A/N: Chuck's fortunes are improving. In addition, in the last chapter, he and Sarah met Bryce and shown very little interest in him.

Thanks for all the reviews. Most readers liked their treatment of Bryce, but are confused about his reason for wanting to see Chuck. You will get a bit more of his story in this chapter, but not complete clarity. Sorry.

As MarkeyDeSad is unavailable, Captainrick944 has kindly agreed to beta this chapter for me, as he did my recent "Wake Up" chapter. He's just published the first chapter of his own Chuck story, "Orion Cyber Security Systems"; check it out, I think you'll love it.

Anger Management
Chapter 14: Bryce in LA

Chuck looked at his wonderful girlfriend as they sat eating breakfast.

What they had done last night nearly blew his mind. He knew she'd said wanted to make the night special for him and she had!

She glowed, obviously having enjoyed last night as much he had; knowing he made her glow like that warmed his heart.

However, they still hadn't discussed the steps to deal with Bryce Larkin and they had almost run out of time.

"Sarah…" he started.

She looked at him, obviously guessing what he was going to say. "I know." She placed her spoon back in the bowl of yogurt and fruit. "I'll take the recording to Casey."

"No," Chuck said, emphatically. "I will. It's part of the job."

She gently reached for his wrist. "No, it's not, Chuck. This has nothing to do with the cyber-crime directly, which is what you were brought in for. This is part of understanding my old company, which I was asked to do." She held his gaze, to make sure he understood.

He ducked his head. She was right. "Can I at least be there?"

She smiled. "Sure."

He smiled back. "We can then discuss with Casey what to do about him. About the situation."

She nodded, but added, "Probably with Diane too. I expect she will want to be involved in that discussion."

"Okay. When does she usually arrive at the office?"

She replied instantly, "Before work normally starts."

He smiled a bit more. He knew they couldn't yet, but knowing they would soon be able to drive to work together still made him happy.

Sarah and Chuck walked side by side to Casey's office. She'd told Gwen to let her know when Chuck arrived so that she could collect him. Gwen practically hummed when she did that, which made Sarah grin. I really must arrange to see her outside work.

Casey was expecting them as Gwen had called ahead, so his door was open. He looked up as Sarah tapped on the door, and entered with Chuck. He pointed to the chairs opposite him. "So, what've you got for me?"

Sarah pushed the zip drive across to him. "Chuck had a visitor yesterday, someone from my old company in New York."

Casey snatched it up and inserted it into his laptop. Before he played the MP3, he asked "What is this exactly?"

"A recording of my conversation with an unwanted visitor," Chuck answered.

Casey asked the inevitable. "Who?"

They both answered at the same time, "Bryce Larkin."

Casey frowned. "And?"

Sarah answered, "My ex-boyfriend, who also happens to be the guy who tried to get Chuck thrown out of Stanford." As she did, she sensed Chuck grinding his teeth Is that because I said he was my ex or just because he hates Bryce?

"So, Chuck dislikes him because you still have the hots for him?" Casey asked, provokingly.

"No!" she snarled. "I hate the bastard!"

She then felt Chuck grasp her hand. She looked down at their hands then up at his face. He's trying to calm me.

Casey cleared his throat. "So, you were both happy to see him," he commented, sarcastically.

Two sets of eyes rolled, causing him to smile for a second.

"He's arranged to come to see Mrs. Beckman on Monday," Sarah informed the Security Manager.

That got raised eyebrows. "Has he indeed. Interesting."

"The recording is of a conversation in a bar," Chuck told Casey.

"A bar?"

"Neither of us want him at our apartment," Sarah explained.

"Understandable, I guess." Casey looked at Chuck. "Why do I want to hear this?"

"He outlined why he's coming here," Sarah said, then added the critical fact, "For his employer."

"We think it seemed relevant to the attack," Chuck mentioned. "May just be a coincidence, but we thought it best for you and Mrs. Beckman to know before he arrived."

Casey nodded. "Good point." He looked at both of them. "Did you suspect him? Is that why you recorded it?"

Sarah blushed, and she noticed Chuck had too. She thought she should explain. "The two of them met without me, but Chuck knew I would want to hear what Bryce said."

Casey leaned back and laughed. "I like your style, both of you." He pressed play and listened to the recording.

There wasn't anything that incriminated Bryce, as far as the attack was concerned, but Sarah knew the company ambitions were interesting and seemed related to the attack in some way.

"You were right… Mrs. Beckman will want to hear this. Can I keep it, at least until she hears it?" Casey asked.

Both nodded.

"Good." He stood. "Excuse me." He left the room, heading for the boss's office.

"I guess that's us dismissed," Chuck noted, with a smile.

She grinned. "Yep, but not before I give you this," Sarah said leaning over and kissing him, deeply.

Having delivered the news, Sarah took Chuck for an early coffee in the company restaurant.

When they sat, coffees in hand, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the envelope he had grabbed on his way out of the apartment.

They both knew what it was, something he wanted to open this with her present. She looked eager too, so she sat next to him.

He laid it on the table between them, to read the first page together.

He scanned through it. A couple of things caused his eyebrows to raise. Her gasps showed she felt the same.

She looked at him. "My God, Chuck! That salary!"

He laughed, self-consciously, and blushed. "Beats the Buy More. By a bit."

She knew that salary too, so he wasn't surprised when she punched his arm.

"With this, I'll be able to buy a car to replace the Nerd Herder," Chuck mentioned.

"You better get something better than one of those. Bigger, too."

He looked surprised and a bit worried. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

She frowned. "Why'd you ask that?"

"Why else would we need a larger car?" he questioned.

Her eyes widened. "Kids?"

He was now looking confused and asked again, "Why else would we need a larger car?"

She filed kids as a topic to consider before they had another conversation about them and focused back on Chuck. "A Toyota Yaris is a nice small car, Chuck, but a key manager in the company needs something bigger to show his importance."

Chuck frowned. "Sounds like self-aggrandizement."

She blushed. "I guess. Is a better reason finding a car that is more comfortable for your long legs… and mine?"

His frown cleared. "Maybe."

She knew he was a very cautious driver in the Nerd Herders. "Would you go for a sports car?"

The frown returned. "No. Why?"

"Oh, I've always wanted one, but could never afford it," she admitted.

"Do you want me to buy a sports car that you can drive?" he asked with a smile.

"It'd get us to Mom's and back much quicker," she offered, hopefully.

"Are you saying I drive slowly?"

She grinned. "Not at all… Granny."

He knew he was a cautious driver and always kept to the limit, but this was a bit much. "You've never driven me anywhere. Are you a speed demon?"

She laughed. "Not in my car, it'd fall apart, but don't you ever wish for some speed?"

He thought for a second. "I get that on video games. Safely."

"Boorrrring!"

He looked at her for a few seconds. "I can imagine you in a soft-top with your hair streaming behind you with a big grin as you drive at some crazy speed."

Her eyes sparkled. "God, yes!"

He huffed. "Wow, you should see the gleam in your eyes, Sarah. I've never seen you look like that, even when… you know."

The twinkling in her eyes remained. "When riding you at speed?" she teased.

He flushed and she had to stifle a laugh to avoid drawing attention to them.

She placed a hand on his and told him, seriously, "Chuck, it would be wonderful to have a car we can enjoy rather than just one that gets us from A to B. Have a think about what you would want to drive, rather than just need to drive."

"I'll think about it…" he replied, but his eyes weren't focused. "… but right now, I'm thinking about last night again."

Sarah grinned as she thought about it herself and felt the flush on her neck rise to her cheeks. I want him right now!

"You look happy and flushed, Blondie. What's he doing to you?"

Sarah should have guessed that Carina would come to find her. She turned and looked up at the redhead. "Chuck's got news."

Green eyes swiveled to the left. "Hi, Chuckles. What's up?"

Sarah hid a snicker, which got her a glare from her boyfriend. He looked up. "I have an exciting new job offer."

Carina responded instantly. "Congrats. Hope you're not moving away. Blondie would pout and, worse, be grumpy."

He grinned. "Can't have an unhappy Sarah." He looked at his girlfriend and she could see what was coming. "Or worse, an angry Sarah."

Carina laughed. "Yeah. Been on the receiving end of that!"

Sarah knew it was all in jest, but it was a bit close to home. "He's coming here."

Carina's eyes went wide. "So, you'll definitely need to know those places I told you about, Blondie."

Chuck looked confused, but Sarah went bright red.

Carina grinned and patted his arm. "She'll explain when you get home, Chuckles. And congratulations… look forward to seeing more of you around. C'mon, Blondie, we're late for a meeting." She then pulled Sarah along with her.

"See you later, Chuck," Sarah called.

Chuck sat for a while, finishing his coffee, thinking he might have to reconsider the sports car idea if it would please Sarah so much.

Chuck had just given Big Mike the good news. Well, good for Chuck. Big Mike didn't take it so well. He said he was happy for Chuck, but was obviously thinking about the challenge of finding a replacement. Chuck hadn't left him any time. With unused leave, Chuck only had this day and the next still working in the Burbank Buy More.

Morgan was the next person Chuck had to tell. Chuck thought this would be even less well received.

Morgan did look a bit down as Chuck approached him. "You okay, Morgs?"

"You come in and go straight into Big Mike's office. It's obvious you've been for an interview somewhere and got the job." He looked at Chuck, face covered in disappointment. "Why couldn't you have told your best friend?"

Chuck felt bad. "I'm sorry, buddy. I should've."

"You're not leaving to work with that bastard, are you?" Morgan asked. "You know he'll only let you down again."

Chuck realized who Morgan meant. "No. I won't be working with Bryce. I'll be working at the same place as Sarah."

Morgan's face brightened. "Oh, wow. That's great, buddy." Then his face darkened. "I'll miss you. You will still have time for me, won't you?"

Chuck patted his arm. "I'll make time."

After delivering his news to Big Mike and having a heart to heart with Morgan, Chuck left the Buy More for his lunch break, heading over to Lou's. Having a sandwich at Lou's had become one of Chuck's favorite routines, and he was a bit sad that he wouldn't be able to do this after tomorrow.

He remembered Sarah's first meeting with the brunette, as he walked over. He grinned. How could Sarah ever think Lou could be interested in me? Then he thought about what had happened since then. The most beautiful woman in the world was more than interested in him.

When he reached the front of the queue, Lou looked up at him and smiled. Then she peered around him. "No frightening blondes?" she asked.

He laughed. "No, Sarah doesn't work around here anymore."

He saw the calculating look in her eyes. "So, you-"

He cut her off. "I'm having lunch without my girlfriend."

Even he could detect the disappointment. "OK. What do you want, Chuck?"

He placed his order and paid. He turned to find a table, as he didn't want to rush back to the Buy More and be questioned by the rest of the Buy More misfits.

And there he was. Bryce Larkin. Waving Chuck over.

Chuck knew the conversation hadn't finished and Bryce wouldn't leave it as it was the previous night, so, after looking at his phone, and switching on the voice recorder, he joined Bryce.

"Hi, Chuck."

"Bryce," Chuck said it as coldly as he could, not wanting to make his ex-friend feel at ease in any way.

Bryce looked down. "I know I screwed up, Chuck, but I actually saved you from a woman who has no feelings, for anyone."

Chuck couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I'm not gonna thank you, Bryce," he said, tensely. "Until recently, my life was a mess. That's thanks to everything you did. And you messed up our friendship before you took Jill in my bed."

Bryce winced again. "I know. I needed to feel like I was the top dog, the king of the hill, and when I looked at you, I saw that you were already up there, it felt like you were mocking me. I couldn't stand that." He shook his head. "I've always had this competitive streak. What I did was all I could think of doing. I am sorry for that as well."

"Because it failed?" Chuck challenged.

Bryce shook his head. "Because I lost a friend. After that I felt there was no point continuing to resist Jill's advances."

"Tell me about Jill," Chuck said, quietly.

Bryce swallowed. "She was, as you know, ambitious, but she didn't really know what she wanted to do. She came with me to New York where I got my job. I'm still in New York."

"I didn't ask about you, Bryce," Chuck reminded him.

"But that's relevant, Chuck. Jill felt I had no ambition when I didn't try to gat a better job after a year."

Chuck could see where this was going, but his musings were interrupted by Lou arriving with his food and drink. As Lou walked away, Chuck started eating and refocused. "What was she doing?"

"She'd decided she didn't want to follow her bioscience career, and fast tracked an MBA," Bryce replied.

"How did she fund that?" Chuck asked.

Bryce looked down. "Her parents got her in, but I had to do support her while she stayed away to complete her studies."

Chuck just quietly listened.

"I don't know if she was screwing around while there, but she was less interested in us, in me, when she came back. She was always pushing me to earn more money, to make her time there better." Bryce shook his head. "It took her 12 months to complete the fast-track MBA. She got a job almost straight away and left New York, and me, for good, saying I wasn't good enough for her."

Chuck almost felt sorry for the man sitting in front of him. Almost.

Looking back at Chuck, Bryce continued, "I guess I took it as badly as you did. I'd thought Jill was the one for me. After she left, I changed job and employer, but I also slipped back into my old ways, screwed around. I never stayed with anyone for long before I looked for someone else." He looked down again. "I did that with Sarah. I shouldn't have; she was so much better than all the others I'd been with. I regretted it, but she disappeared, just like Jill had."

Chuck didn't want to talk about Sarah. "Bryce, you said you wanted to get away from Jill. So, when did she come back into your life?"

Bryce nodded. "When Volkoff acquired Gateshead, he assigned some of his people to work there, including his daughter and Jill Roberts. Jill is still ambitious. She became my boss and has made my life hell."

Chuck had mixed emotions. Part of him felt like laughing; part like sympathizing; part saying Bryce deserved all he got. "So, what do you want from me?"

Bryce stared at him. "I want my old friend back. I know I don't deserve it, but our friendship meant a lot, Chuck."

Chuck didn't know what to say, so kept his mouth shut.

Bryce explained the reason for being sent to LA. "I'm here to try to persuade Diane Beckman, the CEO of Beckman & Associates, to link up with Volkoff Inc as a partner on the West Coast. If she agrees, I will stay over here as the liaison and not have to go back to New York."

Or to Jill, Chuck interpreted. Or explain his failure to Jill, either.

Interestingly, it didn't sound like Bryce would have had anything to do with the attack.

Chuck considered what to say. "That's a lot to take in, Bryce. I'll think about it. You said you're meeting her on Monday?"

Bryce nodded.

Chuck pushed away his empty plate, stood and picked up his drink to take with him. He looked at Bryce and said, "I'll call you Monday evening to see how you got on." Then he left to head back to finish the day at the Buy More.

As he walked away, he switched off the recording on his phone.

"You said what!?" Sarah hadn't been this angry with Chuck, well, ever.

"I said I'd consider it," Chuck confessed, in a very small voice.

"What the hell made you say that?" she angrily questioned. "We both hate him!"

Chuck visibly winced. "I felt sorry for him."

"After all he's done to both of us! You felt sorry for him? God, Chuck. I know you're Mr. Nice Guy, but this is going too far!" She angrily walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

All she could think about was how Chuck had let her down and found his behavior so thoughtless and hurtful. He was putting Bryce's feelings ahead of hers. She never wanted to see Bryce Larkin ever again and Chuck was considering letting him back into their lives; lives that were miserable because of him until their paths intersected. She was furious with Chuck for this and just needed to get away from him or her anger would make her say something she'd regret. She would turn to someone who would understand her feelings better than Chuck apparently did.

Chuck watched her storm over to his sister's apartment and rap on the door. Ellie looked puzzled when she opened the door, and then became worried about Sarah's state. She looked over to their apartment frowning, then ushered Sarah in, closing the door.

Chuck had thought he and Sarah would be having another celebration and possibly invite Ellie, Devon and Morgan, too. After all, in a day's time, he would be free of the Buy More, and on Monday was to start an exciting and high paying job with a real future for his career as well as his life with Sarah.

He'd obviously screwed that up, big time. He really wished he'd kept quiet and not told Sarah about his meeting with Bryce. Now Sarah was over there telling Ellie what he'd said.

Shit! Now I'm gonna have two of them wanting my blood!

A/N: So, Chuck will soon be working at Beckman & Associates. Good news. We also now know more about Bryce and why he's in Los Angeles. Next chapter, Bryce will meet with Diane Beckman.