Thanks to everyone who bothered to read Chapter Three. And special thanks to those kind people who bothered to comment on it. After reading what Schwartz & Fedak had to say at Comic Con, I'm not happy with the direction they plan to take with "Chuck", but I did incorporate a couple of their elements which I feel make sense within the story. Here is Chapter Four. Once again, comments are welcome. And once again, I don't own the rights to "Chuck", the characters, or the source material.
Chuck versus the New Deal
Chapter Four
Chuck awoke to the sound of scratching at his bedroom window. He rubbed sleepily at his eyes, then glanced to the right side of his bed. Sarah's golden hair flowed across her pillow. She wasn't facing him, but Chuck could hear her calm, steady breathing. Sarah obviously hadn't been making any noise at the window.
Moving slowly to avoid waking Sarah, Chuck climbed out of bed. He heard the scratching sound again. Morgan had broken the window latch about three years ago. Since the temperature had dropped below a comfortable level, Sarah had closed the window before getting into bed.
Chuck inched towards the window, cold dread filling his stomach like broken icicles. He could see nothing beyond the window glass. Outside, a thick fog rolled across the courtyard, obscuring even the bushes planted up against the exterior wall of his bedroom. Chuck's eyes began searching for something which could be used as a weapon, then he suddenly realized that he was safe. One girlish scream from him, and Sarah would instantly be combat-ready.
The nearer he got to the window, the more it looked as if a shape was materializing in the center of the fog outside. Chuck stopped, frozen, unable to move either forward or back. The shape was coming closer, becoming more distinct. It was a man, not walking, but rather floating towards Chuck.
The man was Bryce Larkin. Or at least, it would have been Bryce Larkin, if Bryce Larkin wasn't dead! This hellish apparition was deathly pale, had glowing eyes, and fangs!
"Open the window, Chuck," commanded Bryce. "Invite me to come inside."
"You — you can't be Bryce Larkin," Chuck stammered. "He's dead. I watched him die!"
"Yeah, it's weird how I keep coming back. Isn't it, Chuck?"
"This is impossible," said Chuck, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Oh, this is more than possible," replied Bryce, his fangs glistening with saliva. "This is real!"
"What do you want, Bryce?"
"I've decided that I don't want to spend eternity alone. I want an old friend to join me."
"No! I'm not going to let you ruin my life again. Go to hell!" Chuck growled, trying to sound like Casey.
"I'm not here for you, Chuck," Bryce cackled evilly. "I'm here for Sarah."
"NOOOOO!" Chuck screamed.
"Chuck? Chuck? Wake up! You're having a nightmare," said Sarah soothingly.
"Sarah?" gasped Chuck. "I'm still in bed? Bry —, nobody was at the window just now?"
"No, Chuck. Nobody else is here. Just us."
"Oh, my God! That dream was so real," said Chuck, trying to calm down.
There was a soft knock at the bedroom door. "Charles? Sarah? Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Stephen," called Sarah. "You can come in. Chuck just had a nightmare."
The door opened, but Stephen didn't enter the room. He simply leaned in to look at his son. "Are you feeling better now, Charles? Would you like some water or anything?"
"Thanks, Dad," said Chuck, smiling sheepishly. "I'm fine now. The dream was just so real, it shocked me."
"Okay, Son. Try to go back to sleep," said Stephen, starting to pull the door closed. "I'm here if you need me."
"Thanks, Dad."
As they heard Stephen go into the bathroom, Sarah studied Chuck's face in the semi-darkness. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked. "That nightmare really upset you."
"How could Bryce have been at the Castle earlier tonight? I watched him die in the Intersect room. He couldn't have survived again. Could he?"
Sarah lowered her head in sadness. "No, Chuck. Bryce didn't survive. He's really gone this time. Someone obviously found a way to use his identity to gain access, and bypass our security. Was Bryce in your nightmare?"
Chuck felt embarrassed. Bryce had been his friend. He sometimes interfered in other people's affairs, but he always did it with the best of intentions. It was easy to dislike Bryce Larkin, but it was difficult to actually hate him. "Yes, it was Bryce who scared me. I'm sorry, Sarah."
"No reason to be sorry," said Sarah, kissing him on the cheek. "We can't control our dreams. You know Bryce would never have harmed you."
Chuck kissed Sarah gently on the lips, then settled into the blankets to try to go back to sleep. But what if Bryce was a vampire? Chuck wondered, still slightly upset.
* * *
Chuck and Sarah stood side by side in the Castle conference room. The image of General Beckman filled the monitor screen on the wall in front of them.
"We are still trying to determine how Agent Larkin's retinal scan could have been used to gain access to the Castle," said Beckman. "Whoever it was must have an alarming familiarity with CIA and NSA security measures. Agent Larkin's personal data has now been red-flagged. If anyone attempts to use it again, an immediate trace will be initiated."
"General, what will happen to Bryce's body?" asked Chuck softly.
Beckman's facial expression displayed sadness for a moment. "I've arranged for it to be secretly interred in the grave where his family currently thinks he is buried. Obviously, there couldn't be a second funeral for him, so this was the best I could do. He was a good agent. He deserves to be buried honorably."
"That's very considerate of you General. Thank you," said Chuck.
"We are involved in something vitally important, Chuck, and we must never lose sight of that fact," replied Beckman. "However, we must also take the time to honor those who fall in the line of duty. Now, I'd like you to continue your training."
Chuck and Sarah turned to walk away.
"Agent Walker, I'll need you for a moment longer," added Beckman.
Sarah nodded to Chuck, who then moved towards the hall leading to the gun range.
When Chuck was out of sight, Sarah turned back to Beckman. "Yes, General?"
"I'd like a progress report, Agent Walker. How is Chuck's training coming along?"
"Very well, General. His stamina and coordination still need improvement, but other than that, he's coming along as well as can be expected."
"Has anything unusual occurred?"
"What do you mean?" asked Sarah, frowning.
"The new Intersect was designed to be used by a trained and experienced agent. It was specifically designed to be used by Agent Larkin. As we know all too well, Chuck is a far more emotional person than Larkin was."
"That isn't necessarily a bad thing, General," said Sarah defensively.
"In this case, it is, Agent Walker. In order to control this new Intersect, Chuck will have to control his emotions. If he can't learn to do that, then he won't be an effective Agent."
"And what happens then?" asked Sarah, a chill creeping into the pit of her stomach.
"If I can't depend on Chuck to act professionally while on a mission, then he will have to be taken into protective custody for his own welfare"
"But you gave Chuck your word that you wouldn't do that to him!"
"Agent Walker, there is no doubt that Bartowski has served his country to the best of his abilities. Actually, he has often succeeded where professionally trained agents would have failed. But he is of no use to me if I can't depend on him to control the Intersect. He could become a danger to himself, and also to you and Colonel Casey."
"Chuck would never be a danger to the team. You don't know him, General. He's an amazingly gifted person who only wants to help people, and do what's right."
Beckman's tone of voice softened. "I know you care about Chuck. I have to admit that he's one of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met. But now, we are all stuck with an unfortunate dilemma. For Chuck to become the Intersect Agent we envisioned, he will have to become more like Bryce Larkin."
Sarah had to fight back her emotions. "Chuck will figure it out, General. He'll learn how to control the new Intersect in his own way. We can't lose Chuck. We can't let him turn into something else. There are precious few good people left in the world, and Chuck is one of the best."
"For now, we will proceed as planned, and see how things develop. But I urge you to remain vigilant around Bartowski. While I'm sure he would never intentionally harm you, we really don't know what he's capable of when the Intersect takes control. Be careful, Agent Walker."
"I will, General. Thank you."
The video screen went blank, and Sarah slowly sank into one of the chairs at the conference table. Her hands were shaking slightly. Could the new Intersect actually change Chuck? Could it turn him into someone else? Sarah had once loved Bryce Larkin, but Bryce was nothing like Chuck. Bryce had cared about people purely on his own terms. Chuck cared about people without reservations. He saw the good in them, and brought it to the surface. Sarah knew that Chuck had changed her. Sarah had grown up living with so many lies, she barely knew who she really was. But Chuck had somehow looked into her soul, found the real person there, and fallen in love with her.
"No! I will NOT lose Chuck!" said Sarah, slamming her right fist down on the conference table. "I love him, and he's mine!"
Sarah stood up when she realized that the muffled shots coming from the gun range had ceased. She quickly wiped the hint of tears from her eyes. A few minutes later, Chuck walked up the hall with a handful of paper targets under his left arm.
"You want to look at these, Coach?' he asked, smiling in his warm, lovable way.
Sarah accepted the targets from Chuck, then held them up to the light to examine the groupings of holes in the paper. "Not bad. You're aim is improving." Then a different thought occurred to Sarah. "Did you have any flashes while you were shooting?" she asked.
Chuck considered her question for a moment. "No. I don't recall having a flash. Was I supposed to have one?"
"No. Beckman just mentioned that it might take you some time to get familiar with the new Intersect, and learn how to use it effectively. It might give you random flashes when your emotions get the better of you, so you have to practice more self-control."
"Hmmm, then I guess we shouldn't have sizzling shrimp for a few weeks," laughed Chuck. "You know how much I love them."
Sarah laughed with Chuck, then made a decision.
"That's enough training for today. Would you mind following me to my place? I want to go back to the apartment with you to see if your father discovered anything about the new Intersect, and I don't like leaving my car here in the parking lot."
"Absolutely. No trouble at all," replied Chuck, smiling cheerfully. "Is that why Casey didn't come to the Castle today? Is he watching over my dad?"
"I'm sure he is. But I think he also wanted to spend some time with his mother. Are you saying that you miss Casey?" Sarah teased.
A comically horrified expression came to Chuck's face. "Hey, I was just curious about the big guy. I'm not used to this much peace and quiet. I hope he takes a couple more days off!"
* * *
Sarah waited in the lobby as Chuck parked his car in the visitor's lot. She was glad they had taken separate cars so that he hadn't been able to read her alternating emotions of excitement and doubt during the drive over from the Castle. There were a hundred reasons why she shouldn't do this, but one very good reason why she should. Sarah wanted Chuck.
Chuck walked through the main entrance, out of the bright California afternoon into the fluorescent luminosity of the lobby. He gazed around intently, searching for her as his eyes adjusted to the artificial light. When Chuck saw her discreetly waving at him, his face seemed to glow with genuine delight.
At that instant, Sarah knew she had made the right decision.
Sarah couldn't tell if Chuck had noticed her nervousness as they went up to her room. She had purposely walked half a step slower than Chuck so that he couldn't keep glancing at her as he usually did when they walked side by side.
After closing the door behind them, Sarah tossed her keys onto the small night table beside the bed.
"I need to freshen up," said Sarah. "Make yourself comfortable."
Chuck watched Sarah as she pulled a garment from a dresser drawer, then headed into the bathroom. On top of the dresser, he noticed Sarah's iPod lying in front of the speaker docking station. He picked it up, and began to scroll through the list of songs.
"Wow!" exclaimed Chuck. "Sarah's developing great taste in music." He had stopped scrolling when he reached I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden. Chuck plugged the iPod into the speaker dock, and the smooth, romantic ballad began to fill the room.
A moment later Sarah came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a black satin babydoll.
"Wow!" exclaimed Chuck again.
Sarah walked up to Chuck, and took his face in her hands. The last thing he saw before she kissed him was the passion in her eyes, it made him feel dizzy. She gently pushed him backwards until she felt his legs bump against the bed, then she stopped, waiting. Chuck took the cue, leaning back, pulling Sarah onto the bed with him.
"So you really do like girl-on-top," said Sarah, smiling seductively.
"Any way is fine, as long as it's with you," said Chuck, tracing the line of her smooth jaw with his fingers.
She lowered her face to his, her lips slightly open as the tip of her tongue pushed between his teeth. Chuck slid his hands down the back of the satin babydoll until his hands reached the firm muscles of her bottom. He pulled her hips down tighter against his body. After a few minutes, Sarah drew back, supporting herself on her elbows as she unbuttoned his shirt.
Suddenly, a look of horror flashed across Chuck's face. "Wait, wait," he stammered. "Condoms! They're in the glove compartment of my car!"
Sarah could barely contain her laughter. "I bought a box a few days ago. In the medicine cabinet. Help yourself."
Chuck gave her a kiss of lusty gratitude, then jumped off the bed, and ran into the bathroom. A minute later, he returned with the condoms, smiling sheepishly. "Leave it to me to screw up a perfect moment," he apologized.
Sarah held out her arms, "Come back here," she said.
Standing at the foot of the bed, Chuck quickly unlaced his sneakers, then hurriedly removed his clothes When he was naked, Sarah gazed appreciatively at his body. "Very impressive," she commented.
Chuck looked down where Sarah's eyes were lingering. Is that really me? he wondered, amazed. He couldn't remember it ever being that big before!
He carefully climbed onto the bed. Sarah reached for him, but Chuck shook his head, and began to kiss and lick his way up her beautiful legs. The heat of her skin seemed to scorch his lips and tongue. Sarah pulled the babydoll up over her head as Chuck slowly slid her panties down and off. His jaw dropped open in disbelief. Sarah was the most breathtakingly gorgeous woman he had ever seen. She's really a natural blonde, he marveled.
Chuck fumbled as he opened the condom wrapper. Sarah smiled as she leaned forward, and helped him put it on. He gently moved into position between her thighs, then carefully began to push forward. She thrust her hips up to meet him, and he was suddenly inside her. Chuck gasped, nearly fainting. His hips began to move, thrusting slowly at first, then faster and faster. Actually, the speed and force with which he was thrusting was a new experience for Chuck. When did I learn how to do this? he wondered.
The orgasm surged through Sarah's nerves like an electric shock. She gasped in pleasure, as her body urged Chuck to join her in ecstasy. But he apparently wasn't yet ready for his own release. He began pumping even faster and harder. A few minutes later, they screamed in unison as their orgasms exploded togther. Chuck thought he might have lost consciousness for a couple of seconds. When they both had recovered sufficiently, Sarah spoke first.
"Wow, Chuck! I was expecting it to be great. But I wasn't expecting it to be that great!"
Chuck gazed lovingly at Sarah, her tousled hair making her face look even more magnificent. "I've never done anything like that before," he confessed. "I guess it happened because I was with you."
Sarah grabbed Chuck, hugging him tightly. "How do you always know the right thing to say?"
Chuck tried to shrug, but she was squeezing him too firmly. "I just say what I feel," he replied.
* * *