Chapter 26
Song Recommendation – At Last – Etta James
A/N1 – OK, this chapter is going to peak Charah, before I take the story in a different direction (again). I hope you like it.
Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I don’t own Chuck.
Chapter 26 – I Do
Burbank, CA
Chuck had spent most of his adult life believing that the universe had a strange sense of humor. Somehow, the universe had managed to make every important moment in his life more complicated than it needed to be. Today, however, he was beginning to suspect it had finally decided to give him a break.
A promotion came with more responsibility. A vacation came with an emergency. A quiet day usually meant something was about to go wrong. That was just how his life worked, but today was different.
Today, Charles Irving Bartowski was getting married, and for once, nothing was going wrong. No alarms. No unexpected interruptions. No impossible decisions. Just a beautiful garden, a few people he loved, and the woman who had changed his entire life.
The realization was so unfamiliar that Chuck almost didn’t trust it. He kept waiting for a phone to ring, a security alert to sound, or someone to announce that the wedding had to be postponed.
Chuck stood at the garden entrance and looked around. The location had been Sarah’s idea. Not because it was famous. Not because it was expensive. Not because it would impress anyone, but because it was peaceful.
The location had been Sarah’s idea. That made it feel even more right. Sarah had spent so much of her life in places chosen for operational reasons. Today she had chosen a place because it made her happy.
Chuck stood at the garden entrance and looked around. He took a slow breath, letting the quiet settle over him. There were no tactical teams, no weapons, no mission briefing waiting on a screen. There was only sunlight, flowers, and the knowledge that Sarah was somewhere nearby preparing to become his wife.
Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the towering oak trees surrounding the Gardenia Collection in the Descanso Gardens. The garden was surrounded by tall trees, colorful flowers, and winding stone pathways. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches, creating small patches of gold across the grass. White gardenias decorated the ceremony area, their fragrance drifting through the warm California air.
A simple wooden pergola stood at the end of the pathway. That was where Sarah Lisa Walker would be standing. That was where he would say the words that still seemed impossible. Chuck had said plenty of difficult things in his life, but these words felt different because they were not part of a mission. They were a promise he intended to keep for the rest of his life.
‘I do.’
Chuck smiled to himself. For most of his life, he had wondered if he would ever find someone who truly understood him. Someone who saw past the awkwardness. Past the mistakes. Past all the reasons he thought he wasn’t enough. Then Sarah walked into his life. At first she had been a mystery, a beautiful woman with a cover story and a purpose Chuck didn’t understand. Somehow that mystery had become the person who knew him better than anyone. Somehow, impossibly, she had seen everything. And she stayed anyway.
“Okay.”
Chuck looked over. Morgan Grimes was standing beside him, wearing a dark suit and looking far too confident for someone whose main job was making sure the groom didn’t panic.
Morgan Grimes was standing beside him, wearing a dark suit and looking far too confident for someone whose main job was making sure the groom didn’t panic. Chuck looked at his best friend and felt another wave of gratitude. Morgan had been there before Sarah, during Sarah, and through almost every impossible turn their lives had taken.
“What?”
Morgan pointed at him. “That face.”
“What face?”
“The face where you’re thinking so much that you might accidentally create a new problem.”
Chuck laughed. “I don’t do that.”
Morgan stared.
Chuck sighed, “Okay. Sometimes.”
“Sometimes?”
“Fine. Frequently.”
Morgan smiled. “That’s why I’m here.”
Chuck looked at him. “To stop me from overthinking?”
“Exactly.” Morgan adjusted his jacket. “Best man responsibilities.”
Chuck smiled. “You made a list, didn’t you?”
Morgan looked away. “No.”
“Morgan, okay, yes, with Sarah’s help.”
Chuck laughed, “Of course you did.”
Morgan pulled out a small folded piece of paper. Chuck immediately recognized the look on his face. Morgan had clearly spent far too much time preparing for an event that technically required only one thing from him: getting the rings to the altar.
Chuck immediately looked concerned. “How long is that?”
“Not important.”
“Morgan.”
“Okay, maybe a little long.”
Chuck shook his head. “What is on it?”
Morgan looked at the paper. “Number one: make sure Chuck remembers to breathe.”
Chuck laughed, but the joke helped. Morgan had always been able to make him feel like the world was manageable, even when it wasn’t.
“That seems unnecessary.”
“It is not.”
Morgan looked serious. “Chuck, this is a big day.” The jokes were still there, but Chuck could hear the sincerity underneath them. Morgan knew exactly how much this moment meant.
Chuck became quiet. “Yeah.”
Morgan folded the paper. “You know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think you keep waiting for someone to tell you this isn’t real.”
Chuck had spent so many years expecting good things to disappear that believing in permanence still felt dangerous.
Morgan smiled. “That Sarah isn’t actually choosing you.”
He looked toward the garden. “I still don’t know why she is.” His voice carried the same uncertainty Sarah had heard from him before. Even after everything they had survived, some part of Chuck still wondered how someone like Sarah had chosen someone like him.
Morgan shook his head. “Because you’re Chuck, and she loves you,” Morgan said it as if there were nothing complicated about the answer. To Morgan, Chuck’s worth had never depended on the Intersect, his intelligence, or what he could do on a mission.
Chuck frowned. “That doesn’t explain anything.”
Morgan smiled. “It explains everything. You spent your whole life thinking you were the guy standing outside the door.”
Chuck listened.
“The guy who didn’t belong…” Morgan nodded. “And then Sarah opened the door…”
Morgan’s words brought Chuck back to the years when he had felt like everyone else was moving forward while he remained behind. Stanford had ended differently than he expected, and the Buy More had become a place where he could hide from that disappointment.
Chuck smiled softly. “Yeah.”
Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder. “And she didn’t ask you to be someone else. She just wanted you.”
Chuck looked down for a moment, letting the simplicity of the statement sink in. That was exactly what Sarah had done. She had never asked him to stop being Chuck.
Chuck looked down. “Thanks, Morgan.”
Morgan grinned. “You’re welcome. Also, don’t mess this up. That’s number four on my list.”
Chuck looked at him. “What?”
Morgan smiled. “Don’t freak out. That’s number two on my list.”
Chuck laughed. “Not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
XXXX
Across the gardens, Sarah stood in front of a mirror. She studied her reflection in silence, taking in the white dress, the flowers, and the woman she had become. For someone who had spent years looking at mirrors to check disguises and appearances, this was the first time she was looking at herself.
Carina Miller, Sarah’s bridesmaid, stood behind her, making the final adjustment to her dress. “There.”
Sarah looked at herself. For a moment, she didn’t recognize the person looking back. Not because she looked different. Because she felt different.
For years, Sarah had known exactly who she was. She was a spy. A protector. A woman trained to survive first and feel later. She had understood the rules because rules made the world predictable. Feelings were dangerous. Attachment was dangerous. Trust was dangerous.
Then Chuck happened, and suddenly the rules she had lived by no longer made sense. He had entered her life without permission, ignored every boundary she had built, and somehow made her want things she had once believed were impossible.
Carina noticed her expression. “You’re thinking.” Sarah almost laughed. Carina had known her long enough to recognize the difference between Sarah’s professional concentration and the softer expression she wore today.
Sarah smiled. “That’s what I do.”
“Not like this.”
Sarah looked at her. “Like what?”
“Like someone happy.”
Sarah looked back at the mirror. “I am happy.”
Carina smiled. “I know.”
Sarah touched the edge of her bouquet. “I never thought I would have this.” Her fingers tightened slightly around the flowers. The wedding was beautiful, but it was the ordinary things surrounding it that affected her most.
“Have what?”
“A family.”
Carina’s expression softened. “Sarah.”
“I mean it.”
Sarah looked toward the window. “I spent so much of my life alone.”
Sarah remembered the apartments, hotel rooms, safe houses, and temporary identities. She had learned to leave without looking back because attachments made leaving harder.
Carina nodded. “And now?”
Sarah smiled. “Now I have Chuck.”
The words still felt astonishing. Not because Chuck was unexpected anymore, but because Sarah had once believed that having someone permanently in her life was something other people got to have.
A small smile appeared. “And Ellie, and Devon, and my Mom, and Molly.”
She paused after each name, realizing that every person represented a place where she was no longer alone.
Carina nodded. “And don’t forget about me.”
Sarah laughed, “How could I ever forget about you?”
“You know, for someone who spent years pretending she didn’t need anyone…”
Sarah smiled, “I know.”
XXXX
The door opened. Emma Burton stepped inside with Molly. Molly immediately stopped when she saw Sarah. Sarah turned toward them, and for a moment the room felt less like a bridal preparation area and more like a family gathering. That word still carried a strange warmth for Sarah.
Emma said, “Wow.”
Sarah smiled. “Hi, Mom.”
Emma walked closer. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Molly looked very serious. “I practiced.”
Sarah smiled. “You did?”
Molly lifted her flower basket. “I know how to walk slowly.” Sarah smiled at the seriousness of the announcement. Molly had clearly decided that being flower girl was an important responsibility, and Sarah loved her for taking it so seriously.
Carina smirked. “That is very important.”
Molly nodded. “I don’t want to mess up.”
Sarah gently touched her shoulder. “You won’t.” She spoke with the confidence of someone who knew that mistakes did not have to ruin beautiful moments. Sarah had spent much of her life believing mistakes were dangerous. Chuck had taught her they could be part of living.
“But what if I drop flowers?”
“Then we pick them up.”
“What if I walk too fast?”
“Then we slow down.”
Molly thought about it and replied, “Okay. I can do that.”
Emma walked over and handed Sarah her bouquet. “You look beautiful.”
Sarah hugged her mother. “Thank you, Mom.”
Emma held her daughter. “I wish your father could see this.” Emma’s words made Sarah’s smile soften. Jack’s absence had always been part of the complicated history of her family, but today Sarah wanted to believe he would have understood how happy she was.
Sarah became quiet, thinking about Jack. “I think he would be happy.” Sarah looked toward the window. For once, thinking about her father didn’t bring only anger or sadness. It also brought the possibility that he would have been proud of the woman she had become.
“I think he would like Chuck.”
Sarah smiled. “He does; they met a few years ago, and Dad nicknamed Chuck the ‘Schnook'”
Emma nodded. “That’s because Chuck’s a good man.”
Sarah looked down. “Yeah, he is.”
XXXX
The guests slowly made their way into the Gardenia Collection. Conversations drifted through the garden, mingling with the sound of birds and the rustle of leaves. Everyone seemed to understand that the simplicity of the ceremony was exactly what Chuck and Sarah wanted.
Ellie and Devon arrived together.
Ellie looked around. “This place is beautiful.”
Devon smiled. “It is.”
She looked toward the ceremony area. “I still can’t believe my little brother is getting married.”
Devon laughed. “Why?”
“Because it’s Chuck.”
“Fair point.”
Ellie smiled. “But I’m happy for both him and Sarah.”
Devon nodded. “He finally found the right person.”
Ellie watched Chuck across the garden. “Yes. He really did.”
Nearby, Casey stood quietly. He had chosen a place where he could see the ceremony without drawing attention to himself. For Casey, being there was its own expression of loyalty.
Morgan approached him. “You know, weddings usually involve smiling.” Casey gave him a look that made Morgan immediately reconsider whether this was the right moment for another joke.
Casey looked at him and grunted. “I am smiling, moron.”
XXXX
The music began. Molly appeared at the end of the garden path. She held her flower basket carefully. Very carefully. She took each step slowly. She scattered the petals evenly.
Chuck smiled.
Morgan leaned closer. “She is more prepared than you.”
“Probably.”
Molly reached the front and turned around proudly.
Emma told her, “Perfect, honey.”
Molly nodded, “I practiced.”
Everyone chuckled softly.
Then the music changed. Carina began walking. Chuck took a deep breath, and then Sarah appeared. The first sight of her seemed to erase every other thought from his mind. All the rehearsed words, all the careful plans, all the little worries disappeared.
For a moment, everything stopped. Chuck knew people were watching, but they seemed impossibly far away. Chuck forgot the guests. Forgot the garden. Forgot his lines. Forgot everything except her. Sarah was all he could see.
Sarah walked slowly toward him, smiling. The woman who had once been a stranger. The woman who became his partner. His best friend. His future.
Chuck noticed the tiny details he would remember years later: the way the sunlight caught her hair, the flowers in her bouquet, and the expression in her eyes that told him she was just as overwhelmed as he was.
Emma walked beside her, and soon, she placed Sarah’s hand in Chuck’s. “Take care of each other.”
Chuck looked at Sarah. “We will.”
Sarah smiled. “We will.”
The officiant stepped forward, and the garden became quiet. Not silent. There were still birds in the trees. Still, the gentle movement of leaves in the breeze. Still, the distant sounds of Descanso Gardens continued around them, but for the people gathered beneath the pergola, everything felt still.
Chuck felt Sarah’s fingers brush his, and the simple contact steadied him more effectively than any speech could have.
This was the moment everyone had been waiting for. But for Chuck and Sarah, it wasn’t really a beginning. It was the continuation of thousands of smaller choices that had brought them here.
The officiant looked at them both and began, “Family and friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of two people who have chosen each other and who have built a life together based on trust, friendship, and love.”
Chuck looked at Sarah. Sarah looked back.
The officiant continued, “Marriage is not about one perfect moment. It is about all the moments that come afterward. The ordinary days. The difficult days. The days when you need someone beside you. Today, Charles and Sarah are making a promise to continue choosing each other every day.”
Chuck glanced at Sarah and realized that was exactly what he wanted. He didn’t need a perfect life. He wanted all the imperfect days with her.
Morgan looked at Chuck. For once, he didn’t have a joke.
Ellie watched her brother carefully. She remembered the boy who used to worry about everything. The teenager who thought he would never find where he belonged. The man standing in front of her now was still Chuck. Still kind. Still awkward. Still the person who cared too much, but he was also someone who had found his place because Sarah was standing beside him. Seeing him now, standing confidently beside Sarah, filled her with a quiet pride she could hardly express.
XXXX
The officiant turned toward Chuck. “Charles Irving Bartowski…”
Chuck immediately felt the significance of hearing his full name. Not Chuck. Not Bartowski. Not the guy everyone underestimated, but ‘Charles Irving Bartowski’. The person he had always been.
The officiant continued, “Do you take Sarah Lisa Walker to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and cherish her, to support her, and to stand beside her through all the days of your life?”
Chuck looked at Sarah. There were a thousand things he could have said. He could have talked about. Their first meeting. Their first mission. The moments when they trusted each other before they understood why. The moments when they were afraid. All the times they had nearly lost each other. Most of all, the moments when they chose each other anyway.
None of those things mattered as much as the simple promise he was about to make. Today wasn’t about explaining. It wasn’t about proving anything. It was simple. Just like they wanted.
Chuck smiled. “I do.” The words were quiet, but they carried every year they had spent finding their way toward each other.
Sarah’s smile grew.
The officiant turned toward her. “Sarah Lisa Walker…”
Sarah felt the same emotion Chuck had. Her full name. Just Sarah Lisa Walker, the person underneath everything. “Do you take Charles Irving Bartowski to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish him, to support him, and to stand beside him through all the days of your life?”
Sarah looked at Chuck. The man who had seen her when she was hiding. The man who had believed in her when she didn’t believe in herself. The man who had shown her that being loved wasn’t weakness. It was strength. He had kept showing her that she was safe enough to be herself.
Sarah smiled, “I do.” For Sarah, the words were not frightening. They were freeing. She was no longer promising to stay because an assignment required it. She was promising because she wanted to.
Molly leaned toward Emma. “They said yes.” Emma smiled at the certainty in Molly’s voice. To a child, perhaps the whole complicated history had a wonderfully simple conclusion: Chuck and Sarah loved each other, and now they were married.
Emma smiled, “Yes, they did, sweetheart.”
Molly nodded, “Good.”
“Good?”
“I wanted them to.”
XXXX
The officiant turned toward Morgan. “The rings, please.”
Morgan reached into his pocket. For a moment, he looked unusually serious. He handed Chuck the ring.
Chuck smiled. “Thanks, buddy.”
Morgan nodded. “Don’t lose it.”
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Carina handed Sarah her ring. “Thank you.”
Carina nodded.
Chuck took Sarah’s hand. His fingers trembled slightly. Sarah felt the movement and smiled. She had seen those hands shake before, usually when Chuck was frightened or overwhelmed. Today she knew the shaking came from happiness.
“Chuck, are you OK?”
Chuck smiled. “Yeah.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
He looked at her. “I’m just realizing this is real.” Chuck looked at the ring, then back at Sarah. He had imagined marriage before, but imagining something and actually standing inside it were completely different things.
Sarah squeezed his hand. “It is.”
Chuck smiled. Then he gently placed the ring on her finger. “With this ring, I marry you.”
The simple motion felt almost ceremonial in itself. He had spent years protecting Sarah. Now he was promising to spend the rest of his life standing beside her.
Sarah looked at the ring. Then back at him. She placed his ring on his finger. “With this ring, I marry you.”
The officiant smiled. “By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The officiant looked at Chuck. “Charles, you may kiss your bride.” Chuck glanced at Sarah with a grin that made her laugh softly. Even now, he couldn’t resist being Chuck.
Chuck laughed softly. “Finally.”
Sarah smiled. “Chuck.”
“What?”
“You were supposed to be romantic.”
“I am.”
She laughed. Then they kissed. Not a dramatic kiss. Not something performed for everyone watching.
Just Chuck and Sarah. The people who had once met because of a classified secret were now standing together because of something entirely personal and entirely theirs. A moment that belonged only to them. When they pulled apart, everyone applauded.
XXXX
After the ceremony, there was no reception. That was exactly what Chuck and Sarah wanted. They had spent enough of their lives attending events where every detail was planned. Today they wanted the freedom to be together.
No large room filled with strangers. No long speeches. No schedule. No expectations. Just time, family, and close friends.
The small group remained in the garden, enjoying the afternoon. There was no pressure to entertain anyone or follow a schedule. People talked, laughed, took photographs, and occasionally looked at Chuck and Sarah as if they were still trying to believe it had finally happened.
Chuck and Sarah stood together while Ellie and Devon joined them for photographs. Chuck smiled at Sarah between each picture. Every photograph seemed to capture another small piece of a day they would remember for the rest of their lives.
Ellie smiled, “I still can’t believe you two are married.”
Chuck laughed, “Why?”
“Because for years I thought you would never realize what everyone else already knew,” Ellie said it with the same affectionate look she had given Chuck when he was younger and worried that he didn’t fit anywhere. She had always believed there was more to him than he could see in himself.
Chuck looked confused. “What?”
“That you are amazing.” Chuck’s instinct was still to dismiss the compliment from his sister, but Sarah’s hand found his. She knew exactly how much Ellie meant to him.
Chuck looked embarrassed. “Ellie…”
She smiled. “No.”
She looked at Sarah. “Thank you.”
Sarah smiled. “For what?”
“For seeing the real him.”
Sarah looked at Chuck. “I didn’t have to look very hard. Chuck wears his heart on his sleeve.”
XXXX
Molly ran over carrying her flower basket. “Chuck!” Her serious expression made Chuck immediately kneel so they could talk at eye level.
He immediately smiled. “What?”
She looked very serious. “Are you my family now?” The question caught Chuck completely off guard. It was simple, but it carried a weight he hadn’t expected on his wedding day.
Chuck knelt. He looked at Sarah. Then back at Molly. “I think so.”
Molly nodded. “Good.”
Chuck smiled. “Why is that good?”
“Because I like you,” Molly said it as though there could be no better reason, and Chuck felt a warmth spread through him. He had spent years wondering whether he belonged. Now a child was telling him that he did.
Chuck laughed, “I like you too.”
“I wanted a brother.”
Chuck’s expression softened. “Well, I always wanted a little sister.” Chuck looked at Sarah as he said it, and Sarah could see exactly what the moment meant to him.
Sarah watched the two of them together. She felt something she never expected. The sight of Chuck with Molly made the future suddenly feel tangible. It wasn’t an abstract idea anymore. It was a family standing together in front of her.
Peace. Sarah had spent years believing peace was something temporary, something that existed only between missions. Today it felt different. It felt like a life she could actually keep.
XXXX
Emma approached Sarah as Chuck and Molly talked. “You look happy.”
Emma didn’t need Sarah to explain anything. A mother could see the difference in her daughter, especially after years of knowing she was carrying the weight of a life built around survival.
Sarah smiled. “I am, Mom.”
“I can tell.”
Sarah looked toward Chuck. “I never thought this would happen.”
Sarah looked around the garden again. The flowers, the people, the laughter, and the man she had married all seemed impossibly ordinary—and that was precisely what made them extraordinary to her.
“What?”
“All of this.”
Emma looked around. “The wedding?”
Sarah shook her head. “No. After everything, just this. Family. Friends. Just normal things that people take for granted.” Sarah smiled because she finally understood that the life she had once dismissed as impossible was the life she wanted most.
XXXX
Finally, the afternoon began to fade. Guests slowly prepared to leave.
Devon hugged Chuck. “Congratulations, Chuck.”
Chuck smiled. “Thanks, Awesome.”
Devon looked at Sarah. “You two are good together.”
Sarah smiled. “Thank you.”
Ellie hugged Sarah. “Welcome to the family, little sister.”
Sarah held the hug a little longer. “Thank you.”
Morgan was the last of the friends to leave.
He hugged Chuck tightly. “Dude.”
Chuck laughed. “What?”
“You’re married.”
“I know.”
Morgan shook his head. “I never thought this day would happen.”
Chuck smiled. “Me neither.”
Morgan stepped back, but I’m glad it did.
Chuck nodded. “Me too.”
XXXX
Casey Stood nearby.
Chuck approached him. “Casey.”
Casey nodded. “Bartowski.”
There was a pause. Then Casey looked at Sarah. “Take care of each other.”
Chuck smiled. “We will.”
Casey nodded. “Good.”
He turned to leave. Morgan watched him. “That was actually really nice.”
Casey stopped. “Don’t make it weird.”
XXXX
The gardens became quiet again. The chairs had been removed. The flowers remained. The sunlight began fading behind the trees. Voices faded, footsteps disappeared, and the garden slowly returned to the peaceful stillness that had attracted Sarah in the first place.
Chuck and Sarah walked slowly through the Gardenia Collection. Together. Hand in hand. Without the guests around them, the reality of the day finally began to settle over both of them.
Sarah looked around. “This is beautiful.”
Chuck smiled. “It is.”
“I still can’t believe this is our wedding.”
Chuck laughed. “I know.”
She looked at him. “Are you happy?” Sarah asked because she wanted to hear him say it. She knew the answer, but some moments deserved to be spoken aloud.
Chuck stopped walking. He looked at her. “Sarah.”
“What?”
“I’m ecstatic. I spent years thinking my life was something I had to survive. I thought I would always be the guy waiting for something to happen.”
Chuck looked around the garden as he spoke. For most of his life, the future had seemed like something that happened to him. Today, for the first time, it felt like something he had chosen.
He smiled. “But then you happened.” Sarah smiled because she understood what he meant. Neither of them had simply rescued the other. They had changed each other’s understanding of what life could be.
“Chuck…”
“You changed everything.” Chuck’s voice was soft. He didn’t need to explain how. Sarah already knew.
She squeezed his hand. “You changed everything for me, too.” Sarah squeezed his hand. She had entered his life as a spy and protector. She was leaving the garden as his wife, surrounded by people she could finally call family.
They stood beneath the trees. For once, neither of them needed to plan. There was no next mission to prepare for, no contingency to discuss, and no reason to wonder whether tomorrow would take them apart.
They had each other. And after everything they had survived, that simple fact felt like the greatest victory either of them had ever known.
Chuck looked at her. “So…”
“So?”
Mrs. Bartowski. Chuck smiled at the sound of it, still amazed that the words were real.
She laughed, “I like that.”
Chuck smiled. “Good.”
“And you?” Sarah’s question made him laugh. There was something wonderfully ordinary about teasing each other on their wedding day.
“What about me?”
“Mr. Bartowski.”
Chuck repeated the words slowly, letting himself enjoy them. For once, his name didn’t feel connected to a file, an operation, or a responsibility. It belonged to him.
He looked at the garden. “I really like that.”
Sarah leaned against him. “Ready to go home?”
“Yeah.”
He offered his hand. “Lead the way, Mrs. Bartowski?”
Sarah took his hand. “After you, Mr. Bartowski.”
Together they walked through the garden holding hands. They were the same two people they had always been. Just happier. Just closer. The sunlight continued to fade through the trees, and the last sounds of the day drifted away behind them. Whatever came next, they would meet it together.
Just finally home. And for both of them, that was more than a place. It was the promise they had spent years learning how to make, and finally, today, they had kept it.
XXXX
End Chapter 26