Author's Note: Here we are, the first of the last five chapters in this story. I was able to post it up in time for Halloween so I'm happy about that. There's a change in tone for the story from here on in. I hope it's not too hard to pick up on it. It isn't candy but I hope you find this chapter to be a bit of a treat, nonetheless. Happy Halloween, everybody:

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Halloween

Encino, California

October 31, 2016

5:00 pm

It seemed like a typical Fall day in the San Fernando Valley. The sun was still shining brightly; there was a slight chill in the air. It was here, with the sidewalks lined with trees, that Chuck could see the oranges and yellows that signified a change in season. After spending years traveling to places where the shift was markedly obvious, the subtle changes in the Los Angeles weather was a welcome change of pace. After the time he spent in Russia he was sick of snow and the cold. Damn near getting frostbite could have that effect on a person, he supposed.

Today, however, was a special day. In a few short hours, the streets would be busy with kids, in all sorts of costumes, going door to door, trick-or-treating. Today was Halloween, something he hadn't celebrated in eight years. Not only that, but today was the first time he would get to go along as his niece partook in the tradition he so loved as a kid.

Chuck had been back for a little over two months and, for the first time in that period, he was actually finally feeling good. He was feeling normal, like his old self. There were still things he needed to work out but not having to run, starting a business with his dad, and just being with Sarah out in the open had proven to be really good for him. More than that, his sessions with Doctor Rosen had been a bigger help than he had initially thought, so much so that he had started seeing him twice a week. Of course, that all started after the third or fourth visit when he finally relented and started to open up about his demons, his fears, and his hopes for his future.

Now, Chuck found himself driving to Ellie's where Sarah would meet him and they would accompany Ellie and Devon as they took Clara trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

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Walker/Bartowski Residence

October 31, 2016

6:30 am

"So, you'll meet me there?"

"Yes, Chuck," Sarah assured him as she rinsed off her breakfast dish. "Are you sure you want me there, though? I mean, is your sister okay with me being there?" She questioned. "This seems like a family thing and I know she doesn't think of me as family."

"Trust me, Sarah," Chuck said as he wrapped his arms around her. "She'll come around, she's really trying." He smiled as he looked her in the eyes. "In fact, it was her idea for you to come along," he added.

"Really?" Skepticism laced Sarah's voice.

"Yes, really," he replied. "I thought it was a bit odd, too but, hey, a win's a win, right?"

"I guess," Sarah conceded. "I really would like to be her friend again."

"I know," Chuck responded softly as he offered a sympathetic smile. "I'll see you at five-thirty?"

Sarah nodded in agreement. "See you then."

They shared a kiss before Sarah left for work and Chuck went to get ready. He would spend a few hours working with his dad and then head over to Ellie's.

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Woodcomb Residence

October 31, 2016

5:05 pm

Chuck pulled up to the house and headed for the door. He was greeted by an excited Clara bouncing up and down in her Han Solo outfit, much to Chuck's surprise.

"Uncle Chuck! Uncle Chuck!" she greeted him. "Where's your costume?" She inquired after noticing his lack of attire.

"I didn't get one."

She looked at him confused. "Then how are you going to get candy?"

"Uh... I'm not getting candy," he answered hesitantly. "I'm coming to keep your mom and dad company."

"They're wearing costumes too!" She informed him instantly.

Ellie came to the door at that moment wearing her old hospital scrubs. Chuck raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me anything about dressing up," Chuck started.

"It's just something we do," she shrugged. "You don't have to."

"Yes he does!" Clara protested.

"Sorry, sweetheart, I don't have anything to wear," Chuck said apologetically.

"But you have to!" Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes.

Chuck looked imploringly at Ellie.

"I have some of your stuff stored; we might be able to find something there," she said, hoping to calm Clara.

"Hear that?" Chuck asked. Clara nodded in return.

As they moved into the house, Chuck leaned in close to Ellie. "What's with the costume?" He asked and nodded towards Clara.

Ellie rolled her eyes. "She found your old DVDs," she said, shaking her head. "Last year she was Luke. Apparently, your love of Star Wars runs in the family." Then she added, "Morgan's influence didn't help either."

Chuck smirked. He was actually kind of proud of his niece's nerdy ways.

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They walked into Ellie's bedroom. Chuck and Clara sat on the bed while Ellie dug in the back of her closet. A few moments later she pulled out a box with some of Chuck's old clothes in it. "Here." She handed the box to Chuck. "You can probably find something in there." She extended her hand towards Clara. "Come on, honey, let's give your Uncle some privacy," she told her. "We'll be in the kitchen," she informed Chuck before they made their way out.

Chuck nodded and turned his attention to the box. As he looked through the box, memories began to surface of his old life. A smile or two came to him but, in the end, everything in that box belonged to another life. There was nothing in there that he wanted back.

A final smile came to his face. At the bottom of the box he found a couple of things that would work.

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A few minutes later Chuck walked into the kitchen wearing his old Nerd Herd uniform.

"What do you think?" He asked with raised arms.

"You look funny, Uncle Chuck," Clara giggled.

"I guess you put on some weight," Ellie added with a grin.

"Hey, I'll have you know that's muscle," Chuck replied with mock affront. "And, these probably shrunk."

"Uh-huh."

"Whatever," Chuck gave up. "When's Devon getting here?"

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Woodcomb Residence

October 31, 2016

5:36 pm

Chuck, Ellie, and Clara were in the kitchen decorating some sugar cookies when the front door opened.

"Hey, look who I found outside," called out Devon. He had Sarah in tow.

"Daddy!" Clara jumped down from her stool and raced into his arms. "Look!" she said pointing at Chuck. "Doesn't Uncle Chuck look funny?"

Devon took a look at Chuck, then spoke. "Wow, now there's a sight I haven't seen in a long time."

"It's my Halloween costume," Chuck shrugged.

Sarah stepped around Devon and looked Chuck up and down. She, unlike everyone else, liked what she saw. "Why are you wearing your old uniform?"

"Because Ellie forgot to tell me costumes were mandatory and this was all I could come up with." Chuck gestured towards his outfit with his hands.

"Where's your costume, Aunt Sarah?" Clara asked, looking at her.

Chuck cringed at hearing Clara address Sarah that way. He didn't even want to imagine what Ellie's reaction would be.

Sarah stood frozen in place, along with Devon.

For her part, Ellie's grip on the frosting dispenser only tightened for a second. That didn't help the third of the icing that came bursting through onto the counter but it was definitely an improvement as far as reactions went.

"Well?" Clara prodded.

"Oh... uh," Sarah started, snapping out of her cautious state, "Chuck do you have an extra one of those?" She asked pointing to his short-sleeved white shirt.

"Yeah, in the room," he directed with his head.

Sarah turned to look at Clara. "I'm going to change into it right now." She smiled warmly at her.

"Ellie?" Chuck looked over at his sister.

"Go ahead," she responded while cleaning off the counter. "Devon can change after."

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Once in the room, Sarah quickly closed the door. "Did you tell her to say that?" She asked pointing back towards the living room.

"What? No!" Chuck exclaimed. "Even I'm not that dumb," he assured. "But she's not wrong, you know."

"What?"

"I'm her uncle, we're together, it's only natural for her to call you her aunt," he explained. "In fact, we get married and that's exactly who you'll be."

"When that happens," she started, "Clara can call me Aunt Sarah all she wants but, until then, I don't want Ellie ripping my head off!" she whispered harshly.

"Are you going to tell that little girl she can't call you Aunt?" Sarah growled at his emotional blackmail. "I guess you're stuck, then." He grinned.

"Shut up." She took off her suit jacket and began unbuttoning her blouse. "Hand me the shirt." She reached out for the cotton shirt Chuck took out of the box.

Sarah buttoned up the middle three buttons and tied the shirt off in a knot at the bottom. She took a spare black tie and knotted it loose around her neck. She hiked up her black skirt, and undid her pony tail, ruffling out her hair. "So... how do I look?"

Chuck's eyes were bugging out of their sockets. "Uh..." His eyes flicked to the bed for a split second.

"Really?" Sarah asked in disbelief. "In your sister's bed?"

"What? No!—Well—I mean, no!" He shook his head quickly. "Of course not!"

"Damn right," she glared. "I don't need to give her any more reason to hate me." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You... can wait 'til we get home." Chuck nodded obediently. "And, thank you."

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Woodcomb Residence

October 31, 2016

5:56 pm

Chuck and Sarah walked back out into the living room.

"Wow!" Clara exclaimed. "You look very pretty, Aunt Sarah."

"What!" Chuck spoke up. "How come she gets pretty and I get funny?"

Clara shrugged. "Because... she looks pretty and you look funny," she declared. "But, look! You match!"

"Yes, we do, don't we?" Sarah smiled brightly at her. "Thank you for the compliment, sweetie."

"You're welcome, Aunt Sarah."

"Devon, go get changed," Ellie broke through the repartee, which made Sarah remember the situation she was in.

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October 31, 2016

7:00 pm

Things had gotten a bit awkward earlier on but Clara, unaware of the tension between the two women, kept up her enthusiasm for the day and quickly diffused the situation. Now the two couples were walking around the neighborhood, along with the other families and their kids.

Chuck and Sarah were hanging back a bit, away from Ellie and Devon.

Chuck wistfully looked around at all the families, his sister's included, with a sad smile on his face. Clara was having so much fun collecting her bounty of sweets as her parents looked on, proud of their energetic daughter. He couldn't help the longing that grew inside. No matter what had happened in his life, Chuck Bartowski was still a family man at heart and occasions such as this only served to remind him of what he was missing.

Sarah was well aware of what Chuck was thinking, she was thinking it herself.

"Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... just thinking," he answered.

"About having kids?" She asked tentatively.

"Sarah—"

"It's okay, you can say it," she encouraged.

He sighed. They had to talk about things like this. "Yes, but I don't want you to freak out," he replied. "I do want children, Sarah; but believe me, I'm not going to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"Thank you for that," she offered, "but this is something you can't push me into." Chuck looked at her questioningly. "You can't push me to do something I already want to do," she elaborated.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"You are going to have kids, Chuck," she assured. "When and how many, well, we can discuss that whenever you want."

Chuck put his arm around her and brought her in close. There was a knot forming in his throat. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered. "I love you, Sarah. I'm so sorry it's taken this long for me to tell you."

"I love you, too, Chuck." Sarah wrapped her arms around his midsection and held on tight, head against his chest.

It was a big step, for both of them, and it couldn't feel more right.

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Author's Note: Because there's only four chapters left and because they're themed, I've decided I'm going to focus on finishing this one off. If it works out like I'm planning, this one should be completed by the end of next week at the latest. Oddly enough, I'm sadder than I thought I'd be now that it's coming to a close. Writing this story has been a very rewarding experience. It's turned out to be much more than I ever imagined in the beginning and I've enjoyed talking with you guys about how it's playing out. Of course, I still have Regenesis in the works and that's what I'm going to focus on next, along with Intersect Wars. See you next chapter.