CHUCK VS. THE BEGUILING BEHAVIOR
DISCLAIMER: I don't own "Chuck."
SUMMARY: After Chuck breaks up with Sarah (in the second season episode "Chuck Vs. The Breakup"), she fights to win him back. But Chuck's mysterious behavior worries both Sarah and Ellie. Has he found a new girl friend or is something else going on?
NOTE: OK folks, some answers are here and in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this!
Part Six – Mystery Solved
Sarah didn't know how much more she could take. For the past 10 minutes, she had gritted her teeth, clenched and unclenched fists, crossed and uncrossed her arms, and shot so many daggers from her eyes that she was surprised she hadn't gone blind.
But she couldn't stand watching what was going on in front of her. She couldn't stand Chuck – HER Chuck – being groped and fondled by that brunette … that brunette … that brunette bitch! she finally thought acidly.
After Devon had let slip his remark about the perfume that had been on Chuck's clothes, Ellie had cornered him and demanded that he "spill it." Devon had resisted, saying that he had given his word to Chuck that he wouldn't tell. But when Devon saw how really worried and concerned that both Ellie and Sarah were, he "accidently knocked over" a notepad buried on Chuck's desk that would help them, he claimed. "And I didn't say anything!" he said as he left the room.
Sarah grabbed the notepad. It had an address and room number on it.
With that Sarah dashed out to her car and drove to the address. Ellie had all but demanded to come along but Sarah convinced her otherwise with a promise to call as soon as something was known. Sarah broke all speed limits to get to the address and much to her surprise, it was the very same high-rise apartment building that she had spotted Chuck entering before Ellie's call. But this time, Sarah knew where to go -- room number 119.
Disregarding any subterfuge or secrecy or shadowing tactics, she marched right into the building, and to room 119. Which was not a suite or an apartment. It was a gymnasium. A fully equipped gymnasium with treadmills, weights, lifestep machines, stationary bicycles, and mats.
And there on the mats was Chuck. Her Chuck. Learning self defense.
It took Sarah a few moments to digest all of this. Chuck doing something athletic was new to her. She never really thought of Chuck in that way. She thought of him … well, he was Chuck!
She watched Chuck go through the moves and methods. He worked hard at it and he was really trying. For a beginner, he was pretty good, she marveled. And for a moment, she pictured Chuck alongside her fighting and the image made her smile. It would certainly be a different Chuck.
Sarah quietly walked over to a weight machine and stood behind it so that she could continue watching without Chuck seeing her. She was going to wait until his lesson was over to talk to him.
She was puzzled as to why Chuck wouldn't tell her that he was taking self defense lessons. And she also wondered how this related to his avoiding her. But at the same time, she felt relieved. Chuck wasn't cheating on her. She really had been scared that Chuck had found somebody else. But he hadn't, he was taking self defense lessons.
But then she saw the self defense instructor.
She was a brunette. She had a gorgeous face and hair. She had a nice body that Spandex fit so well, especially that well-endowed chest she had, Sarah noted while gritting her teeth.
Brunettes! Why is it always brunettes? she thought angrily.
And Devon was right. Her perfume was powerful. Sarah could detect it all the way from where she stood watching Chuck and his, his … INSTRUCTOR, she finally spat.
The more she watched, the worse it got. The instructor seemed to take every opportunity, every chance to touch and rub against Chuck. She rubbed his arms, his shoulders, his back, his hair. When she showed Chuck some moves, she pressed up against him – REALLY up against him, Sarah raged. No wonder Chuck smelled like he had bathed in the perfume.
And her constant stream of innuendo!
"That was SOOOO good Chuck!"
"I'm not satisfied Chuck. Do it again!"
"Show me what you got Chuck!"
"You can't satisfy me that way Chuck! Try it again!"
"Get me excited Chuck!"
"Do it again Chuck! You have to satisfy me! You won't be leaving until you satisfy me!"
Sarah fumed. She kept thinking over and over again that if that bitch touches Chuck, HER Chuck, like that one more time, she would … well, what would she do?
She tried to keep her eyes on Chuck instead of the instructor. He seemed oblivious to the flirting. He didn't react to it. He just kept trying to learn the defensive moves.
Then the instructor flipped him and he landed hard on the mat on his back with a yelp. Sarah looked closely. Was he hurt?
"Are you OK?" the instructor asked.
"Just give me a minute," Chuck panted as he rested on the mat.
"Ohhhhhh, poor baby," the instructor cooed. She crouched down by Chuck. She put her face very close to his and looked like she was about to kiss him.
ENOUGH! Sarah thought and she vaulted from her spot and was by Chuck in seconds. The instructor noticed Sarah's shadow and realized they had company.
She looked up at an angry, glaring Sarah. "Can I help you?" she asked.
Chuck, still lying flat on the mat, opened his eyes.
"Sarah!" he said in surprise.
"Who is this Chuck?" the instructor asked.
"Well, she's …." Chuck paused as if trying to figure out what he should call Sarah. Girl friend Chuck, girl friend, Sarah silently yelled inside her head, I'm your girl friend!
"I'm his girl friend," Sarah said out loud deciding not to bother waiting for Chuck to say something.
Chuck stared at Sarah with a surprised expression.
"Oh. Well, we're almost done. Why don't you just wait over there until we finish," the instructor said.
Sarah said nothing but glared coldly at her. After a few seconds, she walked off of the mat and then stood there at the edge and waited for the lesson to end. Which it did, a few minutes later.
"OK Chuck, that's it for this session. You're doing great! I can definitely see improvement. Now finish with your exercises to build up your endurance. You know how I like lots of endurance. And I'll see you in a couple of days for your next lesson."
And with that, the instructor walked off. Chuck went over to the treadmill, turned it on and started jogging. Sarah walked over, stopped in front of the machine.
"Why didn't you tell me about this? Why are you doing this?" she asked.
Chuck said nothing for a while and continued jogging. When he finally spoke, Sarah noticed a bit of a sad tone in his voice. "I wanted to help."
"Help? Help with what?"
He hesitated and when he spoke, it all came out like a flood of frustration.
"I wanted to help with the missions. I'm always a burden to you, you always have to protect me, you always have to save me. All I do is get into a fix and you have to risk your life getting me out. And last time, during the Von Hayes mission, it nearly got you killed. My screwup nearly got you killed! I'm always the joke, I'm always the problem. I want to be able to help. I don't want to get you killed. I want you to be able to depend on me, to rely on me like you can with Bryce. He told me –"
He stopped suddenly. Sarah could tell that he didn't intend to say that last part. "What did Bryce tell you?" she demanded.
"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that I try to help keep you safe and alive, not get you killed. And I thought if I learned self defense, I could help," he quickly replied trying to change the subject.
"Chuck, what did Bryce tell you?"
"It doesn't matter."
Sarah reached over to the treadmill panel, pushed the stop button and grabbed one of Chuck's arms as the treadmill slowed down and eventually came to a stop.
"What – did – Bryce – tell – you?"
"He told me that our feelings for each other were putting you in danger. That in your job, you deal with killers and assassins who have no emotions, no feelings, that you have to be the same in order to battle them and stay alive. He said your feelings for me were interfering and could get you hurt and even killed." Then he turned the treadmill back on and resumed jogging.
For a moment, Sarah said nothing. Her first reaction was rage and anger – at Bryce for saying that to Chuck, for interfering with how she and Chuck felt about each other. What Bryce said must have frightened and hurt Chuck and she was furious about that. Then something else clicked in her mind.
"You broke up with me because you thought you were protecting me, didn't you? You've been avoiding me to protect me?" He said nothing for a while and then finally nodded.
Chuck wanted to protect me, she thought. He wanted to do whatever he could to keep her safe. In spite of everything he went through, all of the danger he faced, his first concern and priority was her safety, her well-being.
"Chuck, you should have told me about this. I was worried about you. Ellie was worried – dammit!"
What?" Chuck asked.
"I forgot to call Ellie. She's probably frantic by now." Sarah pulled out her phone and dialed Ellie, who answered on the first ring and practically shouted out question after question. Sarah finally calmed Ellie down and told her that Chuck was all right and gave her a short version of what was going on and promised to explain in more detail later.
"Why was she so worried?" Chuck asked after Sarah hung up.
That cold, empty pit that had formed in her stomach earlier when Ellie had showed her the gun and information on suicide at Chuck's room came back. The thought of Chuck – her Chuck, she once again thought – of killing himself, of taking his life, of being dead terrified her. She looked at him closely.
"Chuck, were you … were you … going to kill yourself?"
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What? No! Are you crazy? What … why would you think that?" he sputtered.
"Ellie found a gun in your room this morning after you left. She also found some papers with information about suicides."
"Papers? What papers? I may think that my life sucks. But not enough to kill myself. No!"
"Then what is that gun doing in your room?" Sarah asked.
Once again, he didn't speak for a while as he seemed to ponder an answer. Finally he spoke:
"For the same reason I'm doing this self defense. I wanted to be better, I wanted to be able to protect myself, I wanted to be able to fight like you do and …." He shook his head as if in exasperation. "I wanted to be like Br—"
He had stopped but Sarah knew what he was going to say. Like Bryce. He wanted to be more like Bryce. Then it hit Sarah. Chuck also thought that he couldn't have her because of who he was. He was trying to change into someone that he thought would be more worthy of her. It touched her. It thrilled her.
She smiled as she looked at him tenderly. "You're Chuck Bartowski, one of the most wonderful men I know. I once told you that you can do anything. And I know that is true because I've seen you. Remember how you defused that bomb? Casey couldn't do that. I couldn't do that. No one could do that. But you did! You couldn't fly a helicopter but you did. I could go on and on but I don't need to. I told you before that you can do anything and that anything you wanted, you could have. I know that Chuck Bartowski is a hero. And he's the man I love! And I want him to love me!"
At that last part, Chuck gasped, lost his balance and the treadmill sent him falling backwards. With a loud, awful thunk, Chuck hit his head on a metal weight of an exercise machine behind the treadmill and he lay on the floor, still.
"CHUCK!"
End Part Six