Let us do something, while we have the chance, partner.

Still don't own Chuck.

"That is all her."

-Chuck episode 3.17

Chapter 26—the Sunset

Ranch East of Visalia
January 12, 1871

Lisa smiled. They were trying to determine how to get all the prisoners up to Sacramento. "This should be easy. We went through thirty two bed rolls or the looks of them."

"Oh crap, there were only thirty-one of them including Shaw," Casey jumped out of the carriage with his revolver out. "Carina, you stay here. Lisa, come on."

They heard a big rumble and rocks falling. They looked at each other. Carina said, "You don't think..."

"Yes of course," Casey grunted.

Lisa got her revolver out. "Hold on a second," Lisa went to the other buckboard and got out two lanterns. "They left these at the camp."

Casey got one and headed to the cave with Lisa. They were cautious entering the cave. It was dusty but they could make out the back exit from the first chamber. Casey could see another opening. He had to bend over quite a bit to get through this. Lisa was right behind. They saw one of candles Chuck left. It was the chamber with the glistening wall. The sidewall was collapsed.

Lisa screamed, "Look!"

There was a pair of boots under the rubble. Casey went over to them and put the lantern next to them. "It's not them. This is some kind of knee high army boot," he grunted as he started to pull on the man that was wearing them. "He is not moving. We'll have to clear some rock."

Lisa put her lantern down. She heard it scrape the rock and then a couple other sounds. Before they started she held up her hand, "Wait, listen." They were silent. Then they heard it. "That's Chuck." Lisa tapped out a message on the wall, 'Casey and Lisa here. How are you?'

Chuck replied, 'Chuck and Sarah here and fine. Too much rock to get through. Walls seem thin. Will try here.'

'Rocks fell on someone, possibly Fulcrum. Will have to dig him out,' Lisa replied.

'Going to start. See if Dave has any drills back at ranch,' Chuck ended.

Casey turned to Lisa, "You go back with Carina. Get Dave and the troops that have worked in coalmines before and come back. I'll be fine. He isn't going anywhere."

Lisa tapped out another outlining the plan and saying to pause on the hour to check-in. "I told them to check in hourly. I'll be right back."

Casey pointed to the wall, "Looks like he was planning this. He had an extra charge here and pulled the fuse to it. He was going to drop this wall anyhow. Chuck and Sarah must have given him the extra push. But the ceiling got him. See what is left up there is all new rock."

Chuck on the other side of the wall looked at Sarah, "Well, this is a little dramatic, but at last we are alone." He smiled. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Yes, I know. But I think under the circumstances, we better work on getting out," she smiled and gave him a kiss.

Chuck brought the drill along in case they ran into some wall that needed clearing. He did not expect to bring a whole wall down in order to get out. He found a good starting point. It seemed to be mainly quartz and some mineral veins. Sarah took a seat against one of the dry walls. The sound of Chuck and the water running in the background permeated the cave.

Chuck was making good progress through the wall. He had worked an opening that would be more than big enough to crawl through. With the angles used to chip out the rock, the hole was going to be bigger. Chuck did it that way so that he would be able to swing his hammer at the drill when he was a couple feet into the hole.

The hole was taking shape when Lisa got back with Dave and the first drills and hammers for that side of the wall. Dave had a few candles with him and placed them near the wall. By then Casey had gotten the man crushed from the falling wall.

Casey said, "Here look at these." They were the papers the man carried. "Looks like he was Ted Roark. I don't remember seeing a picture of him. We'll have to ask Chuck."

Lisa tapped out the news at the hourly check, 'Man killed by falling appears to be Ted Roark. Will need confirmation.'

The other side of the wall was rejoicing. Chuck kissed Sarah passionately. He looked at her, "This means we should be able to get married soon. I love you." Chuck tapped back, 'Copy.'

Lisa tapped out, 'Dave and two of the troopers are here. Where should they start?'

Chuck was a bit distracted by Sarah. She put her hands on his, and kissed him. "Yes, the sooner the better. I really don't have any family to invite, so we don't have anyone to wait for."

"Well, most of my friends are down in Los Angeles or on the other side of this wall. So I don't have a problem there." Chuck picked up the drill and hammer. "Better get working on this."

Chuck tapped back, 'Center at six feet from the collapsed wall and four feet from the ground.'

Lisa tapped back, 'Copy.'

Chuck could hear them on the other side. They were doing better than he was. They would get two hits to everyone of his.

Sarah smiled. She sat back at the wall and let him continue. 'It was really going to happen. It was going to be a great day. They were finish with the mission the President set them to complete. They could wrap up this business about oil and gold and…what? We've never really talked about this. What are we going to do?' She watched him as he continued to dig out pieces of the wall.

Chuck was digging close to the other side of the wall and hit something he was not really expecting. There was a bluish green sheen to the material and then an orange gleam to the metal that was showing. Chuck turned to Sarah, "Looks like we have a little copper here." He chipped around the area a little more. The strip of copper seemed to be constant as he drug toward the ground.

Sarah got next to him and looked. "Is that something you would expect here? The walls were shiney and there seemed to be a lot of different…well, something. I guess I don't know if it was any metal. What was it?"

"Oh, you are right. There are several tiny deposits of several minerals going through this cave. I'm not sure that any one of them would produce that much. But this looks pretty solid. We'll have to have a crew take a look at where this vein goes. But let's get back to getting out." Chuck started back at the wall.

Sarah looked at a piece of the copper. She asked, "So, I do want to get married as soon as we can wrap this up. With Roark gone, there shouldn't be too much left of Fulcrum."

Chuck was banging away at the wall, "Yeah, I agree." He thought about what she was saying, "Do we have a problem?"

"What? No, oh no. I was just thinking that we never really talked about what happens next," She came over and sat next to the hole.

"Why, just about anything you want. I mean if we want to sell all our holdings, we are going to break even at the worse and likely make a sizeable profit." He kept working on the wall.

"Well, it's not the money. I know we'll be fine. But what are we going to do?"

"Oh well, I guess I haven't thought about it that way. I mean if we do nothing, you still have to run your company and I would still be running our partnership. Down in Los Angeles, I would still be working on the railroad." He turned and looked at her, "I like to work with big equipment. It is kind of fun."

"Well, what about your boss?"

"I assume you mean the one out east. And he's still your boss too. I'll do what he needs and help where I can. That just doesn't end. We'll have to see. Hopefully, we'll have a bit of a rest." He continued hammering away. "I do love you and you come first, but I do owe him a lot. And, while this sounds more like Casey, I will do anything to protect our country."

"I love you too." Sarah sat back and thought about that, "You're right." She looked at how big the hole was. "So how much longer?"

"Wow, you are starting to sound like Lisa," he smiled. "Actually we should be pretty close."

Sarah thought back about the future, "I would like that. I cannot see myself turning into Grandpa and just sit around and run the company. And I like Los Angeles…"

"Yes, I know. It is still kind of small and going to San Francisco or some place out east is fun. Whatever happens we'll try to do that." Chuck kept on swinging.

"So, what about the wedding?" Sarah started.

"What about it?" Chuck looked at her to see if he could tell what she was after.

"Well, I mean, who should we ask?" Sarah replied.

"Oh well, all of them he pointed to the other side of the wall and then the folks down at Los Angeles. I mean we can invite the boss but I doubt whether he could come. Maybe some of the folks you worked with?" Chuck looked at her as she frowned. "What?"

"I won't have that many people here," Sarah looked down.

"Yes, you will. You have Ellie, Lisa, Carina and Hiram and Casey. Then if any one comes from out east, maybe the Admiral or some of the others." He got a few more hits in, "I know it would be nice to have our parents, but we don't think Mom is alive and we don't know where Dad is."

"Well, I sure don't want my Dad or his new wife. I've had enough problems with her." She twisted around, "But you're right. Our friends and the people from our companies will be enough."

It was just a little longer and they had the hole go through the wall and then a worked a little more to open it big enough to crawl through. Sarah crawled through first and then Chuck. They were greeted by hugs and handshakes.

Chuck looked around at Casey and the cave, "So, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, no problem. You might want to take a look at him," Casey pointed to the body with the blanket.

Chuck went over and pulled the blanket back. He did have a flash with the information they already knew. It was Roark. He was positive. He turned to the others, "That's him."

Visalia
January 15, 1871

Chuck and the others were wrapping everything up. Chuck and Sarah had a constant stream of telegraph messages going. It was obvious from the first that the correspondence would continue. Going back to the ranch and working from there was not an option. They stayed at the hotel in Visalia.

The documents they had from the camp were a bonanza. They found Fulcrum activities across oil and gold. The documents provided enough information to issue arrest warrants for people in various parts of the country. Most arrests were made the next day. They were already getting reports back of the interrogations from those arrests. The results were used in the arrests of another ten agents. Chuck and Sarah agreed that with these arrests, Fulcrum would be ended in the States. Unless an arrest revealed another nest of Fulcrum, there would not be a Fulcrum organization.

They did get a message back from the Boss congratulating them and confirming the next battle against Fulcrum would be fought by the Germans.

The day before Ellie and Devon came up. Jeff and Lester brought them up by stage. Ellie checked both Carina and Sarah's wounds. She was happy with the progress and bandaged the wounds.

Ellie turned the wait between telegraph messages into detailed planning for the wedding. They figured that a month was all they needed. Sarah would have to make one trip for her business up to San Francisco and while there she could get her wedding dress made. Ellie again recommended the little chapel out at the Ramirez ranch. After the description of the ranch and chapel, Sarah agreed.

That afternoon Chuck went with Sarah to the top of the Mesa by the ranch. Winding around the rim of the Mesa, Chuck found the spot above the rockslide. He studied the rock and found three places where blasting was definitely used.

Chuck looked over at Sarah, "The story on the wall was true. The explosion here would have cause a rockslide big enough to cover a small army."

They stood on the edge of the mesa and looked over the ranch. Chuck got out his map and filled in some of the details. He could tell there was a slope from the rock outcroppings toward the ranch house. He completed the map and got out an overlay. Using the overlay, he outlined the irrigation system needed for the southern half of the ranch. He looked over at Sarah and was surprised.

"Hey, look at what you're standing on," Chuck called out to her.

Sarah looked down. She saw the bluish green rock below her like they saw in the cave. "You think that is more of the copper from the cave?"

Chuck smiled, "Sure looks like it."

"Does that mean the other drawing in the cave is accurate?" Sarah did not get to finish.

"I don't know but it might have been what Roark was looking for. Casey said he was working to seal off that part of the cave. Maybe he thought that was real and not just an old fable." Chuck reached down and got a piece of the copper. "But first, we have to get back. Ellie is probably waiting on us," Chuck put the maps away and they headed back to the ranch for dinner.

Rancho Ramirez
February 19, 1871

Chuck thought the past month was a blur. The Boss had given his blessings and told them they deserved the time off. The whole crew went to San Francisco and in between business meetings for Sarah and her company, they spent the time working the arrangements on the partnership. The ladies all got new outfits and Sarah got her wedding dress. Everyone was now down at the Ramirez ranch and making their final preparations.

Chuck was in the bunkhouse staring out the window. Morgan looked at Chuck, "Hey buddy, it's time. I have the ring right here." He held it up and showed that he put it his coat pocket. "We are all set. You ready for this, man?"

Chuck looked over and got up. "Yes, let's get going." They headed out the door and to the chapel. It was a short walk to the chapel. Chuck just looked at the chapel on the walk and thought, 'My golden angel, we really are getting married. From the night at my birthday, wow, what a birthday present. She is so beautiful. We work together so well. Morgan has the ring and yeah, this will work.' Chuck got to the chapel and walked to the front. He smiled as he approached the building, a color guard held their sabers in an arch as he entered.

Chuck stood looking at the chapel. It was a new chapel. It had been like a barnraising when they put it up. People from all around came the previous spring and got the walls up in one day. The roof was wooden shingles with a small steeple and cross on the top. The pews came in the next week and the Sunday after that the little chapel was packed.

He walked down the isle admiring the flowers and decorations. There were ribbons highlighting the aisle and flowers at the end of each pew. Chuck remembered hearing his sister going on and on about the flowers. Chuck went to the front and turned. Morgan, Casey and Devon were standing next to him. Langston Graham had come out for the wedding. Admiral Senway, Mister Eddington and others from Sarah's company were there. Big Mike, Morgan's mom and all of his cousins were seated in the pews. Anna, Sheriff Powell, Jeff and Lester were also there. Moses Finkelstein, Founder and Owner of the San Pedro Rails, and most of the employees were in the chapel. The Nuns and several of the children from orphanage were on the side in the choir box.

The procession began with Carina, followed by Lisa and Ellie. Chuck could see over Ellie, Sarah was in the door. He watched in amazement, as she was more beautiful than he ever saw her before. He was sure the sun coming in the windows only help reflect the beaming brightness that radiated from her. She was his golden angel.

Sarah took the hand of Hiram and walked down the isle. She was trying to take everything in but it was going so fast. Chuck was there and he did look like the rider she had first seen. She was smiling. He looked so good. In a second she was there. The service including the small sermon, hymns, and vows raced by. She was looking at Chuck with her biggest smile when…

"And I present Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski. You may now kiss the bride," the chaplain ended.

A/N Okay Partners, little history.

There were several copper mines in California. One of those extended down to Fresno. See Wikipedia.

Looked up history of Honeymoons. Appears around the 1820's the couples would go visit the family that could not make the wedding. Later, likely after 1871, a holiday/vacation/voyage started to be the norm. See Wikipedia.

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