"Chuck Versus the Reboot"

by Estee

TAG

INT. KITCHEN - CHUCK'S APARTMENT - DAY

Chuck sits at the table dressed in his typical Nerd Herd
gear. Sarah, still in the t-shirt, cooks at the stove.

SARAH
What about Anna?

CHUCK
Do we have to keep doing this?

SARAH
You flashed yesterday. We need to
make sure no one else has been
wiped out. Now, Anna?

CHUCK
Morgan's crazy, but practical
girlfriend.

Sarah nods. A beat.

CHUCK (cont'd)
Your breakfast smells good.

SARAH
It's your breakfast, Chuck.

She slides an omlette onto a plate and sets it in front of
him. He examines it, picking at it with his fork.

CHUCK
Are there olives in this?

SARAH
Yes. The Awesome family?

CHUCK
I don't think you could forget the
Awesomes even if you wanted to.
They're just too... Awesome.

Sarah laughs and takes a seat across from Chuck.

SARAH
As much as I know about you, I had
no clue leaving the olives off
pizza was such a sacrifice.

CHUCK
My dad was exaggerating. I don't--

He takes his first bite of omlette.

CHUCK (cont'd)
(mouth full)
Oh my God... Mmmm... Olives are a
delicious gift from nature.

He takes another bite. Her smile is pleased.

SARAH
Glad you like it. Oh, hey, what
about Jill?

Chuck nods then sighs.

CHUCK
Yep. Ironically, I remember her and
all the time I've spent trying to
forget her.

The moment is tense for Sarah, but Chuck just eats.

SARAH
That's all I can think of. All the
major players in the life of Chuck.

CHUCK
Speaking of major. Where's the
Colonel? We should probably get
going to the Buy More to beg for
our jobs back.

SARAH
I'm going to see your father while
you guys are gone today.

Chuck narrows his eyes.

SARAH (cont'd)
Someone needs to tell him that his
fix worked.

CHUCK
Find out if he's made any progress
on the Sarah Walker file.

Sarah nods reluctantly.

CASEY (O.S.)
Alright. Let's do this.

CHUCK
Leroy Jenkins!

Chuck hops up. Casey and Sarah are clueless.

INT. BUY MORE - DAY

The Buy More is back to normal. The employees are slacking
and Big Mike can be seen through an open office door.

Morgan stands near the Nerd Herd desk with Anna whispering
in his ear. He grins from ear to ear. Then he sees Chuck.

MORGAN
Chuck? Buddy! There you are!

Morgan eyes Casey suspiciously, but otherwise ignores him.
Jeff and Lester come up to flank Morgan.

JEFF
They brought you back.

CHUCK
Who?

JEFF
The aliens.

Chuck tilts his head, but then looks back at Morgan.

CHUCK
I'm asking Emmett for my job back.
So's Casey.

From a few feet back, Casey lets out a low rumble.

MORGAN
No, you're not.

CHUCK
If the Buy More's good enough for
you, it's good enough for me.

MORGAN
That's so sweet, buddy. And, I love
you, too. But I meant you won't be
asking Emmett.

He nods back toward Mike's office, but Mike's already there
behind him.

CHUCK
Big Mike?

BIG MIKE
That's right, Bartowski. I'm back.
Would you care to join me?

CHUCK
Yes, sir. Thank you.

BIG MIKE
Ask me.

CHUCK
Really?

Big Mike folds his arms.

CHUCK
Can I have my job back, Big Mike?
Pleeeeease?

BIG MIKE
Done. What about you, John?

CASEY
(pained)
Please, can I have my job back?

BIG MIKE
You don't even have to ask.

Big Mike smiles for a split second then scowls.

BIG MIKE (cont'd)
Now get back to work. This place
has gone to hell these past few
weeks and I'm going to whip is back
into shape.

MORGAN
Whip it?

JEFF
And whip it good.

They all turn to Jeff who makes a whip cracking sound.

INT. UNDERGROUND LABORATORY - NIGHT

Steve sits at a computer. The sound of a sliding door echoes
through the room.

STEVE
This is shaping up pretty well.

Sarah walks into the room.

SARAH
As far as we can tell, so is your
Intersect modification. He flashed
yesterday, but he hasn't forgotten
anyone--at least anyone important.

STEVE
Well, he already forgot the person
most important to him so...

Steve hits a few more keys then pulls out a red USB drive.
He hands it over to Sarah. She examines it.

CLOSE ON: the drive. The label reads "Sarah Walker retrieval
file."

STEVE (cont'd)
I'm leaving it in your hands.

SARAH
Literally.

Sarah wraps her fingers around the drive. A beat.

SARAH (cont'd)
You know, General Beckman wants to
put you on the payroll.

Steve laughs.

STEVE
Government work? No offense, but--

SARAH
You'd work strictly with our team.

STEVE
You mean I'd work strictly with the
Intersect.

SARAH
Chuck needs you.

STEVE
Chuck needs you.
(he taps his forehead)
In here.

Sarah folds her arms.

STEVE (cont'd)
You do what you think is best for
him... and so will I.

Sarah sighs.

STEVE (cont'd)
Tell your General Beckman that I
want insurance, a retirement
package and two weeks of paid
vacation time a year.

Sarah looks at him with a surprised smile.

SARAH
And, you'll keep this between us?

She holds up the memory drive. Steve stares at her for a
long moment.

STEVE
You can hide the memories from his
brain, Sarah, but you'll never keep
the feelings from his heart.
(he smiles)
Or from yours.

SARAH
Chuck's service to the United
States government is more important
than his feelings... or mine. The
more I see him in action, the more
I'm convinced of that.

STEVE
I don't care about the government.
I care about my son.

Sarah looks down at the memory drive.

STEVE (cont'd)
And I don't think I'm the only one.

Sarah closes her eyes, thoughtful.

STEVE (cont'd)
Chuck trusts you, and so will I.

Sarah looks up at him.

STEVE (cont'd)
For now.

Sarah takes a long, deep breath.

STEVE (cont'd)
But if you hurt him--

SARAH
My job is to protect him.

Steve looks at her a long moment and smiles sadly.

SARAH (cont'd)
Thank you, Steve.

She turns around to leave then turns back.

SARAH (cont'd)
For everything.

Steve nods obligingly and watches her leave. He sighs and
shakes his head.

DISSOLVE TO

INT. CHUCK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

The living room is in perfect order and looks gorgeous--a
perfect blend of Chuck's style and Sarah's touch.

Candles are lit around the room. Sarah is curled up on the
couch with a book and a glass of wine.

Chuck enters, looking haggard. His tie is loosened. He
smiles when he looks around.

CHUCK
Gotta love cover romance.

Sarah smiles and hops up, pouring him a glass of wine.

CHUCK (cont'd)
Thank you.

He takes a sip and nods in approval.

SARAH
How was your day?

CHUCK
Think... status quo.

Sarah nods. Chuck meets her gaze for a long moment before
breaking free and glancing around the apartment.

CHUCK
I see you got everything in order
here. It looks really great.

SARAH
Thanks. My last free day before I
start my new cover job.

CHUCK
Please tell me it's at Underpants,
Etc.

Sarah laughs.

SARAH
It's a surprise, but... it's not
that.

Chuck snaps and makes the "oh darn" motion. A beat.

CHUCK
Did you get to see my dad?

SARAH
Yeah. Sit down.

Chuck watches her as he makes his way to the couch. Sarah
sets her wine down and fidgets before taking a seat.

CHUCK
The good news is...

SARAH
Your dad agreed to join our team.
Beckman's already spoken to him.

Chuck grins, but then his face falls.

CHUCK
But the bad news is he couldn't
figure out how to retrieve... you.

Sarah shrugs.

SARAH
I'm just a cover-stealing cover
girlfriend. I'm really not that
important to you, Super-Chuck.

CHUCK
Just Chuck from now on. I think I
need the humility.

Sarah smiles to herself.

CHUCK (cont'd)
And... you are important to me.

Sarah takes another sip of her wine.

CHUCK (cont'd)
You've kept me alive for this long,
Agent Walk--I mean, Sarah.

Sarah laughs with forced gusto.

CHUCK (cont'd)
Keep up the good work.

Sarah stares into her glass.

CHUCK (cont'd)
Seriously. Don't quit. Okay?

SARAH
Don't worry. I'm in a little too
deep for that.

CHUCK
Cheers to being in too deep, then.

He raises his glass. She brings up her own glass and clinks
it with his then takes another long sip. A beat.

SARAH
How does it work? How can you
remember everything but me?

CHUCK
It's like... waking up from a
dream. Some parts are really clear
and others are a little foggy
around the edges. I'm assuming the
foggy parts involve you.

Sarah nods. Chuck takes the last sip of his wine

CHUCK (cont'd)
Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got
a Call of Duty date with Morgan.
Don't worry, he'll be coming in
through the Morgan Door.

Sarah smiles as Chuck sets his glass down and exits the
room. Sarah pulls the USB drive out of her pocket and looks
at it for a long beat. She gets up and looks around the
room, spotting a vase filled with glass rocks. She sticks
the drive down into the rocks, covering it completely.

Down the hall, Morgan's muffled greeting can be heard. Sarah
glances up then sighs. She settles back onto the couch with
her book.

EXT. APARTMENT COURTYARD - NIGHT

From here, Chuck and Morgan are visible as they settle in
for their game, together again and stoked. Sarah can also be
seen through the living room blinds, isolated and unhappy.

FADE TO BLACK.

END OF EPISODE