A/N: The heavy action over, some family time is in order. I drew from my own life for this chapter, having many nieces and nephews courtesy of my cousins, as well as being honorary uncle to my good friends' kids. Hope you like it.

Chapter 15

Chuck floated slowly back to wakefulness. The first thing he realized was that he was lying prone, his right arm extended at an angle relative to his body, palm cupping something warm, firm and silky smooth. His brain processed the data and concluded that the object was Sarah's exquisitely sculpted pajama-clad butt. And then there was this soft clicking noise. Opening his eyes, he saw her next to him, also prone, happily pounding away at the keys of her laptop computer. He smiled and lightly squeezed one of her buttocks, letting her know he was awake.

She turned and gave him a very bright smile. "Hi Chuck."

"What are you doing?"

"Good morning to you, too. I'm working."

"I thought I ordered you to take the day off."

"No, you told me not to go to the office. You didn't say anything about working from home. Besides, I'm having loads of fun here."

"Okay," he drawled. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Nothing much; just looking at the game discussion boards on our site and taking notes. People have been providing very interesting feedback on the demo."

"Define interesting."

"They are enthusiastic about it. In addition, they say it doesn't tax the hardware, even though the graphics are movie grade."

"I know. I purposely designed it so that people with older computers or laptops could enjoy it to the full."

"Now this guy has an excellent suggestion." She tapped the screen and he wiggled closer to read the text.

"He does," he agreed after reading what a poster had to say.

"Can you do it? Providing expansion packs with more missions should keep interest in the game high for a long time."

"I can do it. Besides, as a gamer, I always had this desire to see games I liked get added features and maps."

"We could make packs for single missions or for a series of missions, and also make them downloadable from our site, if the size is small enough."

"I really think you should lay off work, at least for today, Sarah."

"But I really like this work. Besides, I need as many distractions as possible."

He nodded understandingly. She didn't want to think much about the previous day's events, especially the part having to do with Ryker's well deserved demise. She had come to terms with it very quickly, as he'd pointed out that she couldn't have known the outcome and in any case her actions had helped the assault team. Furthermore, as it turned out, things had been helped along by a .45 caliber slug from Carina's UMP, the impact adding sufficient force to impale Ryker to the rebar. And if Sarah wanted distractions, he would provide her with some. He smiled evilly as he saw her focusing again on work and ignoring him. Perfect. He moved a little towards the foot of the bed and without warning bit her left ass cheek lightly.

"Chuck!" Sarah yelped.

"Sorry," he said, not a trace of regret in his voice. "I just couldn't resist."

"Come here, you. I need to get me some Chuck, otherwise I'm liable to be very cranky for the rest of the day."

"Help yourself," he grinned.

She was about to ravish him when there was a knock on the door. "Dammit," she huffed. "Stay here. Don't breathe, don't move. I'll be right back." Moving to the door, she looked through the peephole and gasped in surprise. Recovering quickly, she threw the door open and plastered a huge smile on her face. "Now that's a surprise."

"Hello Sarah," a ruggedly handsome man told her. "It's been a long time."

"Two years almost to the day," she replied. "So, what's my favorite cousin-in-law doing here?"

"He's here with your cousin and your niece," a feminine voice replied.

"Alexandra!" Sarah exclaimed, seeing the tall blue eyed blonde that appeared from behind the man.

"Hi cuz." The two blondes hugged. "You remember Molly, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Sarah beamed and knelt to say hi to the blond five year old girl standing next to her mother. "Hi Molly."

"Hi Aunt Sarah," Molly replied cheerfully.

"My, you've certainly grown a lot since I last saw you. Don't just stand there, come on in. Can I get you anything? I have coffee, chocolate and tea."

"Can I have some chocolate milk please?" Molly asked.

"I don't know if I have any," Sarah confessed.

"Yes you do," Chuck said from a doorway. "I went out while you were asleep earlier and bought some."

"But I woke up first."

"I decided to catch some more Z's when I returned," he said by way of explanation.

"Okay. Chuck, I want you to meet my cousin Alex, her husband Cole Barker and their daughter Molly. Guys, meet my boyfriend Chuck Bartowski."

Greetings were exchanged and they all moved to sit around the table. Chuck and Sarah brought coffee and Molly's chocolate milk.

"So, what do I owe this very pleasant surprise to?" Sarah queried.

"I talked to Aunt Emma earlier today," Alex said. "Cole and I have to do some traveling abroad for work and we can't take Molly with us. We'll be gone for two weeks and your Mom offered to look after Molly until we get back. She also told me to leave her with you, as she had something urgent to take care of today."

"It'll be a pleasure," Sarah smiled to the little girl.

"Mommy always says nice things about you, Auntie Sarah. And I love Auntie Emma and Uncle Jack, too."

They made some more small talk, until Alex and Cole had to leave for the airport.

"I expect you to behave, Sweetie," Alex told her daughter.

"I'll be good, Mommy," she promised. "You and Daddy go work and have fun."

Cole knelt to face the little girl. "We'll bring a nice surprise for you, Princess."

"Thanks Daddy."

-o-

"Chuck is really, really cute," Molly told Sarah while Chuck was in the bathroom.

"I know. And I love him very much."

"Can I play with your computer?"

"Sorry honey, I need it for work."

"But you are not at work," Molly pouted.

"True, but I can work from home."

"What are you ladies talking about here?" Chuck asked when he rejoined them.

"Sarah won't let me play with her computer. She says she needs it for work."

"Tell you what; after lunch, we'll all go to my place. I have awesome gaming systems there and you can play all you want."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Thank you." Molly then turned to Sarah. "I like Chuck. He's very nice."

"You have no idea. So, what would you like for lunch?"

"Can I have a hot dog and some nachos with cheese?"

"Does your Mommy let you eat so much junk food?"

"She doesn't have to know," Molly said quietly and gave Chuck and Sarah her puppy dog look.

"You can have the hot dog today, but not the nachos. They'll be for another day," Sarah decreed.

"Deal!" Molly chirped.

Chuck was watching the scene with a big smile on his face. It was obvious how much Sarah loved her little niece. She would make a wonderful mother one day. He made a mental note to tell her that much.

"So, Molly," Chuck said while Sarah was driving them all to get the hot dogs. "What else do you like to do besides playing with computers?"

"I bet she goes to ballet classes," Sarah said.

"Nah, I don't like ballet. It's for silly little girls."

"But you are a little girl, Missy."

"Maybe, but I'm not silly. I like karate."

"You do?"

"I only have a white belt, but one day I'll have the black. What about you, Chuck?"

"He's a black belt," Sarah informed her niece.

"So is Sarah. Carina, too."

"You know Auntie Carina?"

"I knew her even before I met Sarah."

"Can we get some food for Rex, too?" Molly said, changing the subject.

"Who's Rex?"

"My dog."

"She's talking about her stuffed dog, Chuck. Nice try, little one, but you agreed not to overdo it today."

"Did you ever have a stuffed dog, Sarah?"

"Sure I did. I called him Bunny."

"That's a funny name for a dog," Molly said.

"I know, right?"

"One of my colleagues when I used to work at the Buy More was called Bunny."

"I remember her. She helped Anna and me with the makeup and the wardrobe when we filmed the commercial."

Chuck and Sarah each held one of Molly's hands as they walked into the Wienerlicious. There, they allowed her to order for all of them. Chuck made some small talk with Scooter, reminiscing about old times and then went back to the car for the drive to Echo Park. Sarah had already called her mother, informing her that they'd all be at Chuck's. She could thus drop by anytime she could to collect Molly.

The little girl was quite amazed the moment she stepped through the entrance to the courtyard. "Wow! Chuck! You have a fountain!"

"Do you like it, kiddo?"

"Yes! Um, which place is yours?"

"This one," he replied, taking his keys from a pocket and opening the door. "Make yourself at home while Sarah and I set the table for lunch."

"And after lunch you can play with the gaming system, like we promised," Sarah added.

Across the courtyard a door opened. Since the whole affair with Sarah's kidnapping was over, the Casey family had finished moving in and Casey himself had had a little talk with his daughter's new boyfriend while setting up the various appliances in the apartment. Despite his hardass exterior, he was a fair man and agreed to give the relationship a chance, especially since he'd come to respect Morgan's devotion to his friends and partners and had also noticed how well he went along with Alex.

"Hey Chuck, Sarah," Morgan said.

"Hi Morgan, what's up?"

"I just finished helping the Casey family with some things. Are you up for some gaming?"

"Sorry, little buddy, but the gaming system is reserved for Sarah's niece."

"Said niece being this lovely young lady?" He knelt to face Molly. "As you may have heard, I'm Morgan, Chuck's best friend. This is my girlfriend Alex."

"Hi. I'm Molly. My Mom's name is also Alex," Molly smiled.

"Why don't you guys come in?" Sarah told Morgan and Alex.

"I see you're OK, Sarah," Alex said. She'd learned about yesterday's events by accidentally eavesdropping on her father when he called his boss to report. "You had all of us worried."

"Nah, I knew you guys would come through. How does pizza sound? I think Chuck has some we can throw in the oven."

"Morgan and I were about to go out for lunch, and we wouldn't like to intrude."

Chuck steered Morgan and Alex to his door. "You know the saying: the more the merrier."

The pizza did not take long to be ready, so they all sat down to enjoy it and the hot dogs. Later, Alex helped Chuck and Sarah with the dishes and they watched Morgan play video games with Molly.

"I guess there is an upside to never having grown up completely," Sarah smiled. "Morgan's great with Molly. Just look at them."

"I like him even more, if that's possible," Alex agreed.

"Aw, come on!" Morgan was heard to exclaim. "You must be using some sort of cheat codes!"

"I don't cheat," the little girl countered. "You should practice more."

Emma Walker found them in the living room playing Monopoly. She stood outside, looking in through a window for a couple of minutes, happy in the knowledge that her daughter had made the right choice when she started dating Chuck. Maybe it was too early, but she was hoping they'd give her grandchildren to spoil rotten. In the meantime, she'd practice on her niece's daughter. Chuck saw her and immediately got up to let her in.

"Hi Mrs. Walker. You're right on time. Molly was asking when you'd show up."

"Auntie Emma!" Molly jumped into her aunt's arms.

"I missed you, little one. Did you have a good time?"

"I had an awesome time. Can we go see Uncle Jack now?"

"Sure. Where are your things?"

"In my car," Sarah replied. "Come on, I'll drive you."

"There is no need, Sarah. Our place is not far from here. We can walk."

"We insist," Sarah said. "Besides, she likes my car. Chuck, I'll be right back."

"Okie-dokie."

"When I grow up, I'll get a car just like Sarah's."

"My car will be an antique by then, Molly."

She scrunched her pert little nose adorably. Then it came to her. "I'll get a Porsche anyway."

"She has good taste in cars," Emma commented.

"Everyone in our family does," Sarah added.

"I still have your first car."

"You kept Lola?"

"It's in the hotel garage. Our employees sometimes use it to go out on errands."

"Lola?" Molly inquired.

"I named my first car after Lola Bunny. It felt right as it is a Volkswagen Rabbit."

"Does this one have a name, too?"

"Yes. I call her Jaime."

"How did you come up with it?" Emma asked.

"Remember those old shows Dad loves? I named her after the leading character of Bionic Woman, because she's really fast."

"Well, it actually makes sense."

"And not a word of this to Chuck, do you hear me? I don't want him teasing me about being a 'closet nerd', which I'm not."

"Your secret is safe with me, Sarah," Emma promised.

"I won't tell either," Molly said.

-o-

Sarah was soon back at Chuck's. She found him in the living room working on his laptop. Morgan and Alex had already left, so she closed the door behind her and approached Chuck with a predatory look in her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing much," he replied. "I was just saving the pictures I took today of you and Molly."

She straddled him and gave him a slow kiss. "That's very sweet, Chuck. But right now, I want something I was denied yesterday and we've been putting off all day."

"Then I suggest we retire to my room."

She kissed him again. "I don't think I can wait that long."

He scooped her up in his arms and started walking to the bedroom. "I believe you'll find it's worth this very short wait."

-o-

"I should deprive you of me more often, Sarah," Chuck panted after the last round.

"Don't you dare even think about it," she growled from his side, where she was also trying to catch her breath. "I'm not above tying you to the bed and having my way with you every time I feel like it."

He chuckled. Sarah was insatiable. But then again, he couldn't get enough of her either. Still smiling, he pulled her closer. Their joking comments, made in a post-coital bliss, just reinforced a decision he'd already made. He'd never been happier and he was pretty sure Sarah felt the same. "I'm leaving the CIA," he told her.

"Because of me?"

"Among other things," he said. "But you played a major part in helping me make my decision."

"I have a little something to confess to, Chuck."

"Go ahead."

"Basically, it hinged on you. I was seriously considering accepting Graham's offer, if you decided to renew your contract. That way we would be together all the time. We would still be a team."

"You'd do that just for me?"

"Admittedly, my motives would be selfish as well, meaning I could have you for myself any time I wanted."

"I love you."

"I love you too." She gave him a quick kiss and smiled. "You should inform Ellie of your decision. I think it'll make her very happy."

"You have no idea. Speaking of ideas…"

"What?"

"Your niece gave me one. I'll redesign one of the ruggedized laptops we make and see if it's possible to market it as a children's computer. It will be a proper system, not the limited capability ones found at toy stores."

"I think it's a great idea, Chuck. And it won't break easily, which is another plus."

"The casings of the ruggedized series can withstand a herd of stampeding elephants, so to speak. Surviving the abuse children can heap on them is easy by comparison. I'll make sure Molly will be the first to get one."

"You're so sweet, Chuck. And I have another suggestion. We could market a line of computers, desktops and laptops, cosmetically redesigned for children aged 10 to, say, 16. And we could add a parental control feature as well."

"Keep those ideas coming and you'll get a promotion before you know it."

-o-

The rest of the week passed fairly quickly. Chuck and Sarah kept up their established routine, spending a lot of time together, both at and off work. They also got to see little Molly a lot, as she liked Chuck's gaming and home entertainment systems. And since she was always a good girl, Emma saw fit to reward her by taking her to his place whenever possible. He had made clear that they were not in any way intruding, and in any case he was very fond of the little girl.

One day a courier delivered the contract renewal papers from the CIA. Chuck called his friends and team mates and informed them of his decision not to re-up. Unsurprisingly, both Bryce and Morgan felt the same. They'd had enough adventures over the last five years and now they just wanted to settle down, take up jobs more in line with their studies and enjoy spending time with their girlfriends. Graham was sad to see them all go, but he graciously accepted their decision. The final act as their boss was to award them (in secret) medals and commendations for their meritorious service.

"You'll be missed here," he told them after the small ceremony that took place in his office in Langley.

"We'll keep in touch, sir. The Company is one of Orion's best customers."

"I can't escape you no matter what, huh?" Graham joked.

"You're doomed to have to deal with us until you retire, sir," Bryce joked back.

"Go on, get the hell out of my office. I have work to do and you no longer have clearances."

"Goodbye sir," they said in unison. Just like Graham, they were a bit emotional. They had just closed a big chapter in their lives. But now they were opening a new one, one that was full of possibilities. During the drive to the airport, Chuck told them about his latest projects. They had to know, as they were both going to be working for Orion from now on.

Sarah was waiting for them at the airport, driving an Orion Computers minibus. She was eager to see Chuck and the others again after their brief absence. Spending the weekend with her boyfriend was something she'd been looking forward to all week, especially since she had made some very special plans to celebrate his retirement from the spy life, among other things.

P.S.: The show may be over now, but it will be kept alive in the world of fan fiction, where the limit is only the writers' imagination.