectly honest, I'm glad it turned out this way." he firmly nodded. "What I did just now was a challenge."
Chuck stopped what he was saying and stood there for a moment thinking about the challenges he has faced. After a few seconds, he cracked a grin and continued speaking.
"I was able to overcome so many challenges. The latest was thinking I wasn't going to be able to walk again. I overcame that. Why? You were standing across from me. Whether I failed or succeeded you stood up for and supported me no matter what. Come on to think of it," Tears formed in eyes and started sliding down the side of Chuck's cheeks. Instead of wiping them away, he kept on talking. "You were always there standing up, across, or beside me even if I didn't know it." He paused and took a deep breath before he pressed on with his tears in his eyes. "I pictured a totally different life before I met you and now all that's changed. Now, I can never picture my life without you, especially since you quite literally stepped into it and made your presence known right over there."
Afterwards, he motioned over to the blue courtyard bench knowing Sarah used it as an example in her speech. Chuck's touching and heartfelt words to Sarah truly made everyone highly emotional, including Casey. According to Morgan at the reception later that evening, he swore he saw Casey wiping away tears from his eyes. Casey denied it of course. In any case, the youngest Bartowski sibling made his older sister proud as he had more to say to his bride.
"How did I express the depth of my love for you?" he uttered, shaking his head. "Or my dreams for our future. The fact that I will fight for you every day." he firmly declared. "Our kids. They could turn out to be badass, nerdy, superhero- like Wildcard Enforcers or maybe not." Chuck jokingly mentioned.
The courtyard crowd certainly expressed laughter after they heard what Chuck expressed in a loving way. This gave the bride and groom a chance to wipe the tears away before they resumed holding hands. When the laughter eventually subsided, the nerdy groom took a deep breath and made sure to lock eyes on the last part of what he was going to say to her. "Words can't express it. They don't do it just because they just don't cut it." Chuck grinned. His focus never wavered as she kept his eyes locked on Sarah. "I'll just prove it to you every day for the rest of our lives." Once again, tears slid down the sides of his cheeks. "You can count on me."
Sarah was left momentary speechless standing across from her soon-to-be husband. Only one word best described how the beautiful bride felt after hearing all that Chuck.
"Perfect," she softly breathed out.
With that said, Morgan stepped forward and spoke into the mic. "You Chuck Irving Bartowski take," He briefly stopped and did his best in keeping his composure. It was a struggle for Chuck's bearded best friend, but he was able to maintain it for the most part. "Sarah Lisa Walker to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"I do."
"The ring please." requested Morgan. He turned his attention to Kaityln.
The honorary bridesmaid and ring bearer walked up. She held out the pillow for Chuck who picked up Sarah's ring. Afterwards, the groom gently placed and slid the ring on Sarah's left ring finger much to everyone's joyous delight.
It wasn't long before Morgan directed his focus to Sarah. "Do you, Sarah Lisa Walk…"
Morgan wasn't able to finish saying Sarah's full name before she interrupted him.
"I do."
"Alrighty then," Morgan responded. He quickly turned his head to the right, sniffing a couple of times.
After Sarah gently placed and slid Chuck's ring on his left ring finger, an excitement of energy was felt surging within the courtyard. Everyone knew and eagerly anticipated the moment for the bride and groom was about to happen shortly.
"By the power vested in me by the Intergalactic Federation of Planets," Morgan proudly smiled before he proudly made the announcement official. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
After officially being pronounced husband and wife, the couple stood there for a moment smiling at each other before Chuck spoke up.
"Come here," he softly uttered.
Chuck eagerly pulled his wife in and was able to finally kiss her. The new pronounced Chuck and Sarah Bartowski could help but smile as they kissed each other. A few seconds later, Chuck grabbed a hold of his wife and carefully shifted to his left. It didn't take long before, for the nerdy husband briefly dipped his equally nerdy wife and pressed his lips on hers. When that happened, the courtyard crowd erupted in celebration and this time around it sounded even louder than usual knowing the entire hospital was celebrating as well.
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***
Nationwide Community Spotlight
Studio Headquarters, Hollywood, CA
Present
"So, tell me," Bentley was sitting in a chair behind her glass desk. A box of tissues placed in the middle of it. "Was I right? Did you need a box of tissues." she stated, picking up the box in front of her. "Of course you did. However, our time with Chuck and Sarah Bartowski isn't over just yet. When we come back some closing thoughts will be shared." she added. Afterwards, the award-winning documentarian looked at the box of tissues and threw it behind her over her left shoulder.
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NOTE: I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED WRITING THIS CHAPTER. I KNOW FOR SURE THE NEXT CHAPTER WITH THE LAST AND IT WILL END THIS ARC. FOR WHO HAVE STUCK WITH THIS ONGOING STORY I TIP MY HAT TO YOU AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! AS ALWAYS, LEAVE A REVIEW AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS BECAUSE THEY'RE CONSIDERED AND INCENTIVE FOR FANFIC WRITERS LIKE MYSELF TO KEEP GOING! ALL ERRORS AND GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES ARE MY OWN.