A/N: Having pretty much exhausted the first three seasons of Chuck in my previous fics, I decided to delve a bit into season 4, using it as a springboard for a somewhat AU story, set post 4.2. This will include rather obvious references to a couple of movies. I won't (yet) reveal which ones, so as not to spoil it for you.

Naturally, standard disclaimers apply to this and all subsequent chapters (Now I don't have to repeat them in the A/N of every chapter). No beta, but proofread as usual.

In addition, I'd like to thank all of you who encouraged me to post more of my work. Hope you like the choice of plot for this one. It was a difficult choice, for I had plot outlines for a total of 4-5 stories. I'll tackle the rest some time in the future. But for now…

Enjoy!

Chuck vs the Game

Chapter 1 - A Day in the Life

"What's the matter now, Walker?" Casey asked in his usual no-bullshit manner when he entered the new Castle and saw Sarah sitting behind a desk, holding a file folder open in front of her, but not really looking at it.

"Huh?" He'd startled her a bit, but she quickly put her agent mask back on. "What do you mean?"

"We know each other for what, three years now? I can see when something is off. What did the Moron do this time?"

"Casey, everything is fine," she replied, unconsciously playing with the hem of her shirt. "Chuck and I don't have secrets between us anymore, I finally got to unpack, and Devon is getting over the whole 'we are going to be parents, so much to do, so little time' freak out phase. Ellie's pregnancy is progressing normally, too. All in all, it's just peachy."

"Somehow, I don't buy that. Are you worried about having to lie to Ellie, trying to keep her from finding out that Bartowski's back in the spy business? Or is it something else? I've seen how you tend to zone out lately when off missions. Tell me, Walker. Getting it all out of your chest should help. And if you can't confide to your partner, who can you confide to? I need my partner at the top of her game, so I'm listening."

"In part I'm worried about Ellie finding out. I mean, she's pregnant and Chuck doesn't want her to worry about him on top of everything…"

"But that's not all."

"No. It's not. It's something he said to me after we returned from Milan."

*grunt* (go on)

Sarah took a deep breath and came clean. "He told me that Devon may have been right when he said that Chuck and I are next in line for marriage and kids."

"And that totally freaked you out."

"Yeah, it kind of did. Chuck and I are doing fine, but I'm still adjusting to having a home and a steady relationship. Why rock the boat?"

"You are joking, right?" Casey said and snickered, progressing quickly to boisterous laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"Yeah, it is. Look at you. Are you the same person that, a few months after we started working together, asked me and I quote 'Did you ever just want to have a normal life? Have a family, children?' Unquote. When we were benched while going after Lon Kirk, remember? I thought you'd be thrilled at the prospect of having a normal family, or as normal as it can be when you and the Nerd are involved."

"I still want all that," she said defensively.

"So where's the problem? Hmm, let me guess: You feel it's all happening too fast."

"Yeah," Sarah hesitantly admitted.

*grunt* (wuss)

"Come again?"

"You'll get over it. Just don't fight it when it happens."

"Thanks. Since when did you become an expert at giving relationship advice, by the way?"

"I've picked it up here and there." He then disappeared to the locker room and emerged a few minutes later, wearing a casual outfit instead of his Buy More uniform.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yep. I'm having dinner with my daughter. I'm following Grimes' advice and allowing her to integrate me into her life."

"Have fun," she said.

"I plan to. See you tomorrow, Walker."

"See you tomorrow, Casey." After her partner left she wondered if she should go to Morgan for relationship advice as well. It might work, but she preferred to face any problems together with Chuck. Finishing the report, she put the files away and went upstairs to get her Porsche. Chuck would already be at home waiting for her. She smiled at the prospect of getting a relaxing massage by her loving boyfriend, something she definitely needed after being hunched over a desk doing post-mission paperwork for so many hours.

Sarah went home. She deposited her keys in the bowl by the door and went to the kitchen to get some water to drink. Morgan was already in there, cooking.

"Hey Sarah, you're back," he said.

"Yeah. Is Chuck around? And what are you making? It smells good."

"I'm making my world famous fajitas with fried rice on the side, Mexican and Chinese cuisine combined for maximum effect. And Chuck isn't here. He took Ellie to the hospital."

"Is she all right?" Sarah asked, suddenly worried.

"She's fine. It's just a routine examination. Awesome couldn't make it because he had an emergency procedure to perform."

"Oh. That's good. About Ellie, I mean."

"Hey, don't worry. When your turn comes, Chuck won't miss your exams for the world, no matter how routine they'll be."

"What do you mean by that?" Sarah was once again caught off guard.

"Sarah, don't freak out on me, OK?" Morgan gripped her shoulders and looked into her now wide eyes. "I'm saying that some day you and Chuck are going to give me a nephew or a niece to play with. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, you know. I see how you and Chuck are taking everything slowly. You finally unpacked after living here for months. In time you'll get comfortable with the idea of starting your own family with Chuck. There's no rush."

"I'm sorry, Morgan. It's just… all this stuff is new to me."

"Give my buddy some credit. He understands how it is for you."

"Thanks."

With nothing else to do, Sarah decided to help Morgan prepare dinner. Another good thing that resulted from her long term assignment in Burbank was that she was now a more than adequate cook. So, when Chuck walked in after escorting Ellie home, he found his best friend and the love of his life wearing aprons and fussing about in the kitchen, acknowledging his presence with big smiles before turning their attention back to whatever they were working on. He just stood there watching them with a huge happy smile on his face. Eventually Sarah finished her assigned task and went to greet her boyfriend. She kissed him full on the lips.

"So, Chuck," she said, "how's Ellie doing?"

"The OBGYN said that everything is as it should be. Right now she's gorging herself on the junk food she had a sudden craving for while we were on the way back here."

"You shouldn't have left her alone."

"She's not alone; Awesome is back and she's his problem now."

"His problem?"

"Hey! Try dealing with a hormonal pregnant Ellie for more than a few minutes. It's not easy." He had a meaningful smile on his face and she noticed it.

"Don't," she said playfully.

"Don't what?"

"I know what you were about to say, or at least what you wanted to say."

"And what might that be?"

"You were thinking that I'll be insufferable when I get pregnant," Sarah said. He pulled her close and kissed her.

"Thanks," he said when he let her go.

"For what?"

"For saying 'when' instead of 'if'. Sarah, there is no need to rush things, you know. You freaked out for nothing."

"You too noticed?"

"Kind of hard not to. I know you and can tell your moods."

"Don't get me wrong Chuck, I want a family. But I need to ease into the concept of starting one of my own eventually."

"Take your time."

"Dinner's ready," Morgan interrupted them. "Clear the table."

After dinner they just sat together in the living room and watched TV. Morgan had also taken some food to the Woodcombs. Ellie had devoured most of it, of course. When the movie was over, Sarah went to take a shower. Chuck was already in bed when she entered their room, clad in one of his shirts and a cotton bra and panty set, one of her favorite sleepwear choices.

"You've been stealing my shirts," he said, mock-accusingly.

"They are really comfortable. It's not like you wear them all the time. You mostly wear the Nerd Herd shirts," she replied, getting in bed beside him. "Anyway, you have but yourself to blame for this."

"Me? How come?"

"Does Paris ring a bell?" It did ring a bell, all right. He remembered what he'd done after he'd saved her from Shaw. While she'd still been unconscious he'd put his shirt on her before tucking her in. "Wearing your shirts makes me remember our first time together. It's a nice feeling."

"Uh-huh," he agreed, wrapping her in his arms. She nuzzled her face against his neck. He then gave her a massage.

"I love you, Chuck," she whispered before relaxing and falling asleep.

The morning found them sleeping peacefully in each other's arms. They had forgotten to set the alarm clock and they didn't get up early. Not that it mattered. Sarah was no longer working at the Orange Orange and since Morgan was now the manager of the Buy More he could easily cover for Chuck. Plus there was no mission to worry about. Morgan happened to glance inside their room through the slightly ajar door as he passed by and smiled. He'd give his buddy the day off. He deserved it and so did Sarah. He left them a note on the kitchen counter informing them that they didn't have to go to work today.

"Hey, Grimes," Casey said, "you seen Bartowski anywhere?"

"Yes, John, he's at home. I gave him the day off. I know we didn't get a new mission. He and Sarah could use some rest. You can take the day off too, if you like. I'll call you guys if anything comes up."

"Thanks Grimes, but I think I'll stay here. I have a few things to take care of downstairs. You just keep an eye on those imbeciles, Jeff and Lester."

"Rest assured, Casey, I can keep them under control." Morgan pondered if he should tell Casey about his idea of making him the new assistant manager of the Burbank Buy More. He figured it would be easier to explain his absences while on missions to the old gang of the Buy Morons he'd brought back to maintain the cover of an innocuous electronics store. In the end he decided to announce Casey's promotion on the first occasion when everyone, including Alex, would be gathered together, like a family dinner. It would make it harder for the big man to refuse, too. Morgan was certain that General Beckman would not object. She might even find his reasons valid, and in any case she'd given him free hand running the store.

Sarah woke up slowly. She yawned and glanced sleepily at the alarm clock. Her eyes flew wide open.

"Chuck! Chuck, wake up!" She shook him awake and none too gently either.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Chuck, it's almost eleven in the morning!"

"Crap!"

"Yeah… You hit the shower. I'll make some coffee."

"OK."

Sarah ran to the kitchen without even bothering to change from her sleepwear to something less revealing. Then she saw Morgan's note. Chuck, Sarah, I think you could both use a day off. Morgan Grimes, Manager, Burbank Buy More, it read. She smiled and went to the bathroom, where Chuck was trying to break all records for the quickest shower ever.

"Honey," she said, "no need to rush, Morgan gave you the day off."

"He did?"

"He left us a note in the kitchen," she said, showing it to him.

"How very considerate of him." He stepped out of the shower, still dripping wet and approached Sarah.

"Towel off first," she said. "Or you'll make me all wet."

"Don't I usually have that effect on you?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Coffee ready?" Chuck asked, smiling.

"No, I saw the note and came to tell you immediately."

"Then you should go and start making us some," he said, swatting her on her well rounded bottom. She giggled and padded to the kitchen. Chuck was grateful that she didn't jump him (yet), even though he was completely naked. He needed at least one cup of coffee first, in order to start functioning normally. He went back to his room and got dressed, taking his time and allowing Sarah to get the coffee ready.

When he got to the kitchen, Sarah was getting ready to pour them a mug of coffee each. He stood behind her, admiring her figure. She noticed his reflection on the window.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Morgan was right," he said simply.

"He was right about what?" Sarah persisted.

"I am dating a leggy Valkyrie who has an aversion to clothing." He moved to her and looped his arms around her slim waist.

"He said that?"

"Uh-huh," he replied, nuzzling her neck. "If I remember correctly, it was on the day we got the assignment to work with the Turners," he said. Sarah pursed her lips as she tried to remember that day.

"Oh, you mean the night before that, when I got up to get some orange juice?"

"Yeah."

"What can I say? You and my clothes don't exactly mix when we're at home." Sarah's statement was quite true. Her sleepwear consisted of items that could be removed with a minimum of fuss: Chuck's shirts, T-shirts or tank tops over comfortable cotton underwear, or, when she was in a more romantic (read: horny) mood, really sexy lingerie.

"That seemed to apply even before we became an official couple."

"Meaning?" Sarah asked, handing him his coffee.

"Case in point," he said, looking dead serious. "Our first cover sleepover. You were wearing purple lingerie that didn't cover a thing."

"You said I looked like a prostitute, as I recall."

"A mistake I am not likely to repeat, ever."

"You'd better not," she said with a smile. "Because, like I said back then, I was trying to keep up appearances, for cover. Plus I was hoping you'd change your mind about breaking up our cover relationship." She smiled. Chuck briefly considered mentioning the black version of that outfit Sarah had been wearing in his nightmare before the Tyler Martin mission. In the end he decided to save this particular piece of information for later.

"Another example," he continued. "The 24/7 protection detail when Cole was abducted by Fulcrum. I didn't get a moment's sleep, knowing that you were in bed right next to me, wearing only a T-shirt and those pink boy shorts."

"I slept like a baby back then."

"I know. You were using me as a pillow for most of the night."

"That explains it."

Having the day off from both the Buy More and spy stuff meant that they could just relax and do whatever a normal couple would see fit to do. Sarah insisted that they pay a visit to Ellie, keeping her company until Devon returned from the hospital. Her agent skills once again came in handy, as she covertly observed Chuck's sister, mentally taking notes on how the pregnancy was affecting her. Ellie for her part was glad to see her little brother so happy.

"You shouldn't insist on sharing all that stuff with me, Ellie," Sarah said around a mouthful of junk food. "I have to keep in shape, you know."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Chuck said off-handedly. "You're burning enough calories with me as it is." Fortunately Sarah had swallowed her bite and did not choke on it. She did, however, blush beet red.

"Chuck!"

"Don't mind him, Sarah," said Ellie. "But he's right. Eat up, you'll need your strength." The last comment made Sarah's face turn an even deeper shade of red.

"Since when did you two begin to sound like Devon?"

"Blame Ellie's turn of speech on her pregnancy hormones. As for me, I'm just happy things are great between the two of us."

"I'd love some peaches," Ellie said suddenly. Chuck and Sarah looked at her and then at each other. Knowing it would be best not to antagonize a pregnant Ellie, Chuck took out his phone and called Devon.

"Hey Captain, how're you doing? … Great! Listen, since you are on your way home, can you pick up some peaches for Ellie? Anything you can lay your hands on: fresh peaches, peach jam, peach compote, the works… Thanks. See you later." He turned to the two women he loved most in his life. "Problem solved," he said smugly. Sarah and Ellie laughed.

After Devon returned with a generous supply of peaches and related products for his wife, Chuck and Sarah returned to their apartment.

"I think we can safely skip dinner," Sarah said. "I'm full."

"Uh-huh."

"How could she eat that stuff, anyway? I thought she didn't like it at all."

"Sarah, she's pregnant."

"You lost me there."

"Perhaps you should read one of her pregnancy books. But let me illustrate the point with another example."

"Such as?"

"Imagine you are pregnant."

"Okay. What next?"

"You don't normally like olives, but I think a pregnant you would gladly eat them, maybe even crave them."

"Blows the mind."

"It's just a matter of hormones."

"And the fact that a pregnant woman is eating for two."

"That too."

They were cuddling together on the couch, watching TV when Morgan and Casey returned from the Buy More.

"Walker, Moron," Casey said, "briefing with the General in an hour at my place. Be there."

"Okie-dokie," replied Chuck. "Morgan, buddy, will you be attending as well?"

"Of course I will. I am, after all, a full member of the team."

"Does the General have a new mission for us?" Sarah asked.

"Looks like it," replied Morgan.

Chuck, Sarah and Morgan were crossing the courtyard on their way to Casey's place when Ellie spotted them.

"Hey guys, are you going to John's?"

"Uh, yes, sis, we are."

"Chuck, I thought you were done with the CIA."

"I may no longer be an agent, but I still have the you-know-what in my head, Ellie. Thus, on occasion, my, um, input is required. All I do is review files and report any findings. It's no big deal."

"Oh. Well, in that case, go do whatever it is you do."

The four settled in their chairs and waited for Beckman to appear on the screen. They didn't have to wait long.

"Good evening people," the General said. She was back in her military uniform, after having worn a Buy More manager's outfit for a few weeks.

"Good evening General," the others chorused.

"On to the matter at hand; Colonel Casey, Agents Walker and Grimes, I have a mission for you. It's unrelated to Volkoff. In fact, you are to gather intelligence at a facility used by the Ring before it was taken down. We learned of its existence from the Elders' interrogations. It should be easy enough. The pertinent information is already in your computer, Colonel. Any questions?"

"Uh, yes ma'am," said Chuck. "What about me?"

"There will be some new equipment delivered to the new Castle, Agent Bartowski. Use your Nerd Herd skills to install it. It's for the exclusive use of your team. It should not be too difficult for you to do the job."

"Understood, General."

"That will be all. Goodnight." Beckman signed off.