The Colonel's Daughter
Well, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. If you have please leave a comment and tell me what you think. Anyways, in the last chapter you pretty got to know Morgan's mindset and how he is actually taking this slowly with Alex. Then at the end you were introduced to Agent Imhotep and though he's considered Fulcrum, I took some liberties and changed him into a Ring agent. Hope you enjoy the read and again leave a comment and tell me what you think? Love it or hate it.
Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read.
I don't own Chuck.
A Losing Bet
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Whiz Kid Systems, Inc.
10:45 a.m.
Thursday, April 10th, 2010
Chuck is sitting in his office leaning back in his chair talking on the phone doing business as usual being the President and CEO of Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. As he does, he's tapping the pen he has between his fingers on his desk and after a few minutes, he clicks the top of it to continue working on paperwork laying on his desk. He stops for a moment wondering how the dinner went between Morgan and Alex.
While sitting there, he can't help but feel bad about his best friend's situation and how it's somewhat similar to his own when he had his heart broken by Jill. He remembers wallowing in self pity immersing himself in playing video games while downing whiskey in order to try to get his mind off of what happened. Morgan was without a doubt there for him every step of the way as he tried to help him get over his breakup and now he is returning the favor by looking out for his own best interests during his.
He knows the man who he has grown up with him since the age of 6 isn't ready to be in a relationship. In his mind, Morgan hasn't had time to really work through much of what happened to him and sooner or later it will hit him to the point where his bearded little buddy will possibly break down emotionally in a sad unfortunate heap. It wasn't fun for him to experience and he truly doesn't want to him go through what he went through.
As he glances up towards the door to his office that is open he sees Morgan walk by apparently whistling. "Morgan!" he hollered out." He watches as his bearded best friend quickly leans back into view and then stands in the doorway. He can see that he's more upbeat and showing an expressive grin telling him that his non date must have gone well. "Hey, what's up buddy." he happily said.
Morgan shuffles over and plants himself in between the two chairs in front of Chuck's desk. He's rocking back and forth a bit as he stands there with both hands in his pockets. "Nothing much." he said.
"So how did it go? The non dinner date with Alex and all?" inquired Chuck.
"It was good…" he replied. "…actually it went more than good it was awesome." he said taking his hands out of his pockets. Morgan quickly patts the top of the chairs with both of his hands.
The way Morgan patted the two chairs sitting in front of his desk worries him. It tells him that the dinner not only went well but maybe a little too well by the wide grin on his bearded face. His break up with Anna happened just 6 days ago and to see him happy this quickly causes him to wonder if he's moving on too fast with Alex, which may be a bad things all things considering.
From his point of view, Alex may possibly be seeing things very differently than his best friend is. It can most definitely be a bad and not to mention embarrassing situation indeed when one person perceives a potential relationship whereas the other doesn't see one at all causing unfortunate heartbreak, especially if his name is Morgan Guillermo Grimes.
However, Chuck's mindset is totally different from what Morgan is thinking at the moment. He had an absolutely wonderful time with Alex sharing dinner and coffee with to the point where it helped take his mind of Anna dumping him but not by much. He did bring it up during their conversation but he was able to hold back on telling her by waiting until they not only finished their meal but their cup of coffee as well.
It took everything in his power not to dump too much on her because if he did then Alex would have quite possibly scared her off, which was nothing new to him. Yet, when it came to Alex she is completely different from Anna being that she doesn't seem the type who could very well kill you in your sleep. In his mind, this new girl in his life is worth taking time to get to know and be just friends with.
"You like her don't you and maybe falling for her." Chuck said with disappointment. "Morg, I told you…"
Morgan immediately shakes his head cutting his best friend off. "I know what you told me dude and yeah maybe I like her but when it comes to falling for her I told her I just got out of a relationship." he stated.
A questionable look appears on Chuck's face as Morgan says that. "How much did you tell her."
"Well…" replied Morgan. He looks his best friend eye to eye not breaking eye contact. "…like I said I told her I recently got out of relationship and I was too caught up in my own thing to notice." he said. "I actually told her all I can really give her at this point is my friendship."
My little bearded best friend is actually growing up Chuck thinks to himself. A grin forms in the corner of his mouth as he sees a possibly mature Morgan standing before him. "You actually said that?"
"Yeah…" he answered shrugging his shoulders expressing a wry smile. "...surprising huh even for me." he joking said.
"Nah." replied Chuck shaking his head. "You just needed to find the right girl and maybe Alex is the one for you who knows." he said. He briefly pauses to lean back in his chair and as he does he remembers the real reason why he called him into office so abruptly. "So, what did Alex say?" he wondered. "Is she going to be able to come Friday night at Ellie's place?" asked the soon-to-be married man.
"Yup." Morgan quickly said.
"And?"
"She can definitely make it." he said with a grin. "She wants to meet you guys too."
Chuck leans forward in his chair and at the same time he does he claps his hands upon hearing the news that she is coming. "That's great." he responded. "We all want to meet Alex man."
"Trust me dude…" Morgan said with a raised fist in the air. "…when you meet Alex its like you already know her because she is just that awesome." he added with a wide smile.
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Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. - Research and Development
1:45 p.m.
Thursday, April 10th, 2010
"So how did your date go last night Morgan?" Trip asked. He and Auggie walk up to him sitting at work his station in order to get the scoop.
The word had spread within building of not only Morgan's break up with Anna this past weekend, but also the mishap that happened at The Grove where he had hot tea accidentally spilled on him. The two of them, along with the rest of the veteran employees, weren't surprised that Anna dumped Morgan so much so they actually ran a betting pool on when it would happen. Trip won by a narrow margin.
The employees also learned of their fellow bearded co-worker's coffee date Wednesday afternoon and that too had the employees at a frenzy betting on whether or not he either gets slapped in the face, gets coffee throw at his face, or a combination of both. Unfortunately, nobody won that bet but when they heard about the dinner date the two of them had last night it prompted a rather lump sum put together amongst the employees.
"It wasn't a date guys." he replied shaking his head. He turns his chair in order to face his two co-workers. "It was just dinner and coffee between two friends that its." stated with emphasis.
"Did she leave you sitting at the table alone and told you she was going to "the bathroom"..." he said using air quotes. "...but left without telling you?" wondered Auggie.
Morgan shakes his head in response to Auggie's question. "No." firmly stated peering up at his R & D associate.
"Dang it." Auggie spitted out in disappointment.
"I got to know Morgan…" Trip asked with his arms crossed peering down at him. "…did the topic of Call of Duty for Xbox enter the conversation at some point during your supposed non date." he wondered as both his eyebrows raise up in hopes he answers yes.
"I'm afraid not boys." he stated leaning back in his chair.
"Crap." Trip quickly muttered under his breathe.
The reactions to the responses he gives to Trip and Auggie amuse him as he expresses a hint of laughter. He sits there witnessing the displayed look of utter disbelief in both their eyes as they stand there trying to regroup in order trying to figure out what possibly could have gone wrong. He surmises that if things went right then in their minds the world as they know it wouldn't make sense at all.
To the two of them, this is the same Morgan Grimes who called an impromptu fire drill and had all the employees file out of the building when he was put in charge. If that wasn't enough, he took it upon himself to teach the entire staff about fire safety by lighting a bucket of paper on fire but he mistakenly did it close to the bushes in front of the building. Needless to say, Chuck wasn't too pleased when he found out what had happened.
"Then what did happen?" Trip inquires with absolute curiosity. The question not only leaves him eager to want know but Auggie as well who Morgan can see his eyes narrow through his glasses as he looks directly at him. "I…" he pauses motioning over to Auggie standing right beside him. "…we got to know man."
Morgan can clearly see the desperation in their eyes to know what happened. In that moment, he sees that its actually killing the two of them as he is unknowingly keeping them in suspense, which is considerably great power to wield on his part. He wonders how long he can keep the two hanging there long enough to where it possibly brings them to the brink of insanity.
As much as he wants to leaving them hanging just long enough for them to lose their mind, he decides to answer them. "We talked and I found out she's getting her Master's degree in Criminal Justice and she wants to work in some capacity with the government just like her dad did who died a hero serving his country." he responded. "We also talked about whether or not she would like to come with me to a party Chuck's sister is holding tomorrow night." added Morgan.
"Tell me she said no because she is busy that night "washing her hair"..." Auggie asked using air air quotes once again. "...or something like that." he added shaking his head.
"Come on guys…" replied Morgan eyeing the two men in front of him. "…is it that much of stretch a girl like Alex would even be remotely interested in me?" stated Morgan posing the question to his two associates.
There is a momentary pause as they stare at Morgan and then suddenly give their answer. "No." the two responded unison shaking their heads in disbelief.
"Why?" asked Morgan with curiosity.
"You dating a woman who is going after her Master's Degree. You two shouldn't even be referenced in the same sentence let alone be in the same vicinity of each other." Trip stated. "It just doesn't make any sense."
"Guys, I'm not dat…" Morgan is interrupted in mid sentence as his cell phone rings leading him to take it out of his right pocket in order to check who it is that is calling him. When he reads the name on the small screen he expresses a hint of a grin as he peers up at his two co-workers. "Gentlemen, I'll talk with you two later because the woman you can't believe is hanging out with me is calling." he stated pointing to his phone as he gets up from his work station to answer it. "Hey, what's up!" he says placing the phone to his ear. He walks off leaving Trip and Auggie standing there completely dumbfounded.
XXX
Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. - Break Room
1:55 p.m.
Thursday, April 10th, 2010
"I wasn't expecting you to call." Morgan said with a grin. He takes a seat in one of the vacant tables in the break room.
"Thought I just give you a ring while I'm on a break between classes." Alex retorted.
To hear Alex's voice on the other end of the line brought a smile to his face. The mood he's currently in after the great night he shared with Alex made him feel even better knowing that in the back of his mind it told him that she's actually thought about him, but she also took time out of her seemingly busy day to actually call him of all people, which is considered surprisingly awesome to him.
"That's awesome." he replied.
"So whatcha doing?" inquired Alex.
"I was actually having a conversation before you called with two of my co-workers who couldn't wrap their heads around the fact I was hanging out with a woman who is going for her Master's Degree." he said. "To be perfectly honest, it hard to wrap my own head around it." added Morgan.
"Why?"
Morgan takes a moment to think about it and then responds to her question. "It's like I'm Lyle Lovette and you're Julia Roberts."
"Huh?"
"Okay wrong analogy. How about your Belle and I'm the Beast?" he said.
"What does that even mean?" wondered Alex.
Her responses causes Morgan to put the phone away from his ear and hit his forehead with the side of his left fist several times "Get it together Morgan." he muttered to himself. He places the phone back to his ear and tries to rectify the situation. "What I'm trying to say is you're a smart, beautiful woman who actually wants to hang out with a guy like me." he said.
"You think I'm beautiful."
"Well…uh…yeah." he responded. "You're also smart seeing that you go to USC studying for your Master's Degree in Criminal Justice and you want to serve like you're father did who died a hero." Me…I just went to community college and spent my years before working at Whiz Kid Systems, Inc. at Buy More as a green shirt then moved up to assistant manager."
"So? That doesn't matter." she responded.
"It doesn't?"
"I had a great time talking with you Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday night." she said. "You took the time to listen about me instead of talking about yourself.
"I had a great time too."
"There's not a lot of guys like you in Los Angeles who aren't just mainly into themselves." added Alex. "It's rare living in this city." Morgan hears her take a breath as she briefly pauses on the other end of the line. "Look, I've only known you for 2 days not counting the time I spilled coffee on you." she said. "However, within those 2 days I was able to get a sense of who you are as a person. You're a kind, considerate, and if I fair to guess a caring person who surrounds himself with people who care about you as well. Morgan is amazed at her assessment of him even though it may be a bit off when it comes to being kind. He briefly reflects on that Tuesday afternoon where she accidentally spilled coffee on him as he so wanted to curse her out for doing that but didn't have the energy to do it. If it hadn't been for him biting his tongue the situation they are in now it would have been totally different if he had let loose on her but he's thankful he didn't. His thoughts are suddenly interrupted as he hears Alex voice again. "Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself."
There is a bit of hesitancy on his part to even answer that questions for fear she may hang up on him. For a long time, he felt comfortable being in a relationship with Anna and really didn't appreciate what he had with her. It was his first successful real relationship that has had its ups and downs in the past but when you come right down to it he never really let himself reach his full potential.
When it comes to Alex, he wants to reach his full potential. As scary as that sounds to him he is actually making the effort to change not just for her, but for himself as well. It took Anna breaking his heart to show him he has what it takes to be the kind of guy he can become and its starts with telling her the kind of guy he really is. It's now or never he thinks to himself. "I like string cheese, drink grape soda, into Sonny Chiba martial arts flicks, and play Call of Duty on Xbox for fun a lot." he said. "There's more but you might think I'm the biggest nerd you ever met in your life."
"I already know you're a big nerd." she replied back.
"You do?" retorted Morgan.
"You told me you work in research and development helping create computer games so that tells me right there you not only a nerd but possibly a geek as well." she said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm kind of a nerd too."
"Prove it."
"I have the original classic tv series of Battlestar Galactica on 6 disc DVD set in my apartment." she said. "My favorite character is Lt. Starbuck."
"Marry me." blurted out Morgan with a wry smile on his face.
Morgan can clearly hear a bit of laughter on the other end of the line. He hopes it's the good kind rather than the bad kind. His answer would be given as she responds to his apparent marriage proposal. "Let's see how the party goes first Morgan tomorrow night."
"So you are coming?"
"Of course..." she quickly stated. "...and beside I enjoy meeting knew people. Hey I got to go. So where do you want to meet up?
"Santa Monica Peer cool with you?" asked Morgan.
"Meet you there then."
"Awesome." he responded. "Looking forward to it."
XXX
Casa Woodcomb
7:30 p.m.
Friday, April 11th, 2010
"Where's Morgan Chuck?" Elli asked to her younger brother.
For the last 2 days and all of Friday morning Dr. Eleanor Fay Bartowski has been cooking up a storm preparing a delicious meal fit for a king. However, a king wasn't coming rather a woman who genuinely liked Morgan much to not only her surprise, but every one else's as well. Chuck could clearly see the eagerness in his sister's eyes as she stands there in the kitchen gripping a considerably large knife.
"He'll be here sis." he humorously replied to her older and not too mention pregnant sister. "Why don't you put the knife down and step away from the honey glazed ham." he jokingly stated trying to calm her down.
He sees how anxious Ellie is as she steps into the dining area once again rearranging the table for the upteenth time to make it absolutely perfect for Alex. Chuck glances over at Sarah who immediately knows what he is thinking. "Ellie, why don't you let me cut the ham." she said to a seemingly tense soon to be sister-in-law. "Go have a seat in the living room next to your husband while I slice it up for you." grinned Sarah. "You worked hard preparing this meal and I think Morgan will appreciate it."
Everyone in the room briefly stops what they're doing just long enough to watch as Ellie hands over the large knife to Sarah handle first. There is a huge sigh of relief for Chuck as he watches her sister take a seat next his brother-in-law on the couch. Unfortunately, as she sits there with her husband she couldn't help but be preoccupied with not only how things looked, but checking her watch for the time.
"Relax Babe." Devon chimed in with a reassuring smile. "Everything is going to be awesome." he added.
"Yes it will." added Travis standing next to his wife at the end of the couch. "Isn't it honey?" he said turning to Shannon.
"Of course." she responded.
"The food you prepared looks great as usual Ellie."
Ellie turns her head to respond with a comfortable smile at the man standing next to Travis. "Thanks John. I appreciate you and Jayne coming." she said.
Casey responds with an audible grunt that his teammate knew meant you're welcome and at the same time gives quick nod acknowledging his thanks. "No problem Ellie." Jayne retorted wrapping her left arm around Casey's right and then squeezing it as he peers up at him with a smile.
The veteran government agent didn't really want to be here but since it was Ellie and he did live next door to her he's obligated to come. If he didn't show up, he would most definitely suffer dire consequences from a woman who is 4 months pregnant. He imagined her kicking his door in to drag him to the party for Morgan no less. Yet, he didn't want to disappoint her and far be it for him to turn down free food. Plus, his curiosity is peeked as to what woman in their right mind would want to voluntarily hang out with Grimes. Did she lose a bet or something he thinks to himself.
As the couples waited inside for Morgan and Alex to arrive, the aforementioned guests suddenly appear outside entering the courtyard. They walk towards the fountain side by side and as they are about to pass it Alex stops causing Morgan to quickly turn around. "What's wrong?"
Morgan can see that she is a bit nervous standing there in front of her as she rubs her palms together glancing down at her clothes. "Do I look okay? I should have brought something to the party." said Alex with concern.
The bearded man gives her a reassuring smile as he steps towards her. "You look awesome and don't worry about not bringing anything." replied Morgan. "You're the guest of honor in a way and I'm sure once they see you they'll welcome you with open arms. Trust me on this" added Morgan reaching over to gently rub her right shoulder.
"Thanks Morgan." she responded as she twists her upper body to bump him with her left shoulder.
"No problem." he said. Morgan quickly looks over her shoulder at the front door of Casa Woodcomb's apartment and then turns back to Alex. "You ready?"
Alex simply responds with a nod. As the two step in front of the door, Morgan glances at Alex flashing her a quick smile and then reaches up knocking on the door. After a few second of waiting the door opens.
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