A/N: Well here we are; the end of my story. What started as a simple hobby turned into a full follow-up adventure equal to a 21 Chapter novel worth almost 175,000 words and nearly 500 pages over two years. What you are about to read was always my original endgame with this story, and this is NOT a short Epilogue so get ready for a trip into the future that I hope with all my heart makes up for the incomplete conclusion of our favorite show! Those familiar with video games, TV, and movies of the last 20 years will notice some excellent references and subtle odes to what has been popular in the current era.

Now, we travel to the future…those familiar with a certain N64 video game will appreciate how much time has passed:)

Chuck and Sarah

Epilogue

Time is funny, in the blink of an eye it can speed up. For Chuck and Sarah, time passed steadily and then quite suddenly it was 2021; their house was now home to six young children and they had not chased a bad guy in seven years; at least not in the field as agents. These days Chuck and Sarah were full-time parents chasing their kids. The two boys shared the smaller bedroom: now painted dark blue and outfitted with a lot of furniture and memorabilia from Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC and Marvel all of which were now considered vintage. The four girls shared the much larger of the two non-master bedrooms: now painted sky blue with nature-themed decor and furniture. Chuck and Sarah's bedroom was the simplest of the three: A lighter shade of green hung with pictures of themselves and their children's baby pictures which were situated below old fashioned furniture that included a king-size bed. Strangers who might have been permitted inside the house these days would never know its owners were former government spies. As for their jobs since leaving that behind; the vision of Carmichael Industries as a counter cyber terrorism company was now a reality, and it had slowly turned into a massive success; the company was still close with the GISA even though its founders had not done field work for the former in seven years. Diane Beckman was now retired; enjoying a quiet tropical life with Roan Montgomery; replaced by Bryce Larkin. The job itself was relatively stress-free but on this occasion, he came home rather annoyed.

Seven years matured Chuck Bartowski's appearance quite a bit. His face had more lines, particularly on his forehead and they really showed when he was stressed. While his hands had a rougher, worn look from spending so much time in front of computers nowadays and he dealt with carpel tunnel in his fingers; in addition to generally increased aches and pains from a much more sedentary job and life overall. The same kind of thing could be said for Sarah: her hair was longer than when just after the war ended. She kept it flowing down her back ending just around her shoulders though it partially flowed onto the front of either shoulder as she went about her day. Almost in a kind of twisting half ponytail that still kept it away from her face which, like her husband's was aging rather gracefully: youth was not necessarily on her side anymore, but to think she was "old" would be absurd. Her face was deeper and expanded a little more with light lines that blended into her skin well. Chuck and Sarah definitely looked like seasoned adults now.

Chuck tossed his keys on the kitchen table and sighed sinking into a chair, "You know, you'd think people would stop trying to hack the GISA but no. I just spent six hours tracing ten simultaneous brute force attacks originating in Nigeria; I hate to admit it, but IP cloaking is getting more and more advanced over there."

Sarah who'd been cooking dinner heard the door open and turned around with a half-smile still keeping an eye on the food, "Hi to you too."

Chuck put his arms behind his head unable to stifle a yawn and chuckling slightly, "Hi babe, sorry…it's just people never learn; its extensive knowledge what Carmichael does now, and it has been for three years."

Sarah turned off the food and sat down next to Chuck holding his hand on the table, "I know, but it's 2021, cybercrime is at an all-time high. Did Bryce say what they were after?"

"No, but GISA substations have expanded to a worldwide scale in the last few years so whoever it had probably been raided already. I'm just glad my involvement begins and ends at the keyboard. Dinner smells great; where are the kids?"

"Homework in the living room, dinners ready, though; pork with mixed veggies and mashed potatoes."

"Alright, I'll go round up the troops."

Chuck walked into the living room; standing in the entryway watching his six children: the twins Liam and Lisa were nine now, the triplets Emma, Megan, and Grace were eight and the youngest Stephen Larkin Bartowski-a, double namesake. First, for Chuck's deceased father and second, for the friend who set him and Sarah into each other's lives with an email and a notion about their potential-seven now, born September 18, 2014; the same day as Chuck.

Both boys had brown hair like Chuck, but only Liam was lucky enough to have inherited Chuck's height and Sarah's coordination; he was already growing into his height despite being several years shy of the main growth spurts. Stephen was the exact opposite; short and clumsy with a shy personality. Traits that his older brother seemed to pick on routinely. Lisa, had Chuck's hair too and his kind nature to go along with Ellie and Sarah's fire which meant she was the one who played peacemaker when their parents weren't around; matching Liam's height made this easier.

The triplets were young versions of Sarah, and identical to each other down to every last feature-notably the naturally long blond hair and blue ocean eyes making it tough to tell them apart; thankfully their ears had been pierced, each with a different tiny gemstone in the earrings. The piercings were done shortly before they became school age: Emma wore Emerald, Grace wore Ruby and Megan wore Sapphire. This was the only real way to tell them apart without addressing them by name. All of the children were smart, but the triplets were proved geniuses from an early age; this dynamic was the biggest learning experience for Chuck and Sarah as parents. Neither had expected their genetics to manifest in the triplets in this way, and it threw them both for a loop. Sarah found it challenging to relate to the triplets at times despite the fact that looked just like her. Chuck, on the other hand, was very overprotective because he knew that it meant the world held extra possibilities for them and that was scary for Chuck given that they inherited all of their mother's looks and his intelligence…he'd already had anxiety about raising female triplets and this combination added to that stress.

At this moment all the kids were preoccupied. Chuck watched the scene in the living room for a few minutes trying to appreciate the normalcy. The triplets at the large coffee table doing homework; despite combined IQ of close to 700 Chuck and Sarah kept them on a regular education path and they were laid back as a result; preferring to prove themselves in tests which meant they took classwork and homework very seriously and did not like drawing attention to themselves.

On the TV side of the room with the smaller couch, Liam was playing the fourth Super Smash Bros installment with Stephen on Wii U-once brand new these items were now part of an extensive collection of 8th generation video game merchandise. Now outdated on the mass market; which was entering the 10th generation (this was debated due to the release of NX, Neo and Scorpio back in 2017. When the Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One were halfway through what was typically an 8-year cycle before the next console generation hit the market) Liam was gloating because he'd won yet again and this greatly annoyed his little brother.

Liam stood up triumphantly "mic dropping" his controller in the process, "Game! That's seven in a row; Stevie you really need more practice."

Stephen rolled his eyes in irritation, "I almost won; all the Fire Emblem characters have a counter and Corrin's reach is so unfair and don't call me Stevie!" Standing up to hit his brother he aimed for his knee but Liam moved out of the way too quickly, and Stephen fell onto the rug.

Liam laughed bluntly, "Don't blame the game; if you knew how to anticipate the counter and time your smash attack correctly, you might have beaten me."

Stephen rubbed his elbows angrily, "You never switch characters…there is over fifty; pick someone else!"

Liam put his hands behind his head grinning, "Why should I? You've nearly won several times but always make a mistake…like trying to hit me. Come on bud, it's just a game." Liam fisted his little brother's hair before helping him to his feet.

Lisa who was on the couch reading the 1st Harry Potter book, looked up with a scoff, "You're one to talk; why do you always have to rub things in his face? It's not like you win by four stock; like you haven't messed with him enough; give it a rest."

Liam messed with Stephen's hair again eying Lisa with superiority as the youngest Bartowski struggled to brush off his older brother, "I'm just toughening him up…besides, I'm the oldest."

Lisa apparently thought this point was ridiculous because she raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes in the same way her mother did, "Only by a minute! Mom said so remember! She didn't want you boasting about it either."

Liam released Stephen sounding dull and irritable as he gave his twin sister the stink eye, "Something you never let me forget. You're such a goody two shoe's sis."

"Someone has to keep you in line!"

Now finished with their homework the triplets looked up from the table; spotting their father standing with an amused smile and his head against the entryway. They smiled, waving back before turning to their siblings, "If you three stopped bickering. For five minutes. You'd realize dad is home."

At this news Stephen rushed up to Chuck with an eager expression, "Dad, why didn't you say you were home, from the kitchen?"

Chuck detached himself from the wall, dropping level with his youngest son smiling gently at him, "I was busy talking with mom and then she said dinner was ready so I came in here to round you knuckleheads up. I see Liam goaded you into putting off your homework…again." Chuck shot his oldest a look that said: "you know better."

Liam shifted guiltily behind his twin sister, "I don't do it on purpose."

"Yet you still rile him up. I don't have this stuff so you become addicted to it."

"How do you know I riled him up?"

Chuck looked disapprovingly at Liam, "His elbows are enough evidence."

Lisa hugged her father before giving away the full extent, "That was just the last one…an hour ago they were rolling around on the floor; he loves provoking him."

Liam muttered "goody two shoes" under his breath while all four of his sisters rolled their eyes before proceeding into the dining room; he quickly hung his head looking apologetically at his father. Chuck hugged the triplets as they greeted him then they trailed after their sister. Chuck stood up again sighing, "After dinner get your homework done, got it?"

They both nodded gloomily and followed their father into the dining room where the Bartowski clan sat down to dinner. Pilling food onto plates, it was Emma, Grace, and Megan who spoke first; they'd developed Chuck's affinity for all things computers and generally spoke one after the other, "So dad any interesting hackers today? Yeah, who was dumb enough to try it this time? There is always someone; you'd think people knew better, but they never learn not to mess with "The Piranha!"

Everyone laughed, Chuck spoke casually, "No girls not especially interesting; just a group of Nigerians that got in over their heads and tried brute forcing their way into the GISA mainframe."

The triplets scoffed and then Emma spoke proudly, "Armatures, Only four people can do that, and we are sitting at this table."

Grace echoed her sister's sentiment, "Yeah it's just a question of which of us could do it faster."

Chuck gave his middle children a half smile clearly amused, "It's a good thing I never told Bryce how flawed his security is that my eight-year-old daughters could breach it."

Megan smiled unable to contain enthusiasm, "We're working on something; an auto hacking software coded to flush out proxy servers and host IP addresses in ten seconds and decipher passwords at a rate of…1000 combinations per second."

Chuck's mouth dropped open, "Okay I don't know to be proud or concerned; you aren't planning to hack the GISA are you?"

They spoke one by one, "Of course not. We want to become the world's most notorious white hats. That and fix Uncle Bryce's lackluster security."

Liam looked imploringly at his mother, "See mom, with three genius sisters what's the point in going to school?"

Stephen echoed his brother, "Yeah between them, the money from the GISA and Aunt Molly's inheritance; we're going to be rolling in money! People at school just stare at us because we're the kids of former super spies that saved the world; it makes school so annoying. We're not normal."

Lisa began playing with her food dejectedly while avoiding full eye contact with her parents, "They're not wrong you know; it's always in history and science. People think we can answer their questions…"

Sarah sighed looking at her children sternly yet kindly, "The point, is to make sure you all get the kind of upbringing your father and I never did; a stable environment…we never want our past to be a burden on your future, but we're not going to treat you differently because we have money. Our goal is to give you as normal a life as possible, and that doesn't include spoiling you."

"Your mother is right. We know it's hard, but we told you the truth so you wouldn't find out later we kept secrets from you; this family has too long a history of that. If people start asking all kinds of questions, then we'll consider homeschooling but only if it starts causing major problems."

They all nodded, and Liam tilted his head in an accepting way, "Alright, it's just weird learning about history your parents were in the middle of and science used and created by our father and grandfather."

Chuck "I know, but you have friends that are going through the exact same thing; lean on them for support. Better yet, lean on each other."

Sarah relaxed her expression as the others placed their hands in the center of the table with Chuck and Sarah's on top of their children's as she brought up something she hoped was evident, "You know you can always come to us if you have questions right? You're our children, and we love you."

Liam spotted his mother's misty eyed expression and smiled wiping her face; Sarah crying upset Liam the most, "Of course mom! Don't cry…we just get worked up sometimes; we know you just want what's best for us." He looked darkly at his twin whom he apparently thought had overblown their gripe.

All of the kids got up and squeezed in around their mother who kissed each of them on the forehead before issuing calm instructions, "Okay, those of you finished with dinner and your homework help your dad start the dishes. Stephen, Liam; finish eating and then do your homework before bed."

As the girls moved into and about the kitchen helping their father and Liam scarfed down the rest of his food before returning to the living room with his backpack to do homework Sarah stood behind her youngest son with a stern expression.

Stephen looked at his whole veggies sourly, "I hate mixed vegetables."

"Stephen Larkin Bartowski; I can stand here all night if I have to, you know my rule."

He picked up his fork and took three small bites looking more disgusted through each one before setting down his fork and looking up at his mother pleadingly, "Can I be done?"

Sarah acknowledged his obeying her rule, "Yes, thank you. Now go and get your homework done."

Within a few hours, Chuck and Sarah were putting the kids to bed. Over the years Sarah took it upon herself to sing the same lullaby her mother did; to her children at bedtime: Everyone, except Stephen, had grown out of this now, Sarah sang calmly to her youngest son with the oldest listening secretly at the other end of the room…

Slumber, my darling, your mother is near,

Guarding your dreams against all terror and fear,

Sunlight has passed, and the twilight has gone,

Slumber, my darling, the night's coming on.

Sweet visions attend your sleep,

Fondest, dearest to me,

While others their revels keep,

I will watch over you.

Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,

The wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,

Slumber, my darling, I'll wrap you up warm,

And pray that the angels will shield you from harm.

Slumber, my darling, till morning's blushing ray

Brings to the world the glad tidings of day;

Fill the dark void with your dreamy delight-

Slumber, your mother, will guard you tonight,

Your pillow shall be sacred

From all outward alarms;

You are, you are the world to me

In these innocent charms.

Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,

The wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,

Slumber, my darling, I'll wrap you up warm,

And pray that the angels will shield you from harm

Sarah watched Stephen sleeping for a moment before waving goodnight to Liam on the other side of the room both boys shared. His expression showed he didn't mind being lulled to sleep still; she closed the door slowly retreating into the bedroom where Chuck was waiting.

"My mother told me she sang that to keep evil at bay; I feel like it still works."

"Given our history, it isn't silly at all."

Sarah's expression turned reflective, "Can you believe we've had seven years of peace and quiet?"

"It's surreal…every night I go to bed glad I don't have to use a gun anymore. Fighting the good fight behind a keyboard is so much nicer; gives us a lot more time off too. Thank God tomorrow is Saturday; my brain is fried for the week." The end of his sentence stifled a yawn.

Sarah turned to face Chuck with a half-smile as though this was predictable, "Given the volume of work this week I figured it would slip your mind."

Chuck raised his eyebrows uncertainly, "What do you mean?"

Sarah spoke like she was turning on a light bulb in his brain, "Chuck, this weekend is huge; tomorrow is you and Stephen's birthday and then the day after is the fourteenth anniversary of-"

He finished her sentence with his mouth open in realization, "The day we met; I can't believe I forgot! I guess I memorized too much computer code. Wait, it's 2021 that means I'm almost…forty; where does the time go?"

Sarah chuckled at the shock on her husband's face; I've been asking myself that question a lot lately. One day we're super spies in our prime for the government and now; we're aging parents of six growing kids. All in fourteen years, but we should get sleep; big weekend."

I'm just glad you reminded me…like I said; long week."

"I know, but this still beats getting shot at."

II

The next day they were soon hosting a house full of people; luckily it was large enough for everyone. Chuck and Sarah weren't the only victims of time; it caught up to their friends and family too, and they're had been a large gathering like this since before the war ended; life always seemed to get in their way.

Casey reentered the kitchen looking to trade his drink; his hair was noticeably graying in places now, "Sarah, still keep the scotch in the same spot?"

"Of course John."

Casey sighed absentmindedly, "My grandson is too much like his father; boundless energy. Kathleen and I watch him when Alex and Morgan need it and by the time he leaves I'm exhausted."

"Michael does have a lot of energy, but you should enjoy it while he's that age. It's surreal getting older; children keep us young…it's when their Molly's age we'll start to feel old."

Molly smiled in a reassuring way as she came through the door; she was fourteen now and already taller than Sarah. Her hair had grown out considerably to the point that it ran partially down her back, her expression showed she'd been eavesdropping, "Sarah, have you even looked at yourself lately; trust me your best days are ahead of you."

"Thanks, Moll."

"The stars are getting restless."

"We're on our way."

"Which one?"

Molly chuckled, "Chuck's spiraling; he just keeps staring at mirrors."

Sarah shook her head following them, "Chuck forgot he was turning forty; sometimes I wish I would not have reminded him; he's not superficial, but I think this caught him off guard."

Casey scoffed "Cry me a river; if anyone should be complaining it's me I'm over fifty."

Sarah grinned, "Well, at least you and Kathleen are around the same age. You seem happy; it's been about four years right; two since the wedding which was beautiful."

"Yeah, it took us some time to ease back into things…but we're happy. We visit Gertrude's grave every year; that's how things started; she offered to come with Alex, Morgan and me. Things evolved from there; Alex was like a kid the way she reacted when we told her we were getting back together then two years later with the wedding; she must've cried for fifteen minutes just standing sandwiched in between us. I love Kathleen it means a lot to both of us to be together and give Alex what she always wanted, but Gertrude; it's hard not to think it undermines her memory for both of us."

"I think you know that's not true John; Gertrude is happy for you John, and I know she knows you miss her and besides she told you to be happy right before she died; something tells me this is what she meant."

"We weren't ever joined at the hip as you and Chuck, but I miss her…all the time."

They joined the crowd of people in the dining room, and everyone sat down: Chuck, Sarah their children and relatives. Casey, Kathleen, Alex, Morgan and their son Michael-around Stephen's age. Carina, Manoosh their daughter Michelle-recently turned six-Bryce Zondra with their son Ryan now five. The only absentees were Cole, Mei-Ling and Jill all busy with individual lives, which was lucky because with those that were present the house was at capacity.

With the help of Ellie, Mary, and her mother; Sarah made enough food for the entire GISA army if need be: chicken, steak, pasta, corn, rice, beans, fruit…they pulled out all the stops. Everyone piled different food onto their plate and when they were full Sarah stood up to make a speech.

"So, I know it been a long time since all of us were together, but I'm thrilled to see everyone. We've all been busy; kids, school, homework, government, security, travel…the one thing I've noticed is I'm happy; I hope everyone else is too. Now, there is a second reason for this get together; today is Chuck's and Stephen's birthday…I love you both so much!"

Stephen turned slightly red, "I love you too mom."

Chuck smiled raising his glass, "Thanks, hon; let's eat!"

The general conversation soon filled the room, and the younger kids ate quickly to play. Carina mentioned that they traveled with Michelle as a family because putting down roots wasn't their style and travel was memorable in addition to keeping them moving which helped with their somewhat irrational aversion to ultimately settling down; though Carina had accepted Manoosh's proposal at the beginning of the year.

Sarah chuckled at this predictability, "If there were anybody I'd expect to do things well out of order it would be you, Carina."

Carina expression was reflective and judgmental; having a kid increased her fierce attitude instead of softening it, "That kid running around makes it worth it; besides not everyone is a perfect homemaker like you and forty over there."

"I know that you're doing just fine; it was a compliment."

Chuck was blunt, "Fourteen years since we met and you still terrify me, Carina."

"Then I'm obviously doing something right. Noosh popped the question during an Aurora Borealis in Poland; that's my birthplace, and my parents moved to the States when I was five and moved back once I joined the DEA, but I wanted my parents to meet him and their granddaughter; later that night was when he proposed. We might just elope I am not one for a big drawn out wedding; I'll let you both know."

Alex and Morgan engaged Bryce and Zondra further down the table; inquiring about how they got away from the GISA and went back and forth about the rest of their lives since the war ended and the state of the world now in general.

"I just make sure to delegate; when you're responsible for helping put an end to World War III, it opens up a lot of free time. Of course, there are always armatures who still pose a threat to the country just based on how digital the world has gotten now. Zondra splits time between there and LA. We still are in the field every so often, but a kid makes me glad it's pretty scaled back."

"I teach for that branch of spy candidate school; that way I can do all the fun stuff without having to worry about getting shot at because my right arm hasn't been the same since I took those bullets the first time Carmichael Industries was attacked. Turns out Chuck's success going from analyst asset to top agent has made LA even more attractive recruiting spot for potential spies. Ryan is already practicing regularly to be recruited most of the time. Looks aren't the only thing he got from Bryce; the unlimited confidence is there too."

Alex smiled like she could relate; stress seemed to have sapped her of that "young adult" look she still had in years past, "Tell me about it; Michael is so much like Morgan that my dad is aging a little faster than I'd like. Mom seems to have softened him a lot, though."

Bryce could not hide his disbelief, Casey as a grandfather; for obvious reasons I just can't picture it."

The look in Bryce's eye told Alex he meant getting shot twice; she sighed looking awkward, "I know, but he's the one outside watching the kids right now; I think his soft side is growing on him."

Morgan shook his head unsure, "The Casey we're used to is still there; the difference is he has more reasons to be laid back."

"I agree with that."

"Exactly, so…how long have you two been together?"

Bryce chuckled with a casual expression, "I'd have thought Ryan's age made that obvious?"

Alex laughed at Bryce's expression, "I believe he was looking for specifics."

Zondra exchanged a look with Bryce, "Sharing brain waves gives a decent head start, but if you have to know…he had already been helping me rehab my shoulder. The damage was so bad I was taken from Westside Medical to the GISA where the medical division did surgery; at that time we were both confined inside the GISA, so I knew Bryce was alive before anybody except Beckman. We slowly bonded over our near deaths and recoveries."

"Since then; that's eight years."

"How did you keep it quiet during the war?"

Bryce shrugged his shoulders, "Professionalism and a veteran poker face."

Zondra continued with a smile, "I was the one who convinced him to show his face again-she glanced up the table at Sarah who was in conversation with Chuck, Emma, Molly and Jack-I didn't count on Sarah being that angry. It got a little harder to keep a poker face after that. Thankfully, people were too focused on the war to put two and two together."

"Ellie's Intersect is a brilliant piece of hybrid technology; useless to any two people without an emotional connection. We thought for sure people would figure it out then, but the war ended, and everyone went their separate ways; giving us extended time to ourselves. Before we knew it we were married and then in March 2016 Ryan came along, and now he's five, and it's 2021."

Morgan reared back with his hands behind his head in agreement, "Yeah time gets away from you; Casey is already teaching Michael how to shoot a rifle with blanks; if Casey wasn't Casey I think Alex would be losing her mind, but it's always in a controlled environment. He enjoys it, and Michael seems to have inherited Casey's natural ability; something he definitely did not get from us."

Zondra's face was full of irony, "That's funny…I can't help but wonder what Ryan got from me; he's so much like Bryce that they could be twins."

"I'd say most of his personality is you: independent, driven, quick-witted, kind."

Zondra smiled gratefully, "Let's go see what he's up to."

Alex and Morgan followed having finished their food too. Up the table, Chuck and Sarah were still chatting with the entirety of their family. Despite most still living near one another busy lives, these days prevented them from seeing much of each other and seven years seemed to have caught up with many. Devon was not as fit as back then due to the added stress from increased medical responsibilities.

"Chief of surgery; it's an excellent position, but I'm almost always tired which is not awesome."

Ellie was sighed with obvious concern, "I see him come in dead tired the entire week, and Clara does not get too much time with her father."

"We've all been to most of her soccer games and school events."

"I meant on a more personal level. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to take Bryce's offer."

Chuck raised his eyebrows, "What offer?"

"To maintain and monitor Intersect technology for the GISA from home."

"What is with the government wanting to recruit our family; nest thing we know they'll be after our kids."

Ellie shifted uncomfortably as Chuck and Sarah sighed uneasily, "Ellie what is going on?"

Ellie hesitated momentarily before speaking bluntly, "Bryce thinks they need to be protected."

Sarah was apparently taken by surprise, "Protected, from what? The war is over…"

"Yes, the war is over…but the Intersect is part of their DNA in a very literal sense. I'm sure they've already noticed signs of its programming existing in their brains? Especially the triplets, their combined IQ totals 675; yet they show no typical social abnormalities that are usually seen with high intelligence. You must have wondered why?"

Chuck shook his head, "We've never considered them anything more than perfectly healthy and that goes for all the kids. Besides, you told us it could not pass to them just after we uploaded it?" "

Ellie sighed apologetically, "I know but something unexpected changed all that; your human biology mutated..."

Chuck's mouth fell open, "What do you mean?"

"I'll try to explain, human biology is always adapting and changing; in this situation all that you are slowly mutated to become part binary code; the most basic form of computer language...the Intersect mutated your biology because the brain is also a highly sophisticated computer; my guess is that is why you have so many superhuman abilities."

Sarah had a realization that made her quiet, "They told us they weren't normal; we just figured that the kids felt that way because they're being pestered about history that their parents lived."

Ellie was contemplative now, "When I created Cerebrum I never expected the coding to slowly alter the brain to the point that it functions as both a computer and an organ. All body cells and bodily tissue grow from chromosomal DNA once the embryo forms which is why it's considered a living thing at that point and since this Intersect became part of your brains it exists in your children too."

Chuck's face was tight trying to understand what Ellie meant, "you're saying we…what are you getting at?"

Ellie's demeanor was of someone revealing a long kept secret, "I unintentionally created technology that could produce the world's first hybrid human beings: a half binary computer; half cellular chromosomal DNA, cells and systemic tissue from natural biological reproduction. It's complicated, but the closest comparison I can think of is Cyborg (I don't believe that it is a coincidence that DC and Marvel were inspired by the potential of advanced science) except without the synthetic limbs…"

Thankfully their family was all that remained at the table (the rest were now outside)both Chuck and Sarah's mouths fell open, and they both asked the same question, "When and how did you…do the others know?"

Ellie looked extra uncomfortable now, "Bryce does, and I don't know if he told anyone else who received Cerebrum. The brain's neurons form rapidly within the first two years of human life-tens of billions of them-usually peaking at about eighty billion in the first two years before slowing down considerably for the duration of a lifespan and peaking again at one hundred billion. During your kids first two years that was multiplied by one hundred; I started receiving brain scans, just like I always do with your Intersect. That was programmed software; that's when I knew, I'm sorry."

Sarah was still in shock; she asked a natural question, "How come they-she swallowed hard because the question was hard to wrap her head around-aren't acting like artificial intelligence then?"

"My guess is that because natural biology is so much more complicated than binary computer code; that remains the dominant portion of their hybrid DNA, I'm sorry. I should have mentioned this sooner, but it took years to understand the science and I wanted to be sure." Devon put an arm around Ellie to comfort her apparent regret.

Emma noticed Sarah's jarred expression, I'm sure this is a lot to process, but it doesn't change anything about those beautiful kids."

Molly drove home that point wearing a matter of fact expression, "Exactly, it's no different than you saving me from Ryker and leaving me with mom. I've lived a normal life because of you Sarah: I just started high school, made varsity baseball as a freshman and I joined the big sister program. I'm going to work as a social worker in foster care. My point is those nieces and nephews of mine will be just fine."

Jack didn't pretend to relate to what was going on, but he was nonetheless supportive, "All I know is your far better people and parents than me."

Chuck had a regular expression, "Let's worry about this later."

Mary shook her head in agreement, "I think that is best; your father had a habit of fixating on things too much, besides what Bryce suggested seems more precautionary than anything else. Let's join everyone outside."

They all agreed…outside in the front yard, the kids were in the middle of playing baseball; using a pitch/hit scenario where one group of children tried to rack up strikeouts, and the other tried blast home runs beyond the white-picket fence that ran around the house. Knowing Molly's pitching skills, everyone tried recruiting her; she saved herself from having to pick sides by suggesting everyone versus herself scenario in which she struck all nine of them all out.

Molly joined Sarah on the porch swing grinning, "That was a little too easy."

The earlier conversation was still on Sarah's mind, "Do you think they know?"

"I can only speak for my nieces and nephews, and if they do they're choosing not to flash. Based on what Ellie said they might not even have to; especially given how fast yours is already. My guess is they know, or at least the triplets do."

Sarah looked out over the yard with a somber and quiet expression, "When I was recording that mission log as Chuck's handler I thought I got to a place where things were calm, but that was a lie. This is calm, and it's been this way too long to be thrown back into anything that's even slightly like seven years ago."

Molly looked at Sarah taking matters into her own hands as a sibling would, "Sis, I don't think life will ever be as it was during the war. Now, my youngest nephew still needs a cake; so I'd say it's time we get the show on the road!"

Sarah's expression changed into a decent smile and brightness returned in her eyes, "I can't imagine life without you."

"Molly stood up, pulling out the disguised necklace tracker Sarah gave her ten years ago, "I still wear this around my neck; mostly for sentiment but also just in case."

Sarah stood up making too her necklace visible, "Since you gave me this I never take it off; I don't care that the CIA-led me to you, and sorry your parents were killed so brutally, but selfishly, I'm happy what of came of it."

I wasn't even six months old when my biological parents died; I never even knew them. You rescued me and gave me a safe haven; you're my sister, and I love you. The first memory I have is of you singing to me."

Sarah's eyes welled unexpectedly, "You remember that; Molly…"

"Of course, then mom sang it to me every night for years, but it always reminded me of you. It took meeting you to place it entirely, but yes." They embraced in a tight hug and then moved to the front door going inside to prep the cake.

Meanwhile, Stephen and Michael were busy foolishly trying to see who could launch themselves highest from the swing set; this activity soon drew worrisome warnings from Alex who watched them steadily go higher and faster spiking her stress level.

"You both need to be careful!"

Michael was very much oblivious to danger like his father; who was busy firing off rifles with Casey further down the street in a closed off area. He sounded just as overly confident as Morgan in these situations, "Relax mom! We will be fine!"

"Do I need to bring up one of your dad's stories again?"

Stephen thought for a moment before choosing honesty, "Aunt Alex, a high-flying swing is nowhere as dangerous as stuff that's happened to Uncle Morgan!"

Alex shook her head conceding the point, "I can't argue with that, but I don't want to take you to the hospital for broken bones so please get off of there."

Chuck, Morgan, and Casey came back a few minutes later; just when the boys were about to launch themselves. A stern call made them stop quickly, "Michael Charles Grimes listen to your mother right now!"

Michael reluctantly obeyed his mother and Stephen knew better than to test the look his father was giving him and hopped off the swing too; good thing because moments later Sarah returned beckoning everyone back inside the house.

Chuck stopped accepting recognition of his birthday when Stephen was born, and his youngest was not the type to expect anything, but they both knew something was coming and sure enough…

Stephen spotted the handful of gifts on the table and turned to his mother awkwardly, "Mom, I don't want anything; you didn't need to…"

Sarah shook her head looking at the group, "I didn't, and most of these are from everyone else."

This made Stephen turn bright red, "Oh um thanks, everybody."

They all nodded, and Sarah turned back to her youngest son, "I did get a cake though because your father has a milestone; besides, every birthday should have a birthday cake!"

The group sang happy birthday to Stephen (several people threw in Chuck during this) before Stephen blew out the candles, causing a round of applause. Spotting his mother's lone gift he smiled tearing it open; it was a red, modified pocket knife with detachable blades that she had engraved with his initials on the bottom and an eagle on the top. Casey and Chuck designed it from scratch when Sarah told them what she had in mind; working on it over the last few days. It was twice as long as a regular pocket knife but still very compact, and he could hide it under his clothes if he wanted.

Morgan grinned at Chuck in a whisper, "Turns out you don't need to worry about your kid going airborne after all."

Sarah tilted her head with an awkward expression, "I did the engraving myself; the eagle is your favorite animal. I wanted to give something you could defend yourself with. Smaller knives have more power than larger ones because you can create more speed on a throw, not that I want you always throwing knives, but some stealth for a quick getaway never hurts."

Stephen looked at his mother's gift like it was the best thing he'd ever gotten, "Will you teach me how to throw like you do?"

"Of course I can."

"Thanks, mom!" Stephen pocketed his mother's gift before setting to the rest.

The rest of his gifts varied: Bryce a GISA issue watch (drawing looks from Chuck and Sarah) Morgan, a handful of Star Wars and Indiana Jones action figures, Alex new shoes, Casey a Nerf gun, Sarah's mother a new jacket, Jack money. Soon cake was being disturbed amid more conversation.

Carina was the only one of the group that didn't seem to age over the last seven years which meant that frequent travel agreed with her and her family. Michelle looked very much like Carina with Manoosh's personality. Several people mentioned what a handful this would be when she got older, but Carina disagreed."

"I'm a lot more laid back these days; there is still time for that to rub off on her. Besides…Manoosh designs quick transport technology when we are home; it's funny even though most of us aren't in the field anymore we can't let go of working in or with the government. He gets to be with her quite a lot, though."

Manoosh spoke bluntly, "That's because it pays well. My advancements in quick transport tech have allowed people to get from place to place instantly; molecular engineering has surged in the last five years. I'm glad I spend so much time with her…oh, here she comes again."

Michelle ran energetically into her mother's arms brought her onto her lap, "What are you smiling so big about all of a sudden?"

Michelle let her head fall innocently onto Carina's chest wearing a sheepish smile, "Nothing, honest!"

Carina was skeptical; the overzealous grin was a big giveaway, "The words nothing and honest never follow truthfully when someone asks a question now, where did you get that flower that's in your hair?"

At this, Michelle turned red hopped down and ran out of site raising her mother's suspicion, "Something is going on; have we missed anything today?"

Chuck and Sarah shook their heads no truthfully. Elsewhere, Casey was talking to Morgan with mild surprise, "I'm impressed you managed to turn yourself into a decent shot."

Alex was less than amused and spoke with some degree of stress and sarcasm, "That's just what I need; two more snipers in the family; especially my accident prone husband and risk taker son, who's six years old."

Casey was dismissive, "Come on, you know I only let them shoot blanks."

Alex's expression showed her age; her face was tight and more pronounced especially in her cheeks and jaw, "Not the point dad…I'll admit working as a criminal psychologist for the GISA is probably what is causing the majority of my stress, but this doesn't help."

Kathleen was considerably older regarding appearance but the dark blue dress she wore disguised this well. She had a measured view of things; "They always do it in an open area. I certainly wish our grandson had taken to a different hobby but I've watched them bond over this, and he's been safe." Alex softened with her mother's viewpoint.

In the kitchen Bryce, Zondra, Chuck, and Sarah were discussing Ellie's earlier revelation with the door closed and the latter couple's family as spectators, all children except Molly-were of course absent but it was agreed that this elephant in the room couldn't be sidestepped any longer.

Bryce sighed deeply with a strained, yet calm expression, "There is not a present threat, and there might never be, but there is a reason I offered Ellie an official job; she's the best regarding analysis and monitoring the Intersect, and we'll need that in our back pocket. Plus she can watch the kids in their everyday lives since none of us want them stuck under GISA protection from other potential "Quinn's" that could come out of the woodwork."

Zondra was relaxed thinking hard, "I agree, I don't think anything has changed. We shouldn't alter our lives or the kids based on a slim potential of problems and threats. Things have stayed quiet since the war ended; there's no reason to think that won't continue."

Chuck had a more guarded opinion, "That depends on how long it takes people with an agenda that think our kids are science experiments to show themselves."

Bryce acknowledged Chuck's point, "That's why I gave Stephen the watch; I'll be giving the rest of the kids one on their birthday's as well, just in case. Do we need to worry about Michelle?"

Sarah and Zondra looked at each other shaking their heads, "No, they are pretty much always traveling."

"Yeah, Carina's better off not knowing; something tells me she'd take matters into her own hands like I did when I went to Thailand. We'll tell Alex and Morgan; we see them both most frequently."

Bryce nodded with a matter of fact expression, "Alright, honestly other than some increased hacker activity in the last few months mainly targeting the GISA mainframe there is nothing to worry about."

Chuck finally had a reason to crack a grin, "Yeah, you won't have to worry about that soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

Chuck couldn't restrain himself, "The triplets have surprising ambitions even I did not see coming. They're designing counter hacking software; determined to be known as the best White Hats ever and boost your security while they're at it; they told me they could hack the GISA mainframe easily. Megan, in particular, thinks your cyber-security is awful."

Bryce was taken aback, "They're eight years old; how could they possibly understand the…wow."

"Combined IQ of 675."

"With that kind of intelligence, I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Sarah gave a half smile, "I disagree, but it's been a long day so I digress…"

The rest of the late afternoon went quickly and soon it was well after nine o'clock at night. After rounding up their children; who spent the last few hours occupying in the living room with Chuck's video game collection, the company steadily went home, and Chuck and Sarah slowly put their clan to bed.

Tucking Stephen into his superhero (Superman/Batman/The Flash) themed bed they bent over him smiling; Sarah took off the ring that Stephen was wearing on his left hand eying it curiously, "Looks like you got at least one thing we didn't know about?"

Stephen looked at it embarrassed, "Oh that was Michelle. We err like each other…"

Chuck and Sarah looked at their youngest son with amusement before Sarah placed the ring on his nightstand, "Well, that explains a lot. I guess I don't need to ask what your favorite gift was."

Stephen smiled broadly, "Duh mom, definitely yours!"

Sarah smiled skeptically kissing him on the forehead, "Goodnight you."

Chuck followed suit grinning, "Good night little man; one more happy birthday!"

"You too dad!"

They bid goodnight to Liam before retreating to the doorway and exchanging a whisper back in the hall, "I didn't expect that."

"We may have our hands full with this."

Chuck was thinking a little differently, "Why do I get the feeling that if that works out Carina might see at as some sort of disturbing consolation prize."

Sarah chuckled sporting a highly amused grin, "That's fine by me; she knows I won! Now, let's get to bed; it's been a long day!"

III

The horizon glows a brilliant yellow as the sun started to come up in the sky. The tide could be heard steadily rolling in and out as waves crashed throughout the ocean; it was a very peaceful scene, and Sarah sat using the moment to think. As birds flew over the sea, Sarah followed them until they traveled beyond her line of sight. As she turned her head back to the slowly rising sun, Chuck entered her far peripheral vision sitting down on her left.

There was gentleness in his voice that gave them both Deja-vu, "Figured you'd be here; how long?"

Sarah smiled emotionally, "All night, I'm sorry; I couldn't sleep and came here to think."

Chuck returned the smile and folded his hands, "This is our thinking spot; what's on your mind?"

Sarah sighed heavily, "Everything, it wasn't just that I couldn't sleep…I was having nightmares; where I get captured and tortured while our children end up stuck in a lab treated like science experiments."

Chuck looked at her calmly, "Ellie always said that the PTSD wouldn't exactly go away; I'm sorry, I am a very sound sleeper."

Sarah chuckled slightly, "I know, but I was okay more or less; nothing's been as bad as like what happened at the Russian Embassy. With what Ellie said yesterday, though; I've been wondering if we made the right decision making and uploading the Cerebrum Intersect."

"I would think that is an easy question to answer considering it gave you your memory back."

Sarah looked very seriously at Chuck. "Would you have loved me any less otherwise?"

"Of course not, where is this coming from?"

Sarah made no effort to hold back her feelings; wearing a somber expression as they watched the sun continue to rise against the sky, "The fact that we brought children into the world with a tremendous burden being placed on their shoulders. Much bigger than it would have been for me to raise them with an incomplete memory and much larger than the load put on you fourteen years ago today."

Chuck finally understood what was plaguing his wife and sighed putting his arm around her, "That pesky "what if" question; it always seems to eat at us."

Sarah raised her eyebrows apparently surprised, "You mean you knew where I was going with this conversation?"

Chuck nodded letting his eyes follow more birds as they flew out over the rough ocean as a flock from very high in the sky, "I'm a sound sleeper, but our brains are still linked together. Children born of unprecedented accomplishments in the merging of biology, neuroscience, and computer technology are bound to carry a lot of burdens, but if you're asking if I'd do it all again…I would."

"What makes you so sure it was the right thing to do; especially give what could happen to our children if the world finds out that they're hybrids?"

"Since when did we start worrying about things before they happen?"

"Since we became parents."

Chuck was very reflective, "Fair enough, as far as whether making Cerebrum was the right thing to do. Memories are created from life experiences; the best of yours were stolen from you so it's only fair you got them back, but when we built this Intersect my biggest priority was keeping you safe. I didn't want you to ever get taken advantage of again. Between myself, Ellie and Manoosh we designed a far superior matrix that could transfer the brains neurological impulses between two hosts amplifying neurological functionally in the Cerebrum section of the brain so you would be able to fight without fear but still have voluntary control of yourself, and I would think of myself too apparently. What happened with your memory we did not see coming at all; you asked me if I'd have loved you any less if it hadn't been restored, I meant what I said, and there is no way."

Sarah teared up a little smiling, "I can't believe the whole point of Cerebrum was just to keep me safe. You even fixed all the problems with the earlier untampered Intersects that inspired the Laudanol pill."

Chuck attempted to add some levity to the moment, "Well, we prepared for an edgier Sarah, but wanted to keep you from going full Wild Card Enforcer given the emotional upheaval you were going through at the time; luckily you haven't had to be that since the Phase three incident."

Sarah cracked a sly smile, "I would do that in a heartbeat if anybody took our kids."

"I know that's why I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Sarah hesitated slightly, "I'm still worried."

Chuck pulled Sarah in close, "I know, your kids being the part computer isn't something you expect; I had a computer in my brain, but they are technology and biology; as a scientist, Ellie would say they are the world's first biotechnical humans. Now that I think about it I guess we are too; Cerebrum's coding fused with our brain a long time ago. My dad, he would say we're special."

Sarah smiled nostalgically, "Aces Charles."

Chuck kissed her, lingering for several minutes; until a sudden noise made them separate.

"Yuck, that's gross; I found them!"

Chuck and Sarah looked around; the Bartowski children were standing several feet away with embarrassed looks on their faces. Liam eyed his parents disapprovingly; shaking his head as his siblings lagged behind, "I can't believe you came all the way to a deserted beach just to make out."

They stammered slightly giving the others time to catch up before noticing they all were still in Pj's, "No, that isn't what we…hold on; what are you doing here? When I left you were all asleep; it's barely after seven."

As they both stood up Sarah eyed her children suspiciously though there was a decent amount of amusement in her expression, "I'm more interested in HOW they got here; you didn't drive? Just because Casey does sometimes when you are in his car doesn't mean-"

Liam cut his mother off wearing a sarcastic expression, "Yeah, that's what we did…hot-wired someone's car and got noticed by the cops, now we're on the run so we came here to hide out."

Chuck took great effort not to laugh at his son's explanation, "Oh amusing; let's try the truth now."

At this, the triplets answered, with casual expressions, "We teleported…"

Chuck and Sarah exchanged a puzzled look and a brief whisper, "I think that answers if they know or not."

Sarah nodded turning back to the children all of whom looked nervous and unsure of how their parents were handling this revelation; she sighed, "Follow us; we have a lot to talk about."

Chuck and Sarah led their children back to where they'd been sitting earlier and motioned for them all to sit down before doing the same forming a sizable family circle. Chuck and Sarah opened the discussion as he spoke first in a blunt but calm voice, "How much do you know about the Intersect?"

The triplets answered his question casually, "Just that it's a computer Grandpa invented as a teaching tool to store information in the brain that you could access anytime. Yeah, he worked for the government and after 9/11 they decided to use the computer to store their secrets. You followed in his footsteps becoming an analyst working for them to decipher its information when they needed you to and eventually you met mom became a field agent with her fell in love and years later stopped World War III. We know you uploaded an advanced Intersect three different times and become a super spy; mom basically was already. The War is in our history books and we learn about the advanced Intersect in science; the rest is what you told us."

The others nodded, and Chuck continued, "Most of that is true; especially the last part about your mother she was and still is a natural spy; that's what made her such a great handler."

Liam raised his eyebrows in interest, "What, mom was assigned to protective detail?"

Sarah nodded, "Yup, a few years before I became your dad's partner."

Liam groaned while the others laughed at his harsh reaction, "I can't believe you got stuck on protective detail mom; Casey's told me stories that make sound so annoying! Who's the moron you got stuck with?"

Sarah smiled nostalgically, "Your father, Casey was only ever annoyed that much because he never stayed in the car when we told him to."

There was a loud exclamation of "WHAT" from all the children as they looked at their parents in disbelief. After they had gathered themselves, Lisa was the one who finally broke the silence, "So, this means dad was a government asset before he was a spy; how did that happen? Dads a nerd what could the government have wanted with him?"

"That question was answered the day of and the day after my birthday fourteen years ago to the day; when someone you know sent me an email. Someone who turned out to be a spy."

They were all incredibly eager, "Who was it?"

Chuck put heavy emphasis on the name, "Bryce Larkin; he was my old college roommate, so naturally, I opened it."

"What was it?"

"A riddle to solve: "The terrible troll raises his sword."

Stephen thought for a moment, "That sounds like a Zork reference; the one you programmed at college with Bryce, so the answer would have been "attack troll with a nasty knife."

Chuck nodded and continued, "that's what I put. "

"So what did he send?"

"The original Intersect; he stole it when he'd gotten wind of a splinter cell inside the CIA and sent it to me. Of course, I didn't know any of this at the time…as far as I knew he was just remembered my birthday; little did I know that by hitting enter I'd spend the next twelve hours with the Intersect being uploaded into my brain." This info drew more gasps from the kids.

The triplets were naturally curious, "Twelve hours, the original must have had a lot of data, and I'm sure it had problems too."

"The original was strictly for information; I'm just lucky it was done before I left for work."

Liam addressed his mother expectantly, "Mom, where were you during all this?"

"I'd just returned from a separate assignment and was sent to investigate the email. I found Chuck at what was then the Burbank Buy More. All I was told was that Bryce had sent him that email so I came in with a broken flip phone which he fixed, and left him my number to ask me out; especially after I saw how kind he was with kids thanks to some customers. Plus he was as nerdy as his file said; he was on the phone chanting Vicky Vale from Batman when your goofy dad finally realized I'd walked up to the Nerd Herd desk and was so shocked he dropped it."

Liam glossed over these details impatiently while his sisters swooned over them with their heads on their shoulders, "We already knew dad used to be a dork; that makes it even funnier. What happened next; did you call her?"

"No I was distracted by what was going on in my head and when I got home a ninja tried stealing my computer, but when she came back, the next day Morgan took matters into his own hands and set us up for me."

Sarah continued rather enthusiastically, "After going out to dinner, we wound up at a club but within a few minutes, I noticed Casey was trying to catch us so we ran but we were cornered by Casey when Chuck flashed on a bomb that was soon to go off. That's when he told us he opened Bryce's email, and I said what the Intersect was; he was shell shocked, but luckily Casey backed off, and the three of us went after the bomb."

"I defused it seconds before it exploded by overriding the computer and infecting it with a virus."

"Your father was not handling accidentally becoming a government asset well; I reluctantly let him get some space overnight."

Chuck gestured around the beach, "That brings us back here."

The children looked around confused, and Liam voiced their confusion, "What's so special about some deserted beach?"

Chuck smiled absentmindedly before continuing with a nostalgic expression, "This is where I was the morning after the first mission-fourteen years ago to the day; I suddenly had a computer in my head and was stuck as a CIA/NSA asset it was a lot to take. That's when your mother showed up."

Lisa inquired curiously, "You knew where he was?"

Sarah smiled guiltily, "I was ordered to keep an eye on him; once we knew he wasn't a threat and just an unlucky civilian that got mixed up in government secrets. So I tracked him here; Casey wanted to go, but I knew Chuck wouldn't respond to any patriotism speech when his life had just changed so drastically. "

Liam agreed with this sentiment, "Casey's not the person to talk to when you suddenly have a government computer in your brain. So what did you say when you found him?"

"I told him we'd protect him, and he'd be working with us, and then I asked him to trust me."

"Did you, trust her?"

Chuck considers Liam's question for a moment, "Yes, I did granted that got cloudy rather fast because I did not know her."

"What happened next?"

Chuck and Sarah exchange a look smiling, and Sarah shakes her head, "That is a long story; one you're all a little too young to hear details about. For now, all you need to know is your father eventually became a field agent and had the Intersect removed when we were falsely branded traitors to the CIA, but we successfully cleared are the name and decided to work for ourselves."

"Starting Carmichael Industries?"

Chuck nodded continuing "Yes, this was in back in 2011 as an independent spy agency; which we did until about six months before the war started."

"Why did you stop?"

"We wanted to be safe enough to start a family and always running around as a spy is dangerous so we decided to transition to countering cyber terrorism."

Stephen raised his eyebrows, "That's what you do now, but you didn't start that until after the war ended; even though it wouldn't start for another six months…some of us could have been born much sooner, what happened?"

They hesitated unsure how to proceed, and then Chuck muttered, "You all must have wondered why mom suffers from PTSD sometimes; especially at night?"

Lisa and her siblings looked curiously at their mother; even a little concerned, "We just figured it was from all the years of being a spy."

Chuck continued quietly "That's a little true, but it came as a result of an ill-fated "last mission". We stumbled on something that another independent spy was after; the Intersect-this drew wide eyes from everyone-knowing what that could lead to we went after it to get to it first."

Liam was incredibly eager now, "Did you, get to it first?"

"Yes, but we did the last thing you should ever do when chasing somebody who thought I stole his thunder; we let them get away, and I was captured; your mom was forced into a trap and had to upload the Intersect to get away."

The triplets made an educated guess, "That must have been one of the advanced Intersects we've read about in science class, the 2.0. Why would that be a bad thing? You rescued dad. Otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

Chuck continued tensely; all the kids noticed his slight change in tone and demeanor, "This Intersect had a Trojan Horse with an unfortunate side effect. After too much use and being that she had to track me all the way to a Japanese bullet train it came into force by the time she rescued the spy that was after the Intersect captured her and separated us and me."

Liam's mouth fell open, "You got captured-"

Megan cut across him, "What was the Trojan?"

"Memory loss caused by cranial pressure from too much flashing; her captor exploited this before I could rescue her in time."

They all gasped audibly; Liam had disbelief in his voice, "You lost your memory?"

The triplets interjected frowning "True memory loss comes from direct physical trauma. Even so being forced to flash over and over would cause severe suppression. How much did you forget?"

Sarah sighed solemnly, "Everything from the time I met your father to just after we married."

This drew the loudest gasps yet; Liam was frantic and angry, "What, but then how are you okay? How are we here; how are you together or anything?"

Chuck gently defused his son, "Buddy calm down; I'm getting to that, and then we can talk about what and why we're telling you this story."

After he had relaxed Sarah continued calmly omitting darker details for obvious reasons, "I was tricked into stealing the 3.0 from DARPA; eventually, your father convinced of the truth of our lives, and we stopped the man responsible also stopping another bomb. Afterward, I needed space and came here. Little did I know that your father would find me; just like I found him five years earlier, asking me to trust him just as I had."

The girls swooned over the last of these details and then the triplets responded curiously, "How did you get yourself back? Stephen and we wouldn't have been born otherwise. Suppressed or not the experiences that made you who you are would not have the emotional connection they did before, so that's where the PTSD develop."

Sarah smiled looking at Chuck, "Your father, Aunt Ellie, and Manoosh. They built an even more advanced Intersect-calling it Cerebrum-a shared Intersect that your dad and I uploaded; it's not something the world knows about."

The triplet's curiosity quickly peLaked, "A shared Intersect, but that would mean you have one brain. The cerebrum is the part that controls voluntary muscle function. That's impossible. Yeah, Aunt Ellie's a medical doctor not a neurologist…there's no way."

Chuck laughed, "Turns out she knows more about merging the brain with technology then even your grandfather did: Our brains work independently but share a neurological link, we hear each other's thoughts, amplify all brain and body functioning. The computer itself restored your mom's memory which is something we did not expect. Not long after that, the war started; how much do you know about World War III?"

Stephen sounded like he was reciting facts, "Just what we've learned in history class at school: shortest war in U.S history but largest regarding involvement and scale for both sides. Started September 24, 2012, and ended January 27, 2014; instigated by Vladimir Putin with the major nations choosing different sides. Nicknamed by our government as "The Intersect War" due to the decisive battles fought with it. Other than that all we know is your company worked in secret with the GISA to bring down Putin."

"That's all true which brings me to my reason for telling this entire story."

Lisa was surprised, "I thought it was to believe in love?"

Chuck grinned admirably as he continued, "Yes, but there's another reason. It turns out over time the Intersect we have fused with our brains; which means the coding we designed for the Matrix of the computer is part of our biological DNA now."

Everyone except the triplet looked confused; they were seemed to have expected this, "That makes sense given the brain has been processing both neurological impulses and binary computer code for so long; your DNA mutated and since you, as our parents are part computer…we are too."

Chuck and Sarah nodded, "Ellie told us yesterday."

Sarah teared up, "I'm sorry I never wanted you to be burdened like this."

All the children shook their heads dismissively, and Stephen was blunt, "We don't care if we're part computer or part animal; you have your memory back. If what led to that makes us different then we're okay with that because you're happy."

Lisa was smiling so hard her cheeks were red, "Yeah, besides…the rest of the world doesn't even know, and it's not like we'll go showing off. Please don't cry mom."

Liam was very energetic, "Cyborg was a part computer too, and he became a superhero so this won't be that bad. Besides, from the few things Casey has told us; nobody messes with anyone we know and gets away with it! Come on, there's Rocky Road in the freezer at home, that always makes you feel better."

The triplets all agreed, "They're right if anything we'll be like The Incredibles; a family of hybrid superheroes!"

"Alright, but no shortcuts; we drive back; can't be teleporting all over."

Liam racked his brain, "How does that work anyway?"

The triplets answered casually trying not to sound like geniuses, but failing, "Molecular cell vibration from rapid kinetic energy output thanks to a massive spike in neurological activity transmitted throughout the body. Basically, we can manipulate the internal energy we create within our body and speed ourselves up fast enough to move beyond the laws of physics; in other words, we can become pure energy and move within our own space instead of having to go through the physical environment. The Intersect brought us where we needed to go; probably because we all share a neurological link."

Liam rolled his eyes, "You are such nerds! Dad, mom lets go."

Sarah's six children pulled her to a stand and led her steadily back to the main road; when Chuck didn't follow she motioned to them to wait and walked up beside him as he surveyed the ocean; the sun was almost entirely in the sky now.

"Are you okay hon?"

Yeah, it's just…" He trails off turning his back to the ocean watching his children.

"Dad, let's go home!"

Sarah holds up a hand so their children continue to wait and grabs Chuck's hand as tears form on his face for reasons he can't quite understand, "Talk to me, Chuck?"

He looks at her with a watery smile and absentminded expression, "Yesterday I was making eleven bucks an hour fixing computers and had one in my brain. Fourteen years later I'm a living computer and I can tell my kids the story of how a nerdy guy who worked at a Buy More fell in love with a spy."

Sarah tilts her head surprised, "You want to tell them all the details after all?"

Chuck nods still watching their children as they start sparring with each other looking like the little superheroes he'd thought of having on their wedding day, "Sure it's a great story, and every kid should know how their parents fell in love."

Sarah puts her head on Chuck's shoulder watching the kids with a smile, "What should we call it?"

"How about The Nerd and the Spy?"

Sarah turns to face Chuck with a broad smile, "That sounds perfect."

"I suppose we could stop at the wedding, or maybe the reunion with your mother and Molly; it wouldn't be fair to leave them hanging, I mean tons of stuff is left open ended. Imagine if our lives were a TV show that ended with that "magical kiss" they would have been so m-"

Sarah cut Chuck off abruptly throwing her arms around his back and locking eyes with him tired of hearing him ramble, "Shut up and kiss me!"

Grinning he obliged her request and they lingered for several minutes with gentle passion until continued exclamations of disgust from their sons and excessive swooning from their daughters pried them apart. With a sigh and mild amusement, Chuck and Sarah joined their children, and soon the family of Bartowski's were back home.

In the future, the world did need saving and in the direst of times, they did it together. When it was quiet, though, every night before bed; the six Bartowski children were told of the love that made them who and what they were; of their parent's story; the love story of Chuck and Sarah.

A/N' that is it! I wanted to end back at the beach…it just seemed right. Also took one last shot at TPTB for their incomplete ending while still mirroring the pilot and calling ode to it as well as some other key series lines. I can fully admit I brought Shaw back just to axe him again lol! I debated killing Verbanski quite a bit, deciding to go through with it because I did not think Casey was ever "over" Kathleen and thought that if Gertrude died saving Alex it's a noble death and could be the catalyst for them to bond and eventually be a family. I hope that felt organic.

A bit of personal info about my life that leaked into this epilogue: me and my mom share the same birthday the joke is that she is forever 29 thanks to me! She also made us try food when we were younger no matter how much we hated it; I eat many foods nowadays that I didn't like when I was young. I modeled the Bartowski kid's personalites (loosely) after my brother, sister and myself at that age. My older brother always messed with us! I'm nowhere near as smart as the triplets (130 IQ) but over analyzing and explaining is a heavy part of my personality; plus I'm a computer/science nerd! I actually didn't say a word until I was three and then all of the sudden I was speaking paragraphs with advanced vocabulary and I generally learn things rather fast. The 7 year gap and triplet's earrings are more tributes to The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.

I'm curious if readers thought any of the science throughout my story was believable? I really cared about trying to make it sound as realistic as possible so I researched the entire human brain specifically focusing on memory and muscle movement and how it is carried out by the human brain; merging that with what I know about science and computers to create my shared Intersect for this story and some of the cooler abilities like astral projection, teleporting and cloning are an educated guess on my part as to how they would work if they happened to exist in real life.