A/N: First off, I'd like to thank you for reading. Secondly, I'm taking quite a few liberties with the timeline because a lot of events were only hinted at happening. I am also disregarding a few dates that are as established as cannon, factual or not, which may or may not be apparent tor readers. Also, this has been proof-read but hasn't been beta'd since I do not have one. All mistakes are my own. That said, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck.
Chapter One: Choices Made, Part One.
August 1998
The door opened silently on the well oiled hinges and he peered carefully through the doorway, being caught now would completely ruin his plan. Seeing the target lying prone, he let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. She was still out cold.
Inching forward, he made certain to continue aiming at the target, moving slowly to avoid rousing her. He leaned forward, angling his hands towards her upper torso, ready to dispense with the package.
"I know you're there Dad, I heard you opening the door."
Jack Walker was not what one would consider a young man and the sudden voice of his daughter caused him to yelp and stumble a bit. Catching himself before he emptied the package all over the floor, he took a deep breath to balance himself.
"You shouldn't be doing that to your old man, Darlin'" Jack said as his daughter turned her face towards him, a single hooded blue eye regarding him stonily. She really was not a morning person.
"And my 'old man'," she deadpanned, using her fingers to make air quotes. "Should not be creeping into his teenage daughter's bedroom while she's sleeping! And he most certainly should not be waking her up at the crack of dawn!"
Smiling slowly, Jack placed the tray in her lap as she pulled herself into a sitting position.
"It's your first day of school in your senior year, I thought I'd make you something special. Your favorite french toast, whipped cream, fresh strawberries... Just how you like it."
Her eyebrow quirked upwards as she regarded him with amusement, becoming more alert by the second. "I'm not twelve anymore, Dad."
"Well, you need to eat something, big day at school. You only attend senior year once, you know. So finish your breakfast and get ready for school, you're supposed to pick up the schnook in thirty minutes." He said, ducking out of her room, narrowly avoiding the pillow she had tossed at him.
"He's not a schnook, he's my best friend!"
She never did like him calling her best friend a schnook.
"Whatever you say Darlin', he's still a Class A schnook." Jack called as he headed downstairs.
Jack looked up from his paper when he heard footsteps rapidly descending the staircase and saw his daughter zip right by him to deposit her dishes in the sink before heading over to him.
"Love you." she mumbled as she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before rushing out towards the garage.
"Love you too." he said, the dull thud of the front door slamming shut his only answer. Standing up, he walked over to the open door and called out to Sarah as she started her car. "See you later, alligator."
Her hand appeared over the the top of her pulled down hood as she pulled out of the driveway and made a left, away from the house at a speed that was not technically safe.
He grinned to himself, shaking his head in mild amusement at his baby girl's intense dislike for mornings and her near chronic tardiness.
As the morning dragged on, Jack found himself focusing less on the paper he still held in front of him and more on his thoughts. As it always did during the quiet hours when he was alone, Jack reflected on key events in his life; his wedding, the birth of his daughters; the day he took Sarah away from her grandmother and, as his thoughts always wandered to during his time of introspection, the day he met the person who changed his life, forever.
February 1992 – Madison, Wisconsin.
"Welcome back to Science, Here and Now. We're joined this hour by Dr. Penelope Queen from the physics department at M.I.T. Welcome Dr. Queen."
"Thank you Cooper, it's a pleasure to be here."
"So tell us Dr. Queen, we've been hearing a lot recently about 'The Butterfly Effect', could you explain to our listeners exactly what this effect is all about?"
"Absolutely Cooper, 'The Butterfly Effect' is, depending on who you ask, a part of chaos theory that, at the very core, is about cause an effect. The name comes from the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere could effect a huge change on weather somewhere else."
"That's fascinating but how does that actually relate to our lives?"
"Well, this is where it gets interesting. The notion that I just presented you is probably the least technical definition of 'The Butterfly Effect.' Think about it this way. The end result of something huge is impacted by the beginning. If A had happened instead of B, what would the end result look like?"
"Hold that thought Dr. Queen, we have to go to comm..."
The buzz of the radio died down briefly as Danny O'Connell spun the dial to change to another station before jumping back to fill the interior of the car with a catchy tune.
Danny glanced into the rear view mirror and spied his not-quite-eleven year old daughter dozing in the back seat. He was a bit conflicted, pulling this last job in Wisconsin before moving on to Ohio but he could use the extra money.
It was a simple enough job, he rationalized. Pose as a lawyer, promise a client something or another, and run off with a nice down-payment that would keep him afloat till his next job. Simple.
Taking a left on the next corner, Danny spied his destination just over a block down the road. The tan walls of hotels where the meeting was supposed to take place rising higher than its neighbors, the windows reflecting the midday sun.
Making sure to leave a note where Katie would find it, Danny locked the car doors and headed up to the bar and attached lounge. He straightened his tie and smoothed over his mustache one more time before stepping into the elevator.
A quarter of an hour later and he was getting annoyed but he pushed down his emotions. After all, in his line of work, patience was the ultimate virtue. Downing the last of his drink, he motioned for the bartender to refill it but was interrupted by a voice.
"Mr. O'Connell, I presume?"
Danny turned around quickly, startled by the sudden voice. He was met humorless chuckle that sent a slight chill up his spine.
"I'm sorry to have startled you Mr. O'Connell," the man speaking to him said. "My name is Greg Tuttle."
For some reason, the first thought that popped into Danny's mind was "This guy could've played James Bond." Shaking off the random thought, Danny decided it was time to turn on the charm. "Pleasure is mine, Mr. Tuttle and please, call me Danny."
"As you wish Danny," Tuttle replied, taking a quick look around their surroundings. "Perhaps it will be prudent to move our discussion to a more... Private venue?"
"Of course, of course, I reserved a booth for us. If you'll just follow me."
A few minutes after they were seated in the booth and after having exhausted all forms of pleasantries, Tuttle cleared his throat loudly before leaning forward just a bit.
"Now, Mr. O'Connell," he began.
"Please, like I mentioned, call me Danny. I hear someone say Mr. O'Connell and I find myself looking over my shoulder for my father."
"As you wish, Danny. The reason I need your services is because I am looking to expand my business out here, to the United States and I find myself in need of someone taking caring of those bothersome applications and permits."
"I'm not a boastful man, Mr. Tuttle, but I can assure you that I am very good at what I do. I just need a bit more detail... We should also discuss me fee."
"Do this for me and I'll be glad to pay whatever you are asking, within limits of course."
"Of course."
The technical aspects of the business deal dragged on for another half hour or so. The basic of it all was Tuttle owned a shipping and courier company in his homeland and he was looking to open up his first office in the United States.
Danny was expected to handle all the documentation that would be needed as well as any details that had to be sorted out with the government.
Smiling slightly, Tuttle pulled out a bulging envelope from his coat pocket and pushed it across the table towards Danny as the discussion drew to a close.
"All the information you need is inside including a down-payment of fifteen thousand dollars and here is my card. I'll be in town for a few more days and you can reach my at anytime at this number on the back." Tuttle said as he stood up and buttoned his business coat.
"I can have an update for you within the week, Mr. Tuttle." Danny replied, standing up as well and reaching his hand forward. "I'm looking forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with you and your company."
Tuttle looked straight into Danny's eyes for a moment and, for the briefest of seconds, Danny felt a nervousness he couldn't explain. After all, he was a professional and had done this dozens of times before.
The moment passed when Tuttle smiled and took Danny's hand in a hearty shake and left.
Slipping the envelope Tuttle had given him into his coat pocket, Danny made his way slowly to the elevators, giving Tuttle more than sufficient time to have left the area.
Getting into his car, he saw that Katie was just beginning to stir, never even noticing she had been left alone for just over an hour. Undoing his tie and pulling off the fake mustache, Danny waited for Katie to fully wake before turning to her.
"Well Darlin', I'm all done with work here. What say you and I relax for a couple of days before heading on down to Ohio?"
"I thought you said we shouldn't hang around once we're done working, Daddy?"
Katie was right, of course. They should be heading down to Ohio before Tuttle learned that the so-called lawyer he had met didn't exist. Danny had also arranged a meet with his next mark, a wealthy widow who was looking to liquidate some assets post haste.
Still, Danny figured he had bought them at least a week of leeway with Tuttle and his meeting with the widow wouldn't be for another two days and, as he always said...
"Now Katie, a good conman c..."
"Can leave whenever he wants, I know daddy."
"So what say you and I pick up dinner and head on back to the motel to watch some T.V.?"
Katie's eyes brightened as a toothy grin slowly spread across her face. She rarely got to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, being on the road as often as she was with her father and, if she played her cards right, she might just get a little extra as well. "Only if we get some ice cream too!"
"Of course Darlin'." Danny drawled, smiling a little at her request. She was learning fast.
Her grin blossomed into a full-on smile as Danny started the engine.
A couple of hours later, Danny was perusing the files he had received from Gregory Tuttle, taking notes in a shorthand that few would be able to read on a yellow legal pad.
He rolled his shoulders, the stiffness building after hunching over a bunch of papers for such a long period of time.
"Time well spent," He muttered to himself. He had found a couple of avenues that he could proceed with for future cons and some of the credentials provided with the documentation would help in the creation of future identities.
Taking a short break from the documents, he once again considered making the trip down to Ohio. After all, it was a relatively long drive and he did have the "business meeting" in a couple of days. The documents also weren't going anywhere and he'd have more time later to mull over its contents.
Turning to look at the bed, he saw his daughter sound asleep. Shrugging his shoulders in resignation, Danny went over to tuck her in before pulling on his coat, deciding to take a brief stroll to process the information he had gleaned from Tuttle's documents. He would wake her up first thing in the morning and they would drive down to Columbus then. He smiled to himself as he imagined the fuss Katie would almost certainly make at having to wake up early. Maybe he would just carry her to the car and let her continue to sleep, he thought.
Locking the door behind him, Danny swung his arms up, stretching out the muscles before heading to the entrance of the motel lot.
As he took a right down the street, parallel to the motel, he never saw the dark gray sedan parked across the road or the brunette dressed in white shirt and black cardigan jacket watching him.
To be continued...
A/N:Kudos to the people who can pick up the references to the different episodes and to other shows. Chuck and Sarah won't show up for a couple of chapters yet, but it will get there, I promise. I should also say that I am in no way involved in the study of physics so I am actually unclear on whether my explanation of the Butterfly Effect is accurate but that is how I interpreted it, I apologise if it is not actually clear. Cheers.
