Title: Sunday Brunch
Fandom: Chuck
Rating: PG
Length: 323
Content notes: Fluff
Author notes: For fan-flashworks for the "Family" challenge
Summary: Casey is stuck going to brunch with Alex, the Bartowskis, and their friends.



Casey set the coffee cake down on Bartowski’s counter, taking a minute to stare at it suspiciously. There was a time when he would have felt like bringing someone a coffee cake – for a brunch no less – was idiotic. It was kind of strange that it wasn’t strange.

He heard a scream then from the next room, a happy one, and he walked over to the doorway to watch. Alex was thinking about going pre-med, and Casey had suggested that she ask Ellie and Devon for advice. He figured those two brainiacs would know plenty about it. And it was nice to be able to offer his daughter some contacts that were good at … things other than what Casey was good at.

Of course, a Bartowski couldn’t just provide some information. There had to be hugs and emotions and crap like that. Ellie was hugging Alex, practically jumping up and down, and Devon was grinning and already telling her what professors to take for biochem.

Chuck walked over to Casey and smiled. “Guess saving lives runs in the family, huh?”

Casey just rolled his eyes as usual, and Chuck as usual pretended not to notice, adding, “Ellie is so excited right now. I mean, she loves being a doctor, and she thinks Alex is great, and this is just like a dream for her.”

It was jarring, a little, still. To think that a colleague’s sister would care so much about his daughter.

Casey swallowed. “Well, I figured she’d know about all that stuff.”

“Are you kidding? As a sibling, I can attest, Ellie is very good at giving lots and lots of advice,” Chuck joked.

Sarah and Morgan came in then, with bags from the Farmers’ Market, and they all started to set the table.

Casey reminded himself not to be exasperated by the ridiculous cutesiness of it all.

He wasn’t ready to admit that it wasn’t actually all that bad.