Chuck gets the holy hell beat out of him.

He's expecting it. It's not a surprise, but when he hits the mat for the second time, he just can't get back up.

"You give, Bartowski?" Casey asks, standing over him, boxing glove-covered hands still at the ready, expecting him to get back up.

"I surrender," Chuck moans.

Bryce shakes his head. "You've gotta get better at this stuff, Chuck."

"I got no sleep," Chuck says as he sits up slowly. "I'm running on coffee, and mini pies, and Casey just punched me. Casey. Y'know...big guy who likes to kill things?"

Casey grunts and gives a small grin. He sheds his gloves and helps Chuck to his feet. "Not bad today."

"Thanks," Chuck says, stumbling. "So...I guess now I gotta figure out how to convince Ellie that Bryce beat me to a pulp."

"I wish you wouldn't use that as your cover," Bryce grumbles. "She hates me enough."

"Whatsa matter, Larkin?" Casey needles. "Does Ellie hating you hurt your little girl feelings?"

"He has a thing for her," Chuck says, and it earns him a deep, heartfelt glare. "He has ever since they met. I don't know what it is with my best friends and my sister."

Casey chuckles, and Chuck stumbles out of Castle's workout room, intent on breaking the news to Sarah that their Aikido date will have to be postponed until he can function like a person again.

Bryce watches him leave and then turns to Casey.

"Glad to see you're finally taking this seriously," Casey says as he glugs down some water.

"When was I ever not?" Bryce quirks an eyebrow.

Casey gives him a look. "When you were coverin' Bartowski with price tags."

Bryce looks down. He knows he's been unprofessional. This is hard to balance. He'd left Chuck and everyone else in his life behind for a reason; they brought out the human in him.

"Wanna go a round?" Casey asks, picking up the boxing gloves that Chuck had dropped before walking out and tossing them to Bryce.

Bryce catches them easily and shrugs. "Well, if Chuck's gonna use the cover that we got in a fist fight, I might as well make it look like he got a few good hits in."

00000

"Thanks for helping me." Chuck leans on Sarah a little as they make their way into the Courtyard of Echo Park.

"It's not problem," Sarah grins. "They really did a number on you."

"Either that or I really am just a...harmless little kitten," Chuck grins playfully, but it opens up the cut in his lip and he starts to bleed a little again.

Sarah winces. "I don't really agree with the way Bryce is going about all this."

Chuck nods and dabs at his lip a little. "I know. But...but he's right. I've gotta get in gear if I wanna be a real spy."

"I just..." Sarah bites her lip. "Chuck, I just don't want you to lose who you are."

Chuck gazes at her. "like Bryce did?"

Sarah sighs. She was more thinking about herself, but the out he's given her is good enough. "I've never seen this side of him...he's so..."

"Nerdy?" Chuck offers, grinning again, not caring that he's bleeding. "Because he really is. I have three words for you: Settlers of Catan."

Sarah has no idea what that is, but she lets it go. "The point is...You're so great. And all the things that make you great have nothing to do with spy training."

When they get to his door, he turns to her. "I want to be a spy, though, Sarah."

She nods. "I know, Chuck."

She doesn't like the feelings of dread that have been gathering in her belly these past few weeks that Bryce has been in town; the feeling that things are changing too quickly, and she's not keeping up as well as she should be.

"Hey...hey, Sarah?"

She looks at him. "Yes, Chuck?"

He wants to ask her something, she can see it in his eyes, but as they reach his door he just takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

"G'night," he says, grinning. It's a little resigned and a little sad and very, very Chuck.

"Feel better," she tells him. "Get some sleep and call if you need anything. You have tomorrow off, right?"

"Bryce is working my Nerd Herd shift," Chuck replies. He tries to rub his eye, but flinches, as it's very bruised.

"Careful," Sarah says, cringing in sympathy. "Maybe I should help you get inside...get you some ice..."

"No, no, it's okay," Chuck says. "Hopefully Morgan isn't home yet and I can just fall into bed."

She gazes at him for a moment and then nods. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

He nods back, and heads into his apartment.

She stands there for a moment and then heads out to her car. One of them is going to have to make some sort of move, sooner or later.

00000

Bryce knows that Morgan has roped Casey into something the next day at the Buy More, and he's not sure what it is, but from the way Casey is almost kind of creepily grinning it's nothing good.

Or it could just be that Casey has spread the word amongst the staff that Bryce and Chuck got into a drunken fistfight, which is why Bryce looks like someone kicked his ass, and why Chuck is out sick.

Because that totally happened.

Now, Morgan is glaring at him worse than ever and Lester and Jeff are trying to convince him that it's a good idea to join their fight club.

"LARKIN! MY OFFICE!"

Bryce sighs, glances back at Morgan, who is grinning like an idiot, and then heads for Big Mike's office.

The man is, as always, sitting behind his desk. In command; in control, with his cheerfully pink donut box next to him.

He doesn't look happy.

"Word is, you and Bartowski got into a real brawl last night," Big Mike says, leaning back in his chair and looking up at Bryce expectantly.

Bryce stands at attention, looking straight back at the wall instead of at Big Mike. "Yes, Sir."

Big Mike gets to his feet and saunters over. "Bryce. Son." He puts a hand on Bryce's shoulder and Bryce blinks.

This is weird.

This whole thing is weird. All of it. Being here, wearing this stupid uniform, working with Casey, training Chuck, while simultaneously attempting to needle him into making a move on Sarah whom Bryce used to have a relationship (or something) with. It's all weird.

So being lectured by a man who eats a box of donuts a day about life, the universe and everything?

Just the topper on the weird cake.

"A man has got to be humble," Big Mike says. "Bartowski got you this job after you'd lost your old one, and he didn't have to do that. He coulda just left you high and dry, and, from what I've heard, he'da had every right to. Your pride is keeping you from being grateful."

"I am grateful, Sir," Bryce says, and he's really selling it. The big, wide blue eyes, the sincere pout. "But...but we got a little drunk last night and...and we sort of got into it..."

"I've seen Bartowski drunk," Mike says suspiciously. "He sits around like a wet fish and cries."

"Well, last night he threw a few punches."

Big Mike sighs. "I want you to go and see him after work. Try and get this all smoothed out. I don't want bad blood within my staff, and I really don't want you two beating each other to a pulp behind the Nerd Herd desk."

"Yes, Sir."

"Cause if it happens, then you're gonna be the one gettin' fired," Big Mike tells him.

Bryce nods slowly. "Yes, Sir."

"Humility, Bryce."

Bryce nods again, and when he leaves, he's not sure what just happened.

What he does know is that Morgan is heading his way.

"Bryce, Buddy," Morgan says. He's grinning and this really can't be good. "We've got a family in the entertainment center, and they really need someone to show them how the new Karaoke Star works, can you handle that?"

"I'm not a sales associate, I'm a Nerd Herder," Bryce replies.

Morgan just pats his back. "Think of this as a way to step up your game with Big Mike."

So he's off to the entertainment center, and when he gets there and gets the game going, he realizes that one: he's going to have to sing for these people (not a big deal) and two: the only two songs programmed into this disc of Karaoke Star are MC Hammer's Too Legit to Quit and Toni Braxton's Unbreak My Heart.

When he looks back out the window at Morgan, the little furry hobbit is giving the biggest shit eating grin and waving like an idiot.

Casey is smirking.

00000

"I hate your life."

Bryce has climbed through the Morgan Door and flopped down on Chuck's bed.

Chuck swivels his chair around from the computer, looking better than he did the day before, but still confused. Only for a moment, though, because then he just nods understandingly.

"I can see how that might be a possibility."

"Morgan really hates me now."

"Yeah, he called," Chuck shrugs. "He was ready to defend my honor...or something. I don't know, I told him we talked and we're cool, but he's not really buying it."

"I need you to make me a mix CD," Bryce tells him, sitting up. "Morgan made me demonstrate Karaoke Star today, and it only had-"

"Unbreak My Heart and Too Legit to Quit?" Chuck asks guiltily. "I programmed that game as a gag gift for Morgan. I can't believe he would use it for evil like that."

"I demonstrated it seven times to seven different customers today," Bryce deadpans. "Seven. Mix CD, Chuck. Now."

Chuck shakes his head but turns back to the computer, opening up his music program. "These things take time, Buddy. You know that. The perfect playlist has to be carefully assembled, and then there's liner notes and-"

"Just help me get Toni Braxton out of my head."

00000

An Author's note or two:

1. Thanks for all the feedback, guys! So glad people are enjoying this!

2. Yes. I am putting together Bryce's mix. I'm that nerdy.