A/N: Well, this is it - the last entry. I'm a little surprised to have made it all the way through both seasons, especially with the surprise jump in the premiere date for season 3 - not that I'm complaining. Loads of thanks go out to my readers and reviewers, who put up with entries that were ridiculous departures from character, and even a few somewhat blatant violations of canon. Hopefully the occasional good chapters have made up for it.

I don't own Chuck. I have a stockpile of moderately clever ways to say that, but I'm saving those for my full-length stories...

Chapter 35: Awesome vs. the Ring

Devon sat glumly on the hallway floor, leaning up against the wall that separated him from the bathroom. He trusted Chuck – he had even before learning the big secret. So if little bro thought that the wedding needed to be stalled for some reason, Devon was willing to accept that on faith. On the other hand, there's a significant difference between briefly delaying and utterly destroying, and the line between them had been very decisively crossed.

"How is she?"

The erstwhile groom looked up and discovered his renegade best man staring nervously at the bathroom door.

"Not good, bro. She's in the bathtub with a bottle of wine – still wearing the dress."

Chuck closed his eyes despairingly. "Shit."

Devon couldn't suppress a chuckle at the uncharacteristic vulgarity. "Yeah."

Chuck knelt down next to his future brother-in-law. "Devon, I am so, so sorry."

The surgeon clapped him supportively on the shoulder. "No… well, I guess I can't really say 'no worries,' can I?" He paused thoughtfully. "Can you tell me about it?"

"Not all of it," came the regretful reply. "But I'm pretty sure I can at least tell you that Ellie's life was in danger."

Devon's eyebrows climbed his forehead at a high rate of speed. He hadn't even considered that potential complication of Chuck's double life. A vast array of thoughts rushed through his mind, yet somehow, all he could manage to say was, "Wow." Turning to study the younger man, he was surprised to see tears welling up in the nerd's brown eyes.

"I hate this so much," Chuck murmured.

"What's that?" Devon asked in surprise.

"This!" Chuck exclaimed passionately. "The lies, the secrets, this… this life. I'm just so tired of all of it. I mean, for Christ's sake, Devon, I just utterly ruined my sister's wedding!"

"Hey. Look at me, bro," Devon instructed. "There is one thing you will never need to apologize for as far as I'm concerned, and that's keeping Ellie safe. You can wreck a hundred of our weddings to do that if you need to."

Chuck laughed bitterly. "I really hope it doesn't come to that."

"Me too, man. I figure I'd get tired of eating the unused cake after the first three or four," Devon pointed out. Chuck's only response was a confused look. "Plus," the doctor continued, "you have to figure that after a couple dozen or so, it'd start getting harder to find a photographer who's willing to take the job."

The trademark Bartowski smile slowly spread across the newly-revealed spy's face. "You'd be the first couple that ever had to give their caterers hazard pay."

"Wonder how Ellie would feel about a Kevlar wedding dress?"

The bitterness wasn't entirely gone from Chuck's answering laugh, but it was greatly reduced. "Thanks for this, Devon. For the talk, and for understanding, and for being so great for Ellie, and… thanks for being awesome."

Devon extended a hand for Chuck to shake, and they pulled each other up from the floor. "Likewise, Chuckster."

Chuck stepped toward the bathroom, turning around just before reaching the door. "One more thing – don't change out of your tux just yet. You're still getting married today, even if I have to…" He trailed off.

"Call in a special forces team?" Devon tried.

Chuck smiled mysteriously. "Call in another special forces team to get it done," he finished.

As his future brother-in-law entered the bathroom, Devon was once again left wondering what the hell had happened at his wedding. But as he listened through the wall while Chuck consoled the sister whose life he'd just saved, his thoughts were much more focused.

Chuck's really all grown up, isn't he?