A/N: Hi. So my wife is home, and this one has been kicking around in my head for bit. I'm throwing it out to see what everyone things. I continue to have ideas. Not all of them good, but this one….I'm not sure of to be honest. I give you Pump Up the Jam Ch 1, Thunderstruck
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck but I used to have the greatest cassette tape collection there ever was.
Chuck stood there, with hundreds of people around him, hearing that electric guitar and then the DJs voice cut through the people. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome….to….THE JUNGLE!" Guns 'n Roses Welcome to the Jungle began to play and the crowd went nuts. Chuck was bobbing his head to the music as he nodded at a woman eying him. He was dressed in his regular attire, black dress shirt, black tie, blue jeans and his black chucks. He was managing the hottest night club in the LA area, The Jungle. Eat that Bryce Larkin.
His earpiece went off. "Dude, we have a situation at the front door. JohnJohn is not letting some smokin' hot ladies in."
"Morgan," he replied warningly.
"Dude! I'm telling you, Vickie Vale type level."
Chuck grinned. "Let them in, get them to my VIP table, and I'll swing by later to check on them. Do we know why JohnJohn didn't let them in."
"Probably for the same reason his name is JohnJohn."
Chuck snorted. "Okay, I'll meet you in five, let me swing by the bar."
"Hey, Chuuuuck."
Chuck knew what he was about to ask."Yes, Morgan, she's wearing the Nerd Herd uniform again, why I don't know."
"Why? Dude, she looks AMAZING in it, and she gets all the tips wearing it."
True, but serving drinks to some guys….Chuck didn't care what she wore, he just knew some guys had no respect. "It's what else she might get that worries me."
"Dude, we both know Anna can kick both our ass at the same time."
Chuck couldn't help but grin at his buddy. "You find that hot, I know."
"And I'm secure enough in my manhood to admit it. Now go, I'll meet you in five."
Chuck ran by the bar, Big Mike had it running like clockwork. Lester pleaded to let him and Jeff perform live, and Chuck said no for what must have been the thousandth time. Skip was DJing like a champ, who knew that was his secret skill set? Jeff and Lester were still not allowed to be near the alcohol or the open mike, but surprisingly they had become amazing waiters, and after Jeff discovered that living in his van was his biggest problem, he had become one of the best employees at the club. Chuck gave a grin, and headed toward the stairs to see the ladies that JohnJohn was refusing to let in, thinking how one day had changed an expelled college student's life.
5 Years Ago
Big Mike walked over to Morgan. Both men watched Chuck, his head down at the desk.
"Thank you for not firing him yesterday, Big Mike. I don't know that making him a member of the Nerd Herd was required."
"Son, he's the smartest person in the store and can fix anything. Also, we all have matters of the heart, but that…that was weird."
Morgan nodded. "And I know weird." Both men nodded in agreement.
"Any idea what he's doing now?"
Morgan sighed and checked his watch. "It's 10:42 so it's either the Bryce kicked me out of college or is sleeping with my ex-girlfriend bad thoughts running through his head."
"WAIT, WHAT?" Big Mike looked at Morgan in shock as Morgan nodded. "That fool drove over 700 miles yesterday to find out she cheated on him?" Morgan nodded. "He needs out of this hell hole." Big Mike looked around. "We all do." Big Mike walked away as Morgan watched his friend who had his head down on the Nerd Herd Desk lost in his thoughts.
He looked around his room, and grabbed the last of his belongings. He started downstairs the Tron poster in tow. Many of his frat brothers told him how bad it was. He stopped in from of Bryce playing pool.
"I don't get it, Bryce. Why are you doing this?"
Bryce looked up, the usual look of confidence and cool on his face. "You did this to yourself."
That, that was bad, but yesterday…yesterday may have been a new low.
He was walking toward the sorority houses trying to think what to say to her, when two guys walking toward him spoke. "Hey, Chuck!" Chuck nodded and kept walking.
He heard them talk after he passed them. "That's the dude that got kicked out for cheating."
He stopped walking. "Yeah, I didn't cheat, actually, it's..." He was talking to no one, on a sidewalk, while everyone else was having a good time. He made his way to the Pi Delta Pi house. There was a beer pong game going on on the lawn. He looked around for something… "Oh! Hey, I'm just-" He emptied two balls into his hand. "If you guys don't mind, I'm just gonna borrow these. Continue with your game." He reached over and shut off the radio as he took a paddle as well. "Gonna have to turn this off, too." He turned toward the house ignoring the dozen or more people on the lawn. "Jill! Come on." He took the ping pong balls and started hitting them toward her window. "Jill! Hey! It's Chuck. Please, I-I want a chance to explain my side face-to-face."
The window opened and Shari stood there. "If Jill wanted to speak to you she would have returned one of your 28 phone calls."
"Hi, Shari." She gave him the most sarcastic smile ever. "Is she up there?" She rolled her eyes and walked away. "Jill... I, uh, I was on break at-at work. I'm actually working at a Buy More. Of all places, yeah. And I drove, you know, 346 miles straight from Burbank to see you and to tell you that I still love you."
The group behind him groan and as he turned someone cough-said "Loser!" They were all laughing at him.
"Chuck!"
He turned hearing her voice. "Hey, hey, Jill! Hey, um, I think I've thoroughly publicly embarrassed myself enough, so you think maybe we could go talk over some coffee or something like that?"
"It's too late, Chuck. It's over."
"When you say 'it's over,' you mean, like, this conversation's over, right? To be continued at the Starbucks?
Shari stuck her head out the window. "She's dating Bryce Larkin now, Chuck."
Chuck felt like he had been stabbed in the heart….again. "Bryce..."
Shari continued. "Deal with it." Jill said something to Shari leading to ANOTHER eyeroll.
He stared at her. "Is that true?"
They group behind him turned the music back on, ready to go on with their lives. She gave him a look of pity. "I'm sorry, Chuck."
He heard a bell ding, and he was sure it was Morgan. He put his hand out over the hand that was dinging the bell. "Not now, Morgan." It WASN'T Morgan. Morgan's hands weren't that smooth. He gulped and looked up at the laughing face in front of him. "Kayla."
"Figures I'm moving on, and you decide to hold my hand now. You have great timing, Bartowski."
"Moving on?"
Kayla grinned at him. "Yeah, I'm headed to bigger and better things."
Chuck gave her a flat look. "You got fired again."
She rolled her eyes. "Not so much fired as the club is under new management and they decided not to retain me." Chuck crossed his arms. "Okay, fine! He doesn't think the Indy rock scene is gonna work at Spaceland."
"Wha? How could he not?" Chuck was appalled. "What proof does he have?"
"The club lost a boatload of money."
Chuck's eyes got wide. "Well…he may have proof then."
Kayla handed him a card. It simply had a phone number and the name Hartley Winterbottom. "I'm moving on, but I told him that if there was anyone out there that could make this 80s and some 90s dance music work, it's Chuck Bartowski."
"Kayla-"
She held up her hand. "It's been good kid, too bad you didn't hold my hand earlier, we could have been something."
"You mean like the time you were crying when they towed your car away and I held your hand, patted your shoulder, and told you it was all gonna be okay?"
"See, we could have been something." She reached up, ruffled his hair as he just looked up to watch her turn and stroll out of the Buy More. Chuck watched her go.
"She's so hot." Chuck turned and saw Morgan looking in the direction she left.
"She was nothing but trouble, and not the kinda trouble you want to get into, but the kind that ends up stabbing you as you sleep one night."
"That's every man's fantasy, Chuck."
Chuck just shook his head and looked at the card. He looked around the Buy More…maybe he should call.
He opened the door to Spaceland and walked inside. He ran his hand down the banister, and remembered the no sliding rule. He couldn't now, maybe later. Maybe if he was manager. Why would anyone give him a job being a manager of a nightclub?
"Hello?" the English voice cut through his thoughts. "Is someone there?"
"Chuck Bartowski, sir." He saw a very dapper looking man head toward him, in the right light he had a James Bond look to him. But in regular light, he didn't seem to have the confidence or the suaveness. He appeared to be a regular guy. "Kayla said I should see you."
"I told her to have you call, but that's Kayla."
Chuck could have said nothing, and he knew he'd blame it on Kayla. "Mr. Winterbottom, sir. I know I should have called but I wanted to do this face to face, and that's my fault sir. Kayla makes enough screw ups without anyone adding on."
Hartley studied him. "Perfect song for two people in love?"
"Wha?"
Hartley shook his head and began to walk off. "I'm sorry Mr. Bartowski, but you don't seem to be the one I'm looking for."
He watched Hartley go, and he realized he was about to be stuck in the Buy More forever. His brain kicked into high gear. "Sir, I apologize, there are just too many songs with that little information. What else can you tell me?"
Hartley paused and turned. "She keeps denying how she's feeling."
Chuck nodded. "That helps, is there anything else.
Hartley started to walk back. "He's there for her, patiently. But, he won't be a doormat."
Chuck spread his hands with a smirk on his face. "Simple, Kenny Loggins, Nobody's Fool, from Caddyshack II. Highly underrated comedy."
Hartley stared at him. "There's no one on the dance floor and nothing is working, what do you do?"
Chuck gave him a look. "Are these supposed to be hard?" Hartley raised an eyebrow. "There's only one tried and true song to get you to dance, chair dance, lean against a wall and dance, or whatever kinda dance you want. Whitney Houston, I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
"And the name," Hartley said, waving his finger at the club in general.
"I have a…hokey idea."
"Go ahead, m'boy."
"The Jungle."
"That's not very…" Chuck was smirking. "I feel I'm missing something."
"Because every night, you can open this place up with the electric guitar cranking and your DJ screaming, Welcome to the Jungle, and GnR can hit."
Hartley stood there, barely nodding. "When can you start?"
"I need to give my boss two weeks notice."
"And you staff?"
Chuck's eyes got wide. "My staff?"
"Your people, Charles. May I call you Charles." Chuck nodded. "You need your people."
Now
Chuck stopped by Hartley's table to make sure the ladies were not on a do not enter list he didn't know about. Hartley told him no. Chuck tried not to look at the people he was sitting with. They were….not your typical folks at a dance club. Chuck left them and headed toward his table. As he began to climb the stairs, AC/DC's Thunderstruck guitar lick began. He climb the stairs as the guitar riff played on. He looked around, Morgan was nowhere to be seen.
He went to his table as the guitar continued with the drums. The lyrics began, and Chuck had to talk loud."Ladies, my name is Chuck Bartowski, and may I say….Welcome, to the Jungle."
"Rowr," the redhead said to him, making a claw-like swipe.
The blonde and brunette rolled their eyes. The brunette stuck out her hand and shook Chuck's. "I'm Zondra, the devil-cat here is Carina." Carina made another swipe. Chuck nodded at her. "And, the wallflower over here, is Sarah." Chuck turned to her as she turned to him, and their eyes locked. Chuck wasn't sure when he had seen a more beautiful woman in his life.
He extended his hand toward her. "Chuck Bartowski."
"Sarah Walker," she replied. Their hands touched, and as the chorus hit, Thunderstruck. The other two women stared at the two of them, Sarah and Chuck having shook hands, but each still holding the others. Chuck really thought he could be lost in her eyes forever.
She recovered first and removed her hand. "Seriously, you're parents named you Chuck."
"I think they were sadists." She grinned. "I don't remember ever seeing the three of you here before."
Carina and Zondra exchanged a look. Sarah and Chuck hadn't taken their eyes off of each other.
"We've tried to get in before, but the big guy outside…" Carina trailed off.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you guys can get in whenever you want," Chuck still hadn't taken his eyes off of Sarah and hers off of him. His earpiece went off. "I apologize, the job has perks, but sometimes duty calls." He began to walk off.
"Will you stop back by?" Sarah asked.
Chuck smiled at her. "I'll do my best." He gave her one last smile and left.
"I think we have our in," Zondra whispered to Carina.
"Yeah, but how far in?" Carina asked, grinning. Sarah ignored them and watched Chuck walk back down stairs.
A/N: It's an idea I've had. Let me know. And yes, I know what I said I will write, V2, Second Grade, Buy More High, and Casey and Walker. They're all coming I promise. I've heard many asked how I keep them all straight. Asperger's blessing/curse. Take care…Until next time.
DC