Here's Chapter 5.
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights on anything associated to Chuck, the tv show and the characters and storylines they involve. This is a purely fan-generated story from a different perspective if a few events were changed, and if attitudes were different.
AN: I think you know that the timelines in this story don't actually go exactly as in the tv series… I think I'll catch it up by Christmas in this plotline… So peace.
Also, I am not as big a Bryce hater as I am of the writers who gave Bryce no nuance. They just tried to justify everything. So I am writing Bryce how I envision him.
Another thing I hated about the show is that Morgan was basically the comedic relief and the problem creator in the show. Again, I will keep Morgan's character pretty similar, but there will be those rare moments of best friend advice that I felt the show failed to capitalize on in the first two seasons.
I guess, as this is fanfiction, my alterations to characters are going to be loved by some, hated by others and just plain okay for the rest. But, this is the way I see it should have been for this story… where prison life is the lynchpin for all the different changes.
I hope you enjoy this.
Recap:
"Ellie knows."
"Chuck… I and Bryce were more than partners. We were lovers."
"I know Bryce isn't your favourite person in the world. Me being his girlfriend or partner or whatever was bound to make you distrust me. (Heavy sigh) Believe it or not… your opinion matters to me. I didn't want to face you if you only had mistrust written all over your face or suddenly you started treating me differently because Bryce and I had something in the past." Sarah confessed with a timid smile filled with uncertainty.
"Ignore? That my brother's brain is in a catastrophic position, loaded with some idiotic fantasy that nobody knew would ever work and still happens to work properly on you? What if you go brain dead? What if it causes loss of memories? Loss of critical brain functions like involuntary body processes? There are so many things that can go wrong, Chuck."
"I. Want. In. You need a qualified neurologist working on this project. Obviously… if you want to retain the intel and keep the intersect in tip-top form, you will need someone you can trust. Someone who will not only lookout for all the errors but will also take care of the host. Who better than his sister? I can also be your emergency physician… Treat your wounds locally instead of sending you to the hospital every time."
"Chuck… I was contacted by someone claiming to have Bryce's will and he said you needed to come by his office tomorrow morning. Here's the address (handing him the paper)."
Chapter 5: The Cynic's demon's will and girl.
A week later:
Morgan was coming over to visit Chuck. His girlfriend and sister were quite persistent that he needs his R&R after being shot twice and apparently that included not playing video games. Ahh. Chuck was getting lost to his partner's wiles. Before long he would start telling Morgan he had no time to spend in the arcade or on Call of Duty. He involuntarily shudders even at the very notion of that.
He rang the bell and waited for Chuck to dawdle to the door. Surprisingly, Chuck was back on his feet and didn't use his walking stick… Huh. Chuck was getting fitter by the day. Maybe because of his girlfriend.
Anyway, in Chuckland, there was a great upheaval. A good one for the first time in a while. And it came from the demon – Bryce Larkin.
Rewind (A week)
"Mr. Bartowski, It is a pleasure to finally meet you." An athletic African-American with dark eyes, red hair (dyed), a really well-maintained beard that Morgan would envy took his hand in his firm grip and was shaking it excitedly.
He managed a very confused, and low intensity, "You too, Mr. Jones."
"I know. I know. You have no idea why you are here or even who I am. The last bit is easy – I am Bryce's executor. (He paused and went to sit behind his desk) You have no idea how long I have been wanting to meet you. All Bryce ever talked about with me was about his best friend, Chuck Bartowski from Stanford. Being his only other friend, it was kind of sad that I never got to meet you."
Chuck was dumbfounded. Bryce considered him… a friend? That was twisted in ways none would ever imagine. "Are you sure we are talking about me? Coz, Bryce orchestrated my misery in its entirety from my Stanford days. Friend… would be stretching it as far as the South Pole."
Martin Jones was a respected attorney for LA's top firm representing wrongly convicted people - Jones Law Group. He was as staunch a friend of Bryce as one could possibly find. Yet, he knew that Bryce screwed way too much of Chuck's life to really be redeemable. If Bryce did this to him and called him a 'friend', he would rather have Sarah Walker chop his balls off. The reality was, he did it to Chuck and having done similar things as a jock in high school, not at the same scale, he couldn't find it in himself to judge Bryce as harshly. Sure, he was angry for a few days. Then, he realized that Bryce was hurting as well from what he did. So, he tabled that conversation for a later date and instead focused on helping his best friend pick his pieces and put it back together.
"I can't begin to fathom your hardships, Mr. Bartowski. Then again, life ain't as favourable to Bryce either. I can tell you personally that if there was one thing he regretted most, it was his last act at Stanford – refusing to confirm or deny the hack at your trial and also setting all this in motion in the first place. Nonetheless, you and I are here to execute the last parts of his will.
"He has left you a letter, a disc and a few forms of ownership that require your signature. There's another disc he wants us both to watch together… So, can we proceed?"
Life had stilled for Chuck. Firstly, Bryce was dead. No matter how hard and angry and frustrated he felt with Bryce, he felt more cheated than anything else. Bryce was genuinely his best friend from college. Along with Morgan, he felt Bryce was the only other true friend he ever had. To have him stabbed in the back, multiple times had done a number on him. Still, here he was. At his will execution, to watch a disc, with an attorney, as his last wish. Like watching a movie or some shit.
Chuck wanted to be bitchy. He had earned the right to have a tantrum, to behave irrationally. However, his heart didn't allow him to. This was a day he would give the good memories of Bryce, their due. Just for today. He gave a nod and Jones hit play.
The screen blinked and Bryce came into view, sitting on a couch. "If you are watching this Chuck, let me begin by saying Sorry. I hope you know I mean it. I am not going to do you the disservice of trying to justify it or anything of that sort.
"I am also sorry that I didn't make it right in person. I wanted to… But, I didn't. I couldn't muster enough courage to see you again.
"Now… I know you are wondering, why did Larkin fuck me over in college. (Deep sigh) To be honest, it was to keep you out of the company. I was already in and the shit they did and made me do; it affected me too much. Knowing you, I figured that you would make a great agent… but you would have lost yourself with guilt and burden. You couldn't even hurt a guy who hurt you in the first place. From there to actively, forcibly doing that… I didn't want to live in a world where the Chuck Bartowskis were made into… " The implied killers and murders was left unsaid, but it was clear. Bryce was crying. Actually, shedding tears on camera.
"Your next question is obviously, what would the company even want me for? Well… Our course on subliminal imaging, deduction and visual cognition was a targeted gateway. I intercepted the handler's request for you to meet him and devised a plan with him to keep you out of the company's workings.
"The plan was to make you drop the course… It seemed the then Dean of Student Welfare, Opportunity and Development had it out for you. And he pressured the institute into suspending and expelling you. When you came back roaring, it threatened to compromise the company's operations in Stanford. So… they devised the hack and ran it on your computer.
"I know none of this is fair. And I can't undo anything. So, I am doing the next best thing. The letter I had Jones give you is a signed affidavit from me and also has a flash drive of the original footage of me coming up with the plan. For obvious reasons, this cannot be shown outside of a classified setting.
"Jones, as a favour to me, will take on your case. He will sue Stanford on your behalf and even the city of LA for wrongful conviction. I will cover the legal costs and this should expunge your record.
"I know this is too little too late, but as an apology, I am leaving you a cheque of $2 Million, taken from my now defunct trust fund, to cover your losses over the last however many years. I am truly sorry, Chuck. For everything. I hope, in time, you would be gracious enough to forgive me…
"(After a long pause, Bryce had a sad smile which turned into a frown) There's another thing. I and Jill didn't do anything. I wouldn't do that to you. Not on top of everything else. I may be a conniving bastard, but I am not that. If Jill said otherwise, she was lying. Hiding something of her own.
(At the end of that tirade, he was flustered, truly sad, and just on the verge of sobbing. Tears were already rolling down his cheeks.)
"Goodbye Chuck. Missed you a lot, buddy. Hope, whenever you get this, you are happy and have been able to recover from the death blows I delivered."
Bryce moved and shut off the camera.
Silence enveloped everybody present. Chuck's mind was reeling from all the influx. Jones broke through first, "What do you plan to do? The ball is in your court, Chuck."
Returning to the present
"So, I signed the documents and now Jones is pursuing my case in the legal system. I have an additional $2 Million in my account, and a letter and another disc that I haven't touched for the fear of other bombs he is going to drop on me." Chuck finished recapping his tale to Morgan.
Morgan was not known to be the serious friend. He was the kiddish, playful, overgrown man-child; a lazy bum who didn't want to work for an honest day's living at the slightest. Most of the time they were true.
On rare occasions however, Morgan became the sage of great advice. It was too few and far in-between to catch a hold of this Morgan. But, when it rains, it pours and so does Morgan's insights.
"So are you going to forgive him, Chuck? He is trying his hardest here – from beyond the grave, literally, to rectify this situation."
"I don't know Morgan. What would you have me do? I can't just let it all go… I spent three years in jail. No matter what he says, it doesn't remove all the scary things I saw. The first few months were hell. You thought high school was bad? Then try being a lanky, thin, well-butted white nerd in jail. Until I met Tiny, everything had been really bad Morgan.
"At the same time, I don't want to feel angry, disappointed, betrayed, frustrated, cheated and so much more all the time. I don't want to feel this paranoid anymore – waiting for non-existent people to attack me, try to uncover hidden motivations in every gesture, assume the bad and work your way all through the muck with insecurities and horrendous things to the real good intent."
After a few moments of chips being crunched by both, "Sounds to me like you want to let it go, Chuck. (Pause) Maybe… you don't need to forgive him right now. Take some time. Try to sort out your feelings with the new intel you have. Then take the decision. There's no need to do it today. Or tomorrow. If you need some aggression, we can play COD or duck hunt or laser tag to relieve the steam a bit.
"You can't stay forever angry at a dead man, Chuck. It's not healthy."
Silence prevailed. "You know Morgan, you are a great friend."
"I know, buddy." In typical Morgan fashion, switching to a completely different track, "Nowadays, I can't seem to get a hold of you at all. It's like you're always either at your company or with Sarah, your tall, beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed Valkyrie."
Morgan roamed the house and found the stash of gift baskets, chocolate, and home-made food. "Huh… Didn't imagine you were this popular, Chuck. It's like your set for a week, minimum and junk food to last you a month. Go figure… You have a lot of friendly neighbours?"
Morgan brought back a can of grape soda for himself and some orange juice for Chuck. "Speaking of friends, do I need to be worried that Sarah will consume all your time? I mean if it's a competition you want, I will fight tooth-and-nail, man… We are after all heterosexual life partners."
Chuck wasn't sure how to respond… "Morgan, sometimes as adults, we will have our distance. Like when you and Anna are doing your thing, I am not going to come in between. I think we should follow a similar strategy with Sarah."
"So… you still don't trust Sarah, huh? Why?"
Chuck didn't want to discuss this. But it was nothing classified, and he really wanted to talk to someone about this. Ellie would give him advice like a mom would… You should be confident and take the leap… Blah-di-blah-di-blah. What he needed was advice from a friend, who knew how much pain comes from each time he was burned and still took risks regardless... He didn't have one of those. Ellie was too successful, having all kinds of boyfriends and wouldn't understand this aspect of being picked on or belittled by the opposite sex. Morgan didn't really take risks and always stayed comfortable. He needed Devon, who took risks, got burned at times but continued taking them anyway.
Morgan disrupted Chuck's line of thinking… "I don't think you have anything to be worried over, Chuck. When you were caught in the hailstorm of bullets in that gang war, she was practically attached at your hip. Other than Ellie, if anyone so much as looked at you in a way that didn't fit her standards, she became a war goddess man. She is so into you."
Chuck replied with a tinge of some unsureness seeping into his voice, "It's not that I don't trust her for my physical wellbeing. And I think she is an awesome girlfriend. It's just I have been burned too many times in the past over this and I don't want to head down this road if it only leads to disaster."
Morgan's comment broke through his uncertainty with a logical course of action… "You should discuss this with her, Chuck. No relationship is without its risks and insecurities. You may get burned at any time. Remember Josephine? You had no idea she had a… family. And she was basically stringing you along as an extra-marital affair. It crushed you but the few days you brought her to meet us were the best few days of your life after the joint until Sarah came along. Maybe, it did eventually lead to disaster. But it kind of pulled you out of the depressing rut you were in. It made your more confident in yourself.
"I can only point out things from your past, Chuck. What I can't do is fix your issues with Sarah. That is a discussion between you and Sarah. Maybe Devon could help you out better. We both know he has a really wild past."
Chuck started laughing loudly thinking of Devon's past. Morgan joined him. "Hey… remember the last time we thought about sandwiches in a desert island? I got an amazing idea… What about a Pasta sandwich instead?"
"Morgan… I seriously doubt that Pasta between bread would taste as a good as a regular sandwich. Besides…" and the discussion continued for hours while they started their COD marathon for the day.
Devon was on break in his 18 hour shift, when he found Chuck at the hospital cafeteria. He waved at him to come over. Chuck was, in Devon's mind, the little brother he longed for. Chuck's only positive role model in his life was Ellie. Their parents abandoned them. His friends were the best of the crop and his relationships mostly ended on a sour note. Devon would be surprised that anyone would even have the will to live in a society where everything one does, any relationships he forms just screwed him up in the end. His sister's role is supposed to be a great from an advice and support standpoint, but her role became more of a mother. His best friend Morgan was his biggest loyalist, but he was too immature to actually be considered for serious advice. His former friend Larkin led him to the three worst years of his life and he now has quite a few associates in the scum society of humanity.
Devon cherished his perceived role. Of a benefactor to Chuck. Of a true friend who doesn't hesitate to call on his bullshit. Of a surrogate brother to support him, prop him up, failing which just be there for him. It gave him immense happiness just by helping Chuck. Chuck was a good person, through and through. He had a turbulent life, but he missed out on a lifeline. Now, he is on the precipice of a whirlpool, but Devon vowed to be that lifeline. His favourite quote was by Martin Luther King Jr.; "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."
With Chuck's successes mounting over the past few days, and Chuck finally sticking his neck out for a girlfriend again, it seems his efforts were finally paying off. Now, Chuck looked to him for advice with relationships mainly and he was happier than ever to provide it for him.
As Chuck sat down, Devon spoke with his boisterous and boomy tone, "Hey man… How are you, now? Feeling better?"
"Yeah, Devon. Been a week and can now do a lot of things alone… A lot better in fact. How's your shift so far?"
"It is what is it is. Couple of patients with minor complications after their bypass procedures, prepping a few people for their surgeries during the upcoming shifts and a few recovering patients, you know. A typical day basically. How was yours?"
Chuck smiled… "We had the rare-Morgan day today… He gave some pretty good advice."
Devon was surprised, pleasantly. "Well… If only our Morgan could be the rare one… Then his antics and quirks would be more endearing than annoying."
After a few moments, Chuck said, "Devon, I need your advice."
Devon chuckled, "I know. About Sarah, huh?"
At Chuck's nod, he went ahead, "She's awesome, man. The way she took care of you when you were shot twice… I couldn't believe it. I thought she would rip off the doctor's head if he didn't give a positive prognosis. The only reason Ellie, I and Morgan weren't as worried was Sarah was collectively fretting for all of us. In fact we were relieved once you told us that your relationship was progressing well."
Chuck had got Devon and himself, a hot chocolate from the Starbucks a few blocks away. Sipping it, he took some time to process the amount of emotion Sarah seemingly displayed in getting him back on his feet. Was she that good an actress, that great a cover-specialist to fool all three of his family members?... She probably was. So how to make out if it was all genuine? Especially in light of her Bryce relationship? Could she just move on in a month since his death?
"How can you be sure she was not faking the levels of care? I mean, for all we know, a girlfriend of one month, from my past experience shows concern or even just visits once or twice… But, the over-the-top approach doesn't make it look fake? Even in the slightest?"
Devon's reply shocked Chuck. "No, I know it was genuine. In those moments when we weren't there, the camera recorded her loving gazes on you. I don't believe it to be an act. Besides, everyone's different, Chuck. You cannot compare one relationship to another. The only aspect of a relationship you should compare is what changes it brought in you. Have you become a better person, a better individual since this person came into your life? How do you feel about her? Does her absence or even the very thought of it hurt?"
Chuck was very conflicted. His heart knew Sarah was the one while in the past he had convinced himself that the others were great. The difference was, the moment he saw Sarah, he wasn't just attracted to her. He found her interesting, genuinely unique and fluttery. If anything, his logical and reasoning side was the one that persuaded him from going to that date. Sure… now he knew it was a job. But, that night – he and Sarah connected on a much deeper level. Thinking about it, she had even told a few things about herself that night. Emotional Baggage. Bruce. DC. Yet, he couldn't separate his doubts from his hearts' longing. "The thing is, she was Bryce's girlfriend Devon. As in Bryce Larkin. The sucker who fucked me out of Stanford."
Devon sighed… "That's a twist. (Long Pause) I had an ex who cheated on me too. She said that I was classically handsome and a great guy, but too immature and not good enough to settle into a monogamous relationship with her. (Chuck sat there astonished) Everyone's been betrayed at some time. Whether it's been sexually or just some other space, someone will always let you down. And you want to know how I met, Ellie? It wasn't the same hospital story crap we keep spouting.
"Ellie and I met because she was my ex's best friend. In fact, till this day, she still keeps in touch with her. (Chuck couldn't help but gape) I know it's weird. If I was to judge Ellie by the company she kept, I wouldn't be as happy as I am today. I am not saying it is the same situation. We do make compromises, but we cannot bend over to whatever our partner demands of us. That isn't a relationship – that's an abusive arrangement. My compromise with Ellie was she never invited the ex to our parties but she could meet with her in private or with her friends."
Chuck was still confused, "Didn't you and Ellie break up over her? How did you know she was the right one for you?"
"How I knew Ellie was the right one for me? We broke up for a while over some petty disagreement and I realized I couldn't go ahead in my life without having her beside me. I have a chequered past and so does Ellie. I mean, I still am jealous of some of Ellie's past romances and boyfriends. Anyone would be of the past romances or significant love interests. Your ability to work through your insecurities is the only way to finally be happy.
"Don't let Bryce get in the way of your happiness, once again. Work it out with Sarah. If at the end, it doesn't happen, then at least you tried, right?"
Chuck made up his mind. It was time he confronted Sarah about the Bryce situation. He just had a small thing to get before he got there.
Sarah's Place
Sarah heard three taps on her door… That rhythm and sound equals Chuck. She was instantly delighted. Secretly, she enjoyed that he still pursued her… not outright but she could read people. It was her second nature. She knew he was struggling with her revelation about Bryce but when she did reveal, he made it so that the wound she was nursing wouldn't be picked any further; choosing to be the bigger person and trying to fool her into thinking that he was okay, or would be okay. It wasn't that he didn't partly understand. Infact, she knew he trusted her with his life, although he believed she was only here for the intersect. Maybe at first. But that has steadily changed. Him getting shot only made it more evident It was now a question of trusting her with his heart.
She took the time to sort out her feelings and realized that she was compromised. Emotionally. Romantically. Yet, she couldn't show him that. He wasn't her usual kind of interest. That just made him that much more unique and aspirational. But she couldn't get into a relationship with him. No matter what, she just couldn't. After all, they were from completely different worlds.
Yet, she was disillusioned with the idea of their worlds being separate. He just was in the much smaller part of her world. He witnessed the sadness, carnage, and death in perhaps the most unsavoury civilian place known to man. It was hard. She wanted to go with her heart, but her mind reminded her of the several pitfalls.
Why did he have to be so charismatic, enigmatic, and just him while retaining the edgier nature she generally looked for? It was unfair. He was like this perfect sundae and she was a thin industry-specific model. She couldn't eat that because she would put on weight and that was not condoned on the job. Urgh… She hated that she met him under these awful circumstances as agent and asset. Perhaps, if she met him as a civilian or if he agreed to become an analyst, they could have pursued something more fulfilling. Then again, would she have given him more than a glance? Yeah… She would. After what he did for that girl, she totally would. She was a sucker for little girls. She had missed out on that in her own childhood and if it was up to her, she would make sure that all little girls would have their day of glory everyday.
The knock was heard again. "Time to open the door" she mused. A smile formed itself unknown to her and when she opened the door, her smile was in its full dazzling glory. "Hey, Chuck. What d'yu have there?" She asked looking at his brown bag.
Chuck took a few moments to bring himself to his ground state and she saw his smile (The Charmer as she called it) come to full effect. Her breath hitched. No one, and she includes Bryce. No one smiled and made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "I brought chocolate souffle… An apology for the one I destroyed." Ending the statement with a sheepish tone.
Sarah took on a sarcastic lilt and said, "The things I do for my country… including having my painstakingly home-baked chocolate souffle trashed in a food fight without anyone tasting it."
Chuck's face went red. In a small voice he squeaked out, "I said I was sorry… Would you ever let it go?"
"Not in a million years."
"Well, it is what it is." And they both started chuckling. Chuck came inside and a while later, they were eating the chocolate souffle… On her first bite, she moaned. "Well… I can almost forgive you. Only in Paris have I tasted better souffle."
"I had it made by a special French friend of mine. So, you got a second-hand Parisian delicacy?" She choked out her laughter.
They had finished the souffle he brought and settled, he on a chair and she on her bed. Chuck made her feel bubbly… At the same time, he was the source of a lot of confusion and angst. He made her feel alive in a way neither the CIA nor Bryce did in the past. It would always be a rush before but now it was a new normal… There was always a constant level of liveliness that didn't exist in the past. In a lot of ways, regardless of if she gets with Chuck or not (a slight disappointment over the last bit), this would remain her most memorable assignment.
She saw Chuck building the courage to broach a topic. Her guess – he wanted to first talk about Bryce. After that, it would be a surprise to her.
"Sarah, I know this is too much to ask you about right now. I want to know if you would elaborate on your feelings now that… (he hesitated a while here) Bruce is..." He smiled at her - the inside joke and twist getting to her.
"It's okay, Chuck. You don't need to be cordial about it. It's pretty evident, you don't like him. In fact, I think I can safely say you hate him." She said while rubbing him.
"I don't know if I hate him as much as I did before, Sarah. I… came upon some new information that… puts a different spin on it. Doesn't change my antagonistic relationship I share with him. But, it does make me a lot softer when considering his motivations and intentions."
Sarah stayed silent. She wasn't sure what to do here. She wasn't his actual girlfriend. At the same time, she knew he needed to get it off his chest. "You want to talk about it?"
Chuck shook his head from side to side, declining the offer. A spike of sadness at him hiding something from her, but she suppressed it. "I don't want to know all your details with Bryce or your relationship with him… That would be like you asking me about my past girlfriends and it would be too awkward. What I want to know is this; now that Bryce is no longer here, if I were to ask you on a real date and we had met under much different circumstances, would you have given us a real chance?"
That was tantamount to asking if she had feelings for him. Can she compromise herself over this? Could she effectively handle him as her asset if she admitted the truth not only aloud, but also to herself? The two bullets just reminded her the fragility of his life. If she didn't take this chance now, would she regret it later on? Would her life be back on the cold, human-devoid track it had been before Bryce? Before Chuck? Before Budapest? Chuck interrupted her train of thoughts.
"I am sorry, if I pushed. I know CIA norms is that asset and agents cannot have relations. It's just that I have connected with you on a much deeper level than I have anybody else. And I know that no matter your past, whether it be Bryce or even superman, I don't care. Regardless of what you say Sarah, just know that I will trust you a hundred percent with my life. I won't question your orders unless I find them crazy like leaving you and Casey at some place to be tortured or killed. I just want to know if it were at all possible, would you do it?"
Hey guys… So I said I wouldn't post for a month. But, I just felt that I needed to get this part out now. Couldn't do anything else. This chapter would be the most divisive of all. I have humanized and given a lot more nuance than the tv show did for all characters. Understandable that it was primarily an action-comedy that became a dramady later on.
So… feel free to comment, like or follow or if you abandon this story here, thanks for reading up to this point and if you don't want to comment, you could PM me too. Also, thanks for the generosity and lovely reception to the story… I guess I am a sucker for choices and the cliff-hanger was just too tantalizing to let go.
Until next time, stay safe. (And the next update won't come till Christmas or new year).
