Disclaimer: I don't know Chuck, or any of the songs or albums mentioned herein. Though, I certainly do recommend every single song, as I love them all. If you haven't listened to these bands, or songs, well go to iTunes right now and find them!
A/N: Hey guys! So guess what today is? It marks the one year anniversary of my very first published fan fic. That's right, I've been writing for a whole year. And now, one year, 52 stories, and nearly 500,000 words published later, I return to my roots. To celebrate my anniversary, I went back to the iPod Shuffle Challenge that started it all. Just like I did one year ago today, I brought out my iPod (though last year, I was listening to music on my Blackberry, so I've upgraded), hit shuffle, and wrote a brief drabble based on the first eight songs that came up. If you want to try the challenge, it's really fun. You just have to write while the song is still playing. Makes it a true challenge to get something that makes sense in that little a time period, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, my anniversary present to you, my loyal readers, and I hope you'll leave me a review. Thanks!
Chuck vs. 8 Random Songs, Take II
Bon Iver
"Flume"
For Emma, Forever Ago
Alex McHugh
Any time, really, but spoilers for Chuck vs. the Tic Tac
It's hard, ya know? Sometimes I see her sitting there, and I can see that she's thinking about Him. Not that I've ever met Him, but I've heard enough stories to know.
He was the love of her life. She's never even tried to move on. Of course, it's made her a great mother, but I wish she could find some level of happiness. And not just through me.
And I guess I don't have any right to be mad at Him. It's not like He left us. It's not like He chose not to be there for us, for her. He died in the line of duty. My father was a hero. Mom always tells me that. That my dad was a true hero, and I should be proud.
It's not that I'm not, but I just wish He could have been there. Not for me so much as for mom. She really could have used Him. Well, not use, but you know, she could have stood the support. But that's why I will always be there for her. I carry His name, and I'll use that name to make sure mom remembers that she's loved, even though He's gone.
The Decemberists
"O Valencia"
The Crane Wife
Sarah Walker
Alternate Universe at the end of Chuck vs. the American Hero, and beyond
It was a mistake. She'd known from the start that it was a mistake. But it was the only way, right? They had to run. It was the only thing that made sense. It was the only thing Sarah had ever done. Run.
God, she never thought when she first met Chuck in the Buy More three years ago that she'd be in this deep. That she'd have found herself leaving behind everything she knew for him. But she had. This was the third time, in fact.
Well, third times apparently are not the charm. The first time, they'd gotten away with it when they were caught. The second time, Chuck told her "no". But this time, they were on the same page. And they ran. And they enjoyed each other. They enjoyed seeing the world. For four months they enjoyed it.
Then it happened. She caught the sight of him out the corner of her eye as they were leaving their hotel in Paris. It was Daniel Shaw, gun drawn, and he was aiming right for her.
But before Sarah could duck out of the way, Chuck stepped into the path of the bullet. He collapsed in her arms, as she drew her own weapon and fired a single shot, hitting Shaw right between the eyes.
Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered anymore, as Sarah watched Chuck die in her arms, his last words a profession of love for her.
Why? Why would the CIA do this? Why would Beckman do this? Why would they send Shaw to kill Chuck? To kill her? They weren't hurting anyone.
Well, whatever the reason, Sarah didn't care. She'd have her revenge. Shaw was already dead. Beckman was next. Then, when she'd destroyed everyone that had a part in the killing of her one true love, Sarah Walker could die a happy woman, because she'd be with Chuck again in Heaven.
Frightened Rabbit
"The Loneliness and the Scream"
Winter of Mixed Drinks
Chuck Bartowski
Chuck vs. the Pink Slip
There was a time when Ellie was enough. Well, Ellie and Morgan. Maybe that's what he was missing. Morgan.
No, that wasn't it, either. He missed having a life that mattered. He missed having missions, and excitement, and purpose, Casey, and Sarah.
On some level, it was about her. It was. She was the one that helped lift him from where he was after Stanford. The makeshift man that Morgan and Ellie had helped to partially recreate. But he wasn't whole until she walked into the Buy More all those months before. She was the one that told him he could be more.
Now, she was gone. His sense of purpose was gone. He'd sacrificed everything, even a life with her, for a chance at greatness. And he'd failed. Sarah had always told him he could do anything. Apparently, she was wrong, because he was sitting on the sofa eating cheese balls, growing a beard, and waiting for… nothing.
He was all alone, with nothing to do. Loneliness sucked.
Frightened Rabbit
"Things"
Winter of Mixed Drinks
Sarah Walker
Chuck vs. the American Hero
The picture that rested on her night stand? Well, she didn't need that. That was a cover picture, and soon, she'd have plenty of "real" pictures of Them.
Her vast wardrobe of CIA bought clothes? Well, she certainly didn't need that. Just a few outfits to get her through until she could buy new clothes. She didn't need to over dress for Chuck. He loved her. He said so. He loved her for real, not for the fancy clothes she sometimes wore. So the clothes were out, too.
The gun? Her S&W 5906 was her tool as an agent. She wasn't going to be an agent anymore. All the killing, all the lies, all the bullshit. It was all in her past now. And the pistol that she carried for so long was just a symbol of those times. Something else she could leave behind. And after hearing the truth from Casey, she was more than happy to leave it behind. Leave it all behind. Now it would just be her and Chuck, and they'd both get new "things" together.
Frightened Rabbit
"Good Arms vs. Bad Arms"
Midnight Organ Fight
Chuck Bartowski
Chuck vs. the American Hero
So he lied. Well, he kind of lied. He never said he'd want to see her with Him. He only said that he could take it, because at least she'd be with a hero. But that was still a lie. Another in a long line of lies between them.
But it was a lie he couldn't take back. Not now. Now, that he saw that she was happy with Shaw. He had to be "okay" with it, because he said he'd be okay with it. So the only thing he could do was state his case, and hope that she'd chose him, not Shaw.
And if that failed? Well, he'd want to do horrible, unspeakably violent things to Shaw, but he wouldn't. He couldn't. If Sarah was happy, he had to be happy for her, right? That's what love is after all. Isn't it? Wanting someone else to be happy even if you're not? Still it seemed wrong.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen her with someone else. He saw her with Lon Kirk, but that was for a mission. He saw her at the Von Hayes party dancing with Bryce, but that was for a mission, too. And he saw her that one time with Cole Barker. And all those times, he'd been jealous. But something was different this time.
Because this time, she could choose to be with him, but she was choosing someone else. Well, there was only one thing he could do.
"I love you," he said.
Two Gallants
"The Throes"
The Throes
John Casey
Casey backstory
As a spy, John Casey saw so many horrible atrocities that it was hard for him to be phased by any violent act. But it was a violence that he saw long before his days as John Casey of the NSA, and before Marine Lt. Alex Coburn. It was when he was Alex, the six year old kid that he became truly numb to violence.
His mother was a good woman. No, she was a great woman. She raised three kids, mostly by herself. And she was by herself because her alcoholic second husband was of no help.
Casey's actual father had left before he was even born. That's when Ted came into the picture.
At first, he took care of John's mom. But then, she'd given birth to a child of Ted's own, and things had gone down hill.
Even 40-some-odd years later, Casey could still hear the horrible screams coming from the bedroom of his mother and her husband. The fights always woke him in the middle of the night. He wouldn't cry when it happened. He didn't want Ted to see that he was weak. But he vowed to himself that one day, he would get big and strong enough to protect his mom from Ted.
Only, he never got the chance. When he was six, he watched the fight that ended all the fights. Ted relentlessly beat her. Even six months pregnant, he took no mercy. Then minutes, or maybe hours later, it finally ended.
Ted turned to him, and asked him what he was looking at. Little Alex didn't know what else to do, so he ran. He ran as fast as his little legs would take him, until finally he was picked up by a local cop. Later that day, he was put into state custody, and he was raised by foster parents.
But he never forgot what happened that day. He never forgot what Ted did to his mom, and he still vowed that one day he would protect the innocent from the evils of the world. That became his one goal in life. He didn't want people to have to suffer like his mom did. He wouldn't let them.
Code ReDD Camp
"Carolina"
Untouched Property
Chuck Bartowski
Alternate Universe, pre-series
Finally, after plenty of hand wringing, and many hours of pleading his case, Chuck had convinced her that it would work. She'd said all along that her job would get in the way of them being together. That a relationship with her always on the go would be too hard. But finally, he'd convinced her that, although it might be hard, it was worth it.
They were meant to be together, and no matter what her job was, and no matter how long she was away, he'd always wait for her, and when she got home, he'd be so happy to see her, and they could both make up for lost time.
Of course, that pleading and begging happened more than 20 years ago. Now, she was finally leaving her career behind, and they were traveling the world together. He would get to see all the places she'd been, and they could finally be the couple they were supposed to be for all that time.
At times, it had been hard. At times, it hadn't seemed worth the wait. But today, as his wife led him around Paris, and showed him the sights and sounds of that magical city, he knew he'd do it all over if he had to, just like he'd wanted since that first day they met, all those years ago when they were both so young and innocent. God, he loved Jill Roberts.
The Decemberists
"Clementine"
Castaways and Cutouts
Jeffster
Any time in the future
A Jeffster World Tour seemed like such a good idea. And it was, just not the way either of them pictured it. The idea was to go out and find fame, and fortune, and women. But that's not what they found. What they found was that they couldn't live without each other.
They were bros. They were best friends. But they were far more than that. True, both of them may have known it for some time, but it took the open road for them to admit it. And now they had admitted it.
It happened one night after they'd run out of money, and they were sleeping in Jeff's van, on the floor. They started on opposite sides of the van, but sometime during the night, they'd found each other. When the sunlight began to seep through the windows in the morning, Lester found himself wrapped in Jeff's tight embrace, and it was then that he knew he never wanted to be anywhere else.
Tentatively, he kissed Jeff's still snoring lips, and murmured a soft, sweet "I love you". Only, Jeff wasn't actually asleep, as he replied "I love you, too". From that point on, Jeffster wasn't only a band, wasn't only a pair of best friends. They were a pair of life mates.
……
A/N: I hope that wasn't too confusing, as I certainly jumped around some time periods, and even did one very funny (to me at least) AU. But in any case, again, I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks go out to everyone that has helped make the past year of my life, and my writing so incredibly fun and rewarding. You guys are awesome. Peace.