A/N: Welcome back Cardinal fans! It's time for another installment of College Baseball TMI brought to you by your friends at Stanford TMI. There are a lot of choices out there for TMI and we appreciate you putting your faith in Stanford TMI. We're your hosts, Biff Roberts and Rob Bifford. Time for today's overloaded installment of TMI. The Stanford baseball game schedule is a combination of PAC-12 conference games and non-conference games. Stanford plays a three-game series against each of their 10 PAC-12 opponents (Colorado is part of the PAC-12 but dropped baseball in 1980). The conference series are held on the weekends in some combination of games over the three days, Friday to Sunday. Non-conference games are played in the middle of the week, typically on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. The best starting pitchers pitch in the weekend conference games, with the Friday night starter having pride of place as the team's best, most experienced, pitcher (there are exceptions, though). Most college teams can claim four solid starting pitchers which means that the second mid-week game is handled by a number of pitchers who pitch a few innings each, dubbed 'the cast of characters' or 'pitching by committee'. Whew! Take a breath there, Biff. That's some serious TMI. It sure is, Rob. At College Baseball TMI when we say TMI, we mean TMI.
Disclaimer: They took me out to the ball game and bought me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks. All it cost me was my ownership of Chuck. I made no money from Chuck and I lost what I had betting Casey being at bat would result in a hit. I was wrong and there is no joy in Mudville or with my bookie. If you don't get the reference, Google it, you philistines. Just kidding … maybe.
Chapter 26 – Sing Sing Sing
February 19
Sarah was impatient. It had been five days. Five whole days since she last saw her Chuck face-to-face and was able to kiss him in person, lips-to-lips. Blowing kisses over the phone or smooching the screen in a video chat was a poor substitute. You can't use any tongue and get intimate, so what was the point, she grumped to herself. It just made her miss him more. Miss holding him and being held by him. Kissing him. And kissing him some more. They'd talked the previous evening while the team was at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport waiting on the crews to complete the final checks before boarding their charter flight for the return trip home. Even with the hour time change from Mountain to Pacific, the flight was scheduled to land at San Jose late enough that he asked her not to wait until they got back to campus. Chuck had to run by his lab to check on things since he'd been away so long and he didn't want to ask her to stay up for him because he hadn't known how long he'd be occupied looking over his projects. It hadn't made Sarah happy, but she couldn't fault his logic. It did add another twenty-four hours to their time apart, which only served to increase her longing. And her agitation.
"Worst case of Chuck withdrawal I've ever seen," Carina said, trying to maintain a serious expression and mostly succeeding. "And it appears to be getting worse, too. Such a shame," the redheaded senior shook her head sadly. Sarah attempted to ignore the jibe.
"I concur, doctor," Zondra frowned. "Do you think we'll lose her? What will that do to your Blondie mating habits research?" Her brown eyes danced while she bit her lips to keep from laughing. Sarah kept her eyes fixed on the exit to the serving line.
"She's so beside herself that we might need to pull up an extra chair," Amy chirped, holding in her giggle just in time. Zondra shot her a look that said 'Really?'. "Whaddya want? I'm an engineer. Not a comedian," she said defensively.
The other Songbirds around the tables were trying to keep a low profile. Practice the last couple of days had been intense as they polished their performance for the quarter finals coming up that very Saturday. There was no reason to add to the stress by invoking the wrath of a lovesick and lonely Sarah.
Amy's questionable quip finally got Sarah's attention and her head swiveled as she focused on her suitemates. "Need I remind you that I'm completely healed from my sprained ankle last fall? In fact, with all of the practicing and the dancing, and the extra running that I've been doing I might just be stronger than I was before. You do recall that I know taekwondo, right? It'd be a shame if I had to kick all of your butts," she said evenly before turning back to resume her restless waiting.
Thankfully, Chuck took that moment to appear from the serving line, trailing Morgan in his wake. The tall baseball player was moving as fast as he could while trying to prevent any of the items on his tray from toppling off. He got his first good look at the object of his affection. Obsession? Whatever.
Wow! There she was! Waiting for him. Him! Who'd have thought that someone like her would be waiting for someone like him? A nerd. It still amazed him. It was one mystery that he was content to just accept. No research required. Chuck gasped softly the second he saw her across the noisy dining room. Sarah was dressed in a burgundy blouse and dark jeans. Her hair framed her face in loose waves. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful. Something squeezed tightly in his chest and warmth suffused his body. He felt the charge in the air and the familiar tingle on his skin that told him that he was close to his Sarah. How he'd missed that feeling! Chuck had to blink rapidly a few times to keep his happy tears from escaping. Sarah. And the Songbirds. His friends. But mostly Sarah. OK, so maybe all Sarah. Who was he trying to kid? Of course, it was all Sarah. Only Sarah. His Sarah. Chuck's face split into the most eye-crinkling, nose-wrinkling massive Bartowski smile he could manage. His face actually hurt, but he didn't care one bit. His heart was beating so hard it could power the entire room, if not the entire campus or beyond. Clean energy at its finest. Where had that come from? Get a grip, Chuck, geez. Focus. Be there for her. With her.
"Sarah," Alex said excitedly. After all, she was missing her boyfriend, too. "They're here!" The diminutive brunette leaped to her feet wearing a broad smile.
"Chuck!" Sarah exclaimed, the look on her face brightening like the sun breaking through a storm cloud. She, too, jumped to her feet, bouncing on her toes in anticipation of his arrival. She ignored the quiet laughter that she vaguely heard.
"Oh, good grief", Carina snorted with a grin. With a gleam in her eye, she spoke again. This time imitating a narrator of a nature documentary. "Observe, the randy Blondie in the wild when she catches sight of her chosen mate," she intoned. "Notice the dilated eyes. The rapid heartbeat. The shallow breathing. See the flexing feet indicating tensing energy preparing to strike. And most important of all, the inviting smile designed to encourage her target to come closer. Close enough for her to entrap him and allow her to have her lascivious way with him. With no regard to the rules of propriety and decorum." The table erupted in laughter at Carina's on the nose description of Sarah's behavior.
The woman in question heard none of it. She was totally focused on seeing her Chuck for the first time in five days. In the flesh. So deliciously in the flesh. He looked amazing to her, but if he didn't get a move on and hurry it up, she was going to run over there and tackle him. She felt the fire begin to build behind her navel. The time apart had merely reinforced for her how much she loved him. And wanted him. Both. More and more each day, so much so that her night dreams were beginning to dominate her daydreams. Once she would have blushed, but now she just grinned in anticipation.
Thankfully for public decorum, Chuck arrived at the table just before Sarah's reserves of restraint were completely exhausted. Her smile broadened as she reached for his food tray.
"Gimme, gimme," Sarah demanded, holding out grasping hands and taking Chuck's tray then putting it on the table next to her place. The CATS giggled at her eagerness, but she paid them no mind. Sarah distantly noticed that Alex was following suit and taking Morgan's tray, but that was all she saw as she fixed her gaze upon her previously absent boyfriend. To her surprise, almost as much as Chuck's, she leaped into his arms.
"Woah!" Chuck said in shock. To his credit, he wasn't so surprised that he failed to grasp Sarah tightly around her back while she wrapped her legs around his waist. She looked into his eyes and beamed a happy smile. Then she kissed him. Man, did she ever kiss him. It was a 'I've not seen you for five days and not kissed you for five days and I'm going to make it all up in one kiss' kiss. She poured every ounce of love and affection she had for him into the kiss. And more than a little lust. Chuck's toes curled and then curled again. He would have sworn that his hair was getting curlier, too, if he'd been able to form a coherent thought at that particular moment. He was too busy giving as good as he got. Sarah's own toes were curling and she pulled tighter against him. His soft moan in response brought her back to her senses, just in time. Just.
Breaking the kiss, she whispered, "I'm not finished with you. We've got more kisses to catch up on." His broad grin made her heart skip a beat.
"Oh, I hope so. I'm really looking forward to those workouts we talked about," he said so quickly and quietly that she couldn't help giggling. He smiled her special smile which made her heart sing. She loved him so much.
"OK, you two", Carina chided. "Enough with the free show. Don't make me get my spray bottle and give you both a couple of good shots," the redhead teased. "Climb down off of him, Blondie, and let the poor man eat his dinner before it gets completely cold."
Sarah did as her roommate suggested and finally took note of her surroundings. A sea of grinning faces was staring back at her when she looked around the room. With no other real choice, she just shrugged her shoulders and smirked. The room erupted in laughter. And more than a few good-natured catcalls. When Chuck looked around in bewilderment at the reaction and shrugged, too, the laughter just increased. Smiling sheepishly, he took his seat and began to eat his dinner. Sarah moving her chair closer to his caused him to smile while he chewed.
"I guess it's pointless to welcome you back, Curls", Zondra deadpanned. "You, too, Morgan. It seems that two of our welcoming committee members jumped the gun. Literally."
"Don't you mean, jumped their bones, Z?" Amy snarked. Sarah caught Alex's eye and they both turned to the other Songbirds and stuck their tongues out. The tables devolved into laughter once more.
"Sorry, not sorry", Alex said, smiling. Morgan couldn't stop himself from grinning, looking a bit dazed from the reception he'd gotten from his girlfriend.
"Oh, we knew that already," Beca retorted. "That was plainly obvious to everyone. What about you, Chuck?"
"I plead the fifth," he replied firmly. More laughter. He and Sarah shared small grins, not caring if anyone saw. "Is it too late to say hi? And to tell you how much I missed you?" Chuck asked her softly.
Sarah smiled at him through her lashes. "Probably, but I appreciate it anyway. Hi, yourself," she squeezed his bicep before running her fingers down his arm until she reached his hand, grasping it tightly, feeling their familiar charge all the while. When their hands joined, they both sighed in relief.
"Cut it out," Carina scolded. "People are trying to eat here."
"You have no idea, Red," Sarah said hungrily. Carina nearly choked on her food and had to take a quick sip of her drink to clear her throat so she could laugh. Chuck was beginning to get the idea and fought to keep from blushing.
"Oh Ho!" Amy chortled.
"Well, CATS, it looks like we did a bad job of raising our little Sarah," Zondra teased.
"Or you did too good of a job," Sarah corrected. "I'm just following your example." The three elder CATS shared a look and they all shrugged.
"She's not wrong," Carina admitted. The rest of the table, who'd been watching the interplay, broke into another round of laughter. Chuck and Sarah smiled at one another, leaned in for a quick kiss, and then returned to their meals. It was wonderful to be together again.
Chuck and Sarah were walking hand-in-hand back to the dorm. He'd invited her to study in his lab while he worked on his research projects and she'd literally jumped at the chance. They were headed back to Roble Hall so they could both retrieve their backpacks and their study materials before heading up to the ChEM-H/Neuro research complex where his lab was located. The CATS and a number of the other Songbirds completed their passeggiata (evening stroll) group. Alex and Morgan had gone off in a different direction after leaving the dining hall, to no one's surprise.
"How's y'all's practices coming along, Sarah? Are you just about ready for Saturday?" Chuck asked, giving his full attention to his smiling girlfriend.
"We're doing great, Chuck. We're going to keep practicing right through Friday, but we're looking and sounding really good," Sarah said, turning to the rest of the group walking them. "What do you guys think?"
"We're sharp, Curls," Zondra answered her roommate's question. "Now all we have to do is keep our edge until it's showtime on Saturday."
"That reminds me," Chuck broke in. "I'm sorry that I can't be there to see you sing. It's so close-by, too," he frowned. "But I'll be pitching in our second game. And I can't be in two places at once." His frown morphed into a pout.
"What? You mean you haven't whipped up a time machine in your lab, yet, Chuckles?" Carina snarked.
"Ha ha. Pfft to you," Chuck stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry which garnered him some chuckles. Carina smirked at him.
"Well, we're going to miss you pitching, too, sweetie," Sarah gave him a pout of her own. "We won't be able to watch you pitch and you won't be able to watch us sing. That's the reason that we're going to do our regular dress rehearsal for you tomorrow night."
"I know and I appreciate it. I really do," he nodded. "It just won't be the same as being there and seeing you win." Now he smiled. "And see the shock on the ChoirBoyz faces." He turned toward Beca and Lilly, walking on the edge of the group. "No offense meant toward Jesse or Benji, y'all."
"None taken, Chuck. We want to kick their butts, too, even though we're dating them," Beca giggled. Lilly just nodded.
"Well, OK then," Chuck laughed in response.
"Besides, Dr. Beckman's already told us that she's got a Stanford events crew on tap to be there to film the entire competition. I know it's not the same as being there, but at least you'll get to see us perform our song while we're decked out in our costumes this time," Sarah squeezed his hand.
"That's great!" Chuck grinned happily. "I know it's not just for me, but thanks just the same."
"You're welcome, babe," Sarah grinned back. "We're coming to your first game, at least part of it. We'll have to leave in plenty of time for us to get cleaned up, grab our stuff, and get up to Redwood City for the competition. Beckman also told us that she's going to be streaming your game on her tablet, so we'll get to see some of it, at least. And what we don't see, she'll tell us about."
"Yeah, she is a baseball fan," Chuck agreed. "Maybe more fanatic than fan. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm more concerned about doing badly and disappointing her than Graham. She can be intense." Chuck mugged an exaggerated fearful look.
"You've got it all wrong, Chuck," Sarah shook her head. "She wouldn't be mad at you; she'd be mad at the opposing team for daring to make you look bad." Chuck snorted a laugh.
"That's right, Curls," Zondra said. "I wouldn't be at all surprised that if you were to lose, Beckman wouldn't rush the field and grab a bat and go after the other team trying to beat their brains out."
Chuck frowned, laughed, and shook his head all at the same time. "Somehow, that's not making me relax the way I think you intended it to, Zondra." His pronouncement brought another round of laughter from the surrounding group.
Amy piped up. "Not to change the subject, Chuck, but since you only pitch in one game a week, what are you doing the rest of the time?"
"Do you mean what is my pitching routine?" he asked.
"Yeah? I guess? Whatever you call it," Amy shrugged uncertainly.
"OK, yeah. It's my pitching routine," Chuck scratched his head with his free hand. "Well, we only pitch once every seven days. That contrasts with the pro pitchers who typically pitch every five days."
"Why's it different?" Sarah asked.
"First, because we don't play every day. Only five days a week for college. And, second, because, while all of the games matter for our overall national ranking, the weekend conference games matter a little bit more since they're the ones that count toward our rank in the conference," Chuck explained.
"OK, so what's your seven-day routine then?" Amy persisted.
"Right," Chuck nodded. "OK, the routine starts right after you finish pitching when you ice your arm to reduce blood flow to the arm and cut back on the swelling that occurs from all of the use it gets during a game. Not everyone does this, but I think it helps me, so I still do it."
"If it works for you, sure," the petite blonde CATS senior agreed.
"The next two days after we pitch in a game, we do light stuff. Stretch, jog the poles, some sprints, light weights, and some easy throwing, kind of like kids tossing a ball around," Chuck recited. "The next two days are about the same, stretch, jog, sprints, weights, but the throwing uses more effort and we add in some focused throwing drills. Day five is more focused still with stretching, jogging, and a more normal pitching warm up. Then we either throw part of batting practice for the hitters or do a bullpen at about three quarters speed followed by some sprints. The sixth day is the one before we're scheduled to pitch next. It's more relaxed. Jogging and stretching. Shag fly balls from batting practice and throw a short bullpen, like five minutes or so, but at only about half speed. It's all designed to keep our arm strength up and keep us loose, but not get us hurt in the process. Kind of boring, I guess," he shrugged.
"It sounds a bit like what we do at practice the closer we get to the actual competition," Sarah said. "We want to make sure we have the song and the performance down, but we don't want anyone twisting anything or straining their voice, so we taper off bit by bit as we get closer to the competition. Full warm-ups and all that, but try not to mess anything up at the last minute."
"That's cool." Chuck grinned. "Y'all are vocal athletes."
"Don't forget the dancing, Chuckles," Carina teased.
"Or the two-inch heels," Sarah grinned. Chuck just blushed and shook his head to the sound of the girls' giggles.
Chuck and Sarah had retrieved their backpacks and other study materials from the dorm and made the trek up to his lab. Once there, he'd cleared off part of his desk so she could set up her laptop and work there. He busied himself with his projects, methodically working his way around the lab moving from table to table, subject to subject. Sarah looked up every so often and watched him.
His focus amazed her. He measured and recorded. Made adjustments and began new tests. When he got to the mechanical engineering table, he spent a long time at a microscope doing minute manipulations of whatever he was examining. She recalled him talking about nanobots, so that could be what he was doing. By the time he arrived at the electrical and computer engineering tables, Sarah was just about finished with her own work. Chuck started working on circuit boards, carefully soldering parts into place when she finally closed her books and shut down her computer, which was a good thing since the smell from the soldering would have distracted her anyway. Luckily, the lab had a good strong ventilation system with strategically placed vent hoods so the burning stench was whisked quickly from the room. She moved over to the more comfortable couch while he tinkered with the electronics. Sarah pulled a magazine from her backpack, intending to read. She was only fooling herself. Sarah wasn't doing much reading. Instead, she was watching him in earnest. And thinking. Thinking about him. About them. Sarah realized that she was spending a lot of time doing that lately, but she didn't care to stop.
They had gotten so close since that first day back in October. His eyes. His handshake. Their spark. Wow. Each day since has brought them even closer. His birthday. Oh God, he was so cute. Befuddled, shy, and so pleased by their singing and their gifts. She could have eaten him whole right then. Sarah recalled her restraint with some pride. Then her birthday. Those two days. Finding out about PT school. His revelations. Horrible and wonderful. So confusing and then so sweet, if a little bit strange with his relationship experiment ideas. Her Chuck was so logical and so clueless. It made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. Amazing and innocent. So adorable. He didn't have much experience with people, much less girls, but that also meant he didn't have the baggage the rest of them had. Or, maybe, his baggage was just different. Unique, just like he was.
God, how she loved him. Even now, if she took a deep breath, she could smell his special scent, Ivory soap, cedar, and him. The other odd smells in the lab couldn't mask his presence. She couldn't help it; it made her heart beat faster. Ever since their walk that first night after his revelations, they were together. First as lab partners, that thought caused a ghost of a smile to appear on her face, then as boyfriend and girlfriend. Maisie's! New Year's Eve. Kissing. Oh, how she loved kissing him and being kissed by him. Chuck had no guile in him, at all. At least where she was concerned. He opened himself up to her without any reservations and she did the same to him. Protected and loved. Sarah knew he hadn't said anything about being in love with her, but, to her mind, his every action spoke of his feelings. His overfilled brain hadn't gotten around to figuring it out just yet. They'd shared so much with each other and not just untold kisses. He'd told her so much about his life and she'd shared so much about hers. The good and the bad.
She looked over at him, surprised to see that Chuck was sitting at his desk. When did that happen? She really was distracted, she thought, letting out a soft snort of amusement. He was typing away, looking from one screen to the other. Researching or coding. She shook her head, he was relentless. Working like a demon. As Sarah gazed at his face, creased in concentration, she felt the familiar fire begin to burn low in her belly. She was both surprised, and not, to be having those feelings while he was busy working. He was just so sexy. Confident and focused. That look on his handsome face stoked the heat inside her. She wanted him. She wanted to take the next step. Get him to touch her, at least. Second base, she smirked silently. Perfect for a baseball player. She longed to feel his large warm hands on her body. But first, she'd have to get him over to the couch.
"How's it going, sweetie?" Sarah asked, trying to sound only half interested in his answer.
"Pretty well, I think," he absently replied, never taking his eyes off of the computer screen.
"Are you close to a stopping point?" she asked, pointedly.
"Why? Do you want to go back to the dorm?" He sounded even more distant, but his voice still made his concern evident.
"No, silly," Sarah's voice dripped honey. "I was hoping that we could work on getting your lips back into shape after your long trip to Arizona." That got his attention. Good. Chuck stopped what he was doing and slowly looked over at her with a questioning expression. He blinked. Then he smiled her special smile.
"I'd like nothing more, sweetie. But I've got to get this thing finished first. I'm sorry. Truly," Chuck pouted.
"Do you have some sort of time crunch?"
He snorted. "Always," he shook his head. "I'm beginning to think that my middle name is 'Time Crunch', Chuck 'Time Crunch' Bartowski."
"Well, just so you're not ignoring me," she teased with a twinkle in her eye. "That could give a girl a complex or something."
Chuck gave her a half grin and snorted again. "A complex, huh?" She nodded her head vigorously, grinning all the while. "Sarah, you have it all backwards."
"What are you talking about, Chuck?"
"You're all I focus on," he shrugged. "It takes an act of will, just for me to be able to accomplish anything besides dream about you or lose myself in your beautiful eyes."
Damn! He'd done it again. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him. Who knew unabashed honesty would be so compelling and hot? The fire was beginning to rage out of control. Hold on there, girl! Take a breath. Back off a little.
"Just so you know, I'm over here thinking about you. And missing you," she nibbled on her lower lip and looked at him through her lashes. He groaned. He actually groaned, then chuckled ruefully.
"I'll do my best to hurry, Sarah. I promise," he said as he returned to his work.
"You better," she teased, catching her tongue between her teeth as she grinned at him. He kept working, but he groaned again and shook his head with a smile on his face.
Sarah got lost in her thoughts and daydreams, while she flipped through the magazine idly. When she heard him push back from his desk and raise his arms over his head in a moaning stretch, she was surprised to see how late it was. Chuck had been at it for hours at one station or another. She blinked at him as he continued to stretch and flex his shoulders trying to get the kinks out of them from being hunched over his desk for so long. I might have to give him a shoulder rub one of these days, Sarah thought to herself, smiling inwardly at the thought of putting her hands on his strong back. And those broad shoulders. Yum. Shaking her head to clear that image from her mind, she looked over at him again.
"All done, babe?" She asked hopefully.
"Yup. For now, at least," he nodded tiredly.
Something told Sarah that what she'd seen was a typical evening for him. His day started early and he didn't stop until late at night. Well, now it was time for him to get some stress relief courtesy of his somewhat patient girlfriend.
"Come over and sit by me," she faux pouted. "I could use a snuggle and I bet you could, too."
"Don't I know it," Chuck agreed. Slowly, he got out of his chair and shuffled over to the couch before plopping down on it. He turned to her with a soft smile, "Hi there, sweetie. I've missed you."
Sarah leaned in and gently kissed his lips. The first of many, she was sure. Pulling back, she smiled, "I've missed you, too, baby. So much. So much." She scooted closer and snuggled under his arm and reached up to hold his hand. His contented sigh warmed every part of her and reignited the fire she'd been feeling earlier. Sarah was trying to figure out how to maneuver things so she could get him to touch her. Caress her breast with his warm, gentle hands. Then she heard his breathing even out. He was asleep! Oh no! Not now. She was so close to moving them along!
Twisting a bit so she could look at his face, Sarah saw that Chuck was, in fact, asleep, as she'd feared. His breath puffed out softly as he quietly snored. Was this a normal day for him? Working himself to exhaustion? Probably. Darn it! She longed for him to hold her and touch her, but she didn't begrudge him his sleep. It would just take her a little more time and planning. Twisting her lips to the side and frowning at her plans being upended, she fished her phone out of her purse. Sarah set the alarm for thirty minutes and settled back into his arms for a nice snuggle. After a minute, she gently grasped his hand and placed it on her breast. It felt so good that she couldn't help smiling, but she held in the moan that threatened to escape.
"I love you, Chuck Bartowski," Sarah very quietly whispered. "I love you so much and I long for the day when you touch me like this for real." She took his hand away from her chest and held it between both of hers, intertwining their fingers, sighing in happiness.
February 20
It was Wednesday evening and Chuck found himself walking over to Helman Hall and another Songbirds dress rehearsal performance. Sarah and the other CATS had gone over earlier to warm up with the rest of the group, so he was making the trip alone. As he neared the eastern side of the building, he saw Dr. Beckman coming toward him from the music department building, just to the south. She was trying to hold on to a fairly large cardboard box, so he hurried over to lend a hand.
"May I help you, Dr. Beckman?" he offered.
"Why, thank you, Chuck. Yes, can most definitely help me. Small women should know better than to carry large cardboard boxes anywhere," she grinned. Chuck grinned back, but very wisely refrained from making any comments. He took the box from the diminutive professor, shouldering it easily in his long arms.
"What's in here, anyway?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking," he added hurriedly.
Dr. Beckman grinned again at his manners. "No, I don't mind you asking, at all, but it's a secret. The girls don't know about it, so please put it down by the entrance as soon as you get it inside. I want to keep it a secret for as long as I can." Chuck's eyes widened as his eyebrows raised and he gave her a tight-lipped smile.
"OK, will do," he said.
When they reached the doors together, Dr. Beckman held it open for him and he quickly, as quietly as he could, put the box down in the dark corner near the other closed door as soon as he entered the building. The two then walked the rest of the way into the room as casually as they could.
Like both times before, the girls were congregated over near the risers. Dr. Beckman and Chuck took their accustomed seats, waiting for Sarah to give them her usual pre-performance briefing.
"I wanted to tell you, Chuck, that your game on Saturday was pretty impressive," Dr. Beckman smiled. "Congratulations on getting that win."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Chuck nodded. "It was a rougher start than I was expecting."
"Nonsense," she waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. Big Mike had it right. First game jitters. Happens to the best of us. That's not important. What's important is you fought through it and turned it around. Nice job."
Now Chuck blushed, much to the delight of the older woman. "Thank you. I guess it matters more how you end up rather than how you start out."
"Exactly right," Beckman nodded, before continuing. "Sorry that I'm taking Sarah away this Saturday for the quarter finals. With your team down at Cal State Fullerton next week, we won't get to see you pitch in person until Texas comes into town the following week. That kind of sucks."
Chuck was amused by the professor's pout, but kept quiet, again. "Yeah, since the Fullerton games are sort of weird, it doesn't help. A double-header on Friday and the last game on Sunday. That schedule keeps most people from making the trip to watch the games, I'm guessing."
"That's true, but the alumni and fans in the LA area should show up, so that's something," Beckman shrugged.
"I hope you're right, Ma'am," Chuck nodded. "It always helps to have friendly fans yelling their support in the stands. Mom and Dad said that they'll be there, so that'll be nice." Dr. Beckman was about to respond, when Sarah walked toward them with a smile on her face for her boyfriend.
"Third time's the charm," Sarah said, as she arrived in front of their regular audience. Looking at Chuck, she continued, "We're doing a mash up of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and "Survivor" by Destiny's Child. We're sick and tired of coming in second to those damn ChoirBoyz. They're going to get a good dose of pissed-off warrior women!" she said defiantly, jutting out her chin.
"They won't know what hit them," Chuck grinned.
"Damn straight," the fierce advisor growled, much to the assembled students' amusement. More than a few girls added "Hell Yeah" calls of their own.
"Aren't you going to ask me?" Sarah asked him with a smirk on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.
"Ask you what?" he was confused.
"What we're going to be wearing." She pursed her lips at his blank expression. "You know? Our costumes?"
He seemed to shake himself. "Oh, right. Right. Sorry. I was thinking about your warrior women comment. The only warrior women I know about were the Amazons in ancient Greek stories. Very fierce, but I'm not sure how much clothing they wore. Researchers are divided on the subject. Some even point to myths about self-mutilation …," Chuck slowed his spiral and stopped when he realized that everyone else had gone completely still.
He looked around and saw that all of the women were staring at him in open-mouthed shock. Seeing the look, he thought he saw, in Sarah's eyes, he knew that he'd messed up. He'd gotten lost in his head and spiraled out too much information. The wrong kind of information. Inappropriate. And they'd seen and heard him do it. He wasn't normal. At all. Chuck closed his eyes tightly and grimaced.
"I'm sorry, y'all. I ran off at the mouth and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I didn't mean to," he apologized while keeping his eyes shut. Chuck covered his face with his hands and bent his neck in shame.
His obvious pain and embarrassment were plain to see for all of the women looking at him. What was also obvious to them all was this clear evidence of the struggle he endured on a daily basis just trying to function in regular society. Any shock they felt at his outburst was quickly superseded by their concern for their friend. Sarah's concern for her boyfriend. Oh, my poor baby, she thought. Dr. Beckman was going to say something, but before she could, Sarah pulled Chuck to his feet and into a strong hug. While she rubbed his back and whispered to him, the rest of the group moved to surround and support their stricken friend. Their advisor's heart swelling with pride.
"It's OK, Chuck," Sarah soothed him. "Baby, it's OK." She held his head with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. "No one is mad at you," she reassured him. The other girls crowded around, hugging him and patted his back and shoulders, offering their own quiet words of understanding and support.
"We all know your story, Chuck," Sarah said, lifting his chin from her shoulder and looking him in the eye. "I know … We know what you deal with every day. None of us were offended by anything you said, just a little surprised." Chuck began to blush in embarrassed shame, but Sarah stopped him with a soft 'Shh' and a shake of her head. "It's OK, sweetie." She smiled and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're still my Chuck." His relieved grin made her smile grow wider.
"You're still my Sarah?" he asked, hopefully. "I'm not too much of a weirdo for you?"
She wrapped him in another hug and brought her lips to his ear. "Yes, I'm still your Sarah. You're not a weirdo. I lo— like you just the way you are," she whispered a little breathlessly as she realized what she'd almost let slip. Sarah felt him shiver when her breath tickled his ear. At least, she hoped that's what it was. She wasn't sure that she could deal with anything else right now. With another squeeze, she stepped back and held him at arm's length. A little more loudly, she spoke again. "Let us show you our performance. That should make you feel better." Chuck gave them a small smile and nodded. As the girls walked away, they patted his back, rubbed his shoulder, or gave him hugs and they all had kind smiles on their faces. When he sat back down, Dr. Beckman smiled her encouragement and affectionately, if awkwardly, squeezed his arm. They still hadn't told him what they were planning on wearing, but there was no way he was going to ask that particular question just then.
The girls lined up facing Dr. Beckman and him. In a repeat of their previous performances, Sarah pulled out her pitch pipe, blew the initial note, then counted out the tempo and the song began. And Chuck was blown away.
Sarah locked her eyes on Chuck and never looked away even for a second. The song was about surviving heartache and setbacks. It was about independence and having fierce pride in oneself. Never give up. The girls may have been singing about surviving heartbreak and betrayal, but Chuck was sure Sarah was singing to him. About her heartbreak and her guilt and overcoming them, but she was also telling him that he could overcome his trouble, as well. He could survive them. That he was a survivor, too. The sheer force of the emotion pulsing from all of the singers combined with a powerful stirring in his chest, left Chuck stunned and breathless. This was amazing. They were amazing! Oh my God! When the song ended, he jumped to his feet and blurted out the first thought that came into his head.
"Those ChoirBoyz don't stand one damn chance of beating y'all," Chuck gushed. "That was outstanding. Out-Standing!" He was clapping so hard his hands hurt, but he didn't stop. Beside him, Dr. Beckman wore a bemused smile and was clapping much more calmly.
"Not one damn chance, Chuck?" Sarah teased, pleased at his enthusiastic response.
"Nope," Chuck said, popping the 'p' and shaking his head emphatically. "Not one damn chance."
"Well, alrighty then," she grinned. "I guess our work here is done." She looked around at the pleased smiles on the other Songbirds. "Good job, ladies."
Dr. Beckman cleared her throat and stood up. "Yes, good job, ladies. Chuck might just be right. You should really give those judges something to think about come Saturday. But there is one more thing we need to do tonight, before I can let you go." Looking at Chuck, she said, "Chuck, would you please go get that box you brought in earlier?"
He nodded and trotted off, coming back with the requested box. She directed him to place it on the desk where she'd been sitting. Once he'd done as she asked, the professor walked over and opened it.
"You all have come together as a group since last fall," Dr. Beckman smiled. "But, even after all of your hard work, you still came in second place behind the ChoirBoyz in the two friendlies. Something was missing." Girls were confused, but some were nodding. "On the trip back from San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, you found your fire. You came together even more since then. Closer. Tighter. Fired up and determined to take your rightful place at the top of the podium." More girls were nodding and their confused looks had turned to fierce grins. "In honor of your hard work and your newfound fire and determination, I've gotten each of you something special." She reached into the box and pulled out what was on top. It was a cardinal-colored tee-shirt. When it was unfolded the singers could see what was on the front.
In the middle of the shirt was a clef note tilted to the right, as you looked at it, about forty-five degrees with the right swirl stylized to look like a bird in profile. The words Stanford and Songbirds were above and below the logo, respectively. Under Songbirds was a slogan "Kicking Ass in Two-Inch Heels!" As soon as the girls read the slogan, they laughed and looked over at Chuck. He'd seen it too, so he was blushing a sheepish grin and shaking his head in mock resignation. Dr. Beckman got the girls' attention, calling out their names and handing each of them a shirt.
"None for Chuck?" Sarah asked, surprised.
"That's OK, really," Chuck said, holding up his hands in the stop sign.
"You don't want a shirt about two-inch heels, Chuckles?" Carina teased.
"I'm good. Besides, I can't walk in heels. I've tried and it wasn't pretty. I'm afraid I'll break an ankle or something," he replied.
"What?" Carina looked incredulous. "You've worn heels before? When? Do tell," the red-head grinned. Other girls' eyes widened in surprised curiosity.
"Oh, come on! Didn't any of you ever play dress-up?" Chuck asked, holding his hands out, palms up.
"So, you like dressing up in girls' clothing?" Carina smirked. Sarah had a confused look on her face and was blinking rapidly. This was something new.
"Right. Carina, I was four," Chuck snorted. "Smart maybe, but small. I used to be a runt. I didn't always have boat feet like I do now or wear canoe-shoes." He lifted one of his feet and wiggled it for everyone to see. "Ellie and I played dress-up. Dad's stuff. Mom's stuff. Clomping around in his shoes or some of her older heels. Kid stuff," he shrugged. "Neither one of us could walk very well in Mom's shoes. We kept falling over. Tripping over the oversized clothes didn't help any, I guess." The image he described charmed them and disarmed them, as well. Sarah smiled at the mental image of young Chuck clomping around in oversized shoes while draped in his parents clothing and giggled.
"I bet you were cute, Chuck," she teased.
"I don't know about cute, but I knew enough not to cross Ellie back then. When she wanted to play dress-up, we played dress-up," he rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner drawing chuckles from the assembled girls.
"Wasn't Ellie like eight back then, if you were four?" Sarah asked. "Wasn't she a little old to be playing dress up in your parents' clothes?"
"Don't ask me," Chuck shrugged. "I was just following orders." He grinned and raised his right hand to his brow in a proper salute.
"You did say you were smart, babe," Sarah teased, before changing the subject. "You never asked what we were planning on wearing for our performance, sweetie. Don't you want to know?" She smiled.
"Noo. Nope. Not making that mistake again," Chuck shook his head again and blushed. "I'll wait and see the recording after you win. I've had enough clothing-related malfunctions for one day." Some of the girls giggled. Sarah pulled him in for a hug and heard his rueful chuckle.
February 23
The Songbirds' quarter final competition for the Western Region of the ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate Acapella) was being held in their own backyard at the venerable Fox Theatre in Redwood City, just five miles from Stanford's campus, straight up the El Camino Real. It would only take them about fifteen minutes to make the trip. Their quarter final was the fifth, and last, one scheduled for the western region that season. The other eight schools heading to the semifinals the next month in Oregon had already been decided. Everyone was nervous and excited, actually chomping at the bit to get the competition underway. With the venue being so close, the girls were free for most of the afternoon. The competition was set to begin at 7:00pm and run until 11:00pm that night. Beckman had planned a very light meal for the group at 4:00pm, so the girls could eat a little, enough to stave off any hunger pangs, but not so much that anyone would get an upset stomach during the performance. Then, it was back to their dorms to grab their garment bags before boarding the bus at 5:30 for the quick drive up the road.
The CATS planned on spending the early part of the afternoon cheering on their mascot and the rest of the baseball team, even though Chuck wouldn't be the one pitching in the first game. That also meant that Alex wouldn't get to see Morgan play, either, since he was the backup catcher and Chuck was the only pitcher he caught. They'd have to settle for watching the live stream on their tablets and then Dr. Beckman's commentary once they reached the Fox Theatre.
Sarah was perched a couple of rows behind the first base dugout, along with the rest of the CATS, Alex, and a good number of the Songbirds. Drs. Beckman and Montgomery and Alex's mom, Kathleen, sat together next to Sarah at the edge of the singers' group. Even Ellie and Devon were there, but were sitting with a group of their medical school classmates, so Sarah didn't have an opportunity to talk with Ellie. She and her suitemates were decked out in their Stanford sweatshirts and had their hair up in pigtails, much like they had done for football games back in the fall. It was getting a little warmer, so they had their new tee-shirts, Dr. Beckman had gifted them with, on under the sweatshirts, just in case they needed to take the heavier shirts off. Sarah's baseball knowledge was limited, even though she and Chuck had talked about a number of topics, so she was happy that Dr. Beckman was on hand and was willing to fill her in on the finer points of the game. One of the first things Dr. Beckman told her was that she should plan on bringing her earphones to the next game so she could listen to Big Mike on the radio.
"It's great," the advisor reported. "The announcers at the game don't give out as much information over the public address system as Big Mike does on the radio. He's much more colorful to listen to, as well," she shrugged. "It's really the best of both worlds. Watch the game in person and listen to the play-by-play from Big Mike on the radio." Sarah nodded her understanding.
"I'll bring my earphones to the next game, for sure," Sarah promised. "Charge up my phone and listen to the radio stream, so I don't miss any of the details when Chuck's pitching."
"You'll enjoy the game a whole lot more, I promise," Dr. Beckman grinned.
"Would it be OK if I asked you some questions from time to time today?" Sarah asked, nibbling on her lower lip uncertainly.
"Of course, my dear," Dr. Montgomery interjected. "Diane and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Especially since your main source of baseball information is currently indisposed," he smiled kindly. Sarah couldn't help the pink color that rose on her cheeks. The two singing advisors shared a look and smiled at each other.
"Thank you, Dr. Montgomery. That's very kind of you both," the young woman said appreciatively.
"Nonsense, Sarah," Dr. Beckman smiled. "We're just trying to make sure you get the most out of this great game and Chuck's part in it." The older woman winked at her. The color on Sarah's cheeks got a little deeper.
Mac Henderson, the senior right-handed pitcher, had the honor of pitching the first game and, thus, kicking off Stanford's home schedule against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels. The PAC-12 conference games weren't due to begin for almost a month, so all the contests until that time were going to be non-conference games. Important, to be sure, but also an opportunity for Stanford to work out any issues before the season really heated up. While Henderson was warming up, Dr. Beckman put in her earphones and started up the Stanford sports radio app to listen to Big Mike Tucker's commentary. The warm ups were finished and the game began.
Henderson was able to get the first two batters to ground out and fly out, respectively, but each one had done so after getting to a full count (3-2, 3 balls and 2 strikes). That did not bode well for Mac's time on the mound. Dr. Beckman relayed Big Mike's concern to the surrounding singers. Sarah chewed on her lower lip
Sure enough, the very next batter, JT Wold, took a 1-0 fastball to left field for a single. Henderson got behind the fourth batter, Ed Williams, 3-1, which allowed him to hit a double to right center and bring Wold into score. Max Smith followed up with another single, again to right center, allowing Williams to score a second run. The Rebels left fielder, Grant Robbins smacked the first pitch he saw to right field, pushing Smith up to second while he took first base for himself. Stanford fans were getting a little crazy. This was not what they had expected to see for the first home game. Sarah felt bad for the senior pitcher, but she couldn't help but be thankful that it wasn't her Chuck in the hot seat this time around.
"Come on, Mac!" she yelled. "Get this next guy!" Sarah noticed Dr. Beckman staring at her on one side and Carina staring at her on the other. She just shrugged and got a pair of grins from her seatmates.
"That's right, Henderson! Get this guy!" Beckman yelled. "Bear down and get it done." She turned to Sarah, "Careful with your voice, Sarah. We don't want you to have any problems tonight."
"Right, Dr. Beckman. Sorry about that. I'll behave," Sarah grinned. Beckman gave her a companionable smile and chuckled.
Henderson promptly fell behind UNLVs catcher, Jacob Godman, 3-1, the seventh batter of the young game. The crowd was really yelling and more than a few were yelling at Mac, not cheering him on. Sarah didn't like to see that, so she looked over at her advisor. Beckman knew what her question was before she asked it.
"That's baseball, Sarah," the older woman shrugged one shoulder. "It's not always pretty, but it is baseball. Fans can be tough on their own team when things aren't going their way."
Luckily for him, Mac finally got Godman out with a change-up that flew out to right field that turned foul, but still playable. Chris Ebersole pulled it into his glove for the third out. Everyone wearing cardinal colors breathed a huge sigh of relief. That inning had taken Henderson 30 pitches to get through. It looked like it was going to be a rough first home outing for the Stanford nine.
Nothing much happened for Stanford in the bottom of the first. Larkin reached first on a single toward the UNLV shortstop, but he beat the throw. The other batters in the bottom half of the frame were pretty quiet. Things settled down into a bit of a pitcher's duel with both competing pitchers keeping almost everyone off of the basepaths. There were a smattering of hits, but neither team could put together any kind of sustained offense to score some runs.
All that changed in the bottom of the fourth inning. Larkin led off and laced an 0-2 (no balls and 2 strikes) slider into left field for a single. He promptly stole second base and advanced to third when the UNLV catcher, Godman, threw the baseball past the guy guarding the bag and into center field. The Rebels were rattled and it showed on the very next play. Shaw hit what should have been an easy grounder to second base, only to have the player, Rosenberg, boot the ball, allowing Shaw to reach first unmolested. Larkin took the opportunity to come in to score. The run was unearned, but it still counted, making the score 1-2 in UNLV's favor. It was no small feat and the Stanford fans screamed their support for the heads-up baserunning they'd just witnessed.
"Woo Hoo!" Beckman yelled. "Go get 'em boys! They're running scared now!" All of the Songbirds attending the game turned disbelieving eyes to their advisor. There were more than a few very, very quiet giggles.
Carina leaned over and whispered in Sarah's ear. "Chuckles wasn't wrong. Beckman is a bit of a fanatic, isn't she?" Sarah turned to her friend and slowly nodded.
"She sure is," she agreed in a very soft voice. "I'm just glad she's on our side." Her redheaded suitemate smirked and snorted a laugh.
After that bit of excitement, the game settled back into the pitcher's duel once again. When Stanford wasn't able to get anything done in the bottom of the sixth inning, Dr. Beckman signaled the singers that it was time to head back to the dorms to start their preparations for that evening's competition.
"They'll pull Henderson, anyway," Beckman announced. "Big Mike agrees with me. His pitch count hit 99 and the offense hasn't been able to make any headway with the Las Vegas pitcher." She looked around at her girls. "I'll keep on listening to Big Mike and give you an update when we meet at Lakeside for our dinner. Let's go." Sarah and her friends gathered up their belongings and joined the rest of the group making their way to the exit from the stadium. She gave one last look back, wishing she could see Chuck, but she knew he was relaxing in the team's dugout, waiting for when it was his time to pitch later that day.
Now that it was time to prepare for their performance, the Songbirds' adrenaline started pumping. They hurried back across campus to their dorms to shower, shave, and exfoliate to present their best selves to the judges. The CATS blew out their hair, but eschewed any makeup until they reached the theatre and began their final preparations. Instead, they trekked over to Lakeside Dining to join their fellow singers and Dr. Beckman. Their showering and other preparations had taken enough time that Beckman told them the first game had finished without any more runs being scored by either team. A few hits and some walks, but nothing that resulted in any change in the score.
"I was right," the diminutive professor told them when they arrived at the dining hall. "They pulled Henderson and put in the relief to finish it up after the sixth inning. It was a noble effort, but we came up short, 1-2. Our first loss of the season, but don't let that get into your heads. That's baseball, not acapella. You're going to be great tonight. I just know it." She looked over at Sarah. "According to Big Mike, the next game is going to start at 4:30, once they drag the infield and get it ready. Both teams are currently back in their locker rooms resting and snacking while they wait for the next game to begin. I've got my tablet all charged up and I packed a spare charging cable, just in case. I'll keep everyone posted on how Chuck does." Turning her attention to the wider group, she added, "Everyone needs to eat a little something. Don't overdo it. Just keep calm and relax. You're going to do fine. Just fine."
The girls made their choices and secured a couple of tables so they could eat together in peace. Although they really didn't want to think about it, they imagined that the ChoirBoyz were doing the exact same thing with Dr. Montgomery over at Florence-Moore Dining hall. Sarah nibbled at her food, spending most of her time distracting herself by talking with her fellow singers, especially her fellow CATS. She was excited and nervous about the competition, but a part of her was also having those same feelings about Chuck's game. When she saw the wall clock in the hall click over to 4:30, she sent silent wishes over to her boyfriend. Good luck, baby. I wish I could be there for you. I know you'll do great. I love you so much. Sarah had no way of knowing that her Chuck was thinking almost the exact same thoughts at that exact moment.
Chuck came out of the dugout and looked over in the direction of Roble Hall and Lakeside Dining. He expected that Sarah and the other Songbirds were getting ready for their important competition. Good luck, sweetie. I wish I could be there to watch y'all and support you. I know y'all will be great and I can't wait to watch your performance. He heaved a sigh and took a deep breath before clearing his mind of everything besides baseball and the task before him. Now focused, he stepped over the foul line and made his way to the pitcher's mound to begin his pre-game warmup.
Sarah and most of the other singers also took the time to pull out phones and tablets to watch the Stanford Sports live stream of Chuck's game while they ate and talked. He walked the very first batter, but kept anyone else from reaching base for a solid and scoreless inning, unlike his first game. Sarah took a shaky breath and tried to push away her concern for him. Stanford went in order in the bottom of the first, so Chuck was back on the mound in almost no time. He was much stronger in the second inning, allowing only a single and retiring the side on just thirteen pitches. Sarah looked over at Dr. Beckman.
"That was a very good inning, Sarah. Chuck gave up just one hit and pretty much ruled the other three batters," the auburn-haired professor smiled. Sarah appreciated Beckman's confidence, but her own smile was still a bit uncertain. Would she ever get used to watching or hearing him play that game that he loved so much?
Stanford's half of the inning saw Chris Ebersole walk on four pitches. Bobby Malcolm, the DH (designated hitter), singled to right field and Ebersole made it all the way to third. First and third and no outs! A very good start to the inning for the home team. Shaw hit a sacrifice fly to center field and Ebersole scored, making it 1-0 in Stanford's favor. A walk to John Sload moved Shaw to second, but the Las Vegas pitcher struck out both Mike Millard and Morgan, preventing Stanford from adding to their meager run total. Alex grumped about Morgan's poor at-bat.
After dawdling over their food and distracting conversations (and the baseball live stream) for as long as they could, the singers slowly started to head back to their rooms, in twos and threes, to gather up their garment bags and makeup kits. All of the Songbirds were already gathered together, along with Dr. Beckman, outside Meier Hall when the charter bus pulled up. The girls quietly climbed on board, placed their kits and other bags in the overhead space, and hung their garment bags from the rack in the available unoccupied seats. After they were all situated, Dr. Beckman shepherded the event crew onto the bus. They'd stored their gear in the spaces under the bus before boarding. Sarah was glad to see them since they were the ones who would be recording the competition for Chuck, … and others, to enjoy eventually. A short bus ride later and the Songbirds arrived in front of the Fox Theatre in Redwood City. Somber and serious, the singers filed off of the bus. It was time to begin their final preparations.
Like before, the Songbirds were shown to their dressing room while Dr. Beckman took care of the formalities. As soon as the door to their dressing room was closed, the women all exploded into a frenzy of motion. They helped each other fix their hair in a variety of popular 1960s hairstyles. Sarah and the CATS all chose to go with a baby beehive half up style since it looked pretty and made the best use of their long hair. Some of the girls followed the seniors' lead, but others chose different styles, but still kept to the 60's theme. Next came the makeup. More than one singer had to take a few calming breaths to still their adrenaline-fueled hands. It would not look good if their makeup was applied with shaking fingers. The final touch were their dresses and shoes. Sarah and the CATS had decided to go full on 1960's girl group chic.
The Songbirds were wearing silver metallic mini-dresses with half inch black patent leather belts with silver clasps and two-inch stacked heel black Mary Janes with a bow accent. Once everyone was dressed, they took a minute to check each other out.
"Damn, we look good, Blondie," Carina marveled.
"Yeah, we do," Sarah agreed. "I wish Chuck could see me in this," she added, dreamily.
Zondra leaned over and whispered to the other two CATS, "She just wishes Chuck would take her out of that dress." Amy nodded and snickered. Carina just smirked.
"I heard that," Sarah scolded.
"Well?" Carina asked.
"She's not wrong," Sarah admitted to her friends with her own smirk.
"Damn, girl!" Zondra laughed. She laughed harder and was joined by her two roommates when Sarah just shrugged.
Dr. Beckman had come in while the women were getting ready and had heard the exchange and couldn't help chuckling to herself. She just hoped that Sarah didn't kill him when the time came. She cleared her throat and attempted to get everyone's attention.
"OK, everyone, listen up. I've got two things to tell you," Beckman began. "First, an update on the baseball game. After Stanford score in the second inning, nothing else happened until the top of the sixth. Chuck gave up a single, got an out, and gave up a second single. Graham pulled him with one out. Cody Jenson, the reliever, struck out the next guy, but walked the guy after that, which loaded the bases. Then he screwed up and balked (moved while his foot was on the pitching rubber, but didn't throw a pitch). That advanced all the guys on base and got them a run, which sucks. He got his act together and got the last guy to ground out."
"What does that mean, Dr. Beckman? Besides the score now being tied, I mean." Sarah asked.
"That means that Chuck is done pitching for the day. It's a no contest for him. He won't get the win or the loss depending on how the game turns out. Since he put the guy on base who scored the run, it gets charged to him and affects his statistics. Other than that, it means nothing else."
"Thanks for clarifying that for me," Sarah nodded her appreciation. Beckman smiled in return before continuing her announcements.
"Second, as you know, this is the last quarter final competition in the Western Region," Beckman stated. "The other eight schools going to the semifinals have already been determined. This competition has ten schools from the greater Bay area. There's two from Berkeley, two from UC Davis, one each from San Jose State and UC Santa Cruz, and two from Diablo Valley College. Don't look down your noses at the Diablo kids. They may be from a community college, but they can sing, so you need to bring your A-game. The ChoirBoyz and us make up the final two groups for the full field of ten." She looked around at the assembled women. "You all look beautiful. And you sing better than you look. You can do this. Get angry. The top two groups go on to the semis. Screw coming in second again. Get ready to put the ChoirBoyz, and all the rest of them, in their proper places. Behind you and lower than you in the scorebook. Get ready and get your game faces on. It's time to kick some ass!" She growled. Some of the girls growled back.
"In two-inch heels!" Carina chirped. That turned the growls into laughter and broke a bit of the tension in the room.
"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah breathed quietly, but not quietly enough because their advisor heard her.
"Yes. Thank you, Chuck," Beckman chuckled. "Now, let's go through your warmups. I, for one, can't wait to see Chuck throw a fit when he sees the recording and hears that we won the competition." Sarah blushed. After another round of amused laughter, the singers got their game faces on and worked through their warm up drills. When that was accomplished, the group all donned choir robes to hide their costumes until it was time to perform to increase the wow factor. They filed out of their dressing room and walked toward the theatre proper and the coming battle.
The Fox Theatre originally opened its doors in January 1929. It was built in a Moorish style, like other theatres during that time. Their original intent was to show movies, but, like those other establishments, the theatre also featured a stage where live performances of various kinds could be staged. It was a very stylish and opulent place to hold a collegiate singing competition. Almost as soon as the Songbirds had found a block of seats in the audience, the ICCA organizers appeared on stage to welcome everyone and announce the performance order for the ten groups. And the first bit of good luck for the Stanford ladies. They drew the final spot! The ChoirBoyz had to perform before them! Maybe it was a sign.
With the competition scheduled to run for four hours, the girls settled in to wait. Wait, watch, and listen as all of the other groups went through their performances. While they were definitely feeling confident about their chances, it was still somewhat nerve-wracking to sit and watch all of the talented groups and singers performing. Their one consolation was that none of the groups did anything like the Songbirds were planning. As the evening drew on, the girls felt a strange mix of confidence and apprehension growing in the pits of their stomachs. They knew what they were going to do and it seemed like none of the other groups were going to come close to their performance, if they could keep their collective cool. But they were also worried about being too confident and, thus, angering the acapella gods so that they went down in flames and shame. Then it was time for the ChoirBoyz to perform. This was a moment of truth. The Songbirds walked backstage and watched from the wings as the boys took the stage.
The ChoirBoyz were dressed in cardinal-colored Stanford zip-front hoodie sweatshirts, cardinal tee-shirts, jeans, and cardinal sneakers. In other words, they looked like they just stepped off campus. It was an interesting choice full of their signature confidence and swagger. They didn't need to dress for the occasion, they were the ChoirBoyz, after all, and had already won the competition before it even started. The song they'd chosen was "Right Round" by Flo Rida. Donald Ambudkar and Jesse Swanson handled the vocals with the rest of the group taking care of the background music. Their dance moves were arrogant and casual, but flawless. Hot and full of their sexy swagger. The girls could see and hear how the boys' performance was affecting the crowd. And not just the other groups. Beca couldn't stop herself from a soft groaning after one of Jesse's more provocative hip swivels. She actually moaned when he caressed his neck and chest at a particularly emotive moment in the song.
"Damn, Beca," Alex teased. "Do we need to get you into a cold shower before we go on stage?" Beca blushed furiously.
"Bite me," Beca grumbled.
"No thanks," her friend retorted. "I'll leave that to Jesse later on tonight." Beca's blush got even deeper, but she couldn't help laughing at herself. The rest of the group shared some giggles, easing their tension a little.
The ChoirBoyz's performance was winding down, so the Songbirds took off their robes and handed them to Dr. Beckman. Before they could do anything else, the advisor spoke.
"Good news," Beckman began. "Stanford won the second game, 3-2. I'll give you all of the details after you're done on stage. We're on a winning streak tonight. Now go out there and show them who's boss," she finished and led the girls in their warmups before stepping away to allow the group to do their last-minute preparations.
"We're here. We're ready. We're beautiful and badass," Sarah looked around at the other women. "I know that and you know that. It's way past time to have the ChoirBoyz and the rest of them learn that, too. Let's go kick some ass!" Quiet "Hell yeahs" and a few "Fuck yeahs" greeted her words. "Put your hands in here," she ordered. "Two-Inch Heels on three!" Giggles. "One … Two … Three!"
"Two-Inch Heels!" More giggles.
"We got this, Blondie," Carina whispered to Sarah. "They don't stand a fucking chance in hell of beating us." The redhead nodded once, emphatically. Sarah nodded, too. I hope so, Red, she thought. Wish me luck, Chuck. Love you.
The Songbirds trooped on stage and formed a single line. When the other groups saw them in their matching (and flattering) 60's outfits and hairstyles, they let out a collective gasp. Good! It was time to show them the new queens of the acapella hill. Sarah pulled out her pitch pipe and blew the initial note, counted out the tempo and they began. The background singers sang the melody and harmony while Lilly dealt with the percussion. Sarah took the lead vocals of "I Will Survive".
At first, I was afraid, I was petrified
Kept thinkin' I could never live without you by my side
But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to get along
The girls were all dancing in a 60's choreographed line style when Zondra picked up the next verse.
And so you're back from outer space
I just walked in to find you here, with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second, you'd be back to bother me
Sarah took over, again, for the third verse. Some of the people in the audience were beginning to get into the music, but others, like the ChoirBoyz, were smirking at the dated 60's girl group song and dance moves. Then, the Songbirds hit them with their knockout punch. After the third verse, the music changed and the women all paired up to dance with each other. Sarah with Carina, Zondra with Amy and so on. More singers joined Sarah, Zondra, and Amy on the main lyric for "Survivor", while Carina sang the response.
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm not gon' give up (What?)
I'm not gon' stop (What?)
I'm gon' work harder (What?)
I'm a survivor (What?)
I'm gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin' (What?)
The audience went absolutely nuts. Every woman watching was on her feet cheering and singing along with the Songbirds. Even some of the men, including Jesse and Benji. Their ChoirBoyz partners just looked stunned. Where did this come from? Who were these women? Dr. Montgomery caught Diane Beckman's eye where she waited in the wings and gave her a huge smile. He was sorry that his boys weren't going to triumph that night, but he was so proud of her and her girls that he was OK with coming in behind them. He didn't need to know the scores to know who had won that competition.
It was all over but the shouting. By the time the Songbirds collapsed to the stage at the end of their song, in a practiced move, it was plain to everyone in the theatre who the winners were. When the judges announced the results, no one was surprised. The Afterglow from UC Davis came in third with 309 points. The ChoirBoyz were second with 389 points. With a whopping 409 points, the Songbirds came in first. As soon as it was announced and official, everyone rose to their feet and applauded the Stanford women, even the ChoirBoyz, at Dr. Montgomery's insistence. Amidst all of the cheering, laughing, and crying, Beca shared a passionate kiss with Jesse. While they couldn't hear what the two said to one another, the other Songbirds could read lips and, so, knew that Beca had whispered "later" to her boyfriend.
"We're going to the semis!" Amy cheered. She got a lot of happy agreement. "Even if we have to put up with the ChoirBoyz in the process." That got some grumbles, but the girls were too happy to care too much about the second-place finishers.
"So, Blondie," Carina grinned. "What do you think Chuckles is going to do when he hears about this?"
"I have no idea," Sarah grinned in reply. Kiss me like crazy, I hope, she thought to herself.
A/N2: Chapter title comes from the song "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" by Luigi (Louis) Prima, written and composed in 1936. Though it has lyrics, which Prima wrote, it was covered as an instrumental by Fletcher Henderson and, most famously, by Benny Goodman. Yes, this is the same Louis Prima who voiced King Louie in the 1967 Disney cartoon, The Jungle Book.
A/N3: In reality, Stanford participated in their quarterfinal acapella competition on February 2 on the 2019 calendar that I'm using for this story. I used my artistic license to switch their event to February 23 at the same location.
A/N4: In trying to come up with a good song for empowered women, I stumbled across a clip from the Glee TV show which I shamelessly 'borrowed' for this story. If you're Interested in seeing and hearing it, Google "Glee Survivor/I Will Survive". It's a 4:48 long video and the song begins at 2:19. I know there are instruments in the video, so imagine that music is actually being sung by the melody/harmony/percussion singers in the Songbirds.
A/N5: I continue to sing, sing, sing the praises of WillieGarvin and his wonderful beta skills. Thank you for all of your help and support, WG. I'm sorry, but all I can pay you with is peanuts and Cracker Jacks.
A/N6: Thank you for reading. Please drop me a PM or leave a review. Let me know what you think. For those of you who have left reviews or PMs previously, thank you. I appreciate each and every one of them. Many thanks to those of you who have followed and favorited the story, too.
A/N7: If you enjoy Chuck fan fiction here on the fanfic site, go over to Facebook and join the Chuck Fanfiction group that's there. You'll find nice folks who share your interest in our favorite spy couple. You are not alone.