EPILOUGE:

A/N: Because I really didn't like the ambivalent ending to the show, I've vowed to always have closure in my stories here (even if the door is occasionally left open to sequels). As warned, it is short, but it gives the closure that I was looking for. Enjoy.

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Sarah peeked out from behind the curtains at the mass of people still streaming into the conference room on the second floor of the convention center at the E3 convention in Los Angeles. She knew that a number of her former co-workers at the CIA would dismiss the majority of the people in the room as nerds, geeks, dweebs, weirdos or even losers. There seemed to be so many derisive labels for a group who were, by and large, smart, creative and friendly. Not to mention extremely loyal. As with any group of this size, there were the occasional outliers. But since joining Nerd HQ, and tracking the online feedback to the game, Sarah had come to appreciate the fans.

Ever since the shooting in Jacksonville, Florida at an e-sports convention, security at these conventions had been tighter. But with her Chuck about to take the stage, Sarah wasn't relying on some paid by the hour security guard to keep Chuck safe. Thanks to her status as a former CIA agent, and current NSA outside contractor, Sarah had no difficulty obtaining permits to carry concealed deadly weapons. She currently had her trusty Smith & Wesson hidden away, along with several precision balanced throwing knives.

To her dismay, the weapons were far easier to hide, yet far more hard to access, than during her days as a deep cover agent. Sarah looked down towards her feet with a combination of expectancy and frustration. "I look like a beached whale."

She could tell by the sound of his voice that Chuck was grinning, "Baby, you look amazing. You have never looked more beautiful. And trust me, that is saying something."

"No secrets, no lies," she growled out, more out of anger over his attitude than disbelief in what he was saying. Although she still had trouble believing him about this.

"Sweetie, I know our pact. And it is neither a secret nor a lie that you look stunning," Chuck sincerely stated. "And in three short weeks, you will make an amazing mother to our child. Speaking of, you know Ellie's orders: no standing for prolonged periods when you are this close to our due date. I'm going to grab you a chair." Chuck hustled off in search of a chair, despite the fact that his panel was due to begin, or the fact that there were convention staffers who could easily handle the task.

The out of control pregnancy hormones made Sarah give a huff of exasperation. She simultaneously loved the fact that Chuck always referred to it as "our" due date, and hated the fact that he was getting partial credit while she got all of the back pain, morning sickness, stretch marks and frequent need for restrooms. Adding to her frustration were the facts that her favorite jeans and her collection of high heels had been relegated to the back of her closet, replaced by maternity dresses and colorful chucks. Although she had to admit that the chucks were super comfortable and it meant that she and Chuck had on matching footwear. Plus she now had a ready excuse to steal one of Chuck's tshirts and throw it on over a pair of yoga pants.

Moments later, Chuck came jogging back towards her, wheeling a chair in front of him. "You do remember that your sister is a neurosurgeon, not an obstetrician?" Sarah grumbled. Chuck's laughter did nothing to improve on her mood.

"Trust me Sarah. Ever since we told Ellie and Awesome about the pregnancy, Ellie has studied so much that I'm convinced that she knows more than most Board certified obstetricians out there. And it's not that she's about to become an aunt- well, not just that she's about to become an aunt at least- she also wants to be certain that things go smoothly and safely for her best friend."

Sarah grumbled some more, but quietly this time, as she sat down in the offered chair. She pushed down on the feeling of guilt that she had over her violation of their "no secrets, no lies" pact, even if it was more of an omission than an overt lie. But either way, it still counted as a secret. After all, it had been Ellie to break the news to Sarah that she was likely pregnant, rather than Sarah and Chuck revealing it to Ellie. Ellie had noted Sarah's onset of fatigue and appetite change. It had been Ellie who had prompted Sarah to get the home pregnancy test.

But when Chuck had come home, and they had seen the (+) symbol appear on the wand, she had been too stunned to tell him why she had bought the test. He had then been so excited to break the news to Ellie and Awesome. Plus, Ellie was a little bit to blame as well, acting all surprised at the announcement. Turns out that Ellie was just as bad of an actor as Chuck. Sarah had figured that she would tell Chuck in a day or two. But a few days quickly turned into seven months.

Now's probably not the best time to tell him either, Sarah realized as Chuck jumped to his feet. "That's my cue," he said, bending over to give her a quick, and frustratingly chaste kiss. Sarah's feelings of guilt and frustration washed away as she basked in the feeling of loving, and being loved by, Chuck Bartowski.

As soon as Chuck slipped through the curtain, the cheering began in earnest. Sarah was thrilled that some many people were fans of her husband. However, the people jumping to their feet made her protective instincts twitch. Chuck, being Chuck, merely waved and blushed profusely red at the enthusiastic greeting.

Chuck headed up the Nerd HQ panel for the company's newest hit game, with a moderator from Wired Magazine asking questions to Chuck, Morgan and some of the graphic designers who had collaborated on the game. Chuck described the game concept, and then Morgan took over to play a few screens of the game itself, hooked up to a high definition projector. The crowd's enthusiasm swelled as they got their first peek at the new offering.

After another question and answer session with the panel moderator, a microphone was set up for a short period where the audience could ask the panel questions. One of the first people up was a female blogger who asked about Nerd HQ being "taken over" by Carmichael Industries. While the information on the company structure was public knowledge, it had little to do with the game being touted, making Sarah suspicious about the blogger's true intentions.

Chuck, however, took the question in stride, "We did join Nerd HQ into Carmichael Industries recently. However, Morgan and I, along with our COO, still have complete creative control over the games. One hundred percent. The merger with Carmichael was more about getting access to a bigger distribution platform without losing control of our product. Previously, we had developed a couple of games that were sold off to big established gaming companies. But we had to give up control of our creations, our vision. Now, we get to distribute the games the way we want, the way we envisioned them."

Despite the limited time for Q&A, the woman wasn't willing to surrender the mike just yet, "Word is that Nerd HQ is also planning on some educational software. Is it true, and is that because you want to give back to the community?" Sarah noted the way the woman was looking at Chuck, and the flirtatious lilt to her voice. A growl that would have made Casey jealous started rumbling in Sarah's chest.

Chuck, however, was oblivious to the interest of the woman as a woman. "I'm really glad that you asked about that," he began with a smile. The woman beamed back. Sarah, tucked away backstage sent her a glare that was so intense that during her CIA career had caused hardened criminals to confess before more creative interrogation techniques had to be employed. But as the woman was focused on Chuck, she had no idea of the trouble she was stirring up.

Chuck continued on with his response, "We are really excited about this. It was actually another reason for joining Carmichael, as this working group is under a separate label from Nerd HQ. But what we're doing is creating a whole line of games that are actually educational software." Chuck's enthusiasm on the project was evident. Even Morgan had a big grin and was nodding along with Chuck's description. "The product focus is to create games where, in order to advance through levels, the player has to answer questions or say the proper response. The goal is to get children excited to play the game, and the parents, caregivers or teachers to be excited as the child will be learning as they go along."

"The project is rather complex," Chuck continued. "We are trying to create different games to address different learning barriers. We then try to make the game levels age or grade appropriate. We wouldn't want a child getting discouraged as the game level was designed for an older kid, or because exposure to an area of study would be needed to play. It poses a definite challenge, but one that we are determined to overcome."

"We are partnering closely with a huge number of educators and childhood development specialists," Chuck added. "Our goal is to get a product where the questions or problems to solve are as universal as possible. Given the vastly different curricula at schools from county to county as well as from state to state across the country, this is quite the challenge."

"My wife is overseeing the Group, so the project could not be in better hands. Sarah is determined to make these games successful both in terms of being fun to play, but as importantly at being effective at helping each child to achieve his or her full potential. And let me tell you something," Chuck said in a stage whisper. "When Sarah is determined, she never fails at her mission."

Chuck motioned for Sarah to join them on the panel. The blogger suddenly stopped beaming and instead looked like she had tasted something sour. However, as a very pregnant, and very glowing Sarah Bartowski waved to the crowd, the audience started cheering harder than ever. Chuck wrapped Sarah in a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The blogger, realizing how stunningly beautiful Chuck's wife was, and now saw the look that Sarah sent her way, slipped towards the back of the room.

"Here she is now! Sarah, everyone. Everyone, Sarah," Chuck said, while jumping to his feet so that Sarah could take his chair. "As you can see, we are expecting a little nerd of our own soon. So, as important as we saw this project when we came up with it, it is now personal to us as well."

With one hand on the child growing inside her belly, and one hand in the hand of her husband, Sarah reveled in the feeling of contentment. It had been quite the journey. Just over a year ago, she had quit the CIA with no idea what to do next. Now she was doing work that she knew was helping others (with Nerd HQ) and was keeping the country safe (with Carmichael Industries).

More importantly, she was happily married, expecting a baby, and was an integral part of a family that included her mom, little sister, sister-in-law/best friend, and brother-in-law. As the saying goes, life is a journey, not a destination. Sarah had thought that she had seized control of her own destiny when she handed in her resignation to Director Graham. But the journey had taken her down a completely unexpected path. She couldn't be happier, and gauging by the look of love that Chuck was sending her way, neither could he.

THE END.

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A/N2: To paraphrase the words of Boyz II Men, we've come to end of the road. Originally, this story looked like it would be in the 25k-30k word range. Sometimes you just have to go where the story takes you. This was one of those times. I hope that you all enjoyed it. Thanks again for all the words of support and encouragement.