Chapter 5d – Wedding Redux, a la…Bryce
A.N. - Disclaimers in Ch. 1. This was the problem child chapter -- I think Bryce was still mad at me for Chuck chewing him out. He didn't want to talk for a while. I think I coaxed him out, though.
Bryce watches from the hillside, tucked amidst the dunes. (In another life, I'd be down there with them.) He raises the binoculars to his eyes and drinks her in. The dress is gorgeous, suits her perfectly. Shows off all her assets (no pun intended) to her best advantage. (Would even work on a seduction mission.) But she seems...softer somehow. There's an edge he remembers that seems blunted now. (You aren't my Sarah anymore, are you.) She smiles and laughs with the other bridesmaids and he feels the familiar pull, but slower. Somehow even slightly fading. (It's like her guard is down. I don't think you could go for a kill if you tried.) He looks her up and down again, trying to identify the feeling tightening in his chest. (Well, for Chuck, you could kill. Would kill.) He smirks bitterly. (Have killed.) He lowers the binoculars a touch as his mind drifts. (God, is this jealousy?) He sighs as he turns his binoculars to the trio approaching from the parking lot and focuses specifically on one Charles Bartowski. (You've come a long way since Stanford, Chuck.)
The agent in him can't help but notice how Chuck stands straighter, how he commands attention. The fact that Bryce is there for a beachfront wedding arranged in a day is testament to the man Chuck has become. (You're the guy who takes charge now, aren't you, Chuck? The one other people listen to naturally. The guy I dormed with would never have chewed me out the way you did at the church.) His eyes go a little cold and distant at the thought. (He wouldn't have the guts, or the self-confidence.)
But the Bryce who had been friends with Chuck in that former life can't help but notice that Chuck is still at his core the same innocent, genuine human being Bryce knew. (No other man would've moved heaven and earth to get this done, and no other man could inspire and charm enough people to do it.) He watches for a moment as the Bartowskis share a tender moment. He watches Chuck talk to Ellie, he can tell from the slope of Chuck's shoulders and the earnest look on his face that he's apologizing, probably for the fiftieth time in the past twenty minutes. (You still care, Chuck, you always will. And that's why you're the only one besides me I could trust. I wish you could see that.) But as he pans back to Sarah, he shares a half-hearted smile with the sand. (Okay, maybe I can see why you aren't so sympathetic.) Bryce catches the Bartowskis gathering in his periphery. He slowly scans the crowd, spotting Chuck's friends and coworkers scattered throughout the bride's side. (He and Ellie never cease to amaze me. Those two could rule the world if they tried. Every seat is taken, and everyone genuinely wants to be here. With loyalty like that, Fulcrum would never have existed.)
He moves his gaze back to Sarah as the wedding begins, catching the look she and Chuck exchange. And feeling the promise in the air, it's like the last piece of the puzzle he didn't want to see falls into place. (Yeah...Hope the CIA can trust another agent with the Intersect Project.) He watches her face as the officiant begins the vows, watches her eyes. He's a trained agent, he makes his money reading people. (And I don't even need training to read this one.)
"Sarah," he speaks low, barely restraining himself from taking advantage of her distraction. Her hand goes to her ear. "You're not coming with me, are you." It's a statement, clearly. (Out of respect for what we were, I can at least make this simple.)
He sees her answer, but he picks up the binoculars anyway. (A head shake. As expected.) He watches as she looks back towards Chuck, and gives himself a moment to be just another guy who lost the girl. (Bye, Sarah. I'm really going to miss you.) He stands, and walks away. (Alone. Again.)
He can't stop himself and turns one last time, halfway down the dunes, watching from the shoreline as Sarah and Chuck turn to glance at each other over and over again. He can practically see the unspoken vows hanging between them in the air, their eyes pledging a future to each other. (Take care of her, Chuck. You'll be pretty much all she's got.)
"Larkin, secure," he says into his watch. "Ready for extraction."
Sarah hears his voice in her earwig. She surreptitiously takes it from her ear and tosses it down the beach into the surf, smiling a final goodbye.
A.N.: Yeah, Bryce wasn't too happy with me. But I think he likes me a little better now. He'll get his moment later, I think, though even now I think he's feeling a bit redeemed.