Recap: What's next for Chuck & Hailey? Surprise cameo appearance by Carina, Spyder shares the news with David about how Graham blackmailed Sarah into joining the CIA. Will that change things up in the future?
Update: This is the latest that I have been able to do, it took longer than expected due to a bit of a writer's block. Hopefully the next chapter won't be as bad on the blocking lol. Actually had to do a little research with the cell phone and text to have the right phone with the ability, as everyone knows that texting really didn't start taking off until the a couple years later with Nokia, Blackberry, Ericsson, and others at the front.
Disclaimer: Everyone knows the standard DC by now: None of us own Chuck or the canon characters, they're used for all of our enjoyment. The OC's are the only claim I have in the stories. Sit back and enjoy the latest edition of "Chuck vs An Extremely New Beginning".
CHUCK VS AN EXTREMELY NEW BEGINNING
EPISODE 5: ADVENTURES IN DATING (PART 2)
LOEWS SANTA MONICA BEACH HOTEL / SANTA MONICA, CA
After Hailey's return from the spa, Chuck told her that he was returning a little test that was given to him by Casino. He explained that he could deliver it to him while giving her some privacy as she got ready for the evening. She made sure to thank him for his thoughtfulness by giving him a soft kiss to his lips, and wished him luck. He arrived back to the room and opened the door, and what he saw froze him on the spot.
Hailey was putting the last touches on her make-up in front of the mirror. Dressed in a white crop halter top with a pair of green chino shorts and cream-colored Gladiator sandals, she thought this look showed off her toned figure nicely.
Chuck noticed, and was stunned. IF it was possible, she was looking even more radiant than this morning. Hailey laughed at the expression on his face, lifting his chin to close his mouth before giving him a soft kiss on his lips. Realizing that Chuck was still in shock, she gently pinched his arm snapping him out of the trance.
Chuck's mouth fell open, "Wow, you look really beautiful tonight."
Hailey grinned, "Thank you, Chuck, you're looking very handsome yourself."
Chuck, smiling back at her, extended his arm, "Are you ready for this little adventure?"
Hailey beamed, "I'm always up for some fun and excitement. Tonight's going to be awesome because I'm sharing it with you. Let's get this party started Chuck."
Looping her arm through his, Hailey received Chuck's brightest smile as they left the room, anticipating an evening of fun and excitement.
As they were leaving the hotel, Chuck asked Hailey where she wanted to go for their date. He was surprised to hear she wanted to re-visit the Santa Monica Pier. She explained that not only is it within walking distance, it's also where they met. She wanted to see more of the attractions, as she missed many of them the first time around. She even hinted about it being the perfect evening for a stroll on the beach.
They sampled many of the games at Pacific Park; she wanted to have a friendly competition with him on some of them. Chuck reluctantly consented. He was able to edge out wins, at Skeet Ball and Whac-A-Mole, along with the Balloon Bust. Hailey, on the other hand, beat him by a decent margin on the Mini Hoops, Long-Range Basketball, and Water Race. He was impressed that she set the day's high score on Long-Range Basketball, and won two free games on it; she reached the required amount in the first round and did so again in the second go around as she increased her score each time.
Chuck curiously asked her how she became so good at that game, Hailey explained the whole story. She always wanted to play sports, of course. Basketball was the one sport in which the guys all helped her improve her game. After years of learning from them, she was among the top high school female basketball players in the country her senior year.
Chuck was shocked by the story, to say the least. "Remind me to never play against them. In fact, I don't really play at all, as you could tell. So, what do you want to do next, milady?"
"First, let's get some cotton candy. After that, we can go on the rides. I love the Ferris wheel. The pirate ship looks fun too. Come on, Chuck!" Hailey grabbed his hand
and pulled him along; Chuck couldn't help but smile, seeing Hailey was having a great time. He really didn't want this night to end. It was nearly two hours later when
Chuck and Hailey finished all the rides, including multiple rides on the Ferris wheel.
When he asked what she wanted to do next, she looked in his eyes and told him she wanted to take a stroll on the beach since the night is beautiful, with moonlight and stars shining brightly. Chuck, always the gentleman, draped his light jacket over her shoulders and she leaned into him as they walked along the shore. They arrived at his spot, sitting down to watch the waves. She reclined into him and he wrapped his arms around her.
Hailey sensed he was deep in thought. She waited patiently, and Chuck was extremely reflective as he talked.
"This has been my thinking spot for many years. Whenever I feel troubled or just need to get away or be alone. Remember when we met? I was here thinking about the future. I was getting ready to leave when I noticed that football coming at me, and then you ran through me."
Hailey dropped her head on Chuck's shoulder; smiling as the two of them locked eyes, "Well you know what they say. Love hurts; although, you have to admit that probably fulfilled a secret fantasy of yours. Many guys would've gladly been in your shoes, having a girl tackle them to the ground on the beach."
After a brief pause, she continued, "Talk to me Chuck, what's on your mind?"
Chuck sighed and grabbed her hand, "Lots of things really. I don't know where to start."
Hailey squeezed his hand gently, "Well, from what I hear, the beginning's always a great place."
Chuck began, "You told me about the last relationship you had, how that was a bad experience for you. I wish I could say I understand, but honestly, I've never been in a relationship.
Getting through school was a nightmare, mostly because Morgan and I were often victims of school bullies. My mom left when I was nine years old and Dad was there, but not really. Four years ago, he told Ellie that he was going out for pancakes and never came back."
Hailey's voice was full of sympathy, "Oh my God! I'm so sorry Chuck! Listen to me, okay? I can hear the pain in your voice, you don't have to tell me anymore. There will be a better time for us to talk about the past and everything we've been through. Let's not ruin tonight by bringing up either of our pasts."
Chuck slowly nodded his head in agreement, allowing Hailey to lean his head down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, leaning her forehead against his; he could feel the loving support she was sending him through that small action.
Chuck wrapped his arms around her and softly spoke, "Just one thing I want to let you know. My self-esteem and confidence levels have always been low, because of that. My sister and Morgan have been my only support system. You're the first person outside of them to show how much you care. I don't know where this thing is going between us, but I know I've found a new resolve since I met you."
Hailey spoke very gently, trying to reassure him, "Chuck, sweetie, let me explain this to you. I like you; I like you a whole lot. Do you honestly think I'd be here if I wasn't interested in you?
You know my future career is dangerous, and I'm not sure how much time we're going to have together like this. I really want this relationship to work, Chuck, no matter what obstacles are thrown in our path.
You're going to Stanford and I'm going to Annapolis. You don't need to worry yourself about this relationship. There's no pressure whatsoever on the expectations, we don't have to go fast-paced like some people. We can go as slow as we need to. I think that will be more beneficial in the long run, because it'll give us time to really get to know each other.
The distance can become an issue, and communication will be reduced due to our upcoming class schedules. We can keep in touch with email and instant messaging, and save the phone calls for special events. As far as the journey you want to take with me Chuck, there's something you should know: I'm with you all the way Chuck, to hell and back."
Hailey's speech left Chuck breathless, or more importantly, after the speech as she surged forward, taking him by surprise by giving him a very passionate kiss on his lips. It took his brain a few seconds to adjust, and return the kiss with equal passion. They were so wrapped up in their kiss, neither one would notice a shooting star flying across the sky.
Once they broke off the kiss to come up for air, Chuck gently ran a hand through Hailey's hair smiling, "I think perhaps we should continue this elsewhere, it's getting a little colder and the last thing I need is for either of us to get sick from being outside too long."
Hailey nodded, allowing herself to be pulled up by Chuck to her feet, "Let's go back to our room. We can cuddle up and watch movies while sharing popcorn, or just lay perfectly content in each other's arms. I don't want this night to end just yet Chuck."
Chuck felt powerless looking at her in that moment. She was giving him puppy dog eyes with a little pouty lip. Combined with her pleading voice it was too much to handle. At that moment, he realized however long their relationship lasted, that combination would be his kryptonite. It was a given that crying would get to him too.
Taking a deep breath then letting out a sigh, he agreed to her suggestion as she gave a little squeal of happiness. That was followed by another kiss on his lips before she pulled him across the beach back to the hotel.
Once they reached their room, Hailey reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a pair of navy blue sweatpants with the Navy logo on them along with a white t-shirt. Walking back over to Chuck, she handed them to him, "These are for you sweetie. I picked them up earlier on my way to the spa, so that you have something extra to wear. Now go get changed."
She couldn't help herself as her mischievous side came out. Turning Chuck around pointing him towards the bathroom, she gave him a little swat on his rear. His reaction was priceless, and she laughed at the surprised look on his face. He couldn't believe she actually did that! He mumbled, thinking she wasn't going to hear him, "I'm so gonna get you back for that."
To his horror, she called out, "Oh sweetie, I can't wait for that moment."
Hearing her laugh again, he looked to the heavens wondering what had he gotten himself into since Hailey came into his life. He snapped out of that thought when he realized that she was keeping him on his toes, and his life wasn't as dull and boring as it had been up till now.
He returned a couple minutes later. She grabbed her bag of clothes and headed to the bathroom, putting an extra sway in her hips, just for spite. He found the popcorn and began to prepare it before she returned. Once the microwave finished its task, he emptied the bag into the bowl. Chuck turned to head back towards the bed and froze when he saw Hailey, wearing a pink tank-top and white short-shorts.
She smiled to herself seeing the effect she has on him. After walking the short distance to him, she gently took the bowl out of his hands to set it on the table. She stood on her tip toes and gave him a small kiss to his lips. He returned the kiss with one of his own as they slowly fell on to the bed letting the moment carry them. Looking down into her eyes while brushing a strand of hair from her face, he was captivated by the love he could clearly see in her sparkling blue eyes as he whispered softly.
"No matter how much time and distance separate us, my heart will always belong to you. I just thought you should know that I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I was only planning on focusing my career and what I could accomplish, but you have opened my eyes and heart up to much more than that. I feel as if there's nothing I could overcome with you by my side, you my dear Hailey."
Hailey's eyes began to pool up with tears hearing the sweet words from her boyfriend. In her mind and heart Chuck is not only her boyfriend, but her soulmate. Looking into his eyes with love she softly whispers, "I knew you were special the moment I laid eyes on you and before I told Artman to intentionally throw the ball in your direction. I was planning on coming up to join you on your spot, but wasn't sure how you would have reacted to it. That's why I came up with the suggestion to make it look like an accident so we could actually have a face-to-face meeting, that was the best decision I made so far. Of course, you know that going to the academy to follow in my parents' footsteps was automatic. I mentioned earlier that I don't want this night to end, I am just dreading that our last night and day together. I have really enjoyed spending time with you and waking up snuggled in your arms, you're definitely not like other guys in your position. They would try to get in my pants on that first night, but you have been a complete perfect gentleman. I knew you would be after the little test Maverick bestowed upon you."
Chuck responds with a laugh, "Test? You mean more like, how fast can I scare this kid to lose bodily functions? Honestly, I thought I was about to be fish food."
Hailey smiles as she runs her hand through his curly hair then reminds him, "Well it was only a test to see if you were worthy enough to date me, remember I told you how those few guys were just a handful of the rest of our estranged family that made mine and my sister's social and dating life really hard. Other times they would take us and our potential dates to the gun range. Imagine how many times they would use high powered machine guns and assault rifles, not to mention their Desert Eagle handguns to decimate the targets before bringing it back to show their deadly accuracy as a point."
Chuck shook his head with a whisper, "I'm just glad that I didn't get exposed to that yet."
Hailey whispers, "The key word is yet my love. Don't worry, you will be safe from that. With me leaving before the week ends, how about we take a tour of Stanford tomorrow?"
Chuck's eyebrows went wide as he asked, "You sure about that? That's a long drive, are you sure you want to spend the day like that?"
Hailey laughed, "Well of course there's nothing wrong with a nice drive. Of course we can always come back down the Pacific Coast Highway and enjoy the scenic views, or maybe we can find a place to stay up there and drive back the next day. Either way works for me Chuck, this way both of us can get a feel of the place. Or better yet, I could ask Uncle A.J. if he has any suggestions for the trip."
Chuck thought for a moment and asks, "Considering that it's a major college area and it's close to San Jose and San Francisco, I'm sure he knows the best way to get there and stay for couple days. Although, I'm not looking forward to packing quite a few things for staying in the dorm."
Hailey smiles and whispers, "Who knows maybe we can have some of my uncles give you a hand on moving stuff up to Stanford. Uncle A.J. already knows you don't have transportation so moving will be a bit of an issue not allowing you to pack much. Don't worry sweetie, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let's just enjoy our night baby, I think we need some more popcorn since we let this batch get cold."
Chuck grins and whispers, "Well who says we can't just reheat it, or add another bag to the batch? Give me a few minutes to remedy that situation darling."
Once Chuck had went to the kitchen with the bowl of popcorn to make another batch, Hailey grabbed her Nokia 9110 Communicator and sent a quick text to her uncle. Letting him know what the plan was, and asked what suggestions he had. The response came back a minute later saying that he could will contact the Four Seasons in East Palo Alto, the location was just 2.3 miles east of Stanford. He will send her the confirmation once he set everything up for them to spend a couple days there knowing how long a commute it is.
She profusely thanks him in her reply and lays back in the bed with a huge smile on her face as Chuck returns with fresh popcorn with the movie beginning as he joins her, she snuggles up next to him to enjoy the movie knowing she doesn't want to be anywhere else at this moment.
JACKSON RESIDENCE / MCLEAN, VA
Secretary of Defense Albert Jackson sat in his recliner with a bottle of scotch fuming after his uneventful day. He and his good friend Secretary of the Navy, Edward Sheffield, had lobbied Congress and the armed forces committees to undo the damage done by his predecessor. Eliminating the F-14 Tomcat program in favor of the F-18 Super Hornet as the Navy's premier fighter was a mistake, even to the point of rejecting the two proposals for a 21st century version. He knew the real story, it's more about politics posturing instead of the welfare of the nation's security defense. His predecessor certainly had an axe to grind against the contractor Northrop Grumman for many speculated reasons. Jackson honestly felt that Boeing was the perfect kid of the family, that it was all about cheap cost. Pointing out obvious facts that both the F-15C Eagle and F-16 Falcon were both couple years younger than the Tomcat. Him and Sheffield both knew the "Chair Force" was always the favorite kid when it came to the military.
Another thing that was bothering him was seeing the current administration constant need to weaken the American military with numerous base closings. Jackson couldn't shake the bad feeling that something sinister was on the horizon, deep down his instincts were right on the money. With numerous elections coming up, including one to decide the next POTUS could mean more trouble. He kept reminding them that despite the Cold War had ended years ago, a new threat could easily rise up in its place. He began to relax when his cell phone rang, looking down at the display seeing who was calling only made him more on edge. He lifted the offending object to his ear and gruffly answered, "Strange to be hearing from you. I take it this isn't a social call?"
Jackson's informant detailed everything over the latest intel gatherings. Closing his eyes, he instinctively reaches up pinching the bridge of his nose feeling another migraine coming. He gruffly replied, "Keep me posted on latest developments, I will be there in the morning. We're gonna meet with the brain trust and figure out how to go about getting these projects started. Have our Cyber Department monitor movement chatter, notify Ice in Steel City to prep for assembly."
He pulled open the top drawer on his desk and reached for a bottle of aspirin, dry-swallowing a couple of tablets to help reduce the effects he knew were coming from the impending migraine. Silently growling about his instincts, he mentally prepared of what to pack in the morning for his trip. One good thing about the trip was getting away from the sewer swamp rats of DC and no suit required for where he's going.
