Posted November 12, 2022
A/N: It's hard to believe that the Montgomery would have worked on someone who learned the technique in Seduction School.
"Chuck vs the Seduction" (2x02) Recap
Here are a few things you might need to know.
When Casey and Chuck walked into Buy More, Chuck lamented about not getting the Intersect out of his head. Casey revealed that the Beta Intersect exploded, killing Graham, which meant Chuck wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
In the break room, Lester told the Buy More staff that things were going to be run differently now that he's the new assistant manager. When Morgan started to ask Chuck a question, Lester interrupted him and made him route the question though his new boss.
Back on the sales floor, Chuck lamented to Morgan about how he used to have potential. Morgan consoled him by reminding him that he got to "go home with that:" Sarah, who had just walked into the store.
Sarah broke a day-dream in which she approached Chuck in a sexy fashion with a non-dream kiss. Chuck was confused, wondering if it was a real kiss or a cover kiss. Sarah said it was a we-have-a-national-security-emergency-and-I-need-to-speak-to-you-privately kiss.
At Orange Orange, Sarah turned down Chuck's invitation to go to Mexico because it wouldn't be professional. She said it was ok for Sarah and Bryce because they were spies, but it was not ok for asset and handler. Through a secret entrance in the freezer the went to the new underground base, Castle
Chuck wondered if the new base meant he was going to be there a while. It depended on whether they got the real Cipher. To get it from Sasha Banacheck, they needed legendary agent Roan Montgomery, who was off the grid.
Chuck wished them luck finding Roan and started to leave. Sarah caught up with him and said the sooner they got the Cipher back, the sooner he could have the Intersect removed, and the sooner he could be free to live whatever life he chose with "whomever he chose." With Sarah as incentive, Chuck relented and flashed that Roan lived in Palm Springs. They found the lush passed out drunk, under his bed.
The next morning, Chuck was in a good mood. That ended when he found Devon and Ellie in the shower together. Over breakfast, Ellie apologized and said to Devon it would be nice if they had some romance, considering their romance had disappeared. She also said they should be like Chuck and Sarah because Chuck's eyes lit up every time he saw her. When asked for his secret, Chuck said they pretended like they were not dating, so he had to win her over again and again. Ellie thought that was sweet and asked Devon for a simple evening of wining and dining. Devon accepted the "mission."
When Roan woke up at Casey's, he told Sarah, Casey, and Beckman that they would have to seduce Sasha to get up the Cipher. He said the NSA agent would be pegged as CIA in an instant, so they needed someone innocuous. Casey collected Chuck at Buy More.
Devon couldn't find Chuck at work. Since Morgan knew Ellie longer than Devon, he filled in and gave some advice on how to seduce Ellie.
Needing to see what he was dealing with, Roan asked Chuck to demonstrate who he would seduce Sarah. Chuck played along and said he would do the Bartowski eyebrow dance and start "firing the guns." Sarah giggled, but Roan chastised them both. Chuck tried again and said he would be himself, try to make her laugh, and find a common cultural interest.
Roan said that was another bad idea because Sarah was a gorgeous, sophisticated woman. Before Roan could disparage Chuck more, Sarah cut in and said Chuck was passionate, sweet, and caring. Roan proceeded to belittle Chuck. Sarah argued back, but Roan asked for a demonstration with a kiss.
Sarah and Chuck both balked at the idea. Chuck said he was trying to be respectful. Roan said he might have to kiss Sasha Banacheck when the entire mission is on the line. After Sarah gave Chuck permission, he gave her an awkward, sideways peck.
Roan goated Chuck and threatened to get Casey to kiss Sarah. Chuck was furious, so he pulled Sarah close, and the two of them madly kissed.
They stopped when they realized there was no point in continuing the "demonstration." After Sarah left to fix her lipstick, Roan said it obviously wasn't the first time that had happened and he would help Chuck get Sarah, too.
Getting ready for the mission at Casey's, Chuck told Sarah that they might not have the steamiest relationship, but it was probably the strangest one in LA. She reassured Chuck to not take Roan's advice too seriously. Chuck said he doubted he would be charming anyone, but Sarah said it worked on her.
At Buy More, Big Mike complained to Lester that the new credit card displays weren't out. Lester said it was Morgan's job. Big Mike said for them to listen, Lester needed to get them to fear him.
On the seduction mission, Sarah and Roan were in the van to give Chuck instructions through an earwig. The elder spy started Chuck through the "four-pronged Montgomery attack." First, Chuck needed to work the room. Then, he was instructed to act like he was choosing Sasha Banacheck over all of the other women there.
Roan provided Chuck with what used to be her drink choice. Sasha revealed she no longer drank and went to a different place in the bar. Roan claimed getting her drunk was necessary. Sarah tried to boost Chuck's confidence, and she stuck up for Chuck to Roan.
The third prong was to play on the fact Sasha was a Francophile. Chuck tried to say she looked familiar from her favorite hotel in France. Sasha challenged Chuck. Using information relayed from Sarah through the earwig, Chuck passed the test.
At the apartment, Devonn started trying to seduce Ellie using Morgan's tips. The bad advice didn't work, leaving Devon and Ellie mad.
In the spy van, Roan asked Sarah how long she and Chuck had been "cavorting." Sarah denied it and said she was just protective of him as an asset. Roan spilled his martini on the electric panel, so Chuck only heard the denial, not Sarah stick-up for Chuck. By the time the sound connection was re-established, Chuck had lost Sasha's interest.
Determined not to lose, he demanded to know the fourth prong of the Montgomery attack: "be a bastard." Sarah and Casey rushed to save Chuck, but before they did Chuck's actions worked. Sasha grabbed and kissed Chuck, taking him up to her room.
When Sarah and Casey confronted the guards outside Sasha's room, Chuck used the noise distraction to take the Cipher on Sasha's necklace. He escaped to the balcony, but when moving to another balcony, he was stomped off and fell, luckily landing on a hotel lounge chair.
Proud the mission was a success, Chuck called on the earwig, but Sasha answered. Casey and Sarah had been captured, and Sasha said she would trade their lives for the Cipher.
Back at the Buy More break room, Lester talked to the staff, revealing a "Wheel of Misfortune." He demanded that Mogan spin. When the spin said Morgan was fired, Anna quit. This led to everyone else quitting.
At the apartment courtyard, Chuck pleaded for the help of the legend, but Roan seemed defeated and turned him down. Chuck then called Beckman for help but was unable to get through.
At Buy More, Lester had called-in everyone who had quit and clarified that they got a "practice spin," meaning Morgan could spin again and not be fired. Anna insisted that Lester spin. He got diaper duty.
Roan showed up at Buy More and asked Chuck what he meant by "legend." Liking how that sounded, he said he would help Chuck come up with a plan that wouldn't get them all killed.
Instead of meeting Sasha for the trade, Chuck delivered a cell phone. He classed after closing time, directing them to Buy More. When they arrived, Chuck sent a live video on the TV screens and told them what to do. One of Sasha's goons tracked down where Chuck was in the store, so he fled to the roof.
Roan tried to flank Sasha, but she used Sarah as a shield. Roan called Chuck on comms and said to remember Thailand. Chuck took that to mean he should tie Lester's huge "Under New Assistant Management'' banner around his waist. Then, he swung down from the roof to knock out Banacheck and rescue Sarah. The banner was repaired for the next morning to say Buy More had a "New Ass Man."
At the next day's debrief, Sarah emphasized that Chuck was invaluable on the mission, risking his life several times to save theirs. Chuck had a request. For him to keep working with them, they had to make up for the fact that Chuck had not been able to help Devon. The CIA put rose petals around the apartment and cooked a pecan pie for Devon to romance Ellie.
Chuck thanked Sarah for helping with Devon's "make-up plan." Sarah thanked Chuck for saving her life. He put her on the spot for what he had heard on comms, when she said he was "just an asset." Sarah flirted back that she had never seen anyone like Chuck.
In the courtyard, the team said goodbye to Roan. When Sarah left, Roan stopped Chuck from pursuing her at that time and suggested showing up later with a dinner jacket, a single red rose, and a bottle of Château Margaux. It was "known in several countries as the Montgomery."
That night, Chuck went to Sarah's apartment, deploying the Montgomery. After initially being happily surprised, the door was opened further, revealing Bryce was back in town.
Songs (from 2x02):
- "Do You Believe in Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
- "Love It All" by The Kooks
IMDB: (8.6/10)
chuckthisblog. wordpress. com (7/91)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Maison23 parking garage
Chuck hadn't felt that horrible in a long time. It had been over five years since his pitiful drive home from Stanford, after he was falsely accused of cheating. A close second place on the "pathetic Chuck list" was a few weeks later, when he put his heart out there—only to have Jill tear it to shreds.
That "first place" time was Bryce's fault because he framed Chuck. Tonight, Bryce was once again behind it. Why was he in Sarah's room?
Chuck thought he knew the answer. Sarah was probably disappointed that she missed out on "Omaha," so she wanted him to stay in her room.
The second part of the Stanford double-whammy was when he learned Jill chose Bryce over him. Tonight, Sarah chose Bryce over him.
Pulling out of the parking garage, he felt even more pathetic. Unlike Stanford, Chuck drove a government-enhanced Toyota Matrix. A cool spy, one who was worthy of Sarah, drove a cool car—not a car painted like a Tylenol gelcap which could track his every move and explode from the self-destruct at any time.
Putting the car in gear, Chuck pulled out of the hotel for the miserable drive home. He had started the night with a white dinner jacket, a red rose, and a bottle of wine, hoping to continue what he and Sarah were doing during seduction training. That possibility deflated when Bryce was at Sarah's door. So much for the Montgomery.
Sarah hadn't felt that horrible in a long time. Actually, she felt that bad a week ago when she had to call off her third first date with Chuck. This was a close second.
Seduction training was a little embarrassing in front of another CIA agent, but that Lothario had no shame. Ignoring the audience, the kiss was wonderful.
Sarah and Chuck had been cover-dating for most of a year. Since her job as an agent was to protect Chuck as his cover-girlfriend, it's not like anyone could reasonably expect the two of them to stay completely apart for that long. The kiss at Buy More and the one in seduction training were evidence that Chuck and Sarah could have "something." They did what they had to do for the cover, they did what they had to do in order to keep Chuck safe in the spy world, and they couldn't date because of asset/handler rules. However, they sometimes got to do things for the cover, and there was no harm in enjoying it, whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Tonight was one of those times when she would have enjoyed practicing with Chuck. It'd be for the cover, but it still would be fantastic. She didn't plan to practice that night, but when she answered the door and saw how Chuck was dressed and what he was carrying, her heart leapt. When she saw it, she instantly recognized a "Montgomery."
The last time she had seen it was seduction training at the Farm. Roan probably got a lot of conquests by using that move on the unsuspecting. It'd never work on a female CIA agent who recognized it, but it presented an opportunity—the kind that she and Chuck could seize and enjoy. While she wasn't going to be seduced by a move she saw coming, it presented the perfect opportunity for Chuck and Sarah to "practice" seduction techniques.
The brief delight she felt when she saw Chuck at her door was immediately squashed. One look at Chuck had made her forget the unwelcome guest who had charged into her apartment a minute before: Bryce.
Last year, when Morgan said if Chuck was Solo, Bryce was Fett, she didn't know what that meant. After Comic-Con, Sarah watched both the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy with Chuck. She wanted to know what the big deal was because she had only seen the original movie a long time ago. (Of course she knew about the bikini outfit by its reputation.) Fortunately, no one watched with them, so she could ask a lot of questions. Having the "king of nerds" as a resource was invaluable.
Sarah thought Empire and Jedi were sad movies, and Chuck didn't understand why. She knew overthrowing the empire was supposed to be a galactically joyous event, but having Leia's father abandon her and be a bad guy hit too close to home. Empire was the worst because of what happened to Han Solo at the end. That's who Chuck was dressed as at Comic-Con. He was taken away from Leia, who Sarah had dressed as. It was all because of Boba Fett, that mean kid who wanted the Jedi shot in the second movie of the prequels. While Leia's mom was dead and Sarah's wasn't dead, she was never going to speak to her again.
All of the family drama was too much for Sarah. Bottom line, she thought the movies were sad and couldn't tell Chuck why.
When Morgan said Bryce was fet, he said Bryce was Chuck's nemesis. By disrupting the Montgomery tonight and Thanksgiving last year, she realized that her ex was her nemesis, too. Chuck and she had a perfect cover-reason for a fun night, and Bryce ruined it.
Sarah didn't bother to try to keep the anger off her face when she looked back at Bryce, who was standing right next to her bed. "What are you doing, Bryce?"
He tossed his bow tie on the bed next to his coat, a sign that he was going to stay. "I'm getting out of my tux so we can have some fun." He held up his arms for an embrace and took a couple steps her way.
As if. Sarah held her hands to stop him. She asked in a different way. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be talking the fight to Fulcrum—not helping them by leading them to Chuck. Fulcrum is stronger than ever."
Bryce stopped because he seemed to get the message that his personal advances weren't welcome. "I'm not working with Fulcrum. "
"You're not working with the CIA."
Bryce shrugged. "For some reason, I stopped getting instructions from the Director."
Why would he think he would keep getting instructions? He must not know. Sarah revealed, "Graham is dead. He was with several agents who were supposed to download the Beta Intersect, but it blew up, killing all of them. Blowing up the Intersect is something you're familiar with."
"Figures." Bryce didn't look upset at hearing his boss was murdered. After processing Sarah's disapproval, he quickly said, "I didn't do it."
"We know. Unlike last time, this time you weren't responsible for blowing it up. Unlike last time, this time you didn't kill anyone after you caused the explosion. We believe that Fulcrum's behind it. A year ago, Fulcrum was only killing people because you did it. A few months later, they were killing people to get to you. Now, they are killing agents directly. They are escalating. You aren't stopping them."
Bryce tried to explain. "I've been making them think I'm a rogue agent, and I've been trying to get a lead on what they are doing next."
"They think you're the Intersect."
"They still do. I've been providing cover for Lover-boy."
Sarah wanted to throttle Bryce for that description. That wasn't happening as long as Chuck was the only Intersect. Bryce was supposed to be stopping Fulcrum from doing things like destroying the Beta Intersect, but he hadn't even known it had happened.
Sarah didn't bother to hide how she felt. "Because of what happened at Buy More on Black Friday, Fulcrum bugged Chuck's workplace, bringing them close to the real human Intersect. You say you're not in Fulcrum, but it seems to me that they've moved beyond you as a fake Intersect."
Bryce went into defensive-mode. He was sometimes like that back when Sarah and Bryce were partners. In mission debriefs, he didn't explain why Sarah had to improvise to complete missions. Instead, he would cover for himself, spinning a story about how Sarah was a "wild card," so it was her fault. It should have bothered Sarah more, but she let him do that because they were sort of "together." One time after a debrief, Graham privately complimented Sarah and said he understood what Bryce was doing. He thanked her for always coming through and finishing the missions. It was good to know that Graham understood what was really going on and wasn't blaming Sarah, but she wasn't going to point fingers.
Now, standing in Sarah's apartment, Bryce continued his spin. "I'm here to stop Fulcrum." A smarmy smile (which he probably thought was charming) appeared on his face. "By the way, I was surprised you didn't meet me at 'Omaha.' Maybe you missed the connection. We could set up another."
"That's not happening," she said, leaving no question that was her final word on the subject. "I have an important assignment here. You can make your report to General Beckman, who has sole authority over the Intersect project now. If she says your lead is worth pursuing, then we will work with you. Whatever you do, you better not let Fulcrum know about Chuck." Sarah angrily grabbed her sleeping clothes and took them to the bathroom to change, out of view of her leering ex.
When she emerged dressed for bed, Sarah couldn't believe her eyes. Bryce was stripped down to his boxers and reclining on her bed. When he looked in her direction, he flashed his pearly whites, and he patted the bed at his side for her to join him. Sarah was disappointed because she had just told him it wasn't happening. It should have been clear that she wasn't getting into bed with him.
She didn't know the reason that Bryce was at her apartment, but it didn't matter. Chuck's arrival had given her a boost of energy, but everything she had, left with him. Now, she was tired and ready to call it a day. Bryce was on her pillow, but she had slept without one before. Sarah took out an extra blanket from the closet and made a spot for herself on the couch. In the morning, she'd deal with whatever stupid reason he had for being in Los Angeles.
Moments like that one made her wish she had swiped one of Chuck's sweatshirts to use as a pillow. Having some of his clothing would be good for the cover. It also would help when an ex-partner crashed at her place. At least Carina had the courtesy of getting her own room. Bryce couldn't be sent somewhere else because the more places he went to in LA, the more chance he had of leaving a trail that pointed to Chuck.
Bryce didn't let her go to sleep, though. "What are you doing over there?"
Not opening her eyes, Sarah replied, "Trying to sleep."
"You don't have to do that over there."
"My bed's occupied."
"I know. I thought we'd both use it. It's not like we haven't done that before."
Sarah knew his eyebrows were raising and lowering. His eyebrow dance wasn't nearly as good as Chuck's… It wasn't nearly as effective… Whatever. She knew what Bryce hoped would happen the second she lied on the bed next to him. It would involve no clothing. The only thing she said was, "That was the past."
"Is this because of Chuck? I saw he was trying a Montgomery. That never works on spies who see what's coming…unless they want it to." Sarah knew Bryce had experience with that. Not with her. She heard stories about him trying it on a couple members of the CATS, but he never tried a Montgomery on her. If he had, she would have laughed in his face because of what Amy did when he tried it on her.
For Bryce and Sarah, what they had was a combination of post mission adrenaline and her not knowing what a real-relationship was supposed to be like. She needed validation, and Bryce always needed her. Whe liked feeling needed.
That was before Sarah knew there was someone like Chuck. Sarah and Chuck were not normal and not even a real couple, but there were more… feelings that she ever had with Bryce.
Sarah hadn't said anything, so Bryce filled the silence. "You probably wanted the 'Montgomery' to work. Didn't you?"
His insinuations were getting out of hand. It wouldn't have "worked" because Chuck already had her. She had self control and knew how to stay in the bounds of what asset and handler could do when they were only a cover couple. It was only going to be fun practice. She knew it could never go anywhere. "Chuck and I are just asset and handler."
"Really? Why the 'Montgomery?'"
"It was for training for the cover." Bryce laughed once because he didn't believe it. Sarah barely believed it, even though it was true, no matter how much fun it would've been. She had strong justification. "On our mission a couple nights ago, Chuck seduced a mark. It went sideways, so Casey and I were captured. Chuck rescued us. The mission is over, so Chuck was practicing for next time he has to seduce someone on a mission." The next time would not happen, if she had anything to say about it. It wasn't smart to risk Chuck's life like that. But she didn't have to say that to Bryce.
Sarah continued her reasoning. "Chuck was acting like a good cover-boyfriend. Everyone in this building knows the cover, that Chuck and I have been dating for a year. When he comes here, he has to come over like a boyfriend would. You coming here both risked pointing an arrow at Chuck for Fulcrum and jeopardized the cover."
"But why that move?" Bryce obviously didn't care about blowing the cover or exposing Chuck.
Sarah signed because Bryce wouldn't let it go. "Last mission, we worked with Roan Montgomery. He was giving tips to Chuck throughout the mission. That was probably one of them."
"You worked with that old fossil?" Bryce rhetorically said. "I know Chuck. He has real feelings for you that are going to get him killed." Bryce didn't sound like Chuck's friend. His entire tone showed a complete lack of respect. Considering what he did at Stanford, framing his so-called friend for cheating, it shouldn't have surprised her.
A small part of Sarah hoped Chuck's feelings were real. A larger part hoped they weren't because he deserved better than her.
Talking with Bryce had been making Sarah angrier and angrier. She needed to calm down and get some sleep. Chuck and she would have other times to practice, once Bryce was out of their hair. (She would not think about running her hands through Chuck's curls. They could practice, but they weren't actually together. She couldn't imagine what she could do to him.)
Sarah knew that in the morning, she'd be more cooperative. After sleep, she'd play along and be the good little spy, attentive to Beckman's orders. "Let's just go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, you can talk to Beckman and tell her the reason you're back. You can also explain why you have been so ineffective fighting Fulcrum. I'll do whatever mission she assigns." And then, Bryce would be gone.
"Good night, Sarah." She didn't give him the courtesy of an echoing response. In Sarah's book, it wasn't a good night from the second her ex knocked on the door.
A/N: There's a deleted scene from 2x03 in which Chuck and Sarah have a "date" in the apartment courtyard, after Chuck saw Bryce at Sarah's. I wished it happened, but because it was after a 2x03 scene with Chuck, Ellie, and Devon, it was not "in between" the episodes. Technically, it could still have happened, but it doesn't really fit with how Chuck talked to Sarah the next day (acting as if he hadn't talked to Sarah since seeing Bryce). This chapter assumes that the deleted scene didn't happen.
MyNameIsJeffNImLost AU stories:
- "Chuck & His Roommate vs the Next Mission" (chapter 2, "Afternoon Court")
- "Chuck vs Believing in Love"
- "Chuck vs Under the Cover" (chapter 8, "Have you ever had sex?")