Chuck vs Life

by marybr

The fic fits right after the last episode aired 1x11, and it basically picks up after those events. It’s nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings.

18. Epilogue Part II

Title: Chuck vs. Life

Author: mary_br

Characters: mainly Chuck/Sarah (but the regulars are there – Casey, Ellie, Morgan, Awesome, etc.)

Chapters: 17/17

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters portrayed in this fic. I'm gaining nothing with this, except the sheer joy of being Chuck/Sarah's puppet master.

Summary: First of all I suck at summaries, so regard this fact as you read this. The fic fits right after the last episode aired (1x11), and it basically picks up after those events. It's nothing more than Chuck and co. moving on with their lives, and especially centering on how Chuck and Sarah will deal with their mutual feelings. I know, this summary blows… Just read the first chapter, and you'll get a sense of what is actually about.

A/N: Finished at last! 178 pages of Word (on Arial #10) later and I'm done! I want to thank you all for the reviews and for the love this story received from the start. Obrigada! It's been a pleasure.

Without further ado, here's the last (ENORMOUS) installment of Chuck Vs. Life :)

I hope you all enjoy it! I know I did.

Epilogue (Part II)

...

Sarah reached the door and partially opened it. There was a moment of silence after she saw who was standing there.

"Bryce? Hi," she said in surprise, looking at the smiling man in front of her.

"Hello, Bryce!" Chuck opened the rest of the door and greeted his Stanford friend with a not-so-natural wide smile.

"Chuck?" Bryce asked, surprised to find the man there.

"Missed me?" Chuck added rather sarcastically as he sized up the CIA agent.

Bryce, still a bit astounded, decided to render Chuck's question rhetorical. There was a brutally awkward moment as the threesome exchanged looks while they stood unmoved by the condo's door.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Bryce asked slyly after regaining composure.

"I'm sorry. Yes, sure," Sarah replied midst an uncomfortable and forced smile as she stepped away to let him through.

"By all means," Chuck said sort of overlapping her words as he also stepped back wearing a peculiar smile on his face.

"So, Bryce… Long time no see," the blonde woman let out standing at the foyer, desperately trying to come up with a topic to get rid of the awkward tension that filled the room. As Chuck got caught up a few steps behind closing the door.

"Yeah, actually, since Omaha… or lack thereof," the blue-eyed man delivered in a tone mixed with seriousness and defensive playfulness, as he looked straight into her eyes.

Bryce figured Chuck didn't know about that, but he was well aware of everything. The latter, who had just turned around from closing the door, caught the looks and exchange between the former couple and, well, didn't fancy it. Sarah stared back at Bryce, so she didn't notice the odd look on her boyfriend's face.

"Sorry… about that. I meant to call and, you know, explain…" she frankly started to say before the agent interjected.

Back then Sarah really meant to call Bryce to decline his getaway offer, but she just couldn't. Not because she feared he would change her mind, but because she feared what he could force her to face. She might have been able to fool Chuck into believing she stayed for her job, and for her job only. Her boyfriend's modesty has always been uncanny – and one of the reasons she loved him this much. However, Bryce's trained spy eye was another matter entirely. He surely would have confronted her and, at the time, she was nowhere near ready to face her feelings for Chuck. So, she skipped his call and let her omission speak for itself. For being that coward, and tactless, she was truly sorry.

"Please, it's fine. Really," Bryce cut her off midst a tight-lipped smile.

Sarah couldn't quite read his tone. She wasn't sure if he really meant that, but then her attention shifted back to Chuck. This time she caught really well the weird look on his face. She didn't know if she should say or do something to appease him. She was never one to thrive in emotional issues, and this tension and awkwardness sure weren't helping her out any. She felt stuck between a rock and a hard place. Before she could think further or react somehow, Chuck spoke.

"So, what brings you here, Bryce?" Chuck asked midst a small smile, trying to sound cool and collected while stuffing his hands in his jeans' pockets.

He sensed Sarah's eyes studying him.

"I had a connection at LAX, but my flight got delayed for a couple of hours. So, I thought I'd check in with… uh, you guys," Bryce said nonchalantly, and lost in thought, as he eyed their dining room table all set for dinner.

"Right," Chuck added nodding 'yes'.

"Wow, the company is really making you two work on this cover relationship thing, huh? I mean… midweek, no mission, and here you are about to have dinner," the CIA agent stated with a grin plastered on his face, as he took the opportunity to study the faces of his friend and his ex who stood near him.

Sarah briefly looked at Chuck. Chuck briefly looked at Sarah. All he knew is that he wouldn't be the one jumping in and setting the record straight. The last thing he wanted was to appear as the overeager schmuck who just couldn't wait to profess his feelings and all. Especially when he wasn't even sure if Sarah wanted to reveal the reality of their relationship's status to the man in question.

Sarah saw straight through the utter vulnerability in her boyfriend's eyes. Even though she wasn't one to flaunt her feelings, even though she had real issues to verbalize these sorts of emotions – or any emotion for that matter – especially to someone she was previously linked; she just couldn't bear to leave her boyfriend, her partner, her best friend hanging. Whatever was going through his mind, she felt this strange urge to silence.

"It's not a cover," Sarah stated firmly and yet softly as she shortened a bit the gap between herself and Chuck.

In a matter of seconds Sarah looked to her side at Chuck and noticed not the widest, but certainly one of the sweetest smiles she had ever seen gracing his features. Turned out pleasing him had a reflex effect on her, so she smiled back.

"So, why…" Bryce started to ask but stopped mid-sentence after the light bulb went on.

"Oh… I see," he added with a peculiar smile as he looked from Sarah to Chuck, and back.

There was yet another brief awkward silence between the three of them.

"Yeah, Sarah moved in almost a year ago. We've been living together ever since," Chuck said in an attempt to fill the awkward silence, still holding the same smile on as he took a few steps left, making the gap between him and Sarah extinct.

"Well, I'm happy for you. Both of you," Bryce stated as he ran a hand through his impeccably nice hair.

The truth was that Chuck Bartowski wasn't the only one who experienced a sort of envy when it came to Bryce Larkin. Chuck may never have perceived this, but Bryce himself envied the nerdy man as well. Chuck had heart, roots and goodness. Bryce had coolness, guts and a thousand moves. That's what they saw on the other. But this mutual envy feeling both guys shared wasn't at all directed to its negative side, in fact, it was rooted in a good thing: the fact that both looked up to the qualities the other possessed. This probably might have been the very reason why they became friends in the first place.

"Please, I don't want to keep you from dinner," the spy added nonchalantly.

Chuck and Sarah watched the man, and he wasn't making any move towards the door. It was like he was begging to be invited. After a while Chuck decided to finally oblige.

"Do you care to join us?" Chuck asked midst an I-give-up smile.

"Love to," Bryce answered without missing a beat as he took off his black leather jacket.

Sarah, Chuck and Bryce moved further into the condo, leaving the foyer behind.

"I'll set an extra place at the table," Sarah said to both men, offering them a polite smile.

Bryce began wandering around towards the lounge area, which gave the couple a small window of time to mutely interact: Sarah shot a what-the-heck look at Chuck from the dining room table, and he replied with an I-don't-have-the-faintest-idea shrug from near the lounge.

"Let me put some music on," Chuck stated light heartily to change the silent subject.

"What you're in the mood for? Jenny Lewis? Maybe Sigur Rós or Explosions In The Sky…" he added a bit louder to reach Sarah's ears at the kitchen as she gathered utensils from the cabinets.

Bryce had entered the lounge area, put his jacket over an armchair, and stood in front of the contemporary white mantel of their black fireplace – although there was no fire behind the protective glass. Without tuning out of the couple's conversation, he carefully studied the pictures they had framed on top of it. One that he figured was from the wedding of Chuck's sister, Ellie. Since she wore a long white gown and smiled brightly holding a bouquet as she posed along with a matching smiling Sarah, wearing a classy rich aubergine dress, which matched Ellie's bouquet flowers. So, he deduced she was the bride's maid. Sarah stood next to Chuck, who had his arm wrapped around her – detail that didn't go by unnoticed by the spy – and wore a sharp black suit paired with white shirt and tie. He must have been the best man, 'cause he matched from head to toe the man who embraced Ellie, and whom most likely was the groom. They all looked very… happy.

"Explosions, if you please," Sarah called back from the kitchen.

Bryce's eyes moved to another picture that had Chuck and his weird bearded friend goofing around at what it looked like a park, considering the extensive green lawn. The next one was surely a private joke, since it featured Sarah straddling a black horse at some carrousel, and wearing a forced smile on her face at it.

"Nobody should have to listen to your high-pitched girly voice as you attempt to sing along to Jenny," she added in a teasing tone midst a wide grin.

Bryce, attentive to their talk, stopped his picture scrutiny and turned back to look at Chuck with a pointed look on his face.

"She's lying," Chuck quickly dismissed shaking his head and looking at Bryce. "You're lying," he continued shifting his gaze to Sarah at the kitchen and grinning midst narrowed eyes.

"My Lewis interpretation is nothing short of brilliant and you know it!" Chuck with his megawatt smile added half-joking in an overplayed mockery offended tone, as he went a little further from the lounge to the office area to grab the cd Sarah chose, which lay on the desk next to the computer.

Sarah couldn't contain a chuckle as she came back to set Bryce's place on the table. The former displayed a yellow smile; he didn't feel quite comfortable with the couple's give and take. So, he quickly went back to the pictures.

The last one appeared to have been taken without the couple's knowledge because both weren't looking straight ahead to the camera. It was black and white; Chuck and Sarah sat at a round table side by side. It looked like a party and in the background you could partially read the word "Dash" in a banner. Seemed like they had been talking, but at the moment the shot was taken Chuck looked straight into Sarah's eyes and she looked straight back. His left arm rested on top of the table and his palm-up hand – sticking out of the table's rounded edge – gently held Sarah's right one. They looked so connected into their own little moment. He had a serene smile on his face, and she had this lovely one at hers. One that Bryce never found himself at the receiving end. But, most of all, the picture screamed intimacy, and it shook the CIA agent somehow.

The pictures were over and Bryce looked to the right and to the left of the fireplace. There were two white, modern-looking bookcases filled with books and decorative items -- one at each side. In an instant he chose the right one to inspect, thus moving his focus along with his body to the item. Nothing eye-catching there, so he just tagged along with Chuck towards the living room to pop the cd in.

"I see your sister tied the knot," Bryce said to Chuck on their way to the living room.

"Yeah, she did. Halfway to their second anniversary, actually," Chuck replied with a satisfied smile on as he cornered the end table and entered the living room area.

"Good, good," Bryce rambled on as he leaned with both hands on the back of the couch.

"And who's that?" the agent added after spotting a sleeping dog on the living room's big rug.

Chuck, who had just popped the cd into their cool stereo, turned around to see whom he was referring to.

"Oh, that's Yeller," Chuck replied casually while grabbing the stereo's remote control on the coffee table and pushing play.

At the mention of his name the dog woke up. After a few seconds of situating himself, and shaking off the after-sleep feeling, he was up wagging his tail like crazy. Bryce made his way into the living room, kneeled to Yeller's level and patted the dog.

A little while later both men started to leave the living room for the dining room table when Yeller jumped on the couch. Chuck stopped at his tracks and Bryce, not really knowing why Chuck had stopped, did the same. Sarah watched by the table to see what the mishap was all about.

"Down, boy," Chuck stated very unconvincingly.

The retriever did nothing but wag his tail even harder.

"Yeller, down!" Bryce ordered firmly without raising his voice.

Yeller jumped off immediately. Chuck shot the man beside him a look.

"The tone," the blue-eyed man cheaply put it.

Chuck shot a look at Sarah this time. Their eyes made complete contact. That was Bryce Larkin for you, always managing to one up him.

"You don't say," Chuck said with a hint of irony as he flashed his oblivious friend a half smile.

The guys resumed their walk towards the dining room table and at no time they reached their destiny.

"Can I help with something?" Chuck asked as Sarah placed an oval big white serving platter filled with pesto pasta on the center of the glass dining table.

"Yes, could you please fetch the wine?" Sarah replied in question as she checked out the table to make sure everything was ok.

"Sure. Sauvignon Blanc, right?" Chuck asked on his way to the kitchen, to which Sarah replied with an hmm-hmm.

"You can sit there, Bryce," the blonde said signaling his seat with a head motion.

"Alright," the man replied as he did what he was told.

"Have you notice? Yeller is misbehaving a lot lately," Chuck pensively said as he arrived to his seat at the head of the table with a wine bottle in one hand and a corkscrew in the other.

"Yeah, you're spoiling him too much," Sarah answered in an oh-so-planned blasé tone as she took a seat across from her fellow CIA agent.

Bryce watched their interaction; Chuck and Sarah oozed this couple thing that made him quite uncomfortable. The blonde started to serve the pasta for the trio.

"Me?" Chuck rhetorically asked midst an ironic chuckle as he opened the wine bottle and finally sat down.

"Right... Please, do refresh my memory, who exactly feeds him his kibbles one by one every other day? I've forgotten," he added playfully midst overstated squinted eyes as he poured wine in all of their glasses.

Sarah flashed him the best wry smile she could muster, which seconds later bloomed into a genuine bright one.

"This is really great," Bryce stated changing the subject after he ate a forkful of the pesto pasta.

"I can't take credit. It was all Sarah, I'm afraid," Chuck said through a peculiar sort of smile, moving his gaze from Bryce to his girlfriend.

"Really? I specifically remember you saying, and I quote, 'I'd rather die than spend my day in some kitchen cooking'," the dark-haired CIA agent delivered rather maliciously midst a devious smile as he attempted to stir the pot.

The couple laughed in unison, which annoyed Bryce even more but he managed to keep the smile on for appearance's sakes. The truth was he felt like on the outside of an inside joke from the moment he walked in the apartment.

"Actually, it's takeout. I meant she was the one who found out this fine restaurant," Chuck said before taking a sip of his wine.

"But Chuck is the master of scavenging the best places. You should see our takeout menus drawer: the crème de la crème. But I'm not so anti-cooking now; I've found that, at times, it can be therapeutic," the blonde stated after swallowing some pasta.

Even if Chuck couldn't see the game Bryce was trying to play, Sarah could. And she would not stand for it. So, she shot him a look that clearly translated the I'm-on-to-you general idea.

"Now, doing the dishes… that's another matter," Chuck teased with a sly smile on his face as he looked from Bryce to Sarah.

"Well, guilty as charged. I think our 'you-wash-and-I-dry-them' system works out pretty well," Sarah plainly said wearing a matching smile on her face before she took another sip of wine.

The blue-eyed man offered them yet another yellow smile in return.

"This is a nice place you've got here, Chuck," Bryce stated as he looked around the condo with admiration.

"What have you been up to? I take it you left the Buy More, right? Well, or maybe you're a kept man," the CIA agent finished in a half-joking, half-serious tone as he let out a rather sarcastic laugh.

This time not only Sarah, but Chuck as well, sensed a subtle underlying barb. However, two could play this game.

"Yes, you found me out. Sarah is keeping me. What can I say? I'm her personal boy-toy," the taller man replied in a serious tone, but with an apparent smirk playing in his lips. And then he ate a forkful of pasta.

Bryce's eyes widened a bit as he was hit with that unpleasant mental image.

"He's kidding," Sarah dismissed shaking her head while shooting her boyfriend a pointed look.

"Dash, his company, is doing very well. They create software and handle some web design as well," the blonde woman added softly with such apparent pride in her eyes that both men could not have missed it.

Chuck felt the need to give her hand a gentle, appreciative squeeze, and flash her a sweet smile too. Bryce didn't miss those either.

"Bill Gates with style, huh?" Bryce rhetorically and nostalgically asked bringing back their past to the table.

"I always knew you had it in you, Chuck," he added in honesty flashing his friend a smile.

"Thanks, really, but I'm not even close. Not even near to being in the same vicinity as close," the nerd man genuinely replied midst a candid smile, touched by the other man's words.

"What about you? What are you doing lately?" Chuck added in question as Bryce swallowed some food.

"If I said I would have to kill you… literally," the CIA agent stated midst a sly smile.

"I'm sure Casey would kill you first... for real this time," Chuck retorted matching his friend's tone and smile.

"Touché," Bryce conceded with a cheapish smile on his face as he raised his almost empty wine glass towards Chuck.

In the middle of the glass raise Bryce took the opportunity to subtly steal a glance at his watch. The trio had already eaten most of their food, their wine glasses were almost empty, and soon enough he would have to get back to the airport. If he would really carry on with his new developed plan, he would have to do it at that moment.

So, Bryce "accidently" spilled the rest of his wine onto his black dress shirt.

"Gosh, I'm such a klutz!" the man said playing his part as he tried, not very hard, to dry his shirt with the fabric napkin that previously sat on his lap.

Chuck and Sarah watched his efforts. Sarah didn't buy for a second his clumsy act.

"It doesn't look like it is working. Don't worry, if anyone understands spills that person is me. I'll go grab one of mine to lend you," Chuck understandingly offered as he got up from the table.

Sarah shot Bryce a knowing look and he shrugged midst a playful smile. Chuck's black chucks hit the shiny, red oak stairs towards the couple's bedroom.

Anticipating something, Sarah started to clear up the table under Bryce's severe scrutiny. She proceeded to bring the plates to the kitchen sink, and her former flame followed her.

"What are you doing, Sarah?" Bryce asked folding his arms as he leaned his back against the kitchen's island.

"What do you mean?" the blonde replied directly with her back turned to him as she pointless rearranged the dishes in the sink.

"You know what I mean. This. Playing house with Chuck," he blurted out while keeping a low tone of voice.

His remark made Sarah leave the dishes and turn around. Then, she expectantly fixed her gaze at him.

"Take a look around, this is not the life of a spy! People like Chuck are not like us, not like you and me. And they'll never be. They want normal, mundane lives with houses, white picket fences, dogs and kids. I don't know how you allowed these things you feel, well, these things you think you feel for Chuck to trick you into blurring the lines but it's not too late," Bryce added in the same tone as he took a step forward towards Sarah.

Sarah flashed him a cynical smile, shook her head and looked down.

"You never knew what I wanted Bryce, so don't start pretending to do so now. And as far as Chuck goes… you certainly know nothing about what we have," she replied dryly after re-meeting his gaze.

"You're probably right. I don't know anything about your relationship to Chuck. But I do know you, and I know this isn't what you want for your life. Deep down you know that this thing between you two, this mix of work and pleasure in our line of business will end in one of three things: you'll get hurt, or he'll get hurt or both of you will get hurt," Bryce stated as fast as a speeding bullet as he yet again took a step closer to the blonde woman, who eyed the stairs afraid of a possible and sudden Chuck appearance.

Bryce was dead wrong about Sarah not wanting to lead a normal life. This showed how little he really knew the real Sarah. She always wanted to, but her job -- most importantly, the love she has for her job – never allowed her to even dare to dream about such thing. Since she knew she could never really give one up to have the other, and she deemed impossible to have both. Her recent life with Chuck proved her wrong. She finally had both. But it did not mean that she didn't still fear every single day the scenarios Bryce brought up. He was right, it was dangerous. But she had struggled and she had made the decision to go for it, to take the risk, many moons ago. She wouldn't take it back. She wasn't even sure if she could at that point, even if she wanted to… which she didn't.

"Anyway, this is not all I wanted to say. This is not the most important thing I wanted to tell you. You see, I really care for Chuck. He's my friend, probably my only real friend, and I have the upmost respect for him. So, I would never do anything to purposely hurt him. And I know you don't like to talk about this stuff… But, for the sake of all of us, I have to ask you this… Do you really love Chuck? Don't you have feelings for me anymore? 'Cause I sense you do, and in that case you could come along with me. We'd run around the globe shutting down Fulcrum, agent by agent," he added a bit slower with a charming smile taking over his features.

"But if you don't, if you really do love him… Just say the word and I'll never say or do anything about this matter ever again," the blue-eyed man finished shoving his hands into his jeans' pockets as he stared right into her blue ones.

Sarah stayed silent for a bit. Not because she had doubts, but because it really was very difficult for her to speak her feelings.

"I do. I really… love him," Sarah said softly with a lovely smile on her face, not really able to hold her stare at Bryce.

"Alright… Thank you… for the honesty, I mean. I just had to ask," Bryce replied nodding and tight-lip smiling.

"He's a lucky man," he added softly as he stood very close to her at that point.

Chuck came down with a black pinstripe dress shirt in hand, and walked into that scene. His stare went quickly from Bryce -- and his close proximity to his girlfriend -- straight to Sarah's eyes. Bryce swiftly, and subtly, took a step back but Chuck's eyes stood fixed on Sarah's blue ones, even when the man began speaking.

"Sowed that thing together yourself up there?" Bryce attempted to joke midst a wide grin as he walked towards his friend, but Chuck's eyes remained glued to Sarah's. It started to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Well, I had to find one I wouldn't mind about probably ever seeing again. Plus, it had to be black, you know, I didn't want to mess with your whole spy look," Chuck seriously replied rather snappily, still holding Sarah's gaze.

The blonde grew more uncomfortable by the minute, and she reached the point where she could no longer hold his stare. So, she stared at her shoes instead. Chuck noticed, and didn't take it as a good sign.

Chuck handed Bryce the shirt, really looking at the man for the first time.

"You know, I can mail it back to you if you'd like," the blue-eyed man offered as he took off his wine spilled shirt and replaced with Chuck's fresh one.

Chuck trained his eyes back on Sarah and the woman had turned around to re-rearrange the dishes in the stainless steel kitchen sink.

"No, keep it. Don't say I never gave you anything," Chuck let out with a hint of irony in his tone as he trained his eyes back on Bryce. No smile graced his face.

"Well, thank you," the CIA agent replied with a smile on his face as he buttoned up the last button of the shirt, and glanced at his watch.

"I hate to eat and leave, but it's really time for me to get back to the airport. You know, duty calls," he added charmingly with the discarded shirt in hand.

"That's ok; I'll walk you out," Chuck said dryly as he patted Yeller who had just made his way next to him.

"Thank you, both of you! Everything was great, really," Bryce said looking from Chuck back to Sarah, who turned around from the sink and offered him a polite smile.

Before Chuck started his walk towards the door he took the opportunity to briefly make eye contact with Sarah. By now she could "read" his looks pretty well, and that one meant trouble. Chuck -- accompanied close by Yeller -- walked his former nemesis to the door. After grabbing his leather jacket, and a polite exchange of goodbyes, the CIA agent was again out of their lives. Not without repercussions, of course.

Chuck walked slowly back to the kitchen. Sarah was miraculously doing the dishes, something was definitely up. He leaned his back against the long counter a bit further away from her. The brown-eyed man could feel the chill of the black granite on his hands that were propped on the countertop. Chuck watched her profile expectantly. After a few seconds Sarah stole a glance at him but didn't say anything. He could no longer expect.

"So…" he prompted softly, folding his arms defensively.

"What?" she asked in the same tone as looked briefly at him and she lathered up a plate.

"I believe that question is mine. What happened here?" Chuck asked maintaining his cool as best as he could.

"Nothing. Nothing happened," Sarah answered steadily concentrated on the task of rinsing the plate.

"Please, the moment I walked in the tension between you two could be cut with a knife," Chuck protested a little louder as he began to talk with his hands as well.

Emotional related personal confrontations definitely weren't part of Sarah's domain. It was uncanny how much she struggled in that department. She had made progress, but all her first instincts told her to close up like a clam. Especially when pressured.

"I already told you nothing happened. I don't know what else you want to hear, but what I find interesting is your lack of faith and trust in me," the blonde delivered stoically as she lathered a wine glass a bit too harshly.

"I never said that. It's not what all of this is about. I completely trust and have faith in you… I just can't say the same about him. I simply asked what happened… I must have been mistaken here, 'cause I thought it was best to lay it all out in the open. But don't you worry, I won't beg for it and I won't bring it up again," the man said, softly yet again, with a sad look on his eyes as he ceased leaning on the counter.

They stared at each other for a few tense seconds.

"Fine! As I said nothing really happened, but if you insist on details Bryce just…" Sarah began to say looking directly at him as her hands dripped onto the kitchen floor, but was interrupted by Chuck.

"Stop, please… You don't have to tell me anything. It's pretty clear that you think I'm not entitled to it," the man harshly interjected, unable to hold her hurt stare for long, ultimately resulting to stare at his chucks.

"Do you really believe that?" the blue-eyed woman asked softly and incredulously after a beat as she self-protectively placed a hand on her waist. He also detected the hurt in her tone and he began to hate this whole situation.

Chuck couldn't bring himself to answer her question with words. It seemed somehow too powerful to fully and bluntly express it, so he just shot her a look that conveyed his affirmative response.

Come on, what was he supposed to think?! He wondered.

How can he possibly think that?! She wondered.

Once again they found themselves locked in a stare contest. This was all getting to be too much for Chuck. He needed air, he needed some space and he needed them at that instant.

"I'll take the dog out for his walk," Chuck ceremoniously informed breaking down the silence and deviating his eyes from hers.

"Ok," Sarah replied as she turned back to the sink to stop the running water. Maybe that's what they needed: a walk to get some air, some perspective, and to sort things out properly.

She waited for Chuck to ask her to join him like always. However, this time, the invitation, the adorable plea requesting her presence, didn't come. He took the leash, took Yeller and took off. Sarah, who was already feeling bad, felt even worse.

Chuck walked Yeller through their neighborhood's streets with an awful feeling in his gut. It was fruitless to deny it: he had been bit by the jealousy bug. He thought he was over this unpleasant feeling. During his and Sarah's relationship he learned – midst many stumbles and falls -- to deal with it throughout the missions, and even though he would never relish on the fact that his girlfriend had to occasionally flirt with other guys, he knew it was nothing but an act. He got confident enough to trust and to know what they really had. But then walks in Bryce, and everything he learned came tumbling down. His security seemed to vanish. After all what Bryce and Sarah had was real, unlike the make believe game of their missions. That fact shook the nerd. He had been right when he said to Sarah that it wasn't about trust or faith in them, the real problem – even though he was not ready to fully admit it – was his insecurities. As long as he refused to face that, Sarah would continue to receive the heat.

Chuck arrived home from the walk and everything was in utter silence downstairs. He unleashed Yeller and went to close the balcony glass door that he and Sarah opened before Bryce arrived because it was such a nice evening. The man crossed to the living room area, passed by this big arched window and made it there to close the door. Then Chuck went upstairs to their bedroom and heard that Sarah was in the shower. He wasn't ready to make nice. Not yet. So, he changed into sleeping clothes, grabbed his actual pillow under the several decorative ones and headed back downstairs to the couch. Yeller followed him like a little baby duck follow its mother after birth.

Sarah got out of the couple's bathroom wearing a beautifully white nightgown with her hair up in a messy but pretty bun. She spotted Chuck's clothes laid across the armchair and noticed that his pillow was missing. She couldn't believe how out of proportion he was blowing this thing. The blonde went to bed, resolute on not giving Chuck the satisfaction of coming to him first, but when she lay down the bed felt so empty without him. Her perpetually cold feet had nowhere warm to nestle. Sarah could hear the tv on downstairs, of course he had to choose the couch instead of the guest room just to dial up the drama factor. Ok, she thought. I'll just go down for a glass of water and see if he'll say something.

A barefoot Sarah passed by the upstairs hallway and made her way down the stairs. Chuck lay on the couch "watching" tv – he really wasn't paying any attention to the program -- and patting Yeller who sat next to the couch. His head was facing away from the kitchen where Sarah stood. The woman made sure to be extra noisy and in no time he was well aware of her presence. Chuck sneaked a peek of Sarah pouring herself a glass of water. Damn she looked great! But he surely wasn't going to be the one to make the first move.

Sarah lingered in the kitchen for way more time than she actually needed to pour a glass of water. And still Chuck said nothing. She finally gave up and headed for the stairs. As she made her way upstairs Yeller started to leave Chuck to follow her.

"Et tu, Brutus?!" Chuck murmured to the departing brown retriever.

The tall Chuck tossed and turned on the couch. He couldn't sleep. The events of that evening played and replayed on his mind. He never thought he would say this, but he had grown accustomed even to Sarah's freezing feet. What the hell was he doing?! He had called his girlfriend on her communication's shortcomings many times before, and now he was the one doing the exact same thing.

With that thought in mind, Chuck turned off the tv and went upstairs to their bedroom. Sarah, who couldn't sleep either – and even contemplated going downstairs to talk to her boyfriend – heard the man as he came in. She felt the bed move when he sat down on the empty side over the fluffy comforter. The blonde faced away from him.

"Sarah, are you sleeping?" Chuck asked in a barely audible tone of voice.

"No… I couldn't," Sarah replied softly, still facing away from him.

Sarah's hair bun made the back of her neck exposed, and Chuck was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. He wanted to touch her so badly, but he contained the urge.

"Yeah… neither could I," he replied matching her tone.

His sentence made Sarah finally turn around to face him. Both instantly felt lighter. They held the other's stare for a while.

"I'm sorry". "Sorry," they said at the same time, which made the couple smile light-heartily.

"Please, let me go first," Chuck said as he scooted closer to her.

"I'm sorry, I overreacted. I let my jealousy and my own insecurities speak louder than what I knew was true… between us, I mean. And I wound up lashing out on you," he added softly as he gazed straight into her eyes.

"No, I should have been more open, more upfront… But I was telling the truth, nothing happened. I guess all he really needed was some sort of closure," Sarah frankly said as she took a moment to re-arrange the comforter around her.

"It's just that when it comes to that guy…" Chuck started with unintentional puppy-dog eyes.

"You have nothing to worry about," the blonde woman interjected as she grabbed a hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"After all we've been through, do I really still need to tell you that?" she added in question shooting him a pointed look.

"I guess not. No. But some reassurance every now and again won't hurt," Chuck replied midst his best charming smile.

Sarah smiled back. Brightly.

"Another very important thing," he added in a very serious tone after his smile had vanished.

"What?" she asked matching his tone, with a hint of concern in there as well.

"Did you really have to put that sexy thing on? I mean, that was a cheap shot," Chuck let out as he flashed her a devious smile.

"Oh, you like that? Really?" Sarah replied in her best coy tone as she faked a doubtful look.

"Yep… I do…" Chuck answered as he slowly moved on top of her and kissed her passionately.

---

6 Months Later

Sarah and Chuck – who sported a shorter/neater hairstyle – rushed through the Vegas casino's mazy lobby.

"You know, granted that I was supposed to be a whale and all, you guys kinda held out on my gaming budget," Chuck said in his black designer pinstripe suit as he ran beside Sarah.

"Yeah, well, considering last time, can you blame us?" Sarah retorted with her gun held up and wearing a croupier uniform which had a little metallic name tag that read 'Gina'.

"Point taken," the man conceded tilting his head a bit.

The couple continued their run for the money.

"Casey, what is your ETA?" the CIA agent seriously asked, which was caught by the ear comm. she wore.

"I'm going as fast as I can. I'd say four to six minutes," the NSA agent, who flew a helicopter above the city, replied firmly.

"You've got the disk, right?" the blonde woman checked with Chuck without deviating her eyes off of the lookout.

"Yes… for the third time," he replied unenthusiastically touching the outside of his left jacket's pocket to triple check as they took a sharp turn left.

A focused Sarah dismissed his latter remark. Chuck also took the opportunity to touch the outside of his right jacket's pocket. His hand met the then familiar square outline of the little black velvet box he had been carrying around for weeks with him. The feel of it made him briefly smile. Chuck meant to propose to Sarah, but he wanted to do so at the right place and at the right time. He wanted it to be perfect. She deserved nothing less. Everyone offered their two cents on where and how he should do it: Ellie, Awesome, Morgan, Lauren… well, not everyone; Casey, when consulted, told Chuck to leave him out of it – if you take a profanity or two. However, all the different opinions left Chuck confused and pressured to make the right choice, hence why he had been carrying the ring around for such a long time. Mr. Rice was right, too many options may indeed kill a man.

"I told you to stay behind me, not beside me," Sarah adverted as she looked at a running Chuck to her left.

"They are after us," the worried woman added softer.

Sarah had always been overprotective of Chuck, but lately she found that those instincts had unconsciously increased. Just the thought of something happening to him on her watch – or anyone's, for that matter – was simply unconceivable.

Chuck, aware of this fact since quite early into their relationship – albeit they never had to directly talk about it to reach this natural, full understanding -- promptly obliged.

It must have been some sort of sixth sense 'cause, a few seconds later, when they took a right at the next corner, Sarah – followed close by Chuck -- ran directly into one of the guys that were chasing them. In a reflex move she threw a right hook punch that hit the woman hard.

Meanwhile, in a slow motion kind of moment, Chuck's full attention went for a split second from the fighting Sarah to these typical Vegas' newlyweds. They were smiling and dressed in common casual clothes, but the woman wore a veil and held a simple bouquet, which gave away their recent acquired marital status. They seemed so happy that they passed by without even noticing the fight. Chuck watched the young couple go by and that scene landed hard on him, making the man question if there really was a right moment, a perfect moment to start living the rest of your life. After all, what was he waiting for anyway? He knew exactly what he wanted. He knew it all along.

The split second passed by along with the slow motion kind of moment, and Chuck turned his attention back to his girlfriend, who used the back of her gun to knock the woman unconscious. He stared at Sarah deadpanned.

"Hurry, let's go! We gotta reach the elevator!" the blonde woman exclaimed as she turned her back on him to continue their run.

Chuck, having left his trance, gently grabbed her wrist from behind, prompting Sarah to turn around to him again.

"Will you marry me?" Chuck immediately asked in a soft tone as he gazed deeply into her blue eyes, still holding her by the wrist.

"Chuck, we don't have time to kid around!" Sarah chastised dismissively.

"Casey will be arriving…" the blonde, still under his grip, started to add but stopped mid-sentence when she really caught his eyes with hers and realized he really meant what he said.

"Oh, My God… You're being serious, aren't you?" Sarah asked matching Chuck's earlier deadpanned expression.

Chuck didn't have to say a thing. He just flashed her the sweetest smile… and she knew.

It took a few seconds for his question to truly sink in with Sarah. It would have taken longer, but unfortunately time was not a luxury at that moment. She took those few seconds to ponder what have been asked to her. Millions of thoughts, scenarios, pros and cons started to run through her head, but one had domain over the others: Sarah was certain she never had something she was so afraid of losing like what she had with Chuck.

"No. Let's move," came loud and clear from the CIA agent's mouth as she got herself free of his grip and rushed back towards the elevator.

It was Chuck's turn to need a few seconds to grasp what he had heard. But he bounced back quickly and rushed to catch up with his girlfriend, who had widened substantially the space between them.

"Wait! What? Why not?!" Chuck asked in full speed mode as he struggled to keep up with her fast pace.

Sarah wanted nothing more than to avoid this subject, but the woman pushed past this urge 'cause she felt he needed an explanation.

"We have a good, well, a great thing going on. Why risk mess everything up? Now, can we talk about this later?" Sarah almost pleaded as they reached the elevator and she franticly pressed the button to call it.

"Listen, listen," Chuck said gaining the woman's attention as she turned her back to the elevator's door.

"I know you're scared, but…" he added but was interrupted by the elevator's ring as it reached the lobby where the couple stood.

The door opened and Chuck flashed on the guy inside. Sarah, who had her back to the door, didn't see him coming menacingly towards them. Chuck, without even thinking, punched the guy in the nose. The nerd had been learning some moves in the past few months. Granted he wasn't a spy; he never sought to be, but he wasn't completely useless either. Chuck fought the spy life, the Intersect life that was dealt to him with all his might since the start. The regular nerd kept bashing his head against the wall trying to fight something that clearly could not be fought with. A while ago though, he naturally and unconsciously stopped fighting so hard and sort of embraced his new reality. To his surprise as soon as the head bashing ceased… the head pain ceased just as well.

"Ouch! Holy Mother of God!" Chuck exclaimed shaking his hand in pain as Sarah situated herself and knocked out the guy.

"I don't know how you guys do this. My hand… I'm pretty certain bones got broken here," the nerd added in clear exaggeration as they entered the panoramic elevator, which displayed an amazing view of Vegas and all its lights.

Sarah's eyes scrutinized Chuck from head to toe and reached the conclusion that the man was merely dramatizing his state. She pushed the button to close the elevator's door more than once. Two more goons came running towards them, but the door closed before they could get in.

"We're safe for now. Casey must be here already or in close proximity," Sarah stated professionally as she pushed the button 41 to the roof, where the helipad was located.

"As I was saying, I know you're scared…" Chuck got back to his point as he meticulously caressed his aching hand, but was cut by Sarah.

"Chuck…" the blonde woman tried to interject as the full moon outside cast its bright light into her eyes, making them appear even bluer than usual.

"No, listen to me; I've been carrying this thing…" he softly said taking the little black velvet box out of his jacket's pocket.

The sight of it made the situation even more real for Sarah, and her heart began to race.

"…around for weeks now, 'cause I wanted to find the right moment, the perfect moment to propose to you. To do it in the middle of a mission, in Las Vegas of all places, sure wasn't one of the options. But I just realized that there's no moment more perfect than right now," Chuck added as he closed the gap between them and smiled brightly at her.

"You said it yourself Sarah, we're great together! You know, all of my life I, uh… I felt like I was this normal guy, who just wanted a normal life… And when the Intersect and this whole spy business fell in my lap, well, it threw me off. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, deep down, I'm still the same guy, who wants these same things. And even though you Sarah, are extraordinary and as far from normal as possible, what I've come to realize is that normal to me is wherever you are," the man let out with a charming smile on his face, and as fast as he could, holding the box in his hand.

Sarah took a deep breath as his words resonated deep within her.

"I don't care what your real name is, I don't care who your first love was, and I don't care where you were born or where you went to High School. 'Cause I know you. The real you. The woman who wakes up every morning by my side, who has high morals and principles, the only who has the uncanny ability to make or break me with a single stare, the one who puts the sake of others in front of her own, the one who drives me crazy with her damn stubbornness, who adorably arches an eyebrow when crossed… and whom I love more than I ever thought possible. I could go on here, but the point is I don't care about your past. All I care about is your present and your future… with me by your side," Chuck continued to pour his soul the best way possible midst smiles as so many things to say filled his head.

The woman couldn't help, her eyes started to well up and all of the sudden Sarah felt her legs getting weak on her. This was in fact one of her biggest insecurities, if not the biggest, and to hear that the man she loved was actually aware and willing to overcome such obstacles just to be with her was simply too much to take.

"So, that being said, I ask you again," Chuck got down on one knee as he flashed his trademark megawatt smile and held the little box between both hands.

Sarah was unable to not display her oh-so-typical shy, coy, sweet and a tad self-conscious smile as she looked down at a kneeled Chuck.

"Sarah Walker, will you marry me?" the brown-eyed man asked gazing straight into her eyes as he opened up the little black velvet box to reveal this elegantly classy and gorgeous three round brilliant diamonds engagement ring set in shiny platinum.

Chuck glanced back at the elevator's panel, which flashed the number 37.

"Hate to rush ya, but you only have 4 more floors to say yes," Chuck expectantly added in joking tone, holding the megawatt smile on his face and the open box between his hands.

What else could she answer at that point? She was in love, and it felt amazingly good.

"Yes, I'll marry you," Sarah replied softly as she widened her shy smile.

Chuck breathed easier. He knew she would say yes, not because he got cocky or over-confident, but because he and Sarah were in the point of their relationship where both knew exactly what they shared with the other. They knew how special and one of a kind that was. Even so, there was no denying the sort of release he still felt to hear confirmation via the 'yes' that came from her own lips.

There was just enough time for Chuck to get up and slip the ring in Sarah's finger. A perfect fit. Not by chance, truth be told. Chuck had taken one of her rings for measure when he went ring shopping. After a short deep kiss, both couldn't contain smiling like children on Christmas Eve. A few years ago, if anyone told either one of them they'd be this happy, they wouldn't have believed. Chuck had found the yin to his yang, and Sarah the yang to her yin, or vice-versa.

Sarah and Chuck got out of the elevator on the roof, and Casey was already waiting in the chopper a little up on the helipad. The couple rushed up the small staircase that led to said helipad, 'cause the goons were sure not that far behind them. Chuck and Sarah were entering the chopper when the guys started firing their weapons from the bottom of the stairs. Sarah fired some shots for protection before closing the chopper's door behind them, and Casey took off immediately under fire.

"Next time the fiancés wish to have a romantic moment, please, turn off the comms, 'cause it was truly hard to contain the puke mid-flight," Casey said in serious tone to the couple on the back seat as he made a smooth turn to the left.

Chuck and Sarah dismissed his comment, they were too happy to retort. The chopper's roof light hit the engagement ring's diamonds causing the light to refract and get separated into its spectral colors that reflected all over the back of the helicopter's front seat. A beautiful image for the newly-engaged couple to behold. Chuck took Sarah's left hand in his right one and both stared at the ring for a while. It felt kinda surreal in the best way possible. As the chopper flew across the extremely lit and colorful Las Vegas sky, Sarah looked at her fiancé and smiled brightly. Chuck gladly held her stare… and smiled brightly back. They were engaged.

---

Two Weeks Later

"Don't you worry… I'll make it pretty quick. One clean shot right between your eyes," Chuck menacingly informed Morgan of his destiny.

"Not if I take you down first," Morgan promptly replied mock-mimicking Chuck's tone.

The couple of friends continued their threats exchange as they sat on Chuck's living room couch enthusiastically playing a video game. Sarah, who typed last night's mission report in her laptop at their office's desk, heard their conversation and resolved to shake her head from time to time in disbelief of what she was hearing.

"What's the matter, buddy? You seem a bit off," Chuck empathetically asked eying the screen as they continued playing. At times he had noticed his friend looking kinda distracted throughout the evening.

"I'm sorry, it's just that Anna broke up with me… again," Morgan softly confided without taking his eyes of the flat screen as he punched the buttons of the video game's control pad.

"Again? Gosh, I'm the one who's sorry, pal... Uh, what is this? The fourteenth time? Fifteenth?" Chuck enquired with a puzzled look on his face.

"Nineteenth, actually," the Buy More uniform clad man quickly offered as he briefly glanced at Chuck by his side.

"Wow! Nineteenth already, huh? Kinda lost track there… But why? What does she want?" the taller man asked as he turned to look at Morgan.

"What does she want? Well, what she always wants, what they all always want: more. More, more, more and more," Morgan rather introspectively replied after he hit the pause button of his control pad.

Sarah heard Morgan's remark from the office area and merely shook her head more profusely as she rolled her eyes in disapproval.

"Well, all I ask you is this: do you love her?" Chuck presented his question.

"I'm not ready to buy an expensive rock and get down on one knee like my present company, if that's what you're asking. But, yeah, I think I love Anna... Yes," Morgan concluded after some thought as Chuck smiled at his friend's assessment on the latest development in his love life.

"I'm no expert, but if that's the case, buddy… My advice is: go after her right now. Talk to Anna and, well, beg her to take you back. Crawl, if necessary," Chuck shared his pearls of wisdom as he patted his pal on the back.

"Am I right, or am I right, honey?" the engaged man called out to his fiancé as a sly smile played on his lips.

"He's right," Sarah simply and point-blankly called out back to them.

"See?" Chuck rhetorically asked as he put down his control pad on the coffee table.

"Yeah, you're right. You're both right. I gotta go see my Anna banana," Morgan replied determinedly with a small smile on his face as he also put down his control pad and stood up.

"Now you're talking," the taller man enthusiastically stated matching his friend's smile as he stood up as well.

Both men started to leave the living room area towards the front door of Chuck and Sarah's condo apartment.

"Listen, you two, I'm awfully sorry to have to cut the 'Evening of Morgan' short. But, you know, love calls," the bearded little man said a bit louder to make sure Sarah could hear him too.

"That's a real shame," Sarah replied after she turned the computer chair around to face the guys, wearing a sweet smile on her face and using a heavy dose of light-hearted irony, which only her fiancé detected by the way.

Chuck flashed Sarah a knowing smile and, after everyone said their goodbyes, he took Morgan to the door to send him off.

"Pedal safe, buddy," Chuck called out to Morgan on the apartment's outside hallway before he closed the door.

Yeller, who had been resting on the hardwood floor by Sarah's side, rushed to join him and both came walking back further into the apartment. Chuck started to clear the dining room table that had a couple of almost empty pizza boxes and soda cans spread all over it.

"A real shame, huh?" Chuck ironically asked as he performed the task. He specially lingered on the word 'real', and a playful smile graced his features.

"Too much?" the blonde enquired with a matching smile and with her back turned to him as she energetically typed information.

"Maybe a tad," Chuck joked as he threw some cans into the kitchen's trash.

"Wanna help me out here?" he added in question heading back to the table.

Sarah rolled the computer chair around to be able to see Chuck, and leaned backwards on it.

"No, not really," the woman said bluntly looking straight at him with an unabashed look on her face and a smile on as she looked quite comfortable and relaxed leaned back on the ergonomic chair.

"But I will," she amended still smiling as she barefoot made her way to him by the dining table.

"Why, thank you!" Chuck replied in joking tone with a grin spread all over his face as he went to Sarah for a quick kiss.

However, as he was delivering said quick kiss, Chuck swiftly dipped Sarah -- in the classic Hollywood way -- and deepened the kiss. It caught the blue-eyed woman totally by surprise.

"What was that all about?" Sarah asked smiling as Chuck pulled her back up.

"Just practicing for the big day, you know, it's approaching fast," he replied matching her smile as both went on with the cleaning.

"I know," Sarah said as she went to the living room area to pick up a couple of disposable plastic plates on the coffee table.

A brief moment of silence fell between the engaged couple. Sarah made her way back to the kitchen with the aforementioned items in hand to trash them.

"Any… cold feet?" the brown-eyed man adorably probed looking at Sarah who stood near him behind the kitchen's island.

"They're, uh, very warm," the blonde replied after a beat as she playfully narrowed her eyes a bit and smiled sweetly at him.

"See?" Sarah added in tease as she lifted her right foot for him to touch.

Chuck obliged as he smiled back at her.

"Yeah, very warm," the man stated keeping the smile on as he let go of her feet.

---

10 Months Later

Chuck left the movie theater's snack bar. He had a popcorn bucket trapped on his left arm and a box of milk duds, a pack of red vines and skittles crammed tightly in his right hand. It took only two steps for the clumsy man to let one of the packs fall to the ground. Chuck could use a set of extra hands at that moment, but Sarah needed to hit the bathroom. So, he was in charge of getting the snacks and they would meet by the snack bar whenever they were done.

Chuck klutzily squatted to retrieve the item and, while doing so, he saw a beautiful pair of pointy high-heeled pumps stationed right in front of him. The nerd knew it wasn't Sarah, he clearly remembered her putting on a pair of peep-toe flats. So, he figured he was in the way of someone. Chuck quickly picked the item and stood up ready to apologize. When his eyes finally fell on the familiar face they grew as big as saucers.

"Chuck Bartowski... I thought that was you!" the petite brunette in glasses said midst a wide smile.

The guy stood there in surprise – not to say in shock -- just staring at the girl who once upon a time broke his heart, unable to utter a single word. After a few seconds of silence the woman shot him a searching stare.

"Jill!" Chuck finally managed to exclaim midst a smile, after regaining control over his deadpanned mind.

"Oh, at last he remembers," Jill softly joked as she laughed in a slightly self-deprecatingly way.

"No, no… I was just, uh, surprised… You know, to bump into you here," Chuck politely corrected his ex.

"I was just kidding, Chuck," the black-eyed woman dismissed midst a charming smile.

"So, how are you? What have you been doing? It's been such a long time, hasn't it? Last time I saw you… you were working at a Buy More, right? Are you still, there I mean?" she added in genuine interest.

"No, I'm not. Actually, I've got my own company now. Nothing big… Computer stuff, as you might have guessed. Yeah, life is good. I'm good, and…" Chuck said when Sarah suddenly appeared by his side.

Both women looked at one another. Sizing each other up.

"Sarah, hey! Crazy thing. I just ran into Jill, you know, my old Stanford friend," Chuck said as he looked at the blonde standing beside him.

Jill reacted a bit to Chuck's definition of herself. And Sarah was well aware of whom Jill were. After all, for a long while all she heard were the tales of how badly the woman broke Chuck's heart.

"And Jill, this is Sarah. My wife," the brown-eyed man added as he stole a glance at the blue-eyed woman, who flashed him a sweet smile to which he counteracted with a wide one.

Even though he and Sarah were married for a while now, it still felt great to utter the words 'my wife'. It got him to smile every time. And so did Sarah hearing him saying them.

The aforementioned words that always made Chuck – and Sarah -- smile didn't have quite the same effect on Jill. In fact, they hit the woman like a ton of bricks.

"Oh, you got married?" Jill kinda rhetorically asked as she forced herself to smile a little.

Chuck shifted the popcorn bucket to his right arm, and held his left hand up to show her the slightly wide golden wedding ring.

"Well, congratulations! To both of you," Jill said wearing the same smile as she swiftly shifted her eyes from Chuck to Sarah, to Sarah's left hand and wedding ring, and back to Chuck.

Sarah was only able to muster the same forced little smile that Jill currently had on.

"I always knew you were the marrying type," the petite brunette added with a sweet reminiscing look on her face as she gazed directly into Chuck's eyes.

Sarah couldn't believe how shamelessly Jill was flirting with her husband, and Chuck felt uncomfortable with the whole situation. So, he sensed an urge to change the subject fast.

"What about you, Jill? What have you been doing? What brings you to town?" Chuck blurted fast as he tried to change the subject, but sounded more like a questioning.

"Well, I got my degree on mechatronics engineering and have been working on the area for quite some time now. I was actually here in LA for a job interview, and I'm proud to say that I got the position. I found out just today! That's why my friend… my girl friend and I," Jill felt the unconscious need to stress the word, "are out to celebrate. Speaking of which, she's taking an awful lot of time in the bathroom," she concluded midst a smile, a genuine one this time.

"So, I guess I should be saying congratulations as well," Chuck politely stated as he felt Sarah grow more impatient and out of place in the conversation.

He was about to find a way to kindly say goodbye, but Jill fired another question before he had the chance.

"And how is your sister?" Jill asked as she took a step closer to Chuck to allow a man to pass by them.

Sarah didn't need to be a spy to notice the other woman's move, but the last thing she wanted was to play the desperate jealous wife and act all territorial.

"Ellie's great. Also married, and with a baby on the way. As a matter of fact she's due any of these days, right, honey?" Chuck informed Jill and rhetorically asked Sarah, who merely nodded with a smile in confirmation. Her expression screamed 'hurry'.

"How amazing!" Jill exclaimed as she briefly touched Chuck's chest.

Sarah had to control herself. This was getting ridiculous. Chuck didn't even noticed Jill's advance.

"Be sure to send her my best," the brunette woman added midst the widest grin.

"Will do... Now, if you excuse us, we'll go in to grab us a couple of proper seats," Chuck tried to wrap things up as he flashed her a polite smile.

"Yeah, I remember how meticulous you are about finding the right seats. Some things never really change," Jill stated midst an adorable smile as she attempted to fish some memories from their past.

Chuck didn't know what to reply, so he just offered the woman a yellow smile. Sarah, on the other hand, did not… offer her any smile. The blonde just shot the brunette a knowing, and yet classy, look. It bothered her that another woman, other than her, knew those little peculiar things about her husband.

"It was truly nice to see you again, Chuck… and to meet you, Sarah," Jill said of to Sarah's look, who nodded and mustered a tight-lipped smile back at the brunette.

"You, too," Chuck replied as Sarah linked arms with him and they started to leave.

It was really nice indeed for Chuck to run into the woman who stumped on his heart then, just to realize that she had got absolutely no hold on him whatsoever now.

"We should have coffee or something one of these days, you know, to catch up better," Jill called up to Chuck, causing him and Sarah to turn back around to face her.

"Sure," it was all Chuck could politely reply before he and Sarah were gone for real, even though he had no intention of ever taking Jill up on her offer.

A few hours later…

Chuck pulled his car into their house's garage, right next to Sarah's Porsche. They moved to a house by the beach right after their wedding.

They had a small ceremony on the beach just for really close family and friends. Chuck's of course. Sarah gave a lame -- but acceptable -- excuse to Ellie and everyone on Chuck's side as to why nobody on her side could attend the wedding. After the ceremony, photos, champagne and cake, Chuck took Sarah for a little walk on the sandy beach. From the sand he started to climb a short flight of stairs of a white deck from a random beach house. Sarah refused to follow him. She stated that she knew they couldn't have a proper honeymoon with travelling and all, but she wasn't going to spend it in jail for trespassing either. Chuck laughed and insisted for her to come. Eventually she obliged. The couple crossed said back deck, and then they reached the all-glass sliding doors. Sarah got intrigued when Chuck pulled a single key out of his pocket and opened it. He insisted on pick her up to carry her through the door. After mild protesting, she let him with a muffled smile creeping on her face. They entered the beach house and all their stuff from the condo was already there. Chuck called out 'surprise' with a pleased and foolish grin on his face, and asked her if she liked their new place. After Sarah replied how much she had loved it, they got carried away with their wedding night.

Yeller rushed to greet the couple as they entered the living by the garage's inside door. The two-storey beach house was spacious and yet cozy. Much like their condo apartment, the first floor was wall-less, very loft-like and high-ceiled. Living room, office, dining room, kitchen… everything was connected. And the view of the ocean by the back of the house through the modern glass walls was simply stunning.

After giving the dog a bit of attention, they went upstairs to change and hit the sack.

"I mean, can you believe that woman? The nerve," Sarah asked in clear annoyed tone as they entered the walk-in closet.

"She was just trying to be polite," Chuck naively replied as he sat down -- to remove his shoes -- on the modern rectangular ottoman in the center of the closet, which divided his and hers side.

"Please," the blonde dismissed shooting him an expecting pointed look as she kicked off her flats and removed her jewelry.

"What?" Chuck obliviously enquired midst a shrug as he, quite male-like, changed to sweats and a CBGB t-shirt in the blink of an eye.

"She was shamelessly flirting with you," Sarah pointed out in a charged disdainful tone as she undressed.

"She was not," Chuck softly protested midst a dismissive smile as he left the closet towards their suite's bathroom.

"Oh, I knew you were the marrying type," the blue-eyed woman called out for Chuck to hear in an exaggerated high-pitched tone trying to mimic Jill's voice as she put on comfy pjs.

"I remember oh-so-well how meticulous you were about your seats," she added in the same fashion as she walked towards the bathroom.

Chuck stood in front of the bathroom counter brushing his teeth and spotted Sarah's arrival.

"Ok, maybe," the brown-eyed man conceded after spitting toothpaste in his sink.

Sarah wickedly smiled at him as she also stood in front of the counter by her sink.

"Some things in life never change. We should totally get together to have coffee or something else," Sarah continued with her Jill performance as Chuck finished brushing his teeth.

"Alright, she was flirting…" Chuck started to say in defeat as he leaned backwards on the pristine white counter.

"Thank you!" Sarah replied in victory midst a smile as she put some toothpaste on her toothbrush.

"And you're jealous," he continued shifting to a tone of voice loaded with gloat and wearing a wide smile on his face.

"Hmm, hmm," the woman promptly uttered in negation, with her toothbrush in her mouth, as she shook her head 'no' for emphasis.

"Yes, you are," Chuck said with the smile still in place as he nodded 'yes'.

"I gotta say that it's quite different, and unusual, to be on the receiving side of jealousy. Come on, just admit it. It will be good for you," he added as Sarah finished with the brush.

"Fine. There is, uh, a possibility that I… might be…" Sarah softly began with difficulty as she looked straight into her husband's eyes.

"Ok, I'm jealous. Happy?" she conceded midst a small smile as she turned the water back on to wash her face.

"Thrilled!" Chuck light-heartedly joked with his trademark megawatt smile in place.

He grabbed a rolled white little towel and handed to Sarah.

"Now, better thinking about it, I guess that coffee isn't such a bad idea," he teased his wife midst a playful mischievous smirk as Sarah dried her face with the towel.

She shot him a dirty look through narrowed eyes and playfully threw the little towel at his face. Chuck laughed as Sarah grabbed a small facial cream midst the sea of products on her side of the counter. It was uncanny the disproportion of items by her side and by his.

Sarah stared at herself in the big bathroom mirror as she opened the cream's lid and placed it on the counter. Chuck came from behind her, gently took the open item from her hand and placed it also on the counter. Then, he slowly turned his wife around to him by the wrist. There was no trace of any sort of smile on his face; he looked very serious and assertive.

Chuck took a step forward, getting rid of the little space that still remained between them. Sarah found herself pinned between her husband and the bathroom counter. Their eyes were locked into an intense stare. Suddenly their surroundings appeared non-existent; there was only him and her sharing that moment. Chuck started to lean forward and Sarah watched his head move closer and closer to hers. The woman thought he would kiss her, so her eyes closed in anticipation and her heart beat faster. However, to her surprise, Chuck's head deviated and she could feel it hovering over her shoulder. Their cheeks were touching. Sarah took a deep breath.

"To me… there's only you," Chuck stated with conviction in a sexy and deeply intimate low tone of voice in his wife's ear as he still got a hold of her wrist.

He pulled his head back after a while and could see that Sarah's eyes were still closed. She got too caught up in the moment. A couple of seconds later she opened them, revealing their overwhelmingly beautiful shade of intense blue. Chuck got lost in their beauty for a while, but he was soon found when he felt Sarah's lips crashing into his.

---

One Year Later

It was bright and early on that Saturday when Ellie and Awesome pulled their car up in Chuck and Sarah's driveway. Ellie -- who had shoulder-length hairdo -- opened the car's back door and took their almost one-year-old son, Kyle, from the baby car seat as Awesome opened the trunk to unload. The brunette woman headed for her brother's front door carrying the adorable brown-eyed, blond baby – who, frankly, was Awesome's spitting image but had the Bartowskis' warm eyes. Before she could ring the bell Chuck flung the door open. They had been expecting them.

"Hey, sis!" Chuck greeted enthusiastically midst a wide smile.

"And who is that? Who is this little guy here? Come on, come with Uncle Chuck!" the man added in a much festive tone turning all his attention to Kyle as he took the baby from Ellie. The little boy smiled at his uncle's familiar face as he agitated his little legs in enthusiasm.

"Hi, Ellie!" Sarah said with a smile on her face, briefly hugging her sister-in-law as she joined the trio.

"Hey, Sarah!" Ellie replied matching the blonde's smile as she reciprocated the hug.

"Hey there, Kyle! Aren't you the cutest baby in the whole wide world? Yes, you are!" the blue-eyed woman said to the boy with a much bubblier voice as Chuck played with the baby by holding him up in the air.

"Thank you so much for taking him this weekend! I wouldn't want to expose him to an event like that," the brunette stated as she smiled at the sight of Chuck and Sarah playing with the giggly little boy.

"It's no trouble, really," Sarah replied without missing a beat and without taking her eyes off of Kyle.

"Hey, Chuck! Could you give me a little hand here, bro?" Awesome called out from the car.

"Coming… Here, go with Auntie Sarah," Chuck said midst a smile as he handed the baby to Sarah and went to help Awesome unload.

"Come on inside, Ellie. Let the guys do the heavy lifting," Sarah kidded as she smiled down at Kyle, who played fascinated with the blonde's necklace.

"Sorry about your grandma, Awesome. Send my condolences to Woody, and especially to Honey," Chuck honestly said as he reached his brother-in-law by the car's trunk.

"Thanks, Chuck. But, it's not like we weren't expecting it, you know? The fantastic lady lived 92 great years, and that's a lot," Awesome calmly replied as he handed Chuck an argyle aqua blue, brown and white diaper bag.

A while later Awesome and Chuck finished transporting Kyle's stuff to the house. All of his stuff.

"You guys realize that Kyle is only staying for the weekend, and not for the rest of the year, right?" Chuck, who held the baby sitting at the kitchen table with the grownup trio, mockingly enquired in an amused tone as he looked at the stroller, the moses, the bag, the toys and the many more items placed on their foyer.

The couple of parents laughed out loud and Sarah smiled.

"You think this is much? You need to try to walk around our house to see how deep the water really is, my friend. You have no idea of how many things these little munchkins need just to go by," Awesome replied midst a smirk after he took a sip of coffee.

"Yeah… and you don't want to be without 'Booboo', or whatever he wants at the time, when he makes up his mind he wants it. Trust me," Ellie added mimicking her husband's smirk as she held the warm coffee mug between both hands.

"Good to know," Sarah good-naturedly quipped, smiling as she fidgeted with her mug's handle.

"The chat is good and all, but we better get going, babe. The road to Santa Ana awaits us," Awesome stated as he stood up from the table, soon followed by his wife.

Sarah and Chuck stood up as well.

"Bye, baby. I love you soo much… Mommy will be back very soon, ok?" Ellie emotionally said taking Kyle from Chuck and cuddling him to say goodbye. She hated to be away from her little guy.

"Mama!" Kyle gladly uttered one of the few words he could say, which made the moment even harder for his mother, who handed him to Awesome for his turn to say goodbye after planting a sweet kiss on the baby's forehead.

"See you soon, champ! Be good for your aunt and uncle, ok?" Awesome said soberly than his wife as he kissed his son's temple and threw him up in the air, which made Kyle giggle profusely.

"Thank you two. You guys are awesome!" the blond-haired man added in typical Awesome fashion as he handed the baby to Sarah.

After the grown-ups exchanged their goodbyes, Chuck and Sarah walked Ellie and Awesome to their car. When they were waving goodbye to the departing couple's car from the driveway, it hit Kyle that his parents had left. Without him. A little pout started to take over the little boy's lips. So, Chuck and Sarah had to work fast before it evolved to crying.

"He's about to start crying," Sarah stated the obvious looking down at Kyle as she held the baby and started to unconsciously and gently rock him.

"Do something to entertain him. Go on, quick," the blonde rushed Chuck as he leaned down to look at the baby's little pouty face.

"Like what exactly? Cartwheels?" Chuck quipped as he looked up at his wife through amused eyes.

"I know: Ye!" Sarah enthusiastically let out in epiphany as Kyle lost the pout immediately at the mention of the name.

"Yeah, let's go see Ye! What do you say, Kyle? Wanna go find Yeller?" the brown-eyed man mimicked Sarah's tone as he asked the baby.

"Ye!" Kyle said midst the cutest laugh. The little boy was head over heels in love with the dog.

"That's right… Ye!" Chuck reinforced to the baby with a bright smile on his face as he stood up straight once again.

"Nice save," the man said to Sarah with the smile still on while putting his arm around her as they headed inside to find the dog. The blonde smiled rather proudly back.

The couple took Kyle to play with Yeller, who had the best behavior around the little boy. The dog had a natural instinct about what was okay and what was too much for the baby to handle. The munchkin had a blast! After a lot of playing, and a change of diaper – Chuck' doing, he lost on the flip of a coin but Sarah would be up for the turn and so on – the couple decided to take the baby out. The plan was to feed him the baby food Ellie motherly packed, and then go out to have a nice lunch on the small café by the beach, and later take Kyle for a walk on the beach boardwalk. To have some fun and, most importantly, to wear their godson down – this way it would be easier for him to sleep at night without making much fuzz because of his parents, or lack thereof, as expected.

Moments later Chuck and Sarah sat at an outside table at the beach café. Kyle sat on his baby stroller near the couple. The little boy serenely downed a bottle of fresh juice as he gladly watched Yeller sat down nearby, tethered on the café's picket fence by his leash. The view of the ocean from the place was beautiful. Not as close as Chuck and Sarah's, but beautiful nonetheless.

"…paper towel and butter. I think that's all. Remember anything else?" Sarah said with her sunglasses up on her head and with a wandering eye at the baby.

"Cereal, too. We can go to the grocery store later," Chuck replied, to which Sarah nodded.

The waitress came with their Cobb salads and put the plates on the table. A smiling Chuck focused his attention on Kyle and gave the baby a belly rub, which amused the little boy so.

"What a beautiful family! Your son is so cute," the woman noted with a wide smile on her face.

"We're not..." Chuck began to say as he shook his head 'no'.

"Oh, he's not…" Sarah said at the same time as her husband, also shaking her head.

They stopped on their tracks together and looked at each other.

"Actually he is our nephew… and godson. Not our, uh… not our son," the brown-eyed man clumsily corrected, feeling a bit shaken by the weight and the unexpected meaning that the words 'our son' had to him.

Sarah was similarly hit by Chuck's words. Their eyes locked ever so briefly but intensely so.

"Oh, ok… Well, you're still a beautiful family. Enjoy your lunch, guys!" the waitress friendly said midst the same wide smile.

"Thanks," the couple said in unison with a polite smile on their faces as the woman took off.

They continued with their lunch normally. They ate, drank, talked to and entertained Kyle constantly. However, on the back of their minds, the waitress's comment made both think of a kid of their own. They never had discussed the issue before, and it remained like that throughout lunch.

Sarah, Chuck, Kyle and Yeller arrived home a little before the evening took over afternoon's place. After a day of cruising the beach boardwalk with all its entertainments – the baby even had the chance to practice his recent learned walk -- and a pit-stop by the grocery store, the little boy was quite tired. He even dozed off a bit in his car seat on their drive back home.

As planned, Chuck – after dropping the grocery's bags on the kitchen island -- went ahead to give the baby a bath while Sarah would prepare his bottle. Ellie stressed the fact that, if they wanted to succeed at this, they had to maintain Kyle's bedtime routine. So, Chuck bathed Kyle, diapered him and put on the most adorable pair of pjs.

The man sat in their bed with the almost asleep baby laid on his arms when Sarah arrived with the bottle in hand. Before Chuck could notice her, she stopped by their room's door's threshold as she analyzed the scene in front of her. She looked in awe at her husband staring down at Kyle with a silly grin on his face as he held the little guy's hand in his much larger one. So sweet… Sarah shook the thought and entered the room, handing the bottle to Chuck and taking a seat beside him on the bed.

"It took you a while," Chuck almost whispered without taking his eyes of the baby as he put the bottle on Kyle's little mouth.

"I had to make sure I was doing it right," Sarah replied in the same tone as she also stared at the little bundle of joy.

Chuck looked at her and smiled sweetly.

"Take him. I have to change my shirt; the little fella practically gave me a bath as well," Chuck said widening his smile as he carefully handed his wife Kyle, and the bottle attached to his hungry little mouth.

Sarah felt his little body's warm, and the amazing scent of clean baby reached her nose. She couldn't help but display the same silly smile that graced her husband's features moments ago.

It was Chuck's turn to scrutinize the scene of his wife holding the small infant from the closet's door. Even from the back she looked very… peaceful. And more beautiful than ever.

Chuck resumed his walk towards them and sat by Sarah's side. He continued to silently stare at them. Sarah felt his silence and his eyes on her.

"What?" the blonde softly and curiously whispered as she sneaked a peek at Chuck beside her.

"Nothing," he reflexively replied also in low, whispery tone.

Silence fell upon them for a while more as they interestedly watched the baby like a television show.

"Wouldn't it be nice… to have one of those of our own?" Chuck asked softer than before as he searched for his wife's blue eyes.

Sarah knew the issue was bound to be brought up, especially after the waitress, but she still felt surprised. The blonde looked briefly at her husband and back to the baby.

"I… I don't know," Sarah mustered the voice to say, mimicking Chuck's tone as she looked down at Kyle 'cause she was unable to look at Chuck.

However, her result didn't last long. So, she looked at him and he had a somewhat hurt and slightly disappointed look on his face.

"I know you would make an excellent father. But I, uh, I don't think I'd be such a good mother," she added exposing herself as she directed her eyes back at the little guy. It had been a long road, but they were at a point in their relationship that Sarah would rather expose herself than hurt Chuck.

Chuck felt better instantly.

"Hey, look at me!" her husband commanded still in a low tone of voice.

Sarah obliged after a few seconds.

"I'm sure you'll make an amazing mother. Come on, look at you with him," he added softly but firmly as he held the blonde's stare.

The woman didn't say anything. She just smiled at him, which prompted him to mimic it.

"He finished his bottle. And is fully asleep," Sarah stated as she took the empty bottle from the baby's mouth and handed it to Chuck, who placed it on the bed beside him.

"Let's put him in the moses," Chuck replied as he stood up, followed by Sarah holding the baby close to her.

They walked together to the moses that had been put beside their bed, and Sarah put Kyle down. Chuck carefully snuggled the baby with his powder blue baby blanket and the couple stood there, side by side, watching the little guy sleep peacefully.

"One of those would be nice," Sarah said after a while midst a sweet smile as she stared down at Kyle.

Then, she looked to her side at Chuck, who looked back at her with a sparkle in his eyes and a foolish smile on his lips. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and Sarah dropped her head on his before they resumed watching the sleeping baby.

---

Thirteen Months Later

Chuck arrived home to find Sarah sitting on their living room couch with both feet up and stretched. The blonde had a light throw covering her and the laptop open on her lap.

"It took you long," Sarah noted as she watched from the couch Chuck climbing down the few stairs from the foyer to the main level of their house.

"Yeah, the guys showed up a little later than expected," Chuck replied as he quickly kissed her cheek from the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen.

"And how was the mission?" his wife curiously enquired turning her head back to see him.

"Fine; Taylor and Casey apprehended Thompson," the man called out from the kitchen as he searched for something he felt like eating in the fridge.

"Oh, you're already on a first name basis with her?" Sarah asked with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"Please," Chuck started to say as he picked up an apple and closed the fridge.

"I'm even on a first name basis with the guy from the deli on the corner: Chris," he continued midst a smile as he made his way towards the living room.

"Well, I don't like Beauvoir much," the blue-eyed woman irrationally stated midst a not-so-pleased look.

"You know that she'll never replace you, right? Plus, she's happily married," Chuck tried to reason with his wife midst a charming smile as he took a big bite out of the red apple.

"She's married alright, but how do you know she's happily married?" Sarah asked not buying his charm.

"I guess it takes one to know the other," the brown-eyed man replied upping the charm, which granted him a smile from Sarah.

"I just don't know why I can't go and stay in the car," the woman complained as Chuck sat on the coffee table across from her.

"Maybe, just maybe, because it didn't work quite well last time. You know, with you leaving the car and winding up in the hotel's kitchen clocking one of the thugs," Chuck patiently said with a tight-lipped smile as he put the half-eaten apple down and held one of her hands.

Sarah knew he had a point. Not that she liked it, 'though.

"Now, can I see it, please?" he eagerly added in question with the most foolish grin on his face.

The blonde couldn't help but smile at her husband's eagerness and silly smile. She handed Chuck the laptop and he placed the item beside him on the coffee table, then she removed the throw that covered her to reveal a perfectly round 8-month belly bump.

Sarah carried on with her CIA duty to guard the Intersect, a.k.a. her husband, until it was no longer possible due to how far long she was into her pregnancy. It was then that the Agency sent a temporary substitute: Agent Taylor Beauvoir. An American, blue-eyed brunette in her late twenties. Her father was French and her mother American. A Marion Cotillard type. Graduated from the CIA Academy with top honors. Was a part of several top-secret assignments for the Agency and excelled in all of them. Married to David Ford, a civilian who had absolutely no idea of his wife's double life. Information that Chuck obtained when he flashed on her charm gun on the brunette's first day on the new job. Except for the Marion Cotillard bit, of course. Chuck didn't know her that well, but he knew she was the tough but fair type. She also was given a cover job at Dash.

Chuck sat on the edge of the couch near to Sarah, leaned over to her belly's level and touched it with both hands.

"Hey in there, little… Edward?" Chuck enthusiastically greeted and sort of asked as he looked up at his wife for approval.

Sarah shook her head 'no' midst a tight-lipped smile.

"Amy?" he continued, to which the blonde continued to shake her head in the same fashion.

"Finn? Jacob? Megan? Stella?" Chuck bombarded as Sarah put her hand on his hair.

"I guess we'll decide when we get a good look at you. How are you doing? Had a nice day swimming in there? I know… daddy talks too much! Mommy says the same thing," he mused midst a laugh talking to the belly.

"You bet," Sarah light-heartedly joked as she tenderly ran her fingers through his hair.

"Let me just go and grab the video camera," Chuck enthusiastically stated as he quickly stood up.

"No! I look awful today," Sarah whined as she momentarily closed her eyes.

"Nonsense! You look as gorgeous as ever. Plus, you know the drill of the 'Baby Documentary' by C. Bartowski, honey. We must shoot every day, even if just for a few minutes," the man replied as he rushed to the office to grab the camera.

"Not fair, you'd say I look great even in a potato sack… Please, I'm in flannel pajamas," the woman retorted as she looked to her side at Chuck searching for the item in the office.

"True, I'd think you look great in anything. But who cares whether you are in pajamas or not? Even so, those are your cute crossword pjs. Trust me, you look great," Chuck honestly said as he came back with the camera.

"Day 249," Chuck announced midst a smile as he pointed the small video camera at him.

"Look, there it is the mommy-to-be…" he added enthusiastically as he pointed the camera at Sarah.

"Looking kinda crossed because she isn't so keen on being shot in her pajamas. Aww… come on, honey, smile to posteriori," Chuck said midst a smile, to which Sarah responded by putting on a playful, over-fake grin.

"Now, that's more likely," Chuck stated through a laugh as he pointed the camera at him briefly.

Deep down Sarah appreciated the whole shenanigan.

"Now, take a look at how big…eautiful… How beautiful, that's what I said… Look at how beautiful that belly is," the man immediately corrected seeing the look on his wife's face as he zoomed on Sarah's belly bump.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Sarah said midst a playful mischievous smile and an arched eyebrow.

Chuck continued with the recording for a while longer, and later the couple went to bed for the night. Both leaned their backs against their bed's headboard. Chuck read a book wearing reading glasses – the result combination of many hours, multiplied by years, spent in front of tv and computer screens – and Sarah applied moisturizer on her hands.

"Oh, the lady from the store left a message, the crib will be delivered tomorrow," Chuck said as he stopped reading his book for a while and looked to his side at Sarah.

"Ok," she replied without turning to him as she rubbed her lathered hands together.

"That was the last item. We have everything… now we just need to know if our baby will be a she or a he to paint the nursery and we'll be done. Gosh, I can't believe there's only a month left. It went by so fast…" he softly mused with his eyes still on her and the open book loose on his lap.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sarah replied midst a sweet smile, looking to her side at him as she finished moisturizing her hands and placed them on her belly.

"Are you scared, I mean, about the labor and all?" Chuck softly asked in interest.

"Not about the labor, I guess," Sarah frankly replied as she wondered about the subject.

"I'm more apprehensive as to whether the baby will be ok and, you know, healthy and all. And also if I can do this, I don't know, right. For his or hers sakes," Sarah added in the same tone as she leaned her head back on the headboard as well.

"I'm sure there's no one more capable of pulling anything off than you," Chuck confidently replied as he scooted over closer to his wife and tenderly kissed her lips.

After he pulled back, Chuck saw a peculiar look on Sarah's eyes.

"What?" he curiously enquired through an amused tone.

"I love that," Sarah seriously said, which granted her a proud smirk from her husband.

"Not that! Well, that too… But that's not what I meant," she chastised him midst a smile. "I love to see myself through your eyes. Always have, but every day I love more and more. You see this amazing person, so brave, gentle, graceful… that just makes me go for it. I don't know how to explain it; you just make me want to be better. I guess I'm a better person because of you," Sarah seriously poured her soul through, possibly, raging hormones.

Chuck was touched.

"That's because you are," he softly replied before he started to kiss her again.

The kiss evolved to a nice make-out session, but Sarah interrupted it.

"Your kid thinks my bladder is a squeeze toy. I have to pee. Hold that thought," Sarah joked with a devious look on her eyes as she got up from bed to go to their bathroom.

Chuck retrieved the book that got lost between the comforter during their making-out. He knew by now that pregnant women took forever to pee, so he started to read again.

A while later Sarah got out from the bathroom to find an adorable scene in front of her. Chuck had fallen asleep sitting down, with his glasses on, and with the book flung open onto his lap. The blonde tip-toed to her head, with a smile on her face she gently removed the pair of glasses not to wake him and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. Then she removed the book from his lap, put it on his nightstand and pulled the comforter closer to him, snuggling her husband nicely. After that Sarah got under the covers and went to sleep peacefully with her head against his shoulder.

---

4 Months Later

Chuck entered home fast, threw his keys in the foyer's sideboard bowl and rushed to the staircase. He practically jogged up the stairs. The man couldn't wait to see them. Chuck was going to the nursery, but when he passed by his bedroom's door he saw that the subjects who were responsible for his rush were in there. So, he entered the room with a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, how are you two?" Chuck asked softly and in low tone as he approached their bed, where Sarah – lying with her head propped up on her right hand – lovingly watched their 3 month-old daughter, Olivia, who lay beside her.

The little baby girl was adorably pretty. She had Chuck's abundant dark-brown soft hair and Sarah's big deep blue eyes.

"Great, she finished her whole bottle a few minutes ago," the blonde replied midst a smile as she watched her husband lie in bed beside Olivia, with his head propped up just like Sarah.

"Did you, sweetie? Did you finish the whole bottle? You are such a good girl!" Chuck gushed over the baby, looking at her straight in the eyes as he took her tiny hand in his.

After a few seconds Olivia looked back at him in the eye. She recognized her daddy's face and voice, so the baby flashed him a smile and gurgled enthusiastically. Sarah, who caressed her daughter's hair, loved to watch them together.

"Yes Liv, it's daddy!" Chuck proudly stated as he planted a kiss on her rosy cheek and straightened her vivid orange and cream striped long sleeved cotton playsuit, which was stylishly paired with the cutest pink hi-top chucks. Like father, like daughter.

"Is Casey coming?" Sarah asked looking at Chuck and with her index finger trapped in Olivia's tight grip.

"Yeah, he must be here soon. He left right after me," Chuck seriously replied looking back at his wife.

"What is this about? Did he brief you?" the blue-eyed woman enquired.

"No, Casey said he would brief us both on the way to some country club," he replied with his hand on top of Olivia's belly.

The doorbell rang.

"It must be Casey," Sarah stated adjusting the position of her head on her hand.

"Actually, it must be Nina. I called her from Dash," Chuck said as he got up from bed to answer the door.

Nina was their trusty, mid-twenties nanny. Recommended by Ellie and Awesome's nanny, Carol. Sarah was still in maternity leave from the clothing department store, but her other job didn't grant such perks. Taylor had left weeks after Sarah gave birth to Olivia. The blonde woman lost the pregnancy pounds and got back to work in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, speaking of country club… Josiah, from the marina, called. Something to do with your boat," Sarah said to a departing Chuck.

"What about Solo's Leia?" the man curiously asked after turning around by the bedroom's door.

Chuck had bought a neat 25 feet long little boat right after Liv was born. The beauty had a shiny navy blue hull, with red oak trims and pristine white deck and sails. Her name, 'Solo's Leia', was painted in metallic silver classy letters on the transom. Chuck bought the boat with the intention of teaching his daughter to sail when she got a bit bigger. The only detail left is that he was yet to learn.

"He didn't say. He just asked for you to call or drop by," she replied smiling down at Olivia, to which Chuck nodded and resumed his journey to the front door.

Chuck made it to the door and calmly opened it. It really was Nina.

"Hey, Nina! How are you?" Chuck politely greeted the redheaded nanny with a smile on his face.

"Good, Chuck. You?" the brown-eyed woman asked returning the pleasantry and also wearing a smile.

Chuck spotted Casey's Crown Victoria pulling up on their driveway.

"I'm good, too. Come on in, the girls are upstairs. Could you, please, tell Sarah that Casey is here already?" the tall man asked as he stepped away for Nina to get in. She nodded 'yes' and went in.

Casey stuck his head outside the car's window and tapped his watch for Chuck to see. The latter signaled Casey with a thumb up and got back inside.

Before Nina could go upstairs, Sarah was already heading down holding Liv in a straight position. Nina met them by the staircase's bottom and started to coo over the baby girl. Chuck went to the trio of women.

"Casey's here," he said to Sarah before reaching them.

"I'm ready to go. Just have to say goodbye to this little girl," she replied looking at her husband.

The worst part about going to work was to leave her daughter. Sarah loved her job, but it didn't even begin to compare to what she felt about Olivia. She never thought possible to love anyone or anything this much. The love ran so deep that sometimes it even scared her.

"Bye, baby. You have no idea how much mommy loves you, sweetie," Sarah softly said looking into Liv's blue eyes that freakishly matched hers. The baby girl excitedly moved her little legs for mom, and you could see a smile behind her translucent pacifier before Sarah placed a light kiss on her head.

Sarah handed Olivia to Chuck, who was in the middle of saying goodbye when Casey walked in.

"If you two could come today it'd be good," Casey sarcastically called out from the foyer as he watched the family scene in front of him.

Casey wasn't into babies. That was fact. All the crying, the wanting, the needing, the diapers… weren't his thing at all! However, for the very few times he was left alone with his co-workers' baby girl for a minute or so, he couldn't help but feel some sort of effect under her stare. She had these bluntly honest eyes, that seemed to peer right into his soul and, remarkably, they showed no sign of judgment whatsoever. Simply pure and innocent… Casey wasn't accustomed to that. He would never admit this, but it was the truth. Plus, Olivia seemed to sense that she was dealing with a tough cookie. It was like she knew she had to win him over somehow. 'Cause, when with the NSA agent, she was all charm. In fact, it even seemed like the little baby girl liked Casey. Apparently, at such a young age, the baby was already displaying her mom's taste for challenges.

Chuck kissed his daughter's cheek and handed her over to Nina, who took the baby upstairs.

"My lunch hour won't last forever," Casey complained as the trio walked to the Crown Victoria. The NSA agent wore normal clothes. Thank goodness a while back they moved him from the perfume-sprayer position to one at sales on the men cosmetics section. Coincidentally – or not – his hair never looked better.

"Nice to see you, too, Casey," Sarah ironically stated as she entered the car.

Casey shot her a dirty look, and the three of them went to yet another mission.

Three hours or so later, Casey dropped the couple off at their house. Their mission's goal was once again reached. Thankfully, the NSA agent had some sick days to burn through; otherwise he would surely get fired for bailing on the store like he did.

Chuck and Sarah entered their house. They could hear the sound of the ocean outside. A sound that, for a long time now, made them instantly feel like home. It was a no-brainer to where the couple headed first: Olivia's nursery.

They entered her room. It got a very good natural light, and it felt warm and cozy. The main wall, where the white crib was put against, was painted in rather thick lilac and white horizontal stripes. The other three walls were plain lilac. The couple paid extreme attention to make her room as nice and neat as possible. There were framed pictures of colorful cartoon animals on the wall, a big fluffy white rug covering a portion of the hardwood floor to make the room cozier, a white changer station with Liv's baby products, a white shelf filled with children's books and delicate stuffed animals – even Miss Piggy was among them – and 'Olivia' was spelled in white wooden letters against one of the lilac walls.

Nina sat on the comfy and generously stuffed white chair glider as she read a book, and Liv lay in her crib entertained by her musical baby mobile.

"Hi, Nina," Sarah softly said as the couple approached the crib.

"Hey, you guys," Nina replied as she closed the book and stood up.

"She took a little nap an hour ago, but she is wide awake now," the redheaded informed as she joined them by the crib.

"Well, thanks for coming, Nina, but we got it now. You can go home," Chuck said taking his eyes off of Olivia to look at the nanny.

"Ok, you two have a nice day. Bye, Liv! See you soon, pumpkin," Nina said reaching into the crib and rubbing the baby's rosy cheek.

The couple bid goodbye to Nina and started to gush over their little baby girl as they hovered above her crib.

"I'll just slip into something more comfortable, ok?" Sarah softly announced looking to her side at Chuck.

"Alright, we'll be on the back," Chuck replied as he carefully took Olivia from the crib.

Sarah went to their bedroom and Chuck headed downstairs carrying the baby. When he reached the sliding glass door, Chuck opened it and was met by the amazing ocean view. Yeller came rushing to join them outside. The dog loved Liv, and Liv loved the dog. There's definitely something about kids and dogs.

Chuck grabbed Yeller's ball on the edge of the white deck's railing, and threw it far on the sand. The dog frantically went after it. Then, Chuck took a seat on the first step of the short staircase that led to the beach.

"It's a beautiful day isn't, sweetie?" Chuck lovingly asked turning the baby to him.

"Yes, it is," himself replied as he kissed Olivia's forehead.

Since the baby was born, Chuck constantly wondered about this job he and his wife had within the government. More than he did before, and that's a lot. He worried about Sarah's safety, about his own safety, and worst: he worried about their daughter's safety. On the other hand, the man had already accepted the fact that this was his life, and he even learned to look at it from the positive side. If it was not the Intersect he would have never met his wife, and Olivia never would have been born. Besides, he felt good about knowing that he was making this world a bit safer for his little girl.

Yeller rushed up the stairs with the ball in his mouth and dropped it by Chuck's feet. Liv made a fuzz at the sight of the dog. The man patiently picked up the ball and threw it again, further this time. Yeller bolted after it.

"Yeah, that's Yeller, honey. Now, do you want to hear a song, Liv? Listen, no matter what mommy says, daddy is a great singer, ok?" Chuck softly said as he held the baby's little hand.

The little baby girl smiled at her daddy.

"I'll take that as a yes," he stated midst a wide smile before he comically cleared his throat.

"There are angels in your angles

There's a low moon caught in your tangles

There's a ticking at the sill

There's a purr of a pigeon to break the still of day," Chuck huskily sang as he slowly rocked Olivia from side to side.

"Oh, my poor baby… Having to hear daddy's singing," Sarah good-naturedly joked midst a smile as she sat beside her husband on the step.

"Well, for your information, she happens to love it. Don't you, sweetie?" Chuck asked looking in the baby's bright blue eyes as Sarah linked her arm with his and smiled at Olivia.

"It's so nice out here," Sarah stated as she looked at the big ocean in front of them.

"Yes, it is," Chuck morosely replied as he did the same.

A moment of serene silence fell upon them.

"Aren't you going to sing us some more?" Sarah softly asked as she placed a protective hand on Liv's belly.

"See, I knew you liked it," Chuck replied with a sweet smile on his face as he looked in his wife's blue eyes. The same shade as his daughter's.

Chuck comically cleared his throat again. He was a creature of habits, after all.

"There's a tough word on your crossword

There's a bed bug nipping a finger

There's a swallow, there's a calm

Here's a hand to lay on your open palm today…" he sang in the same previous tone, while Sarah dropped her head on his shoulder and both attentively watched their daughter as she slowly fell asleep.

Their life wasn't a typical one, that's for sure. But they were happy and, in the end, that's all that truly matters.

THE END.

A/N: That's all there is, lovelies! Enjoyed? Anyway, it's been real… I wish you all a belated Merry Xmas and a wonderful New Year!

Now, good night and good luck! :)