Best day of my life

A/N: This is my first time writing a novel. I watched this amazing show and also read many beautiful fanfics on this site, that got me thinking about an idea that popped in my head and got me thinking, i should also write and give back to the community, so here's my story. If you don't like it, let me know in the reviews, so i know when to stop writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own CHUCK...But i wish i did

Chapter 1

Introduction

CHUCK

It was the worst day of my life.

I was leaving.

Hi, my name is Charles Irving Bartowski. My friends call me Chuck. Let me tell you about myself. I am a tall, lanky 16-year-old Nerd. I live in Burbank, California. OH, let me correct myself. I used to live in Burbank. You see I live with Ellie and my Mother after the divorce of my parents.

My sister Ellie, Eleanor Faye Bartowski, is a kind and compassionate woman. She is 19 years old. She wants to become a doctor, so she will be studying at UCSD to become a neurosurgeon. She will be one of the best doctors in the state, this is not a biased brother speaking but a very confident and proud brother. She still plays the role of the over-protective older sister and deep-down still sees me as her baby brother. She is only 3 years older than me, but she still makes me feel like she is my second mother. She is the most important person in my life. I would take a bullet for her. I know it's just a saying but I can't even begin to explain the love I have for my sister. We have our moments but nothing can keep me from sharing anything from my sister. I tell her everything about my life.

My mother, Mary Elizabeth Bartowski (now Winterbottom), is a very straight forward woman. She is not a woman you want to mess with. She can show affection when she wants to but she believes in tough love. Don't get me wrong, she has been a pillar for me most of my life. She is there for me every time. I can count on her. But sometimes she gives off this vibe like she is the CIA agent you don't want to upset. She used to tell me stories about a frost queen who was very deadly and lethal, just like my mom. I couldn't help but imagine how she would fit the role perfectly.

She met Hartley 2 years ago. They were married last year. Hartley is a retired scientist from England. Mom met Hartley at a supermarket, I know cliché, and from there on they went on a few dates and hit-it off. Hartley comes from a family of wealth, not that any of that mattered. As growing up, we knew the value of money, so we never spent it on superficial things like expensive clothing or phone. We were content with what we had. Hartley also had a daughter but she used to study and live with her grandma.

Mom and Hartley decided to go on a road trip through the country and then visit Hartley's countryside farm and cottage in England. This leaves me with no choice but to stay with my father.

My father, Stephen J Bartowski, lives in San Diego, California. It's a 2-hour drive from our house in Echo Park. It's not like I am moving to another state, but still, I am moving away from my home. My father is an electrical engineer and he owns an electric repair shop. I used to visit there so it is not like I am going to a foreign place with no sort of knowledge about the place. I admit I had not visited the place for the past 7 years. But the problem is I have to leave everything behind and start fresh. It's not that I have a massive social life but then to start fresh in a new place is very hard for me. I had a few friends in Burbank, we all loved to play Call of Duty in our free time. We also liked to watch The Star Wars trilogy and we went to the pier on weekends to play at the Arcade. Man, I am going to miss this.

So here I am with my sister on a flight to San Diego to start a new year ahead.

I will miss you Burbank.

I land and immediately feel the strange feeling of being away from home. For the first time since leaving home, the full effect of homesickness and fatigue takes place. I hoped this is just one of those days and it's not like this throughout the year. Having grown up most of my teenage years in Burbank and near the beach makes it tough to leave that place. I mean who wants to leave a place where you have spent most of your life. Even before the divorce, my parents used to live there.

Back in Burbank, I had this special place on the beach. I liked to call it 'my place'. I know technically it was not, but I went to that place to calm myself. Whenever I wanted to clear my head and calm myself, I used to go there. The sound of the waves crashing was very soothing and almost hypnotic. The birds chirping was music to my ears. Whenever any major event occurred, I used to go there. It used to give me strength and also give me time to analyse the situation and calm myself, so that I didn't make any impulsive decisions which I would come to regret later. Be it after my parents' divorce, after my first fight as a teenager with my mom, after getting bullied for being a nerd and liking Star Wars, after getting to know my mom is remarrying, and of course, after knowing that I have to complete my school years in a different place. The best thing out of this situation was that my sister was with me. I can't even begin to imagine what I would do if I were to face this situation alone. At least I had a person to catch me anytime I would fall.

"It will be alright. It won't be that bad. Just give it a few days and you will be back to how it was back in Burbank in no time." Ellie said to me breaking me out of my inner monologue.

"Yeah, you are right. No point in moaning around. We are here and we have to face this together. I am just glad Ellie that you are here with me. I don't know what I would do if you were not here with me." I said truthfully.

"I am also glad that you are with me, Chuck. Remember, whatever happens, I will be there for you. You can count on me, baby brother."

"Ellie you can also count on me. I know I don't say it much but I very much appreciate the fact that I can share anything with you. I halves my burden to bear. And don't get me started on all the life changing advices you gave to me. You are the only person I can blindly trust will not leave or abandon me."

"I am great, ain't I?" Ellie said cheekily with a smirk.

"Yes, you are and you don't know the half of it." I said proudly.

"Oh stop it chuck. You make it sound like you do nothing. You are also always there for me when I need my baby brother's support and you also make my life easier by also the chores you do for me. Should I remind you about the foot massages you do to me?"

"It's the least can do Ellie. Well, let's get our luggage and find dad."

"Let's go brother."

We decided to not complain anymore and collected our baggage.

I saw my father waving at us. I reach him. "Hey, son. My! have you grown up," he exclaimed. "I can't believe you are actually here. It's been a long time since you both last visited." Dad said a little sadly.

"Hey, dad. It's great to see you too." I replied. "I know. It's been 7 years since we last visited. Well, now we are here and we are not going back anytime soon." I said happily to lift his mood a little.

"Hey Eleanor, you look beautiful as ever."

"Thanks, dad. You don't look that bad yourself."

"How are you? I haven't seen you since last summer." I asked my dad. We used to video chat when we could not come for a visit. But with time, the chats became few and far in between.

"I am great. I know I may not look like it but I have been feeling little better since you both told me you going to come. I can't believe you are going to college Ellie, it just seems yesterday I was teaching you how to walk."

"Yes, dad. I want to become a neurosurgeon. I have always thought how to give back to the community, what better way than to rid it of any medical disease."

"Always the thoughtful one. Even when you were a kid, you used to help the ones who were not as bright as you. Never change Eleanor." Dad said proudly. Anyone could see the brightness in his eyes double over. He was really proud of Ellie. Well, you cannot anything less from Ellie. She was just like that.

"Well, let's get your suitcases in the trunk and then we can continue this at home." Dad said.

Home. Yeah, my new home for the foreseeable future. Well, now I can't go back. I got into my father's car. I had to hand it to my dad, it was a very nice car. A '68 Ford Mustang. We started the journey through the city which now I had to get familiar with. We reached home in about 20 minutes. It was a nice house with a garage. As soon as we reached the house, we kept dreading how's it going to be from inside. To our mutual relief, it was cozy and had a homey vibe to it. We thought with dad being a little eccentric at times, the house would not be looked after. But to our surprise, the house well maintained and furnished. Everything was well kept. You could say this house felt like home and not just a place to live and find shelter. Either dad was not that much strange like we used to think or he was a notorious cleaner. I mean who could blame him. We Bartowski's a very notorious cleaners. The home was painted and decorated very nicely.

Dad showed us around the house. He showed us the living room which consisted of a 3-person sofa and a love seat with a small table in the middle and a decent 40 inch TV. All-in-all it was decent and could be considered a direct replacement for our living room back in Echo Park. He also showed us his study room where I assume he used to spend the majority of his time making or inventing whatever he does there. His study was riddled with machines and wires and whatnot. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a computer AI similar to what Ironman had with Jarvis. He may even have a similar type of suit with may be in the prototype stage. Well, that was my dad for you. Then he showed us the kitchen, not that it mattered. It was very well kept and maintained. From the looks of it, he hardly ever used it. I know from experience that my dad is not a cook. He can make a decent breakfast and we loved his pancakes but it was easier to order the food than to teach him how to cook. Thank god we had Ellie with us, otherwise, we would starve to death.. He also showed us the bathroom. He also cleared some space in the cabinet for us to keep our stuff in it. Then he took me to my was a decent room with windows that overlooked the area. The room had a wardrobe and a desk for my study. The bed was a decent double size. You will be wondering why a teenage boy like me needed a double bed for himself. Remember when I told you I was tall, well I wasn't kidding. Standing at 6ft 1in. and still 2-3 inches till I reach my limit I needed a bed that could fulfill my height and body requirement and this was just the bed that could do it. Looking at the room it felt nostalgic. I remembered some fuzzy images of when I used to visit here. Those were the best days of my life. I was full of excitement and was also curious about everything. I used to try to understand how everything worked and my dad used to explain it to me, not that a 9 year-old me could understand what he would speak, but it fascinated me to no end the joy I used to see in his face.

"I left it just you liked it. I changed the sheets to your liking. I hope you like white." My dad said to me.

"Of course dad. I love it. Let me get my suitcase so I can start unpacking."

"Sure. Don't let me get in your way. I will be downstairs if you need me."

I just can't thank my dad enough. He always did things to make me comfortable. He may not be present for me 24/7 but he is there for me when I ask him. He also respects my privacy and lets me do my thing. He knows how we teenagers are regarding our space and privacy, not that I will throw a fit over it. But it is always appreciated.

I unpacked my suitcase and settled in my room. I unpacked my trusty laptop and placed it on the desk. I placed photos of me, Ellie and my mom on the bedside table. These photos are the only reminder for me about the place I used to live in. I don't want to depress myself by looking at them constantly but they are there to support me and remind me of the good times with my mom.

Just as I was finishing unpacking, I heard some chatter outside. I looked through the window to find my dad talking with someone near a car. There were 2 people there. One man, looking like he was in his late fifties with white hair and a clean shave. He had this debonair attitude in a James Bond type suit. The man exuberated style and confidence. He was chatting and laughing with my dad. From the looks of it, it looked like they were friends or at least acquaintance. Then there was also a girl, about my age with brunette hair. She was short and her features were petite. I went down to join them. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I was met with Ellie. We both then went outside to join my dad. As we reached near them, my father saw us and introduced me.

"Charles, This is my friend Roan Montgomery." Dad said pointing to James Bond. "Roan, this is my son Charles and my daughter Eleanor." My dad said introducing us.

"Pleasure to me you sir," I said to the Roan.

"Happy to meet you, sir." Said, my sister

"Please call my Roan, sir just makes me feel old." Roan said jokingly. "So you are the famous Charles. Stephen here can't seem to stop talking about you."

I could see the sadness in my father's eyes. I knew from the first time he saw us at the airport that he was very happy that we came here to live with him. But I could also see sadness in his eyes. Then there was regret. Regret for not being there for us when we needed him or not being able to be physically present on our birthday. Dad did everything he could to support us but he knew his physical presence far outweighed anything he could buy us or give us. I know children suffer during their parents' divorce, but sometimes their parents also suffer in this whole ordeal. My father not being able to be there for us was his suffering in all this. But now that we were here, I promised to make up for the lost time and make new happy memories with my dad that we could cherish later-on in our lives.

"And this is Lou, Roan's daughter." My dad introduced the girl.

"Hi, nice to meet you," I said a little flustered. You see I am a nerd, so most of my friends consisted of either boys or computer AI. This resulted in my lack of confidence and vocabulary when speaking to the other gender.

"Hi, Charles. It's nice to meet you too."

"Please call me Chuck."

"Chuck it is. So Chuck, do you remember me? Do you remember we used to make sandwiches together when we were younger?"

"Yes, of course, I remember. You also wanted to open your bakery."

"I still do. But right now I am working at one. It's called Palone's bakery. Maybe you should stop-by some time."

"Definitely will. I like myself some nice sandwiches."

"So Charles, what do you think about the car?" Roan asked me.

"Well its definitely a nice car," I answered. The car in question was a 2011 Toyota Matrix.

"Well then enjoy it son. It's your homecoming gift." My dad said surprising me.

"What! No way. Thanks, dad. Thank you very much." I said to dad while taking the keys and hoping in the car.

"Roan over here owns a dealership and got me a decent deal on it. As I will be not available during the day, I thought you'll need a set of wheels to go to school and other places you might want to discover. So I bought it."

"Thank dad. The car is cool. I promise to drive it responsibly. Also thank you, Roan, for making my dad a great deal."

"No problem kid. It's the least I could do for my friend here. Anyways enjoy the ride."

I still had a few hours left until dinner, so I thought let's take the car for a ride and explore the nearby area. I fired up google and searched nearby attractions in the area. I got many results, but the thing that caught my eye was a beach. Coronado Beach to be specific. It took me 15 minutes to reach the beach. The beach was very serene. Due to my late visit, there were not many people present at the beach. I walked down the beach barefoot and sat down at a spot. The Sun was just above the horizon, trying its best to light-up the world, but try as he might, the sun-set after 20 minutes and the beach grew dark, only illuminated the sparkle come from the Moon. The beach looked very beautiful. So beautiful that I lost track of time. After realizing that I was late for dinner, I hurried back home.

After reaching home, I chatted with my father and brought him up-to speed of what was happening in my life. I told him what I planned to do after completing high school.

"So Charles, any special lady I might not know about?" Dad asked me out of nowhere.

"Uh…What dad. Oh, No, there's no special lady in my life." I answered, a little bit flustered

"Oh, I thought by now you would have been dating someone. May I ask why there is a lack of romance in your life." Dad asked me.

"Dad I have trouble speaking to girls." I replied.

"Ah, now I see it. So you just need some confidence while speaking to girls. I think Roan can help with that. He can teach you and give you a confidence booster and also teach you some of his tricks. Don't let the color of his hair fool you, that man can win a girl from James Bond Himself."

"Dad I also want to ask you how can I trust someone who I don't even know."

"Charles i know what happened" I winced at that, remembering about what he was referring to. "but you should not let what happened back then be a deciding factor of what happens in your life right now. I know you fear that you would end-up like how your mother and I ended. Let me tell you something Charles, if you let this fear control you, you might regret it in the end. You shouldn't let this fear abstain you joy from your life. You can't get anything worthwhile in your life if you don't take risk. Your life would be simply boring. And let me tell you, love is very mysterious. One day you'll be thinking how can I trust a stranger and the next thing you know, it's like you feel you could do it from the start. And if in the future there is a woman in your life whom you can count on blindly, who you know would never hurt you, remember she is THE ONE. Don't let her slip away. But if you continue to live out in fear, then you may never have her in the first place to risk losing her." Dad said to me.

"Isn't it a little articulate for dinner?"

"Well what can I say, I am a articulate schnook."

After that, we all went inside for dinner.

Like that, I found myself in bed. I recalled the events of the day. I was the owner of a car. So the transportation part was sorted for me. Now only the fact that I have to get ready tomorrow and face a dreadful first day at school remains. I hate that I will have to introduce myself and also make some new friends. i was never the outgoing type and i had difficulty opening up, so making new friends was very difficult, let's just hope students at my new school are nice and are not bullies like i saw in movies. Yeah, who am i kidding, with my luck, all the bullies are just waiting for me at the front door to give me a warm and nice welcome. Tomorrow doesn't look bright for me. Well, hope I go unnoticed. I don't want to grab anyone's attention. If they all just ignore me, then it will be like my wish come true.

Tomorrow's a big day. Let's just hope nothing goes wrong. Still, the anxiety would not leave me as I tried to sleep. It is official

It's the worst day of my life.

A/N: What happened to Chuck in his past? The answer will come, with the story moving forward, but let me give you a hint, it is related to Jill.