Chapter 3: Life in the Buymoria

When Hannah booked out of her Parisienne hotel, the front desk handed her a large envelope. She thanked the front desk and then moved to a quiet seat in the lobby to study the contents. In the envelope was a folder marked "For your eyes only" and a plane ticket back to Los Angeles.

Inside the file were instructions to return to the USA and a mobile phone number to ring on arrival.

She checked her watch and calculated she had five hours to catch her plane. She had enough time to grab a croissant and take a few photos of the Eiffel Tower before hailing a taxi to the airport.

The flight across the Atlantic was uneventful and she was in economy class, first class only for missions, she spent most of the flight watching an in flight movie.

In a bid to minimize the effects of jet lag, Hannah decide to have a cat nap and as she began to doze off she replayed in her mind the last conversation she had with a very good looking man travelling under the name of Charles "Chuck" Carmichael.

"If you ever find yourself in Burbank, My assistant manager owes me about a million and a half favors"

Morgan and Chuck were having a quiet moment next to the Nerd Herd desk when Morgan spotted her.

"Stop the presses! Who is that? Vicky Vale!" Morgan didn't know that Big Mike had employed a new Nerd Herder.

"Vicky Vale! Vick, uh, Vicky Vale! vibby-doo-dibby-doo, Vicky Vale! Vick, uh, Vicky Vale" was Chuck's mindless response, he wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around him.

"Do you remember when Sarah first walked into the buy more? What was it like? Was it love at first sight?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, but it changed my life forever. Why?"

"No reason."

Chuck looked around and he saw her, his mouth dropping open. Chuck and Morgan watched as Hannah walk up to them dressed as a Nerd Herder with a white shirt, grey tie and a black skirt that is way to short, even by Anna standards.

"Morning, guys."

"Hi." The men said together.

"Hey."

"Morning." She smiled at them. She then posed to show off her outfit.

"All right, everybody, back to work!" A flustered Morgan walked away leaving Chuck alone to deal with the latest employee.

"Real taskmaster, that, uh, Morgan."

"Yeah, I can tell. So, my first day as a nerd herder- any advice?"

"Oh. Uh, let's see, well, let's start with the five-cent tour, shall we? I like to consider myself the Jack Hannah of this untamed wilderness. Me, safe; everyone else, very dangerous."

"Yeah,"

Hannah spots Jeff and Lester filming her with cam-cameras while standing in the Movie section.

"And a little creepy. But I am sure that you will protect me."

"Indeed, indeed. You stay by us, sister; you'll be safe." Out of nowhere Lester had butted in to the conversation. He nodded to Chuck, "Charles."

"Hannah," Chuck introduced "Lester, Jeff. Two of the finest members of our Buy More staff."

"Hannah,"

"Namaste."

"Nice."

"All right, why don't we give Jeff an opportunity to realize that he's in public?" With that comment Chuck lead Hannah away from the Jeffster duo.

"Thank you. So, I was going through the nerd herd manual last night, and I have a few questions about how to file an install."

"Let me get this straight." Chuck paused for a moment and held his finger up straight, "You went over the nerd herd manual in your off time? Are you gonna be a problem employee?"

That started both of them giggling.

"Look, I know this isn't my dream job, But I thought that while I'm here, I would be the best nerd herder you have."

"Well, as you probably saw, that's not an insurmountable goal."

"You must be pretty committed, going to Paris on an install?"

"Yeah, uh, uh um, you know, about that whole Paris thing, can we just keep that between the two of us? I don't want everyone else getting jealous."

Suddenly a big guy in a green shirt walked up to Chuck and said with a bit of vigour. "Yoghurt time."

"Oh, is it? Is it yogurt time already? Uh, yoghurt, most important meal of the day." Chuck suddenly moved to follow the big guy and whilst turning and walking backwards stated. "But don't worry, I will give you the full Chuck Bartowski tutorial when I get back, I promise."

With that he was gone, he briskly walked out of the showroom and into the parking lot, it left Hannah dumbfounded and then she had the two creepy guys standing next to her.

"There goes our glorious leader." Lester mused.

"Where does he go?" was her curious reply.

"There is a frozen yoghurt shop across the parking lot. His ex runs the shop, poor sap has trouble letting go."

After watching Chuck disappear there was nothing Hannah could do so she returned to the Nerd Herd desk and waited. She was waiting at the Nerd Herd desk when she saw a young curly hair man wander into the store and wandered up to the Nerd Herd helpdesk.

"Can I help you, sir?" Hannah was following store procedures.

"Excuse me do you stock replacement CPU parts?" The young man asked.

"She's new here, still in training No, really, let me help!" Chuck had materialized out of nowhere to be standing next to them.

"Chuck, I got it."

"Actually, I'd rather have her help me." The young man snapped at Chuck.

"No, Chuck, I'm ready. I can handle a simple sale. It's okay."

"Hannah, no sales are simple. But don't worry, you will get your chance to shine as soon as you are ready."

"Okay."

Chuck led the smaller man away from Hannah to the shelf that had a CPU's stocked on it

"Ah, sorry about that. Alone at last. What can I do you for?"

"Nothing. Now that you ruined my flow with that hottie." The annoyed young man said.

Chuck grabbed a box off the shelf and handed it to the customer.

"Here's what you require., let me ring you up personally. Ah, are you from around here? Is that a Burbankian Accent I detect? "

"Woodland Hills."

"See? I knew I heard the familiar twang of the San Fernando Valley. Your eyes are hypnotic. Chestnut? Hazel?"

"You know, I think I'll just get the CPU somewhere else." The young man handed Chuck back the box and turned to walk out.

"Wait, wait, wait! No, no. Uh You-you should just take it, you should take it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's on the house, For the inconvenience earlier with the hottie."

"You sure? I mean isn't that illegal?"

"It's on me. My pleasure. Here's my card, just in case you have any other computer problems, Or if you want to chat, you know, Rap a little."

"Thanks."

Hannah watched as Chuck walked the customer to the door, she can't hear what they are saying but the customer seemed to have tripped the store alarm as he walked out. Lester sidled up beside her and practically whispered in her ear.

"What are you doing Friday? You want to hang in my van? What about Thursday? And I'm disease-free. I don't think Mr. Barnes here can say the same."

"That was low." Jeff replied to the snarky comment.

"All's fair, kiddo."

"Yeah, I think that I'm pretty booked up this week, you guys." Hannah said to bush them off.

"Hannah, Hannah, could I see you for a second? Remember what I said: Me, safe; everyone else, very, very dangerous. So, how'd you like to start phase one of the Bartowski tutorial?"

"Oh, I thought you'd never ask."

"Yoghurt time." The guy in green said as he walked past in a hurry.

"Most important meal of the day." Chuck said then he went to flow the green shirt. "Uh, we'll talk later."

What about the tutorial?"

"Lesson number one: Never work hungry."

"Very dangerous," huh?" Lester gives Chuck some cheek.

Chuck slowly walks away and spies Morgan standing there.

"Morgan, buddy, hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah."

"Would you mind keeping an eye on Hannah? The vultures are circling."

"Oh, boy. Sure." He got the attention of his fellow workers, " Lester, Jeff."

"What, now?"

Can I see you both in my office, please?"

"You have an office?"

The three men walk out the back through the backroom doors to what was the broom closet.

"Here we go."

"What happened to all the brooms and bleach?"

"I just, uh, move 'em in and out every morning. Gentlemen, Have a seat, please. Okay. It is my duty as assistant manager to tell you there'll be no dating in the workplace!"

"Yeah? You dated Anna." Lester snapped.

"It's my constitutional right to fornicate." Jeff can be really creepy.

"Okay. Here's the thing. I like her. Okay? I'm just asking you guys to, you know, lay off."

"Fine, but I get to sleep over with you and Chuck twice a week." Jeff was quick to bargain.

"Okay. You?"

"Next hire, I want you to find me a wife. A woman of color, Preferably padma lakshmi."

"Done."

"One condition. You men are both excellent stalkers. I need you to use your skill set and find out everything there is to know about Hannah, okay? Likes, dislikes Everything."

"Consider her stalked."

A couple of hours later the Jeffster duo reported what they found out about their new co-worker.

"What'd you find out about Hannah?"

"Um, she is out of your league. She's a sophisticated, classy kind of broad."

"Yeah. She eats sushi with chopsticks and without the rice."

"Wow."

I copied her itunes and iphone playlists. She listens to classical music."

"Oh, boy."

"Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is her most-played, And she likes French cinema."

"And foreign films. Jeff chipped in. "We saw her checking out the foreign language films in our DVD section."

"Sorry, my friend, even with us spying on her, You do not stand a chance." Lester cast a spell of doom over Morgan.

Isn't it ridiculous that an Assistant manager has to commandeer a broom cupboard so he could use it as an office. Morgan Grimes was not fussy; he shared his space with an assortment of cleaning products. He had a makeshift name plaque on the door. He had Jeff pass a message to Hannah that requested her to see him in his office. Hannah approached and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hey, Morgan. Uh, Jeff said you wanted to see me?"

"I did, I did, yeah. Nothing urgent. I just wanted to see how the Buy More's treating you."

Hannah noticed the music, "Swan Lake. It's my favorite."

"Mine, too." Morgan's reply shook Hannah, she could feel the hair at the back of her neck stand up. It wasn't her spy training that was flashing warning lights. Her mother had warned her about guys like this one.

"Sans respirer's a classic." Morgan continued,"I must have seen it like ten times. Mmm enough of French new wave."

"Huh."

"Oh, have a seat, have a seat." Morgan beckoned.

"Thank you".

"It's amazing how much we have in common. Right?"

"Yeah." Hannah replied with uncertainly. This was definitely getting creepy.

"I just- I love international cinema. It's not just the cinema, it's the people and the culture. Right? Uh, boy Sadly, too many of my colleagues think that Burbank is the center of the world."

"Yeah, Chuck had never been to Paris until last week on that install."

"Chuck went to Paris?"

"Oh, uh, right, I forgot, Chuck told me to keep it quiet. Everything's a little secret around here. But of course, you know, as you are the assistant manager."

"Right, I am, of course, sure. I know everything about Chuck."

"Well, do you mind telling me what goes on over at that yoghurt store? Because he is constantly running over there."

"Yoghurt store? Yes. Uh, his ex works there. He's having trouble letting go."

"Um, Morgan, hey, uh. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Nothing."

Hannah knows the informal chat is over so she leaves Morgan alone with his thoughts.

"Paris?" Morgan drifted away with his thoughts. "Where else has he gone?"

Well that was five minutes of her life that see wouldn't get back. She left Morgan in his cramped office and returned to the Front desk.

Hannah was annoyed by the pull the ex-girlfriend still had on her potential love interest, Chuck, She hadn't been formally introduced to her so she decided to meet this head on. She walked out of the Buy More and crossed the parking lot to the yoghurt shop. Her mood didn't improve when she discovered that the establishment was closed, a post it note on the door stating 'closed until further notice.'

Unbeknown to Hannah and Shaw, the Team Bartowski had rushed off to Dubai to recover a weapon that could change the war between the Ring and the Government.

She wanted to have a long talk with Agent Shaw about Agent Carmichael. If Shaw wanted her to join the LA team then he better have some answers for her.

Towards the end of her first week at the Buy More she finally got a text for Agent Shaw.

Shaw texted to say there was a mission and they would meet at her hotel.