They ran silently for a little while, but then Devon resumed his questions.

"Has Chuck saved people's lives?"

Sarah knew she couldn't get into any details, but figured she could answer that. "Absolutely."

"Awesome," he said effusively. Then, "Like, how many?"

"We don't really keep count. But it's quite a lot."

Devon looked thoughtful for a moment. "The other day, they brought in this kid to the hospital. He'd been on his bike, and a car had hit him as he was crossing the street. I guess it was touch-and-go for a while, but nothing out of the ordinary. Afterwards, the mother just kept thanking me and hugging me, saying how I'd saved her boy's life. That never happens for you guys, I guess?"

"Well, if things go right, nobody knows when we do save their lives. And it's part of the job, so we don't expect the gratitude."

"Still, it must suck sometimes."

Sarah shrugged. "I suppose. To be honest, it's never bothered me."

Devon stopped, and they sat down on a bench. The bench stood in front of a field, where a soccer game was going on. Kids were running back and forth, with their anxious parents standing around and watching.

After a bit, Devon said, "Ellie loves Chuck, that's never been a question. But I know that sometimes she seems disappointed in him. Knowing now, what he does, why he's been at the Buy More all this time, it can be kind of frustrating that she doesn't get the chance to be proud of him."

"Devon, you can't tell her anything about what you know."

"And I know that. It's just…"

"Not awesome?" Sarah said with a grin.

"Exactly."

"No, I know what you mean."

"On the other hand, if I were to tell Ellie what Chuck's been doing, I'd probably need both of you to protect me." Devon stood up, and they headed back down the path.


"So I think what I need is a persona."

"Persona?" Ellie asked, as she turned the corkscrew into the top of the wine bottle.

"Yeah, something to knock the socks off the interviewer. I could be the son of a billionaire who studied in Asia for years. Or better yet, I could be a spy, an international man of mystery."

Ellie poured some of the wine into a glass. "Morgan, that's a terrible idea."

"Why?"

"Well for one, nobody would buy you as a spy. Second, the whole point is to be yourself."

"Do you think I can impress these people by just being myself?"

Ellie used that moment to take a sip of wine.

"Ellie??"

"Of course they will," she finally replied. "Anna likes you for who you are, right?"

"Yes," Morgan answered, sounding somewhat unsure of himself. "Hey wait! Are you saying that because Anna likes me, all Asians like me? Cause that's kind of stereotyping. I'm disappointed in you."

Ellie took another gulp of wine. "No, Morgan, that's not what I'm saying."

"Good. Besides, it's not true. Anna's parents hate me."


"What are we doing here, Bartowski?"

Chuck slowly wandered the through the store, closely examining the different guitars. Finally, he found one he liked, and carefully removed it from the wall. He walked up to Casey, calmly returning the man's impatient glare.

"You said this thing could have all sorts of skills, right? I figured, I also wanted to learn to play the guitar. Maybe I already have."

Casey grunted, and glanced at his watch.

"Oh, c'mon, this has to beat yet another round of target practice."

Chuck headed to the corner of the store, and began to gently touch the strings with his fingers. There were a few other people in the store, but they paid no attention to him. A middle-aged man was also looking at a couple of different basses, while a couple of college-aged girls were hanging out in the back. The only other person in the store to notice him, the man standing behind the register, eyed him warily.

Chuck waited for the rush to hit his head. Nothing happened.

After a few moments, the salesman shook his head in bemusement and turned away. Casey chuckled, and Chuck could see him mouth the word, "Moron."

At this point, the two girls had moved toward the front of the store. As they walked around, pointing at various instruments they noticed Chuck standing there with the guitar. They looked at each other, and started giggling and pointing. That was when the flash hit Chuck. His hands immediately started strumming the guitar, and words made their way up through his throat.

"I'm lying alone with my head on the phone

Thinking of you till it hurts

I know you hurt too but what else can we do

Tormented and torn apart"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Casey smirk. He continued through the song, and when he reached the chorus, his eyes widened in shock.

"I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you

I know you were right believing for so long

I 'm all out of love, what am I without you

I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong"

At this point, Casey was laughing out loud. Chuck wanted to stop, but neither his mouth nor his fingers seemed to obey him. The two girls were whispering to each other, and rolling their eyes, while the sales clerk was frowning. Realizing he was stuck, Chuck decided to make the best of it, and tried to imagine singing the song to the one person he wished could hear him.


"One more question."

They were just at the edge of the park, and were about to reach the road back home. Sarah was right at Devon's side, their strides nearly in sync. "Alright," she said, somewhat reluctantly.

"You and the Chuckster, what exactly…are you?"

Sarah immediately slowed down. This wasn't a question she was anxious to answer, but she figured she couldn't really run away from it. In fact, he was clearly in good enough shape that she couldn't even literally run away from it.

Devon paused when he realized his jogging buddy wasn't next to him, and jogged back towards her. The question was still clearly visible from his curious expression.

After a moment, she decided that the risk of potentially upsetting Ellie wasn't quite as great as the risk of incurring the wrath of the NSA and CIA. "Chuck and I need to be able to work with each other closely, even during odd hours. The best way to do this without raising suspicion about what we do is to pose as a couple."

"So you two, that's all fake." They started jogging down the path again.

"Yes." After a moment, she added, "You know you can't tell any of this to Ellie, right?"

"That won't be a problem."

"Good."

"It won't be a problem because I don't believe you."

"What?"

"I've seen the two of you together. I don't believe what you told me. Even if you do."

Sarah kept running for a while, before she realized she had quickened her pace. She slowed down again, and turned to Devon. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth." She added, "Up until a month ago, you were sure that I just served yogurt for a living. Do you really think you can read me so perfectly now?"

Devon shrugged, as he slowed down to a walk. "Pretending about what you do is one thing. What you do doesn't actually define you. Pretending about how you feel is something completely different."

Despite herself, Sarah raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"I, uh, sometimes watch Dr. Phil when I'm not on call in the morning. Still, I know what I see, and I can definitely read Chuck. And I'm pretty sure I can see it in you too."

"Like you said before, we spies are good at a lot of things."

"Look. I understand you have to keep this veil of secrecy around yourselves. I can respect that. And I'm sure what you are saying was true at least for a little while. But I don't think it's true anymore."

They began passing the familiar houses that marked the edge of their neighborhood. Devon looked back at Sarah, studying her face. "I'm sure interoffice romance is a bad thing in your kind of work. They probably keep close tabs on you to make sure every rule is followed. They figured if spies are involved in some way, they're…" Devon paused, searching for a word.

"Compromised," Sarah said softly to herself.

"So, I get that when you're around Ellie, you have to be two spies pretending to be a couple. And when you're around John, you can't be a couple, so you have to be a couple…pretending not to be a couple. And when you're around both Ellie and John, then I guess you're a couple pretending not to be a couple pretending to be a couple. But not the same couple that you're pretending to be."

Sarah's mouths curled up in a slight smile.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're just around me, no John Casey, no Ellie, you guys can be whatever it is you actually are, without any pretending. If all you two are is just a couple of spies, then fine. But if not, be whatever it is you actually are, and you don't need to worry about me saying anything to Ellie or Casey or anybody else."


"Ok, Morgan." Ellie was starting to get frustrated. Pretty soon Devon and Chuck would be back, and her peaceful morning would be over. "How about this. When you're there, think of one of your biggest triumphs in your life. That way, you'll feel confident and you're sure to impress your interviewer."

"My biggest triumphs?"

"Sure. You must have done something that you're particularly proud of?"

"Well…"

"Oh come on. There must be something. An A on a difficult school assignment?"

"Nope."

"Ok. What about the Buy More? A big sale, or something like that?"

"Hmm." Morgan thought for a moment. "Oh! Did Chuck ever tell you about the mystery crisper?"

"No, not the mystery crisper, Morgan. There must be something else. Anything sports related?"

"Ellie, this is me you're talking to, not Captain Awesome."

"Ok, fine. But there has to be something."

"Oh, wait. I've got one. Back in the ninth grade, I won a Tomb Raider tournament. I beat seniors and everything?"

"A Tomb Raider tournament?" Ellie said uncertainly. Finally, she shrugged and said, "Ok, let's go with that. When you go to that interview, think of how you felt when you won that Tomb Raider tournament. Think of how foolish they would be not to like and respect somebody who's as good at…Tomb Raider as you are."

"Uh, ok, I guess I can try that. You're sure it will work?"

"Sure. You'll still be yourself, but the most successful version of you that you can think of. Got it, Morgan?"

"I think so."

"Remember, speak clearly at the interview, give him a firm handshake, and be sure to look him in the eyes when you speak to him."

"What if the interviewer's a she?"

"Then definitely look her in the eyes."

"Ok, then."

"So, you got it?"

"Well, do you think you can run everything by me again?"


The two girls finally had gotten bored with the performance, and had left the store, followed by the middle-aged man. The clerk came up to Chuck, making a slashing gesture by his neck. For a moment, Chuck wasn't sure if the man wanted to kill him or just wanted him to stop singing. At that point, the Intersect's hold on him, and he finally managed to stop.

"Would you please leave? You've driven off all of the customers."

Chuck wanted to argue that there weren't that many customers, but decided against it. He sheepishly handed the guitar to the clerk, and left the store. Casey was waiting for him outside.

"Thanks, Bartowski. I haven't had a laugh like that in a while."

"Why in the world would the Intersect pick that song? What kind of a spy situation would that help?"

"Never underestimate the value of quickly clearing a room. Next time we need to search a crowded place, we'll be sure to have you bring a guitar."

They got back in the Crown Victoria, and headed back home. Since Casey now seemed to be in a better mood, Chuck decided to talk to him again.

"Look, I know the Intersect isn't me. Believe me, especially now. And what the Intersect can do doesn't make me a different person. I hope you know that I didn't upload this thing so I could be good at kung fu or shooting bad guys or anything like that. I did because, well...."

Casey glanced at Chuck briefly. "I know why you did it."

"Oh. You do?"

"Yup. It's what I'd have done in the same situation."

Chuck decided this might be a time he'd be better off not saying anything, and let Casey continue.

"You're no longer some idiot who had everything dropped in his lap. You're not a draftee. You're a volunteer, like us."

Chuck nodded.

"And if volunteering means your brain got an upgrade, then so be it."

Casey slid into his usual parking space, and the two stepped outside. As he headed to his house, Casey said, "Semper Fi, Chuck."

"Semper Fi, Casey."

"Just try not to screw up as much. And find another damn song."

Sarah thought about what he had said, as they headed into the courtyard. He had hurried ahead when he had seen Ellie's car in the parking lot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chuck approaching from Casey's house. He flashed a smile when he saw her. "So, jogging huh?"

"Yup."

"Awesome," he said in a perfect imitation of his brother-in-law.

Sarah laughed in response. "So, did you learn anything new today."

"Well, I learned never to let the Intersect DJ at a party." Sarah looked at him questioningly, but they had reached the door to the house. As they entered they heard Ellie's voice.

"Again, the most important thing is for you to be honest," Ellie sounded impatient, and her speech was oddly slurred. "Just be confident with yourself, and don't focus on who you think you are, or what you've done before, or think you can do now. That should be enough."

Chuck and Sarah exchanged a look.

"Ellie looked up from the couch and saw them. "Oh Morgan, Chuck just walked in. Talk to him." She motioned to Chuck and handed him the phone. "Please talk to Morgan. I can't take it anymore."

Chuck smiled at his sister, and carried to phone into his room. Devon appeared from the back and kissed his wife on the lips. "Hey babe, rough night?"

"Not as bad as this morning. I'm going to go take a nap."

"Alright babe, I've gotta head off to work soon." He smiled briefly at Sarah.

As the two left the room, Sarah looked back at Chuck's door, and sighed. She thought back to what Devon had said earlier. "If only it were that easy," she thought to herself.

End

I hope everybody enjoyed my wallowing in dialogue, and please review away!