Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review my story. It has been an amazing journey and it is coming to an end. Can't thank you enough for all your support. Getting reviews is what makes it all worth while. Thank you again to michaelfmx for all his help couldn't do it without him. I don't own chuck or any of its characters.

A black SUV circled the parking lot, finally backing into a very specific spot. As it sat there, the world continued to pass by. The woman inside just watched as a couple walked their dog, a green car drove by, as a shouting match ensued in the apartment across the way. This was a normal occurrence for her, taking in everything that happened around her, always on alert and always ready to strike. She watched as these people lived their lives, but one thing she didn't know was what it was like to be them. What it was like to be so involved in your own life that you had no clue what was going on around you. She couldn't afford that luxury, not in her line of work. She had made a choice many years ago to sacrifice all the simple pleasures and put the greater good ahead of her own. A little part of her wondered what it would be like to be like them, and honestly the thought made her a little jealous. What would her life be like now if she hadn't made that choice all those years ago? Yes, she had something that resembled a relationship with Roan Montgomery, but it wasn't what other people had.

She sat in a parking lot in Burbank, California and couldn't stop a little smirk from spreading across her face. She was waiting to meet the most unlikely spy in history. She thought back to when Chuck had first received the Intersect. That had been the worst day of her career. At the time, she had thought it was a complete disaster. How could all of the Government's most precious intel end up with someone like Chuck Bartowski? But now he was the best feather in her cap. It hadn't been a smooth ride by any means, and there were times when she'd thought for sure the powers that be were going to shut them down. Despite all that had been stacked against them, her team had managed to put together a rather impressive resume.

When she reflected back on all that they had accomplished, the part that always baffled her was the effect Chuck had on all of them. He took the two toughest, strongest, most stubborn and by the book agents and turned them upside down. Heck, he did it without them even realizing what was happening to them. He had even gotten to Beckman herself over the years. She would never quite understand how it all happened, but the results were pretty obvious. She was brought out of her thoughts by a tap on the window. He is getting better at this spy stuff, she thought. She unlocked the doors and motioned for him to join her.

"Hello General," Chuck greeted her with a smile.

"Hello Chuck."

"How's Operation bag'em and tag'em going?" Chuck asked.

Beckman just rolled her eyes at the awful joke. He never failed to put his own spin on the spy world. "It's going well. From the intel you were able to obtain, we have been able to apprehend most of the organization. There are a few stragglers, but they are on the lamb and completely cut off. Don't see them lasting too long on their own. I have to admit Chuck, I wasn't even sure that your team could pull this off. Smith's organization made the Ring and Fulcrum look like child's play. I tip my hat to you," the General responded.

"Well, thanks General, but it was definitely a team effort. I wasn't sure we would make it out all in one piece, but here we are," Chuck joked.

"Are you set on putting this world behind you?" she asked.

"It's time. Casey has Verbanski to think about, Morgan has Alex, and Sarah and I are ready to start a family. It just feels right. What's next for you?" Chuck asked.

"Back to the grind Chuck. Someone has to save the world," Beckman said with a slight smirk.

Chuck looked at the General. He wanted to breach the subject of the kill order, but a part of him wanted to let sleeping dogs lie. He knew what her answer would be. She would give some speech about the greater good and sacrificing the few for the many, but even then, hadn't he done enough to deserve better than that? Hadn't he proven himself to be more than just a piece of equipment that could be discarded in a seconds notice? No, Chuck thought it might be better to keep what little relationship he had with the General intact. He wouldn't classify them as friends, but he thought they had at least grown to respect one another? This internal struggle was raging on when Chuck finally decided it was time to see where the chips fell on this subject. To once and for all know where the General stood on him and his team. As Chuck's nerves began to fester he finally just blurted out the million-dollar question. "General there's something I have to ask you. I need to know something and I need you to be honest with me. Did you place a kill order on me?" Chuck asked with in trepidation in his voice.

The General let out a sigh. She'd wondered if that order would ever come back to roost. It wasn't the order itself that bothered her, it was the fact that she had misjudged the situation so badly from the very beginning. She had never allowed herself to see Chuck as more than the Intersect. Hell, it started on the first night when he went running into the ballroom and diffused a bomb. He hadn't had the Intersect for more than a few days and he was running straight into the face of danger. Chuck wasn't your typical spy, he wore his heart on his sleeve and cared about everyone. Sometimes he was a little too eager to trust, but that trust allowed him to succeed where so many had failed in before him. He always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders without the luxury of training, but he did it anyway.

"Chuck, I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, Graham and I placed that order but….," Was all she got out before Chuck interrupted.

"How could you place that order General? Damn it, I had done nothing wrong, and around every turn I had showed you that I could be trusted. Time and time again I showed you that the intel would never be in compromised. What more could I have sacrificed for you to get it through that damn head of yours that I would do whatever it took to get the job done? Instead of trusting me, you were going to kill me? You should have trusted me. You should of thought better of me. Now you hide behind your fancy stars and pawn it off as it was something for the greater good. You had options. You could have kept someone with me, or heck even just locked me in a bunker. Even that would have been better than ordering Casey to kill me….," Chuck ranted on.

"CHUCK," the General yelled, allowing a second for Chuck to calm down and for his mouth to come to a complete stop.

"Now Chuck, if you will let me finish I'll explain myself. Chuck, we placed that order in a moment of weakness. I'll admit that the greatest mistake I made in my career was not that order, but the fact that I underestimated you from the very beginning. I could never see past the nerd persona. You never ran from dangerous situations, in fact, more often than not you ran headfirst into them. We tried to keep you out of danger, yet time and time again you put yourself in harm's way to accomplish the mission or to save your team. I won't apologize for the order. I will admit it was the wrong order, but that is part of being a leader. You make the call at the time and you have to stand by it. The day the Intersect was sent to you was the worst day of my career," The General stated as Chuck tried to chime in. She just gave him a glare that told him to hold his tongue.

"Operation Bartowski was a success, and do you know why? It wasn't because of the best NSA agent, or the top CIA agent. It was the nerdy normal guy that took them and turned them into a family. You flipped the spy world on its head. What started out as the worst thing to happen to me turned into one of the best, and it was you. Casey and Sarah were good before you, but becoming a team is what made them great. You gave them something to care about and something to fight for again. They had fought the good fight so long that they forgot what they were even fighting for. You reminded them of that, and you reminded me as well," The General looked at Chuck as he processed everything she had just said.

"I'm not sure what to say. I admit I was expecting more of an apologetic tone. I mean, you did order my execution and it's all ok because I was a nice feather in your cap," Chuck snapped back.

"I want you to think about something Chuck. You and I are sitting alone in a parking lot right now. You are free to go whenever you want. How do you think that is possible?" She asked.

Chuck gave her a puzzled look, not sure what point the General was trying to make.

"What do you think the Government would do if they knew you had the Intersect in that pretty little brain of yours? Do you really think that you and Sarah would stand a chance? You guys are good, but no one is good enough to hide from the entire weight of the United States of America. As far as the intelligence world is concerned, you're a normal guy again. You are free to live out your dreams, and I want that for you. I want that for Sarah. Both of you have earned that and so much more. I will do everything in my power to ensure that you have that opportunity. I made the choice a long time ago to put the greater good ahead of my own happiness, and now I'm willing to sacrifice the greater good for my team. You are one of the most powerful weapons this world has ever known, and I trust you to walk into the sunset and start a life. I trust you enough to know that you will do the right thing and that you will take care of your team and your family. What can I say Chuck, you rubbed off on me," She said with a smile.

Chuck sat in silence, thinking about everything that he had just heard. Yes, it wasn't the apology he was hoping for, but coming from the General, it was the closest thing he had ever heard to her admitting she was part of the family. She was right. She could have very easily forced him and the team back into the spy world, but she was graciously allowing them to bow out. It was a luxury that most spies weren't afforded. Most either ended up as a star on a wall or a broken shell sitting in a room, forgotten. He was thankful for this and he was ready to start his life, and having a high ranking government official on your side never hurt.

"Didn't see this conversation going that way, but I love you too General," Chuck replied.

"Now Chuck, I didn't say anything of the sort," she quickly responded.

"Ok, whatever you say General. I'm going to get home to the family, but don't forget I'm a phone call away if you ever need me," Chuck joked as he opened the door.

"Hey Chuck, thanks for the ride. I'll always have your back. Now get out of my car Bartowski," the General joked.

Chuck smiled and slowly closed the door. He knew that General Diane Beckman would always be an honorary member of the family. He disappeared into the dark to head home to the most important people in his life.

Chuck and Sarah were pacing in their living room. The tension was killing them. They couldn't even bare to speak. All they could do was wait….and wait….and wait. When, finally, their thoughts were interrupted by the loud crashing as the front door violently swung open. The moment of truth was upon them, and all they could hope was that their training had prepared them for this moment.

"She said yes!" Morgan yelled.

"Congrats buddy," Chuck responded, as he gave Morgan a gigantic hug.

"I have to admit, I was worried that this was a little too soon. The way I broke up with her when my brain was fried by the Intersect, I thought she might turn me down, but she said yes. Man, I'm so happy right now," Morgan answered.

"Hey Morgan, where's Alex?" Sarah asked.

Morgan's eyes began to bulge out of his head. "Oh my gosh. I got so excited that she said yes that I wanted to tell someone, so I rushed right over. I have to go," Morgan yelled, as the door closed behind him.

Chuck and Sarah couldn't help but laugh. That was classic Morgan. Flying by the seat of his pants, never quite sure what was going on, but a part of the family nonetheless.

As their laughter subsided, they looked around the apartment. It was full of boxes, packing material, and empty space. They were both excited to start their new life in their dream home, but they had to admit this was a little harder than they had expected.

"Wow…. hard to believe this is our last night in the old apartment," Chuck joked.

"I know. So much has happened here over the years. This is the first place that ever felt like home," Sarah replied.

"I hope you know, Sarah, that wherever you are, that is my home," Chuck quickly replied, closing the distance between them.

"Hey, didn't you steal that from me? I think I told you that you were my home a long time ago," Sarah quickly responded taking Chuck's hands in her own.

"You know, they say plagiarism is the highest form of flattery," Chuck commented as he moved even closer, eliminating any empty space between them.

"Well let's see what flattery gets you Mr. Bartowski. I say we send the old place off with a bang," Sarah joked, giving Chuck a seductive grin.

"Why I say that is the best idea you have had today Mrs. Bartowski," Chuck quickly scooped Sarah in his arms and carried her back towards their room. Tonight was going to be a celebration of everything that that accomplished to be in this very moment. Every high and every low. All of those moments led to right now. They were both finally going to get the life they deserved. Together they were whole and now with everything behind them they could focus on the only thing that truly mattered their life together.

Sarah followed the movers to the truck as they were loading the last few odd and ends from the apartment. Chuck just watched as his days at Echo Park came to a close. He thought back to how he was all those years ago. He was lost at sea just trying to tread water. Then, life threw him a life preserver in the form of Sarah Walker. She showed him that he could be so much more than just the nerd at the Buy More. He still had to pinch himself from time to time. He couldn't believe this was all real. It seemed like yesterday that he was singing about Vicky Vale as Sarah approached his desk. If you had told him then what would transpire over the next few years, he would have said you were nuts, but he had grown up and was now married to the most amazing woman in the world. Chuck was brought out of this train of thought by what appeared to be the sound of a crying baby. He turned around to discover Morgan trying to fight back tears.

"Man, it's just so hard to believe that you guys won't be right next door anymore," Morgan belted out between sobs.

"Hey buddy, it's going to be fine. We'll see each other all the time at work, and we can still have game night once a week, and hey who would of thought that game night would have ever included two amazing women," Chuck joked.

"What's this I hear about amazing women?" Alex joked as she and Sarah came up from the street.

"Oh, just Morgan and I talking about how lucky we are," Chuck responded.

"You two better believe it," Sarah replied with a megawatt smile.

The four exchanged stories, laughs, and even a few tears. "This is crazy. Why are we crying? We're still going to see each other all the time," Chuck exclaimed.

"You're right. I just guess that growing up is trickier than I thought. Here we are one of us married, one of us engaged to be married. Now there's a sentence we thought we would never get to say. I guess it will just be weird not having you right next door with a Morgan door for quick access, but hey, I think we've done pretty well for ourselves and it's time to celebrate. You two go get your stuff in your house, and we'll see you guys at dinner tonight with everyone," Morgan said as he pushed Chuck and Sarah towards their car.

The evening was coming to a close and Team Bartowski was closing down the bar. Everyone had given Alex plenty of grief for agreeing to marry Morgan. Casey even joked to make sure she was of sound mind and that he could make Morgan disappear. Everyone got a nice laugh, but they all new that deep down, Casey was happy for his daughter and her moron. As the table became void of its occupants, the only two remaining patrons were John Casey and Chuck Bartowski.

"Well John, ready for Morgan to be your son-in-law?" Chuck joked.

"Hey, let's not push that too hard yet. Give me some time to digest that little bit of information before you start forcing it down my throat," Casey responded as he took a rather large sip of his Johnny Walker.

The two men sat in silence for a moment, just processing the evening's festivities. "So Casey, what's in your future?" Chuck asked.

"I figure you and Walker could use a hand getting this business off the ground. Gertrude has been cleared from the Decker fiasco, so she is planning on sticking around. Besides, somebody has to keep Morgan in line," Casey replied.

Chuck had to admit he was a little surprised Casey was going to hang around. He pictured John and Gertrude off breaking necks somewhere together, or whatever it was these two found to be romantic. "We would be lucky to have you. The mighty John Casey is finally going to retire. Never thought I would see the day," Chuck commented as he finished of his drink.

"Retire is a strong word Bartowski. With you and Walker…. I mean Sarah... who's to say what's waiting around the corner? Besides, it'll be fun to watch Sarah having to chase some little nerds around the house?" Casey stood up from his seat and looked down at Chuck. He was proud to call this man a friend.

"Well, before you get all emotional on me, I think I am going to call it a night. See you at work," Casey said as he left the table.

"Hey, Casey. Thanks again for everything," Chuck responded.

The men exchanged a quick glance showing a mutual respect that had grown over the years. It wasn't always easy, but they had both come to count on and trust each other. Casey let out his patented grunt and walked out. Chuck sat alone at the table thinking about the future when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"What you doing?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, just lost in thought," Chuck replied.

"God help me, we could be here all night if you are thinking," Sarah joked.

"Ha ha, very funny. Just thinking about where we go from here. Kind of scary when you think about it. The spy world has been such a major part of our lives over the past five years. Are we really ready to walk away from it? I mean I know I want to, but are we really ready to handle it?" Chuck asked.

"I think as long as we're together, we can handle whatever the world throws at us. Spy life or not," Sarah responded pulling Chuck up from his seat and leading him out of the restaurant.

Chuck thought about what she said and she was right. Together they could accomplish whatever life threw at them, and the next chapters in their lives were going to be the exciting ones, and not because of the life they lived. No, they were going to be the most exciting ones because, for the first time in a long time, they would be the ones running the show. Not the Government, or a rogue evil organization. No, it would be up to them what they did and when they did it. Chuck looked as his wife as they walked towards the car. Tonight started the rest of his life with the woman he loved, and who could really ask for anything more than that?