CHUCK VS A NEW BEGINNING

EPISODE 1: THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

SANTA MONICA PIER / SANTA MONICA, CA

It's another beautiful July day in sunny California. With temperatures in the mid-80's and gentle sea breezes coming off the Pacific Ocean, it created the perfect weather combination many locals and tourists take advantage of by flocking to the beaches along the coastline including the boardwalk. Chuck Bartowski basically ignores the hustle and bustle of all those around him, enjoying the peaceful solitude at his usual sitting spot on the beach jetty watching the waves. He'd often come here with his best friend Morgan Grimes to spend hours on end at their favorite spot PLAYLAND ARCADE, one of the attractions Santa Monica Pier offered. Morgan's been there for him since they were children when his Mom left nearly twenty years ago, Chuck thinks of Morgan as the little brother he never had despite his sister Ellie's huge dislike of him. In the back of his mind knowingly she wants the best for him. Although he loves her dearly, there's always been three negative traits about his older sister that grates his nerves. Ellie's well known for constant nagging, she's also overbearing with a pushiness to get him to move on with his life. If that wasn't enough, she tends to come off as being a control freak with a bossy attitude and inquisitive. Ellie has a knack for figuring out if you're hiding something from her and she gets into that "interrogation-mode" when she wants her questions answered and won't stop until you bare your soul to her satisfaction. After the traumatic events at Stanford that lead him, to be expelled, Ellie gave him time to re-adjust his life and try to get back on his feet knowing it would take time. Four years later, it seems that Ellie's patience may be starting to erode. Chuck felt stuck as he couldn't make her understand the black mark limited his options because it's a major deal, still working on his five-year plan and he certainly knew there's more to be amended than simply choosing a bigger font.

Chuck knew he didn't want to stay home on his day off, out of fear that Ellie would start nagging again. It's always about the same topics, she'd start with how he's wasting away his life working at the Buy More and if that's not bad enough the whole dating thing again. Simply walking out of the apartment and climbing into Nerd Herder 3 heading off to get away, he knew Morgan's working this morning, so Buy More's definitely not in the cards. He didn't want to be anywhere near there on his day off, who in their right mind would want to be around their place of employment during your day off? That brought a chuckle to himself before putting the Herder in gear and let his mind wander on auto-pilot, letting his arms and feet handle the direction towards his unknown destination. The next thing he realized was the parking area at the Santa Monica Pier was directly in front of him; he turned off the engine and sighed deeply. His time here usually helps ease the stress levels, which he hopes to be the case again this time. Returning to the present after replaying the events of this morning and his mind completely wrapped up in the latest drama, not even PLAYLAND ARCADE was any help in dealing with his mood. He grumpily thought to himself that today's one of those days the world is against him. He continued walking along the beach line admiring the waves and other things, it definitely would've put Ellie into a match-making mood if she and Devon followed him.

Chuck was heading towards the boardwalk and not paying attention to his surroundings when a strong voice yelled out. "Dude heads up!" The call definitely got Chuck's attention; he suddenly notices a group of guys playing beach football with the ball headed straight for his head. He wasn't gifted with great athleticism, mostly due to his clumsy nature. By some miracle, he caught the ball!

Still reeling from the shock of actually catching the ball, he neither seen nor felt the impact until seconds later when he's immediately tackled to the ground by someone clearly smaller than himself. It was a girl, and if Chuck had not been so stunned as to how beautiful she was, he would have noticed that she was apologizing for accidentally tackling him.

The girl's voice was gentle and full of concern, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Chuck was winded but managed to reassure her he was fine, "Yeah, I think so. Nothing's broken or anything..."

This girl was 5' 10" and had short curly black hair and very hypnotic blue eyes that were shining like a pair of diamonds; at that moment, he thought he just passed on to the after-life. She gave him a radiant smile that melted his heart while he silently thanked the heavens for already being on the ground so his knees wouldn't buckle. Not sure if it's the heat of the moment, or maybe some kind of reflexive instinct with their eyes focused on each other creating the spell, she softly runs a hand through his hair and around the back of his head making sure he wasn't injured while Chuck was enjoying the feeling from her actions. The spell between them continued growing with her hand massaging the back of his head; his warm chocolate brown eyes continued staring into her hypnotic blue eyes seeing that she's perfectly fine in their current position.

Now that she knows Chuck is okay she relaxes quite a bit, "Sorry about running into you like that. thank you for the very comfortable landing. At least it doesn't hurt as bad, especially when you have someone to catch you. My name is Hailey by the way!" Chuck was about to offer his name when another voice chirped in, causing them to break eye contact.

Thie voice belonged to someone that clearly thought Hailey was a little too comfortable in her current position but wasn't taking this moment seriously and when he spoke it was laid back, "That certainly makes things easier on your body. Better than trapping on a carrier, am I right Hailey?"

Hailey's response gave Chuck the impression these people liked to joke around a lot, "Definitely Hollywood, this was more like laying on that soft bed after a long day."

With the spell now broken, Chuck finally notices six imposing figures slowly forming a circle around the two of them. He started turning pale figuring that the beautiful girl currently on top of him most likely was the girlfriend to one of these men. His mind's racing through every scenario for an exit strategy to untangle himself from the beauty and save himself from the impending beating. Suddenly, huge smirks are forming on their faces. Confused at this unexpected development, Chuck glances back to Hailey seeing her eyes sparkling with mischief giving him the impression she wasn't about to leave her new position on top of Chuck. This was indeed a mystery to him. All of these men were as tall, or taller than Chuck. Friendly ribbing started between the six of them given the situation.

Maverick was sarcastically eyeing the both of them, but spoke only to Hailey, "I thought you didn't like fishing Hailey, sure looks like you caught yourself a big one there if I say so myself."

Khaos escalated the sarcasm by acting like Chuck was a catch she'd reeled in, "She caught him alright. First, she impaled this poor guy with that shot, now she's stuffing him to be mounted. The question is, where's she gonna place him?"

Wildfire had a much more rational attitude, "You know, I think there's an even bigger question than that. Since our girl here just captured herself this guy, what's the next course of action?"

Artman was quick to offer suggestions, as though Hailey accidentally tackled guys to the ground all the time, "She could do one of two things. One would be 'Caveman Routine' since Hailey's already knocked him loopy from the spear, I think she likes his hair too much to drag him around by it." He offered a friendly grin to Chuck; whom could not see anybody clearly except Hailey because she was still laying casually on top of him, not that he minded.

Hailey adopted an over exaggerated voice as she examined his hair, "You got that right. Very smooth and these curls are just dreamy."

The same gruff voice that had alerted Chuck to the incoming beach ball made fun of Hailey's response, "Oh, just go ahead and gag me with a spoon why don't ya with that Valley Girl talk."

The group started laughing, even Chuck thought Wildfire's comment was funny. Artman kept his eyes trained on Hailey and Chuck, his grin became even wider, "The other option you have could be more fun, depends on who you're asking."

Hailey sounded a little too curious for somebody Chuck had just met, and he couldn't help getting nervous again, but the group was too preoccupied with the situation to notice, "Which option would that be Art?"

"You claim him the same way land used to be claimed back in the 17th century, planting a flag or seize it in the name of the crown you're serving."

Hailey looks back down into Chuck's eyes and smiles brightly, "I know you haven't gotten a word in edgewise since these knuckleheads came over, what's your name handsome?"

The sand is starting to heat up under Chuck, but he's trying not to be disrespectful considering the figures standing above him, "Chuck Bartowski, sorry I interrupted your game."

Hailey runs a hand down the side of his face still looking in his eyes, the radiant smile still on her face with the mischief dancing in her eyes. "I have the perfect idea on how I'm gonna claim you Chuck Bartowski, would you like to know?" Chuck's nerves were starting to show while Hailey's face leaned closer, her lips heading for his. Inside his mind was going crazy that this angel looks to claim him for herself.

Suddenly, the spell was broken when Gambino decided to interject himself, "You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say things are beginning to get completely uncomfortable on this poor guy's end." Privately, Chuck was grateful someone had finally noticed how awkward things were getting and this particular moment was heating up in a bad way that had nothing to do with Hailey being on top of him. He didn't need anybody to see him complain about hot sand thinking he was a wimp, so he vowed to tough it out.

Chuck watched Hailey turn her gaze on Gambino and glare at him. "But it's completely comfortable on my end, nice and soft like a cuddly teddy bear. Can I keep him just a little bit longer?" Chuck was surprised right out of his Chuck Taylor's shoes with Hailey's comment, she sounded like a little girl that found a new puppy to play with.

The remark brought a chuckle from the group, when Artman decides to be the voice of reason, "We're on a very public beach area right now. Lifeguards heading our way while attracting a crowd of curious people, we're also in a circle around you like a pack of vultures."

Hailey responses sarcastically to this comment wearing a smirk, "Yeah that's the best description for you guys, vultures or wolves; stalking their prey in a pack before you attack."

Maverick corrects her comparison; thinking otherwise, "Hey don't you mean like a pack of cats; lying in wait for that moment then bam! We pounce on you with our quickness."

Hailey disagrees with this and throws back a somewhat insulting comparison, "I don't think so, cats are cute and cuddly… you guys are more like laughing hyenas."

Khaos said what the other five were thinking, "Ouch! Definitely sounded like your Mom with that shot."

Hailey's expression told Chuck she didn't pull punches and her response was rhetorical, "Considering who, my parents are, would you expect anything less?"

Maverick acknowledged Hailey crossing his arms but thought that it was time for her to stop using this poor guy as a pillow, "Definitely not, on your feet little lady; I think you have saddled this guy long enough."

Hailey looked back at Chuck still lying on his back, with a pout coming across her lips, "But I'm having such a fun time here, you guys are such killjoys!"

Hailey slowly rolls off Chuck before the guys extend their hands helping them up to their feet. Now that he's standing, Chuck gulps seeing the size of these guys up close. He knew Devon's physique was well built from his constant workouts, but these men clearly made Devon look not so awesome. Each of them was about his height, yet built like huge tanks.

A small slap to his chest brought Chuck out of his musings about the "man-tanks," looking down he saw the concern on Hailey's face and notices the crowd had already departed leaving just the eight of them alone. She could see he still has that "deer in the headlights" look in his eyes. She softly places her hand on his cheek before slowly turning his head to focus his attention on her, she gently pulls his head down where their foreheads touch and hold him there while slowly caressing the back of his head with her hands. Chuck clearly doesn't know what to think, much less these unexplained feelings he's currently experiencing. Everything in this encounter's like something out of the Twilight Zone! He clearly notices the concern in her eyes, which certainly surprises him. How could someone like this beautiful angel he literally just met, showing this amount of concern for his well-being was the biggest mystery in the universe to him? He's not sure what's going on; his entire being feels like a connection's been made between them. They're acting like they've been together for months, if not years.

Hailey takes a guess that Chuck has been lost in thought, "You sure that you're okay? It's like you zoned out or something."

Chuck awkwardly realizes he's been acting like a deer in headlights, "Uh yeah, I'm sorry about that. Your friends have me very intimidated. Normally when I'm surrounded by these type of odds, it usually ends in a beat down for my best friend and me. Pretty much been that way for most of our lives."

"Yeah I agree, these guys are intimidating, but you couldn't ask for a better group to be friends with. Once you're friends with them, they watch out for you. By the way, thank you for allowing me to use you for a pillow against the beach sand." Hailey stood on her toes giving him a soft thank you kiss on the cheek, which causes poor Chuck to blush making the guys chuckle. Seeing the smile on Hailey's face, he feels his legs turning into jelly again. He returns the favor by giving her one of his own, even throws in the "Bartowski Eye Dance" causing her to laugh .

Gambino notices a subtle chemistry happening between Chuck and Hailey, and he isn't shy about mentioning it, "Well if you two lovebirds can behave yourselves and want to chat, go right ahead. We'll just go back over there to finish the game we stopped to render some assistance."

"Now that's a wonderful idea, come on Chuck!"

Hailey grabs Chuck's hand before pulling him towards the Pier, seeing the bewildered look on his face makes the rest of the group laugh at the scene before resuming their game. Chuck wasn't sure if his beautiful companion's aware they're still holding hands since pulling him along from their meeting spot. He figures that either she's swept up in this very fateful moment, or she just doesn't mind; either reason was of no consequence to him. For the first time since Jill, his aversion to PDA's wasn't an issue for him; especially when he's holding hands with such a beautiful woman. Soon, they arrive at Pier Burger to get a couple of drinks, Chuck paid for them before Hailey could say anything about being able to pay for it herself; after all, he's a gentleman, and she's treating this little excursion like a date, which traditionally the gentleman pays. Once they had their drinks, she reclaims his hand before they continue their walk along the deck of the pier before taking a seat on a bench to enjoy the view and company.

Hailey figures it's time to get to know the guy she ran down and her expression shows boundless curiosity, "So Chuck, tell me a little bit about yourself. Are you from around here, or just visiting like many tourists often do?"

"I've lived in the area most of my life, been coming here quite often since childhood with my best friend, Morgan. Right now, I currently share an apartment in Echo Park with my sister Ellie and her boyfriend, Captain Awesome."

"You say his name's Captain Awesome? Is he in the military or something?"

"Not really, Devon Woodcomb is his real name. I call him Captain Awesome because everything he does basically is awesome; skydiving, rock climbing, white water rafting, even flossing. Big adrenaline junkie and very actively fit, works out every day and jogs. Both my sister and he are doctors at Westside Medical Center being residents after graduating from UCLA Medical School."

"That's definitely a great career field, everyone knows that doctors will always be needed in this world. What about you Chuck?"

Chuck's response contained a level of personal disgust that showed in his expression, and he was quick to shift focus back to Hailey, sure that her career was much more interesting, "Well not much about me. I'm the Nerd Herd Supervisor at the Burbank Buy More, the pay's not that great, but it somewhat pays the bills. What about your career field?"

Hailey noticed Chuck's bored manner when talking about himself; she squeezed his hand as she plunged on which seemed to perk him up again, "Well my career's very intimidating to potential suitors, especially if they know they're going through a gauntlet just for a chance to take me out on a date."

Chuck could sympathize with her considering how pushy Ellie was when it came to dating, He leaned closer to her as a result, "Is it really that bad?"

"You saw those six guys that I was with earlier?"

Chuck: "You mean the mountain men of muscle? Yeah, they're really intimidating."

Hailey's expression stiffened somewhat, "Those guys are basically my uncles, just multiply that seven times. My sister and I had a very rough social life because of them. Mom and Dad weren't helpful at all, considering he's very protective and she let them have their own fun. Our social lives were basically non-existent, which was okay since we could concentrate on sports. They're still very protective of us; I think they may like you since they gave us time alone."

Despite the fact that his face had tightened in the difficulty of trying to rack his brain; Chuck asked her what he couldn't figure out, "What makes you think they like me?"

Now it was Hailey's turn to show personal disgust, "The last guy I dated was a mistake, he charmed me, and I was too stupid to realize it at the time. During my senior year of high school, the guys were deployed with my Dad, so I kept it a secret. Things were different just a few months later when I found out how big of a jerk he was, I broke up with him and he wasn't happy about it."

Chuck: "What happened next?"

Hailey talked fast and her voice had a new edge to it like the moment was still fresh, "I went to an airport in Virginia; my family has some planes stored there. While there, the jerk actually showed up. What he wasn't expecting was Artman and Gambino happened to be there since they were visiting family in the area, they asked me point blank who the punk was, and I told them everything. Brian started running his mouth to them, and they advised him to back down. Otherwise, someone's gonna be in trouble."

Chuck: "Why do I get the feeling that's just the beginning?"

Hailey sighed heavily in response to Chuck's question as they kept walking, "Because that's just the start of it. Brian being the hot-headed jerk that he was, simply ignored them and continued running his mouth, they gave him one last warning. He ignored it and charged them, Artman tossed him over his back into the air and Gambino basically power bombed him on the ground. Luckily they were on the grass instead of pavement; the whole thing took less than ten seconds." She dropped her head casually on Chuck's right shoulder.

Chuck couldn't help but shudder slightly as he pictured her story, "Remind me to never get them mad at me. You said you have like, forty uncles?"

Hailey chuckled bringing her head up to watch his reaction and then clarified the details, "Not biologically silly, they've been friends with my family for half of my life. Great judges of character, though, and that helped keep us straight as an arrow. To answer your question about my career, I'm basically a Naval Aviator assigned to a first-strike attack squadron known as the Predators stationed in Virginia Beach. Since the beginning of military combat in the air, there's been a Smith involved. My great-grandfather started the tradition, continuing through my grandfather then both my parents and now me. Guess you can say I'm a 4th Generation pilot because flying's definitely in the bloodlines."

Chuck wasn't shy about offering a complement, "Beautiful and smart, a very lethal combination. I guess you serve on a carrier?" That surprised him because he normally wasn't that forward, but he felt comfortable around Hailey.

Hailey blushed downplaying things trying to make it seem as normal a profession as possible, "Not really, due to the nature of our missions we're constantly like the Energizer Bunny. We keep going and going, one mission could have us in Iraq for about a few months, turn around heading to another one with North Korea or Russia for another three months. We'd only be attached to a carrier battle group for a short period before having to hop around the world some more."

"What about your parents? I'm sure they worry about you being out there."

Hailey dropped her head on Chuck's shoulder again, resisting the urge to close her eyes while she continued talking about her life, "This special group I'm with, my Dad's been part of it since the beginning back in the Cold War days. His current boss had founded it with the help of many others, even I have no knowledge of because the information is that secretive. All I know is that whenever freedom is threatened anywhere in the globe, they're the ones that answer the call. Mom ended her flying days to became a flight instructor at our training school when she became pregnant with my sister while Dad stayed active, he's more involved with the air operations side of things nowadays. He still flies when he's not tied up in his office, what're your plans for the remainder of this weekend?"

Chuck's face fell, and he sighed like a bubble he'd been living in just burst, "Unfortunately, today's my only day off before I venture back to work tomorrow morning. No rest for the wicked I guess."

Hailey knew retail hours were pretty much death for anyone's social life, "What a shame…I was hoping we could get to know each other some more."

Chuck was very apologetic and very much wishing he did not have to cut things short, "I'm terribly sorry, I really would've like to take you up on that offer."

Hailey could tell Chuck was genuine, so she took the initiative, "You're a real sweet guy Chuck, maybe we should do this another time if you like."

"That sounds fantastic, are you going to be in L.A. for a while?"

"I originally planned on being in San Diego since I have family there, as do some of the guys. We planned on seeing them before we head back east, that's why we came out here for a few days before heading back. I could always make an exception for you despite the commute if you really want me too."

"I really would like to spend more time with you, I know the commute won't be much fun because it's four hours away and the traffic's murder most of the day on the 5."

Hailey: "Tell you what. After I get to San Diego and visit my grandparents, there's an uncle of mine that owns some luxury resorts. I can see if he has anything in L.A. available that I'd be able to stay at to avoid all the commute." Her vibrating cell phone caused them to stop talking, Hailey looked down to see a text message from the guys saying they were ready to leave.

Hailey's face frowned when she read the text and then she looked sadly at Chuck, "Looks like the guys finished their game and are ready to leave. That's too bad, I really wanted to stay and talk some more."

Chuck frowned in agreement, "Yeah, I was really enjoying our time so far. Here let me give you my card so you can have my phone and email to help stay in touch."

Chuck handed her one of his business cards, which she gladly accepted before getting to their feet to meet the guys. Once they shook hands and said their goodbyes, Hailey gave Chuck a big hug followed by a quick kiss on his cheek leaving him stunned when they left. Once he regained his senses, Chuck looked out across the ocean and set out to his spot to think about this latest development. Meanwhile out in the parking lot, Hailey and the guys had packed up their vehicles. She sat down next to Artman and handed him a $20 bill, that action raised the eyebrows of some of the crew.

Hailey looked at the rest of them with a guilty expression tilting her head, "I saw Chuck a mile away with the sad look on his face, I figured he could use a friend to talk to. I asked Art if he could get the ball near Chuck enough on a pass play that I could take advantage of, kinda like an ice breaker. I'd give him twenty bucks if he could make it look like an accident from a bad throw."

Gambino gave a harsh laugh, "You should've just given him the twenty from the start, he put that ball perfectly where Chuck would have enough time to react after the warning call. Impeccable timing as usual bro."

Artman talked like he'd had a legitimate shot at greatness, "Yeah, I could've made millions being a franchise quarterback in the NFL."

Hailey's curiosity got the better of her, "Why didn't you?"

Artman shrugged like that answer was obvious and spoke in that way. "Your father basically recruited me when I was in tenth grade, we talked, and I wanted to serve my country. I've always been very patriotic when it comes to our country, and I've always wanted to be around F-14 Tomcats ever since I saw 'The Final Countdown' featuring the Fighting '84 Jolly Rogers. Your Dad said no problem, that's a no-brainer for me."

Gambino echoed that sentiment "Most of us could've played professionally, but chose to serve our country just like your family. Sure we could've played for a decade and be set for life, but sometimes there are much bigger rewards for what we do instead of what could've been."

Hailey exchanged a disbelieving look with the two of them, "Don't you guys ever wish you could go back and do things differently?"

Artman stood up with a satisfied smile shaking his head, "Not really, we only attended their training camps to help out certain teams with camp bodies and get a little extra practice to help. We're only brought in to help other players at our positions, it makes them work much harder to become better players. Of course, that handles our PT for the summer, and the extra paycheck for a summer workout's a great bonus towards vacation days."

Gambino: glanced casually at his watch before deciding it was time to get the show on the road, "On that note, let's get on the road. Nice little drive back to the castle."

Everyone agreed as they started up their vehicles and began leaving the parking lot. Hailey looked back over to the beach for one last glimpse, she barely saw Chuck sitting on his spot deep in thought. She knew from their brief conversation he's different from any other guy that tried dating her in the past. At that moment, she began to formulate a plan of her own. What made her smile, even more, was the fact she had the right connections to help push things right along, and this was definitely a plan she'd love when it comes together.