It's a Wonderful Cover Life
A/N: Oh stop checking your calendars, I know it's not December yet ;-)
This is actually a birthday chapter for my amazing beta and friend, Nervert, be it a tad late. Or early, depending on how you look at these things. Happy belated birthday, buddy! I hope the day was as full of surprises as your year has been :D And thank you for helping me 'wrap' your gift. He slayed a lot of cringe worthy grammar for you guys. You owe him.
And thank you, quistie64 for answering all my weird questions and keeping Maggie in character. She'd be an oddball without you.
A special shout out goes to Jem Joven. Thank you for the (somewhat disturbing) suggestion that made this chapter so much better. In case no one told you, you're a funny lady. Go Lakers!
As always, thank you all for still sticking with this. You sent some pretty cool reviews my way, for which I'm ever so grateful. I still maintain that they are better than royalty checks, and I'm not just saying that because I've never received a royalty check. You're all aces!
I don't own Chuck (hence the lack of royalty checks).
93. It's a Small World After All
Chuck switched the game controller from one hand to the other and wiped a clammy palm against his thigh. He glanced down at his watch. Three minutes and twelve seconds had passed since the last time he'd checked. He drew a deep breath and blew it out slowly, but it did little to calm him. The last time he'd been this nervous he was stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel, trying to gather courage to ask Jill out. He had thought it would be romantic; she'd called it moronic. Perhaps he might have taken it as a sign, but he knew if he could get a rewind and do-over, that he'd make the same choice again. He couldn't imagine his life without Maggie in it.
He also knew that he had no reason to be nervous. Sarah was smart and funny and absolutely beautiful, and she liked him, Chuck Bartowski. Plus Morgan often told him that any girl who laughed at his stupid jokes was a keeper. Taking relationship advice from "The Lone Wolf" could perhaps be considered less than ideal, no matter how wise he claimed the beard was, but in this case Chuck thought Morgan had a valid point.
His lopsided grin turned into a full blown one when he felt the couch next to him dip. He'd been so lost in thought that he didn't even hear anyone approach, but it would not be the first time Sarah had snuck up on him. At least she wasn't catching him in an embarrassing situation this time.
"Will you look at the graphics on that thing? Gaming sure has come a long way since Zork."
Chuck's smile faltered as his head snapped around to the person next to him, his mind needing the visual verification. It'd been years since Chuck had heard the voice, but there was no mistaking it. Yet, he had to be sure.
"Bryce."
The man in question raised and spread his arms, as if presenting himself. "In the flesh. How've you been, buddy?"
Chuck couldn't have been more shocked if Bryce had surprised him in the shower.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in? And how did you even know I was here?"
"Woah, slow down, Chuck. We have plenty of time to catch up." Bryce's arms dropped, one casually over the back of the couch, and one hand running through his hair – his annoyingly perfect hair.
And just like that all the suppressed anger and resentment Chuck had carried around since Stanford rose to the surface, along with an unhealthy dose of anxiety. His chest constricted and it felt like he couldn't breathe. Had Bryce found out about Maggie? Did he realize that he could possibly be…? Chuck couldn't even finish the thought. He stood and paced to the other end of the room, putting some distance between himself and Bryce in an attempt to regain his composure. Trying and failing, he spun around and took three long strides, staring Bryce down.
"Get out."
Bryce didn't seem fazed in the least. "That's no way to speak to an old friend, Chuck. Ellie raised you better than that. Besides," he said, "I'm not here to see you." He made himself comfortable, putting his feet up on the coffee table as he settled in to wait. "Be a pal and go call her for me."
Only one thought flashed through Chuck's mind – Bryce knew. "You can't see her. I won't allow it."
"You won't allow it?" Bryce still had that same self-righteous smirk from college. "Sarah is a grown woman, Chuck. She can make up her own mind. And believe me, she'll want to see me."
"Sarah? So you're not here to see – " Realizing he was saying too much, Chuck cut himself short. Then what Bryce said truly sunk in. "How do you know Sarah?"
"She didn't tell you?" Bryce slapped his open palms against the back of the couch, clearly enjoying the situation. "Oh man, this is going to get interesting."
It didn't take a genius to connect the dots, and for the second time in as many minutes Chuck's brain seemed stuck. Bryce and Sarah. His arch nemesis and the woman he was in love with used to be… well, he wasn't sure exactly what, but he had a fairly good idea.
"I see you figured it out already," Bryce said, glancing down at Chuck's hands that were balled into fists. "Don't be mad, Chuck. I nibbled on your leftovers. It seems only fair that you return the favor."
Chuck gritted his teeth, forcing himself to not point out that he and Jill had still been dating at the time. Starting a verbal sparring with his former roommate over his former girlfriend was a sure way for the truth to slip out. He was not about to reveal his suspicions about the consequences of Jill's unfaithfulness, and he definitely didn't want to give Bryce an invitation to reveal the sordid details about his past with Sarah. Knowing Bryce like he did, Chuck could venture a pretty good guess as to how that relationship had ended.
Bryce was about to say something else, but then turned his head, and for the first time Chuck noticed Sarah standing in the doorway. She visibly paled when her eyes met Bryce's, and that was all the confirmation Chuck needed.
94. Terms and Conditions
Sarah recovered from her initial shock quickly and rounded the couch, not taking her eyes off Bryce. She didn't think he'd be foolish enough to return, but she was evidently mistaken.
"Great," Bryce said, "the gang's all here."
That reminded Sarah that she'd come down to the den looking for Chuck, and tearing her gaze away from her despicable ex, she found Chuck staring at her, his eyes dark and his lips pursed together in a thin line as if he was forcing himself not to speak. Either Bryce had said something to upset him, which were lies, no doubt, or Chuck was the source of the unexplained noise outside the study. She took a tentative step towards him.
"Chuck," she said, "I can explain."
He simply shook his head as his features softened a bit. "It's not you."
She closed the gap between them in two strides, gently grabbing his forearm. The tension in his muscles didn't escape her. "Are you sure?"
"You're being rude to your guest," Bryce cut in.
"You're not a guest," Chuck and Sarah replied at the same time.
"Boy, this is one hostile household." They both turned to glare at him and Bryce held his hands up in surrender. "I just want to have a conversation. That's all."
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Sarah replied.
"And neither am I," Chuck added.
Sarah squeezed his arm to get his attention. "What did he tell you?"
Chuck didn't seem to register the question. "I asked you to leave," he told Bryce.
"Well, you didn't ask very nicely."
Sarah could swear she heard Chuck growl. Then Bryce pushed to his feet and reached for the framed picture on the end table. He picked it up and studied it for a moment, before turning it around to face them. It was a photograph of Chuck, Sarah and Maggie, taken by the fountain on the day they redecorated the house.
"You should be interested in what I have to say. Or not say, in this case."
Sarah knew exactly where the conversation was headed. "How much do you want, Bryce?"
"I was thinking somewhere north of a million, south of two."
Chuck nearly choked. "Dollars?"
"No, arcade tokens, Chuck. Of course dollars."
"You want two million dollars or else you will expose us? That's blackmail."
"You're up to speed. Terrific." Bryce took another look at the picture and tossed it casually onto the couch. "The kid's a nice touch. Does the orphanage rent them out by hour? Not that Sarah can't afford it."
Chuck jolted at the mention of Maggie, and then it hit her – Stanford, Engineering, Class of 2004, Gamma Delta Phi. If they had all that in common, then sharing a room and hooking up with the same girl weren't out of the realm of possibility. And framing Chuck for cheating sounded exactly like something Bryce would do. She glanced at Chuck, who was still staring daggers at Bryce, and wondered if Bryce had said anything about their past involvement. Not that she was hiding it from Chuck – how was she supposed to know they'd been screwed over by the same person? She had to get rid of Bryce so she could explain the situation to Chuck, and there was only one way to do that.
"Okay, Bryce," she said. "Let's make it two million." She could practically feel Chuck's eyes boring into the side of her head as he pulled his arm free, but she could only deal with one thing at a time. Ignoring Bryce's triumphant smirk, she folded her arms across her chest. "Send me your account details and I'll transfer the money the day after Christmas."
Bryce's expression sobered, if only slightly. "That doesn't work for me. I'll take a check. Now."
Sarah had expected as much, but was careful to not overplay her hand. She already might have by offering him the maximum off the bat. "I'll give you a check, on the twenty sixth. Take it or leave it."
Bryce mimicked her stance. "What guarantee do I have that you won't back out? After Christmas you have nothing left to lose."
"What guarantee do I have that you won't tell Beckman anyway? Or be back for more? This is your best shot, Bryce. You can take me at my word, or you can go to Diane with the truth and not get a dime. Somehow I doubt finding out she's been duped is worth two million to her."
"You will lose the sale. And if word of this little sham hits the press – "
"It will still leave you with nothing."
Bryce mulled it over, then nodded. "Okay. We'll do it your way, but if you double cross me, you will regret it. Trust me."
Trusting Bryce Larkin was a mistake Sarah didn't intend to repeat, but she didn't take his threat lightly. She had to get him out of the house and out of their lives before he started doing the math. "There will be a check waiting for you at my office at noon on the twenty sixth." Then she gestured to the door. "I think we're done here."
95. A Kiss with a Fist
Chuck watched the exchange, not saying a word. To say he was relieved when he realized Bryce didn't seem to have a clue about Maggie was the understatement of the century, but that didn't stop the rage building up in his gut. Bryce was shamelessly exploiting Sarah, and she was letting him. Granted, she didn't seem to have much choice in the matter, but Chuck couldn't help wondering if there was another reason she'd agreed to fork out two million dollars without blinking? Either way, he couldn't see the back of Bryce soon enough, but the latter stubbornly held his ground, eyeing Sarah up and down. The leering stare sent irritating tingles up Chuck's spine. He was about to tell Bryce for the third time to leave, but didn't get the chance.
"I think I changed my mind," Bryce said to Sarah. "I like this side of you – so assertive and straight forward." Then he smirked again and Chuck could feel his fingernails digging into his palms. "Throw in a night of that between the sheets and I'll knock a couple of hundred off the asking price."
Chuck wasn't even aware that he'd moved, not until he felt his knuckles connect with Bryce's jaw. He honestly didn't plan it, violence was not in his nature, but a strange sense of satisfaction washed over him when he saw Bryce, sprawled out over the carpet. He clearly wasn't expecting it either. Bryce touched his busted lip and stared at the blood on his fingertips, then up at Chuck who was hovering above him, nostrils flaring.
"You punched me."
"Terrific," Chuck said, "you're up to speed." He leaned down, grabbed Bryce by the collar and sleeve of his expensive suit and hauled him to his feet. "Sorry if I bruised your ego," he said, not sounding apologetic in the least. "But just so you know, I'm not sorry about your face." Bryce only huffed in response. Chuck nudged him towards Sarah. Her eyes bounced between the two men. "I'd tell him to apologize, but somehow I doubt that he'll mean it."
She snapped her mouth shut. "I don't want anything from him."
"Okay, good. Come on, Bryce." Chuck tightened his grip and swung him to his right, but before he shoved Bryce forward he leaned over and pressed his lips to Sarah's, simply because it felt like the right thing to do. "I'll be right back."
He frog-marched Bryce to the door, but had to stop when he realized Casey was blocking their exit. The butler gave them a raised eyebrow and stepped aside to let them pass, following closely behind when they did so. Chuck almost said something to Casey about having his back, but kept quiet instead. He was still getting a feel for the guy and a comment like that might not be as appreciated as he'd imagined.
"That was a nice display back there," Bryce said, "marking your territory like that." Apparently he'd regained his cockiness somewhere between the kitchen and the entrance hall, despite of the fact that he was physically being escorted out of the house. "But you're in for heartbreak, buddy."
"Do you want me to punch you again?" Chuck asked. "And stop calling me 'buddy'. That was a lifetime ago."
"I'm just trying to give you a heads up, Chuck, for old times' sake. Sarah is playing you. As soon as the Buy More is off her hands, she and Carina are going to hightail it out of here faster than you can say 'beam me up, Scottie'. I overheard them talking."
The Bryce he knew from college always had an agenda, and apparently that hadn't changed, but Chuck couldn't fathom what his former frat brother would gain from telling him this. He was probably just trying to mess with his head.
"I don't believe you, Bryce. It's none of your business anyway." They reached the front door before the conversation could go any further and Chuck shot a glance over his shoulder at Casey. "Will you do the honors? My hands are kinda full."
Without a word Casey reached past them and swung the door open, making a sweeping gesture with his free hand. Quiet, glaring Casey was even more imposing than grunts-a-lot Casey, something Chuck decided to use to his advantage. He pushed Bryce a little harder than necessary through the door and watched as he stumbled onto the porch before regaining his footing and spinning around.
"If you ever come back here I'll sic Casey on you," Chuck said. Casey added a grunt in agreement.
Bryce took a step back, dusted off his jacket with his palms and opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off when Casey unceremoniously slammed the door in his face. Then he turned to Chuck, folding his arms across his chest.
"Nice comeback." Chuck expected another grunt in reply, but then the big man surprised him.
"Nice right hook."
"Thank you, Casey."
"Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?"
Chuck wanted to deny it, but his hand was throbbing now that the adrenaline was wearing off, as were his inner thighs after forcefully escorting Bryce through the house. "Yeah," he said.
This time Casey did grunt as the left corner of his lip curled upward in what might have been the beginning of the smile, and when he walked away, he gave Chuck a not too gentle pat on the back. "I'm sure Sarah won't mind icing it for you."
96. When Worlds Collide
"Frog balls," Carina said on the other end of the line. Sarah shared the sentiment, even though Carina's attempt at 'soft swearing' failed miserably. "Do you want him taken out?"
"Already working on it," Sarah replied. Carina made a strangled noise in response and Sarah didn't need video chat to imagine the accompanying facial expression, but there wasn't really time to go into detail. She stood in the doorway of the bedroom from where she had an unobstructed view of the stairs and landing, making sure that no-one could sneak up on her or eavesdrop. Nonetheless, she dropped her tone. "You just concentrate on that assignment I gave you this afternoon and leave Bryce Larkin to me."
"You're not really going to have him whacked, are you?"
"No, much worse."
"I like this plan already."
She wondered if Carina would be so enthusiastic if she knew what the possible consequences could be, but Sarah had no other options. Spotting Chuck heading in her direction, limping slightly, she cut the call short.
"I have to go."
She slipped the phone into the pocket of her slacks and headed into the room. He followed wordlessly and when she sank down on the edge of the bed, he did the same. She couldn't help but notice the distance he'd left between them. For the first time it struck her how much empty space there was with two people on a king size mattress.
They sat like that for a couple of minutes, staring at the opposite wall, each with their own thoughts. The silence quickly became uncomfortable and Sarah knew she should say something, but for the life of her she didn't know what. Should she explain? Apologize? But how was she supposed to know that, of all the douche bags in the world she'd get involved with, it'd be public enemy number one of the guy she wanted to stick around for? A small part of her still held onto the hope that perhaps she'd jumped to the wrong conclusions earlier. Stanford was a big place, and the frat house connection could be a coincidence. And maybe she'd misread Chuck's reaction. Or maybe she hadn't. As much as she tried to justify it, she knew it was wishful thinking, and a conversation they could not avoid, so she decided to face it head on.
"Bryce was your roommate at Stanford."
"Yes."
"He was the one who stole those tests and framed you."
"Yes."
"And he slept with your girlfriend."
"That pretty much sums it up, yeah."
Sarah knew there was more to it, but she was not going to poke the ten thousand pound elephant in the room, not until Carina told her it was safe to do so. Not until she was sure she had a safety net in place.
"I guess that punch was a long time coming."
Chuck shrugged a shoulder in response and just when she thought that another awkward silence was about to follow, he asked, "How long were you two…together?"
She bit her bottom lip to buy some time. Bryce had told him. She didn't really expect anything less.
"Eight months," she finally said.
"Did he break your heart?"
"It wasn't his to break." Saying it out loud, Sarah realized that it was true. Bryce had hurt her, but not in the way that Chuck meant. She felt betrayed, disappointed and angry at herself for not realizing she was being used, but that was the extent of it. Sensing that he was finally looking at her, she turned her head to meet his gaze. She couldn't help but wonder what exactly Bryce had told him, but that hardly mattered. There were some things she simply couldn't undo. "This changes everything, doesn't it?"
Chuck's eyebrows knit together. "Why?"
"Why?" She got to her feet and paced across the room and back, running both hands through her hands through her hair. She pulled up short of where Chuck was sitting, his head tilted slightly back as he looked up at her, and blew out a long breath. "Because now," she said, "every time you look at me, you're going to think about him."
He studied her for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "I have a lot of practice compartmentalizing when it comes to Bryce Larkin."
"Yeah, but this, you and me, it's a different situation."
"I know."
"So you don't care that he and I –"
"Of course I care," Chuck cut in. "Sarah, look, you and Bryce, it makes sense. He always got the great girls. He can be really charming when he wants something, and then, once he gets it, he moves onto his next target. No one deserves to be treated that way, least of all you. Honestly, it makes me furious to think that he could do that. But I promised myself a long time ago that I'm not going to dwell on what he's done or let it dictate my life. If I do that, he wins, and I'm not going to waste my time or sacrifice my happiness because of him. He doesn't deserve it. All I want is for him to stay away from us, all of us."
He made an excellent point. Being happy in spite of Bryce was the best payback she could think of. Well, perhaps not the best, she thought.
"I want the same thing, Chuck," she said. "And I'm going to make it happen."
"By paying him off? He'll just be back for more once he realizes what you're doing."
Sarah shook her head. "I'm not paying him anything. When he shows up for his blackmail money, he'll be leaving in handcuffs. Fraud and blackmail carry rather lengthy prison sentences."
"You're going to have him arrested? I almost feel bad for him."
"I don't. It's time he faces the consequences of his actions. Bryce will be out of our lives, Chuck, and Maggie will probably be in college before he's a free man again."
She thought he'd be relieved, but instead Chuck seemed worried. "What if he lays counter charges? I can be arrested for assault."
"It will be his word against yours. Casey and I didn't see a thing."
His eyes widened at that. "You would commit perjury for me?"
"If that's what it takes, yes." She'd do almost anything to ensure he kept custody of his daughter, but she couldn't tell him that. Not yet.
"For the record," he said, "I never had the urge to break Bryce's face until today."
Chuck pushed to his feet slowly, grimacing when he accidently put weight on his right hand. Sarah stepped forward and took his injured hand in both of hers, gently brushing her thumb over his swollen knuckles. His confession left her a little breathless, but she didn't know how to respond to that.
"I'm a big girl, you know," she said instead. "I can fight my own battles."
"I guess my fist was just faster this time."
She looked up at him. "Well, I think it was sweet, you defending my honor like that."
"Sweet? Golly gee, thanks for making me feel like I'm eight."
"That's not…" She trailed off when she saw him fail to suppress a wide grin. It prompted one of her own as she felt the tension of moments ago melt away. Chuck didn't hate her, and though it wasn't Christmas yet, she couldn't have asked for a bigger gift. He was truly amazing. "Come on," she said, starting for the bathroom and gently pulling him along, "the least I can do is bandage you up."
"You know," Chuck said, "before I met you the worst injury I suffered was chaffed fingers from handling the controller for too long."
Sarah shot him a glance over her shoulder, raising an intrigued eyebrow.
"Video games," Chuck tried to clarify, clearly horrified. "I'm talking about video games."
A/N: And this is where I leave you. If you follow me Twitter you'd know that I'm giving NaNoWriMo the old college try. No one has lost so badly at anything since Brazil went up against Germany in the World Cup (and my money was on Brazil). But even though the word count is lacking it got me writing (17k words in 20 days), which means Cover Life is progressing faster than it has in the last two years, so I will see you back here on December 1st for the next installment. It's also the chapter in which we reach scene 100, and word on the street is that you don't want to miss that one. See you soon.