A/N: Hi everyone, back with some more of everyone's favorite title…it's not…maybe I should change it but I still smile when I see it so …maybe soon. Still mulling over a couple of the ideas that have been offered…have passed on Prince Boo Boo's Guide to Majestic Toes…it just makes no sense(and I'm getting sorta skeeved about all the photos he keeps sending)…Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review…I really do appreciate them…I'll get caught up in responding to the reviews soon…more Swimmer and TRFW soon…and Last(ish)…A very big thank you to Frea for the tip…I'm trying…except in my rambles…they're just chock full of you know what's. JY
No beta…all errors are mine and just having them takes that whole 'being perfect' burden from my shoulders. Another neat fact…I don't own Chuck or anything in the 'Chuckverse'. Also, I'm still failing, miserably, to make any money doing this…guess it's a good thing that I really am having fun doing this!
Jim, thanks for the nudge.
Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 5
Chuck found himself checking his watch for what he was sure was the thousandth time since his sister had pulled Agent Sarah Walker back to the bathroom and, even though it seemed like much longer, the two women had only been gone for about thirty minutes. He'd been concerned when, five minutes after they'd disappeared, he'd heard a resounding slap from the direction of the bathroom and he'd hurried down the hall to investigate. He had been reaching for the doorknob when his sister had called out, telling him to go back to the kitchen, that they were fine. His hand had still been hovering by the doorknob when Ellie had asked if her kitchen was as clean as she liked it and, when he'd answered no, she had told him that it better be clean when she got finished with the talk she was having.
The sound of the tea kettle whistling got his attention and he put the last plate away and crossed to the stove, turning off the burner and moving the kettle to an un-occupied burner. He looked up to find his sister standing in the doorway with a odd look on her face. Turning back around, he opened a cabinet and pulled out a couple of mugs and went back to the stove.
"Earl Grey?" he asked as he started filling the mugs with hot water. Ellie didn't say a word as she moved to stand next to him while she reached into a lidded jar and pulled out a couple of tea bags. Reaching across in front of him, she dropped a bag into each mug before stepping back and then walking out into the dining room. Chuck, following her example and carrying the two mugs, joined her at the table and after placing one of the mugs in front of her, took a seat across from her. Not knowing how to start this conversation, he waited while his sister stared into her mug.
"I told her that I needed to talk to you and she agreed to wait a few minutes before joining us. Plus, I'm pretty sure that she wanted to get cleaned up. Runny mascara and snot just isn't a good look, even for a super-spy." Ellie paused and gently lifted her mug to her lips and after blowing across the top, took a sip of tea. "Chuck, that woman is seriously messed up. She's either the best actress in the world or her childhood was really fucked up. Probably a mixture of both."
"El, why did you slap her?"
"That's what you're going to lead with? Not, 'El, did she say why she tried to kill me?' or 'El, do you think we're safe or is she going to kill us in our sleep?'. No, you want to know why I slapped her?"
"Well, yeah." he answered honestly.
"I slapped her when she told me that she through a knife at your face. I was afraid that she was gonna hit me back but she just stood there, almost as if she was waiting for me to hit her again…and, I almost did but she just looked so lost." Ellie waited for her brother to say something and couldn't believe it when he just sat there, seemingly lost in thought. "Chuck, she tried to kill you! Doesn't that worry you at all?" she asked in a raised voice, trying to get a response out of her little brother.
"El, I don't think she was trying to kill me because, let's face it, she has much more effective ways to do that…if she really wanted to. I think…well, I hope she was just trying to test the Intersect" he answered and then, when he saw the look on his sister's face, continued on, "I'll bet she hadn't planned on such an extreme test but I did sorta push her buttons about Bryce. She probably got really pissed and just 'lost it', a little bit."
"Chuck, are you listening to yourself? She just 'lost it a little bit'? You can't be serious. What happens the next time she decides to 'test' the intersect and she decides to use a gun? Can that thing in your head let you catch bullets? Don't you dare answer that or I swear I'm going to smack you." Ellie said as she raised one of her hands. "Go ahead, Chuck. Pick a side before you tell me you can catch bullets because you are going to get such a slap!"
"Ellie" Chuck said with a smile, "I'm pretty sure that I can't catch bullets and no, before you ask, I don't want to find out. What else did you talk about? Is there anything else that I need to know?"
"Well, that depends. Are you planning to tell her to get lost? To get the hell out of our lives?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"So does knowing that you were right, that she hadn't planned to throw the knife at your head, that she was just going to aim for your shoulder until you 'pushed' her buttons, does that change your mind? Does the fact that she seems to think that you're a 'great guy' change your mind? Does the fact that I caught her staring at your, and I'm quoting here, really nice ass, does that change your mind?"
"She thinks I have a 'nice ass'?"
"Chuck! Focus! What are you going to do?"
"I don't know, El. Even if I tell her to leave…and she does, they'll just send someone else. Maybe we should just get used to having her around, at least until we find out what the government is going to do."
"What exactly do you mean, 'what the government is going to do'?" she asked, a concerned look in her eyes. "What could the government do? We're citizens, we have rights."
"Ellie, along with some really cool 'kung fu' stuff, I have a whole lot of scary government secrets rattling around up here." he answered as he tapped his head with a finger. "I'm pretty sure that they don't want anyone else having access to them."
"Anyone else?"
"Yeah, El. Anyone who isn't the government and doesn't get along with the government, they would probably just 'love' to get a hold of me."
The sound of someone clearing their throat caught both of their attentions and they both turned to see Agent Sarah Walker standing just a few feet away. "I hate to say it, but Chuck's right. If you want, I'll leave but they'll just send someone else."
Ellie looked at her brother before turning back to the woman who stood with her shoulders slumped, looking like she was waiting for the siblings to pass judgment on her. "So, you're going to be a what?…a glorified baby-sitter?"
"If I stay, yes, I guess you could call it that…as long as the powers-that-be don't decide that Chuck would be 'safer' in a bunker somewhere…or…"
"Or what?" Ellie asked, suddenly afraid to hear what Sarah hadn't said.
"Or, they might decide that the safest thing would be to make sure that nobody can make use of what's in Chuck's head." Sarah spoke softly and then watched as the two people seated at the table seemed to communicate silently as they stared at each other. The 'talk' seemed to end and Ellie turned back to stare at her, the hatred seeming to radiate off of her in waves. Unsure what to do, she waited, her eyes now looking down at her feet. 'Ellie, it's not her fault' she heard Chuck say and when she looked up again, the elder Bartowski's 'glare of death' was gone, replaced with a look that seemed suspiciously like concern, which left her feeling confused.
Getting to his feet, Chuck motioned to the empty seat at the table, clearly offering it to Sarah. "So, Agent Walker, would you care for some tea?"
"No, thank you. I would, however, love another one of those beers, if that isn't too much to ask."
"That's not a problem. Why don't you sit down and I'll be right back." Chuck said as he made his way towards the kitchen. "I promise, Ellie won't bite."
Sarah took the offered chair and tried desperately to look at anything else besides Chuck's sister. When she finally made eye contact, she could see that there were a lot of questions that the older brunette was dying to ask. "Ok, go ahead and ask. If I can, I'll answer any questions that you have." Ellie's first question came from out of left field and hit her like a punch to the stomach.
"Why on earth would you go out with Bryce Larkin? I mean, I guess that he's good looking, but he's a total asshole…or is that the kind of guy you're into?"
Sarah felt Chuck's presence when he re-entered the dining room and offered a 'thank you' when he put the cold beer down next to her. She watched him sit back down and could tell by the look on his face that he was also interested in hearing the answer to his sister's question. "Bryce and I went through the 'farm' together and I thought he was a little bit arrogant but charming as well. I found out later that the arrogance wasn't an act but the whole being charming thing was. Unfortunately it took me two years to figure that out."
"Two years?" Ellie asked incredulously. "It took you two years to figure what a tool he was?"
"During those two years, we were on missions a lot so we didn't spend a lot of quality couples time together. About three years ago, I got back from a solo mission and walked into my apartment to find Bryce in bed with two young women who were fresh off the 'farm'. I walked out and that was the end of 'us'. I found out later he been bangin' anything he could."
"That sounds just like Bryce" Chuck offered with a hint of sadness in his voice. He closed his eyes briefly and when he re-opened them, there was a hint of a smile on his face. "It seems that he's been pulling 'fresh farm meat', as he liked to call it when he was bragging to anyone who would listen, since he finished school. In the last three years, he's been reprimanded four times, written up twice and been treated for STD's seven times."
Sarah almost spit out the mouthful of beer she just taken from the bottle in front of her. "Seven times?' she asked after finally getting the mouthful of beer down her throat. "All of that was in the intersect?"
"That…and more. I figured that was enough. If you really want I can tell you the rest."
"No, that won't be necessary. I'm guessing you 'checked' my files as well?" she asked, not really wanting to know just how much Chuck knew.
Chuck exchanged looks with his sister before turning back to look into Sarah's eyes. "I checked some of your files but I didn't go through all of them…"
"Just enough to find out just how big a 'whore' I was?" Sarah said softly, her eyes once again turned downwards.
"No, I just read enough to know what you had to do for the job. I didn't want to look at everything and once I came across the stuff about Bryce and you and I just couldn't help it. It made me so sad to see the way he'd treated you and if he was here right now, let's just say that it would be an unpleasant reunion."
"But you know everything there is to know about me and a lot of it isn't very nice."
I don't 'know everything' about you. I told you that I stopped reading after I saw the reports about you and Bryce. I'm sorry for that breach of your privacy and I promise I won't look at anything else unless I have your permission. You have my word on that."
"But you already know too much." Sarah replied and turned her eyes, once again, down to the table top. The two Bartowski's traded concerned looks and Ellie picked that moment to join the conversation. "Agent Walker…"
"Would you both please just call me Sarah. It seems that we're past the formality part of this…whatever this is." she said before signaling for Ellie to continue.
"Alright, Sarah, I know my brother. If he says he won't read anymore of your files without your permission, he means it. I know I said some mean things earlier…"Ellie paused briefly when she caught Chuck's eye roll, "…ok, really mean things, but I was pissed at you. And, I was scared for my little brother. He really is the sweetest guy and you, well, you aren't really all that sweet. Chuck doesn't see things the same way I do…at least, not most of the time."
"El! I'm not some naïve little kid. I know there are bad things in the world and thanks to Bryce's little 'gift', I'm even more aware of that fact. I'm just worried about what Sarah's bosses are going to do. Any ideas Sarah?" Chuck asked, obviously trying to change the focus of their conversation.
"I honestly don't have a clue. There is something I have to do first…before we start talking about what might happen, I have to tell you about what did happen, and why. When I threw that knife at you, I wasn't going to aim for your forehead but you said that stuff about Bryce and it, well, it pissed me off. I was pretty sure that you'd catch it…"
"Pretty sure?" Ellie blurted out, instantly on her feet and looking very unhappy. "Pretty Sure?"
"El, calm down. I think I need to hear this. I need to understand her thought process because I'd hate to have to worry about her throwing anymore knives at me." Chuck said as he stared at his sister, silently urging her to calm down and breathing a sigh of relief when she seemed to get herself back under control and then sit back down. "Sarah, you were saying?"
"Well" she started, watching Ellie from the corner of her eye, "remember when I dropped that beer earlier, and you did that series of 'movements' and ended up with the bottle balanced on the back of your hand? Well, I recognized most of those bits and pieces that you put together. They were taken from several far eastern fighting styles and the way that you seemed to blend them together with so little effort, well, it reminded me of an old master I studied with for several years."
"And?" Chuck asked, trying to follow what Sarah was saying.
'That knife catching thing? Master Cho could do it…and he could catch arrows and I even heard that he'd once caught a bullet. I recognized some of your moves as his and…"
Ellie was shaking with barely contained rage. "When we talked earlier, you told me you were sure that my little brother would catch the knife but you weren't completely sure, were you?" She hissed in a low voice. "WERE YOU?' she repeated, slapping the table top.
"I was 99 % sure and I had to know, Ellie. That test told me so much."
"Like what? Like , my little brother got lucky? That him mentioning Bryce Larkin threw you off your game and instead of a shoulder, you were aiming for Chuck's forehead? That despite all of your training, you weren't 100% sure and you risked my brother to test some theory so you could learn what, exactly?"
Sarah met Ellie's glare and prepared to give the only answer she could and she hoped that the answer would be enough. "I had to know if Chuck could defend himself from a trained attacker, if necessary. I could've attacked him and , maybe, he would've fought back…or, maybe, he would have just let me knock him out again. I had to know just how deep the Intersect's ability files went. I couldn't have caught that knife, Ellie, and I'm one of the CIA's best. I know now that, even if I can't be here to help, Chuck will be able to mount some type of defense…if he has to." She stopped speaking and looked at both of the people sated at the table with her. Chuck appeared to be lost in thought while his sister stared at the woman who'd been in their lives for less than forty-eight hours and already seemed to be on the verge of turning everything upside down.
Chuck broke the silence. "So, Sarah. Another beer? El, some more tea?"
Both women looked at him and then at each other, not sure how to respond. "Sure, I'll take another beer" Sarah answered first, a slight smile on her lips.
"No more tea, Chuck, better make it a vodka tonic" his sister answered after seeing Sarah reaction, "easy on the tonic."
Chuck grabbed his sister's tea cup and Sarah's empty beer bottle and then walked towards the kitchen. Ellie watched Sarah as she turned to watch her brother leave the room.
"Really? After dropping that 'bomb', you're back to staring at my brother's ass?"
Sarah turned back to look at Ellie, wondering what to say and then deciding to go with the truth. "Yeah, sorry. Staring again." she felt the blush rising up her neck and she caught herself smiling with the realization that she'd been blushing and smiling more in the last two days then she could ever remember doing before. "Ellie, I can't promise that I'll never lie to you again but I promise you that I'll do anything I can to keep you and Chuck safe. You have my word on that."
"And is staring at my brother's ass part of you keeping us safe?" Ellie asked, trying to keep a smile from working it's way to her lips.
"No, it isn't. I would have to call it a perk of the job…a job which I'm not even sure I have yet. Definitely a nice perk, though." she finished with a small smile.
Chuck picked that moment to re-appear, two beers in one hand and a tall glass in the other. "What's a 'nice perk'?" he asked, an innocent look on his face while he offered the drinks to the two women who sat staring at each other.
"Oh, nothing important" Ellie answered before taking a swallow from her glass.
"Yeah, nothing for you to worry about" Sarah added before tipping the beer to her lips and taking a gulp or two.
"Oh, ok. Well, what's next Sarah? Where do we go from here?" Chuck asked.
A/N: No, it's not really a cliffy. Reviews are the little smiles that are waiting to happen to me…even the negative ones. Hit that thingie and know that you're helping put a smile on my face…see, doesn't that make you feel better?…what?…No, I won't forward those pictures that P.B.B. keeps sending and that's final. JT