A/N: Our final chapter.

Chuck and Sarah vs. The Kat

Chapter Fourteen: Partial Answers

After I stuffed myself with tacos — Casey and I had a contest to see who could eat the most, but I only lost by a little — we sat and watched Clueless. Neither Ellie nor Devon had seen it, and Ellie asked early on if it was a reworking of Jane Austen's Emma and I told her it was. That movie got me started reading Austen and Austen led to Dickens.

Stephen came in as the movie began, but he picked up his briefcase, after waving at me, and excused himself, going into Ellie and Devon's room to work. He came out later, as I went to bed in Chuck's room, to sleep on the couch.

Casey laughed at the movie; we all did. When Ellie mentioned Chuck or Sarah during dinner or the movie, Casey gave me a look that only I could see. Even though they weren't there in the flesh, they were there in spirit: Sarah's high spirits and glow when Ellie visited the Orange Orange were still present at dinner and during the movie. Perhaps Ellie and I were carriers of it, both of us reflecting it. When the movie ended, Casey got a call. He went outside to take it. He came back in and smiled at me. "Roan, your Dad's, airborne or will soon be, Kat. He'll be here tomorrow."

Tension melted out of me, a tension I hadn't realized was there. I was relieved, really relieved, and excited to see him. We have things I want to talk about, things I want to tell him, and questions I want to ask.

I said goodbye to Casey outside since he was going to be busy, Castle, I'm pretty sure, the next day. He shakes my hand and grunts. "Come back and see me...us, Kat."

"I hope so, Casey. We still have to finish our final Scrabble match." He nods and turns away quickly. I watch him walk to his apartment.

I wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon and the whirring of a food processor. I am in Chuck's room. In Chuck's bed. That gives me an odd feeling, odder now than last night. Chuck is Sarah's, obviously — but he affects me nonetheless. I don't know if I have a type (Dru says she does — hotties), but I am sure that Chuck will be in my mind from now on, the measure of men for the rest of my life.

The bed smells of the laundry, clean and homey. Chuck's Tron poster is on the wall. I am staring at it when Ellie cracks the door. "Kat?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"Oh, good. You're up. Chuck and Sarah will be by soon to pick you up. I guess Sarah had a meeting to go to this morning and Chuck said they'd be by after it."

Beckman. Chuck is reporting on his visit to Roark Enterprises, I bet. I wish I was on the stairs, listening.

"Okay, be out in a minute."

I get out of bed and dress quickly. I hope Sarah will take me by her place for long enough to shower later and change. I noticed earlier that the Tron poster on Chuck's wall is crooked, so I reach up to straighten it. It falls off the wall and onto Chuck's desk, then onto the floor, face down.

On the back of the poster is a mosaic of information. I put my hand out and push the door closed; Ellie left it open a crack. I kneel beside the reversed poster. At the top, in the center, unsurprisingly, is Sarah Walker's government ID. Surrounding it are notes: (beneath) My Handler/What are her true feelings?/Do we have a chance? (on the left) Extra pickles, no olives; (on the right) Sarah Walker (once)/Sarah Walker (twice, struck through)/Jenny Burton/San Diego, CA/Lisa is her middle name?/Or is it? Farther to the left are Sarah's covers, Wienerlicious (news to me)/Orange Orange.

To the right is Diane Beckman's ID, and there are lots of other things held together by lines Chuck has drawn. In the middle of the middle is a drawing labeled: The Intersect Room. The drawing is a room of converging lines, computery. I grab my phone from the nightstand and I take a photograph. I put my phone in my pocket just as the door opens.

Stephen is standing there. He's muttering to himself about Roark Enterprises and Chuck but stops when he sees me. I say sorry and pick up the poster, hanging it back up, turning it to face him as quickly as I can, hoping he does not see the back, the information.

"Hey, Kat, what's up?"

"This fell off the wall. It was crooked." I hang it back up, adjusting it, not looking at Stephen. I wait until my heart stops thumping, then I turn to him and give him a grin. "There. Looks good."

He stares at the poster but not as I did earlier. He looks at me and then back at it.

"Are you coming to breakfast?" I ask, trying to shake off the stare. He keeps staring at the poster but shakes his head. "No, no, other things to do. I had some coffee."

I leave the room. He's still staring at the poster.

I have no idea what I am going to do with a photograph of Chuck's secrets, but I have it, along with a photograph of the 49B. And I have seen Sarah's video log, Sarah's secret. I smile to myself as I walk to the table. Sarah said in her video log that she loved Chuck but did not know what to do about it. I'm betting she figured it out last night. And Chuck's question about Sarah, on the poster's back: Do we have a chance? I'm betting he got his answer last night.

Ellie and Devon are both seated at the table, smiling at my smile as I join them. Ellie has eggs and bacon on her plate, like the one waiting for me, but Devon is drinking something that looks like a glass of neon kelp. I turn my eyes from it quickly.

"So, Kat, I'm sure you're excited about your Dad returning."

I nod as I eat a bite of egg. "I am. I've missed him, even though we don't know each other very well yet, not really."

Ellie looks down the hall to Chuck's door. She knows Stephen is still in there. "Well, let him know. And keep him close, Kat. Don't lose track of him, or let him lose track of himself."

"I won't, Ellie."

We continue to eat as Devon slurps his kelp. After a moment, Stephen comes out of Chuck's room. He's muttering to himself but more urgently than before. I can't make out the words.

"Dad?" Ellie asks.

He stops and looks at her without seeing her. "Gotta go, Ellie. Back later. Things to do."

He leaves the apartment and Ellie stares at the door, then at Devon. He wipes the kelp mustache off his face and shrugs. She looks back to the door and sighs. "Leaving. It's like his superpower."

Devon gives her a sympathetic look. "He'll be back, babe. He's just, you know, him. Absent-minded genius."

Ellie grins crookedly. "Absent-minded, anyway."

We finish breakfast only moments before Chuck and Sarah arrive.

There's a knock at the door and Devon, draining the last of his kelp concoction, holds up a hand, and one finger, in an I'll-answer-it gesture. Ellie had started up but she sits back down.

Chuck and Sarah come in and walk to the table, their hands joined, swinging between them. I heard Sarah's soft laugh just as the door opened, so I'm pretty sure I know what happened just before it opened.

Ellie gazes at the two of them with a rapturous smile. I turn to see them and realize her expression mirrors her brother's and her friend's. I know the word, 'bliss', but I did not know it could be radiated. It can: Chuck and Sarah are twin, blinding suns of radiant bliss. I try to memorize them; I hope to feel even a fraction of that one day when I fall in love. All my life — not that that's so many years or anything — I've heard the phrase 'true love' and thought I understood it. 'True' is the opposite of 'false', I thought. And it is. But that's not all. That's not nearly all, not nearly enough. 'True' also means persevering, whole-souled, steadfast.

Chuck's Tron poster and Sarah's video log, as well as what I have been told, make me sure that this is true love. As a budding poet, it seems worth my full attention: it will someday be my meter.

Ellie walks to Chuck and enfolds him in a hug. No words pass between the siblings and yet everything does. Ellie then hugs Sarah. Again, no words, but, still, communication, communion. Ellie kisses Sarah's cheek and I know that things between them will be different from now on. Sarah is not the Sarah who stood frowning by her Porsche when I landed in Burbank.

This Sarah is all smiles. True smiles, irrepressible, even for the reluctant spy.

Devon seems to cotton on to the difference as he watches Chuck and Sarah hug Ellie. He says Awesome like it's a prayer.

I grab my things and shake Devon's hand. I hug Ellie and I try to hug her as hard as Sarah did the day before. She whispers in my ear. "I'm gonna miss you, little sister. Maybe you can make it back for my wedding? I could use"

"I'll talk to Roan."

"Tell him you are both invited. I'd like to meet your father, Kat."

"Thanks, Ellie, for everything. It's been...so great." My words would fail me but I have a feeling they will fail me a lot today before I leave.

Ellie squeezes me again and I leave with Chuck and Sarah. I fold myself in the rear of the Porsche and we drive to Sarah's. I go and take a shower, change.

When I come out, they are both mussed a little. Chuck blushes but Sarah just gives me a secretive smile. Chuck takes my suitcase and rolls it to the Porsche and we head to the airport.

Chuck tells me to keep the Nathaniel Dusk comics. I protest. I'm sure they are worth something but he won't yield. He has his arm up, his hand resting on Sarah's shoulder as she drives. Now and then, she tilts her head to the side and leans it against his hand.

I make eye contact with Sarah in the rearview. Her blue eyes are happy. Simply happy. She is still a spy; Chuck is still the Intersect, but everything is different.

I wonder about Chuck's Tron poster. Extra pickles, no olives.

That strikes me as kinda weird.

After all, what sense does it make to love pickles and hate olives? Aren't they both green and tart and salty? But then I remember all the question marks that surrounded Sarah on the poster back. She's a mystery, but at least Chuck now knows her true feelings. He may not know she loves him yet, but he's on the way to knowing that, I'm sure.

That's how I feel about me, too. I'm on the way to knowing a lot of important things. I'm eager to know but I'm not in a hurry. Sometimes you have to grow into answers more than discovering them, and maybe you never grow into full answers. Maybe the best you can do is partial answers.

We drive out onto the tarmac, the same out-of-the-way section as I landed on when I arrived. The plane is there and this time it is Roan waiting for me. He's standing tall in an immaculate suit and sunglasses. Very James Bond. But then I notice that his arm is in a black sling, color-coordinated, but still a sling. My heart rate goes up.

Sarah parks the car and Roan strolls toward us, showing his million-dollar smile. When he smiles like that, I don't have a hard time understanding why Mom found him attractive. He must have been quite impressive fourteen years ago; he's pretty impressive now. His smile then must have been kinda devastating. It suddenly dawns on me that I am his daughter. He is half of me. And the last few days come into better focus for me. I may not want to be a spy but I can be one: I'm a spy's daughter.

We get out of the car and Chuck shakes Roan's hand. Roan leans close to Chuck, studying him, and, as I get out, I hear him sniff Chuck.

"Well, well, well, Charles. Wearing lipstick, I see, but not your own. I think that is Sarah's color, and I know that is her scent. Did you use…" — Roan's voice drops — "The Montgomery?"

"No, Roan. But I appreciate all you've taught me. Let's just say there've been some changes in myself, and they've led to other...changes."

Roan chuckles softly and continues: "Actually, Charles, I have spoken to Diane. I know a little of what has happened here while I've been away."

Roan bends down and I grab him and hug him hard. I hear his laugh, slightly surprised, and I hug harder, like Sarah, like Ellie. "I missed you, Dad!"

"I missed you too, Kat, very much…" he sounds choked, and I see his eyes blinking behind his sunglasses. "It's good to see you. Very good." I take his hand, the arm not in the sling, and keep holding it.

Chuck nods and Sarah has come around the car. Roan kisses her cheek. She grins at him. "Did everything go well?" She gestures to his arm.

"My own clumsiness, I'm afraid. But other than that, everything was...clockwork. A dance routine." Roan stops and bows with a showy flourish. "You are looking at a retired man. The man who would never say never again has said never again. I'm out."

Chuck grabs Roan's hand and shakes it again. "That's great. I mean, you know, with Kat now and all."

Roan nods. "Don't explain, Chuck. It is great. I never imagined the day would come, but it turns out I didn't imagine a lot of things that turn out to matter. A man's life has seasons, Charles, and only a fool tries to make summer last forever. I've been a fool, I admit, but it's time for that to stop. I have Kat now, and if all goes well in DC, I hope to change some other things, General things, if you understand."

Roan squeezes my hand, turning to look at me. "Did you have a good time, Kat?"

"I had a great time. Ellie, Charles', I mean, Chuck's sister, invited us to come back for her wedding."

Roan grins. "I suspect we can make it back for that. Thank your sister for us, Charles."

Sarah steps forward. "I'm sorry about...the way I acted when you were here last, Roan. You told me that having Kat around would be good for me, and you were right. I've...enjoyed it, grown...fond of her."

Roan gives me and then Sarah a mysterious, unsurprised smile. "Wonderful. I thought you two would be a match." Roan looks at me again and I see him notice my nails, my hair, my new, light purple dress, and sandals. Then he looks at Sarah again. "Yes, a match. And Kat, I love your hair, your clothes. You look beautiful."

I lift my chin and smile at him. He puts his hand under my chin. "You don't just look beautiful, you look different. I think you've grown."

I hug him again and he chuckles. "We need to get going, Kat. Charles, Sarah, thanks again. And, best of luck, in everything. You both deserve it."

I let go of Roan and hug Chuck. I don't know what to say, so I just say thanks a bunch of times and then I do it to Sarah too. Sarah steps back from the hug and gives me a sweet smile. "I should be thanking you, I think, Kat. For everything. You came and...things changed. All for the better."

Chuck gets my suitcase and brings it to me. I stand up on my toes and he bends over and I kiss him on his cheek. Before he pulls away, I whisper. "She loves you. Never forget that, Chuck." Maybe I shouldn't have told him that, but it just felt right — not a betrayal of Sarah but an act of loyalty to Chuck, to his and Sarah's future. Call it poet's intuition.

I take my suitcase and board the plane, climbing the stairs behind Roan. I stop at the top and wave at Sarah and Chuck. Sarah has put on her sunglasses and she is holding Chuck's hand, looking up at me. We've come full circle, spy Sarah and budding-poet me, and I am better for it, for her.

I study her. I won't forget these past few days. We both wave goodbye.

Once we are airborne, Roan turns to me. "Are you okay?"

I wipe my eyes and nod. "Yes, I'm fine. I will be fine."

Roan's tone gets kinda jokey and he leans down, his face close to mine. "You did good, Kat. Diane called me, told me you called. She suspects you might know more about...some things than any of us knew. I'm...not surprised. In fact, I'm sure she's right. You are my daughter, after all, your mother's daughter. She was one formidably smart, amazing woman, and you are most definitely her daughter."

Roan's voice gets choked again, he blinks. "Diane told me that Charles — Chuck — identified her murderer. I…"

I grab him and hug him and I let myself bawl for my mom. And my dad holds me. My dad. I hold onto him.

After a long while, as my sobs subside, I look up at Roan. His eyes are soft.

"Can you tell me how you met Mom, more than just 'a chance encounter'. 'Cause she wasn't Audrey Hepburn."

"No, Kat, but she did look like Audrey Hepburn, now that you mention it. And it was a chance encounter, but I'll tell you the whole story…"

He begins. He's telling me about coming back from a failed mission, back to DC, deeply unhappy about the mission, about Beckman's refusal even to see him. He had gone to a fancy bar in the city. My mom was there with some friends. It was her birthday…

I settle back in the chair and listen. It's a beautiful story, and a funny and a happy and a sad one. Complicated.

Life's like that, I guess.

It just is. And I can live with it. I wipe my eyes and smile.

A/N: Final Thoughts?