A/N 2 : Oh my godness, you guys are awesome ! Almost 10 reviews for a chapter, 10 followers and 2 favorites and 120 views on this fanfic : you can give yourselves a round of applause ! :D I can officialy die happy!
I have a lot of people to thanks so here we go !
Thanks to Alexis Flare and eveningfaerie for adding GINYC in their favourites!
Thanks to 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, Alexis Flare(again),HP4eva121995, Jlynng96,KeJae, Lady Bird5, eveningfaerie(again :P), iimiodarhab, kilian07 and softball34 for following this story you guys are all kind of awesomeness :)
And of course, thanks a millionth time for the reviews (which I enjoyed reading. A lot). Since you took time to review this crossover, I took to answer to you:
Kaya : thx a lot ! And don't worry, I won't keep you waiting too long for next chapter (which is almost finished) and I hope that you'll like this chapter! :)
Guest : Thank you ! Hope you'll enjoy this one!
Lilly : Thank you, and I don't like fanfictions where you have to wait a month for an update either, so I hope I'll have the time to update at least once a week. Enjoy and thanks again!
BecStar94: Thx you and I hope you're going to like this chapter because- Oops, speaking too much. You'll see, dear ;)
Jlynng96: Thanks for the review! And took a breath, dear : I won't stop this story, I love it so far, so there's no reason for me to abandon it, so breathe ;)
Guest: Thanks. Hope you'll like this one!
21JumpStreetMcQuaids: Here you go, hope you'll enjoy your reading! Thanks for the review 3
kilian07: Merci beaucoup pr le commentaire et j'espère que t'aimerais ce chapitre, qu'il sera a la hauteur ! :D
Disclaimer : I don't own the TV show 'Chuck' nor its characters.. It belongs toNBC and to the duet Fedak/Schwartz. I don't own the TV show 'White Collar' nor its characters. It belongs to Jeff Eastin and tot USA NETWORKS.
FBI HEADQUARTERS, WHITE COLLAR SECTION, NEW YORK
1.30 PM.
The ex-conman walked into Peter's office, where the older man was eagrily taping on his computer. He took off his fedora's hat and threw it on his desk. He sat in front of Peter, crossing his legs and waiting patiently. Well, Neal Caffrey had a different definition of the word 'patience'. He started taping his fingers against the arm chair. Annoyed by the noise, Peter's head snapped and the older man gritted between his teeth:
"What the hell do you want, Caffrey?"
"And that" Neal said, snapping his fingers "is exactly the reason why I'm here."
"Which is?" he asked, returning to his work.
"You work way too hard, Pete. You drink cups and cups of coffee and you barely eat anymore"
"Well, someone has to do the job." he muttered, not looking at his friend.
"Even if it's turning you into a massive asshole?"
Peter's fingers stopped typing and his eyes met the blue ones of Neal. He cocked an eyebrow and said:
"You must be very stupid or bored to insult a guy who's armed."
"See? That's what I'm talking about: you've been out of your game lately. I mean, come on: you just threatened to shoot me!"
"Just because I never said it out loud doesn't mean that I haven't thought about it.." He muttered
"I'm going to ignore this last comment and blame your meanness on the lack of sleep and the excess of caffeine." he retorted, putting his hat back on his head.
As Peter rolled his eyes, the ex-conman raised from his chair and exited the office. Peter grunted, took his jacket and keys and exited the office, shouting::
"Caffrey, wait!"
Neal smirked before turning around to face his friend and asking in an innocent tone:
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I didn't mean to. I guess you're right, maybe I'm overworked and I may or not start acting like a massive asshole toward you and the other."
"That's for sure" he snorted, but stopped when Peter gave him a hard look. He cleared his throat and muttered "Sorry."
"I guess I really need some time out of this office, I need some fresh air! Here, how about I invit you and the rest of the team for lunch?"
"I was hoping you'd say that, buddy" Neal said, patting Peter's shoulder. " I've already made a reservation for 6 persons at Ricardo's under your name : I invited Elizabeth, figured she'd like to tag along. You like Italian food right? Great." he said, leaving the building before he could replied something.
Still dumbfounded by the audacity of his consultant, Peter stayed frozen during a few minutes. When he snapped out of it, he groaned, put his jacket on and gritted through his teeth:
"I'm going to kill him."
.
TIMES SQUARE, 2.00 PM
The gang had arrived to New York the day before. Surprisingly, Sarah was the most excited about this trip. Chuck teased her by reminding her that she'd already went to New York for severals missions. His fiancée and glared at him and retorted that it wasn't the same thing at all. After a good night of sleep, she dragged her friends with her for a morning of shopping and visits.
Exiting of a Starbucks, Ellie and Chuck were walking side by side, their arms entwined, talking casually about nothing and everything. And oddly, it felt kinda nice : not worrying about what the next mission could be, just being serene while laughing with his sister. In front of them were Sarah and Alex, carrying multiple shopping bags and chatting like two teenagers and behind them were Awesome, Morgan anc Casey. Chuck frowned his eyebrows and said, looking at his fiancée:
"It's so weird, seeing her being so.. human."
"What do you mean be that?" Ellie asked, also frowning.
"Acting like a woman instead of being the coldblood killer she was trained to be, laughing with her friends, not checking her phone all thirty seconds to see if Beckman assigned us a new mission." he explained
"I think I like this Sarah better" she sighed "Not that I don't generally like her : I love her! She just seexms so happy right now.."
"Yes, she does" he agreed, smiling as he heard the blond's angelic laugh.
Ellie rested her hand on her brother's shoulder and Chuck unconsciously kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes at the touch of his lips and let out a big breath, a huge grin on her face. She opened her eyes and asked:
"Isn't this nice? No missions, no bad guys, just you and your friends, enjoying a normal day.
He chuckled and as he was about to nod and replied 'Yes, it is.', something caught inside on the opposite side of the road. He stopped walking and tilted his hand to the side in confusion. Ellie also stopped and asked:
"Chuck, what's wrong?"
Igoring her, his eyes widened when he recognized the person laughing with other persons. He whispered:
"Bryce.."
.
MEANWHILE, ACROSS THE ROAD
Neal, Diana and Clinton exited the restaurant, followed by Elizabeth and Peter. Walking hand in hand, Peter said:
"Well, Neal" When he heard his name, the blue eyed man turned toward his friend "I must say: this has to be the only good idea you had since months."
"Eh!" Neal protested, making Diana and Jones chuckle. Elizabeth playfully punched her husband's shoulder. He shrugged and said, in a innocent tone:
"What?
"Don't be a jerk: it was nice of Neal to invit us, show a litte respect."
"Thanks, El'!" the ex-conman said, wrapping an arm around the small brunette, a smirk on his face.
"Considering I paid for all of us, it isn't really what I called an invitation.. But anyway, thanks Neal." he retorted with sarcasm.
Neal ignored his tone and smiled at him, saying:
"My pleasure. Now, if you want to, you can go-"
"Caffrey" Jones interrupted him by tapping his shoulder. The young blue eyed man turned to his friend and cocked a questionnal eyebrow. Jones pointed to a man on the other side of the road and muttered "This guy have been staring at you for a few minutes, now. Do you know him?"
Intrigued, Neal turned to the direction Jones pointed to. That's when he saw him. The guy he have been running from for 2 years now. His eyes started to widen slightly and he frowned. His change of behavior and posture didn't go unnoticed by Peter. The older man frowned his eyebrows, put a hand on Neal's shoulder and asked:
"Hey, you okay?"
"No.." He muttered. His reply wasn't meant to Peter, nor to the question had asked him earlier. It was more of 'It can't be.'
**FLASH-BACK**
Standford University, 1999.
Charles was already in his room, unpacking his stuff, ready to start his first year of college. Saying he was excited was an understatement : the young man was extasique! The one thing he was a little nervous for, was to meet his roommate, the guy he will have to spend the all year with. He hoped they'd get along. Since Charles was kind of what people called a geeky nerd, his only friends in highschool were mostly 'computer freaks' as would have said one of his tormentors. And let's not forget about Morgan! But Charles didn't considered Morgan as a friend, he considered him as a long lost not bloodrelated brother.
As the nerd was lost in his thought, he didn't notice the guy, carrying a large box with books on it, entering the room until one of the books fell and the said man swored under his breath:
"Shit.."
Charles chuckled and proposed, benting down to pick it up:
"Here, let me help."
The other man thanked him with a smile. As Charles handed him his book, he noticed something and coudn't help but ask:
"You're studying computer science?"
"Hum, yes. My uncle is a software enginner, so I kinda fell in it when I was little, and I don't know, I've got a thing for computers."
"So do I" Charles retorted, happy that he had at least two points in commun, with his new roommate. "I mean my father also a software enginner and I took that class."
"That's awesome!" he said, a huge grin on his face. He put his boxes on the floor "At least, I'd know one of the guys in my class. The name's Larkin" he said, stretching out a hand "Bryce Larkin."
"Charles Bartowski." he replied, shaking his hand "I can see that you're a James Bond fan.
"Sue me, Charles" he teased "I admit it : it's my guilty pleasure."
"There's no need to feel guilty about it, I've watched 'Tomorrow never dies' like a hundred times."
"It's my favourite!" Bryce said, excited.
"Shut up!"
"No, seriously, Spottiswoode made an awesome Bond" he retorted.
"I think I found myself a new best friend." the nerd joked.
Bryce snorted, and lay on the bed next to him, putting his arms under his neck. He turned to Charles and asked:
"Sp, if we're friends, I- Wait, are we? Friends, I mean? Don't answer that, it sounds like something a four year old girl asked to someone else on her first day at kintergarden. We've known each other for minutes."
"And I already feel like we're soulmates" Charles teased. Bryce rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at him, which Charles caught, chuckling "Seriously, we're going to be roomies for the rest of the year, so I guess it would be good if we'd get along."
"Cool" Bryce replied, sitting up "So I''ve got this sort of thing : when I was little, I moved a lot, so each time I'd arrived in new place and made a first friend, I'd gave him a nickname. No offense, but I found Charles too formal and too mouthful."
"None taken, I'm not fond of my name either, soo. What ideas do you have in mind?"
"Hum.. How about Pr Xavier?"
"Like I haven't been beaten up enough in my life for being called Charles." he joked.
"Right" Bryce chuckled "Hum.. C.?
"Nah!"
"Ok.. Ouh! I've got it: be prepared to be amazed by my awesomeness.. Chuck."
The young man tilted his head to the side, considering the name : Chuck. Huh! It did sound cooler. He smiled and nodded:
"I like Chuck."
"Awesome! Ok, let's do this 'introduction' thing again so you can try your new name." Bryce cleared his throat, stretching out a hand "Hi, I'm Bryce Larkin."
"Nice to meet you, Bryce, I'm Chuck Bartowski."
"Chuck, huh? Cool name!"
Charle-Chuck laughed at the joke and let go of his hand. 'Yep' he thought, smiling 'This is the start of a great friendship.'
**BACK TO THE PRESENT DAY**
"Peter to Neal : do you copy?" Peter asked, waving a hand in front of his friend's face.
No reaction. The younger man was ignoring him. Well, ignoring wasn't the exact term: let's say he wasn't adknowledging his presence. He kept staring in front of him. At him. When his blue eyes met the brown gaze of the man, Neal broke out of his reverie and started swearing:
"Shit, shit, shit."
"Neal, what the hell is going on?" Jones asked.
The ex-conman turned to his friend, his mouth open as he was going to retort something. He shot a last look above his shoulder and saw that the brown haired guy had turned his head for a minute. He turned to Peter, closed his eyes, let out a breath and started sprinting the opposite way, ignoring the shouts of his friends and teammates.
MEANWHILE..
"What?" Ellie asked again. "What did you mean by that?"
Chuck didn't reply : he was too busy staring at the man in front of him. A man who was supposed to be dead. Behind them Casey, Awesome and Morgan stopped walking. Casey grunted:
"What the hell is wrong with you, Bartowski? Move!"
The young man didn't move of an inch. Sarah turned to her fiancé, concerned. What was happening to him? What was he staring at? She walked toward him and asked softly:
"Chuck? Babe, what's going on? Did you flash on something?"
Chuck turned to the blonde woman and as he was going to retort something, he saw the man he was observing for several minutes getting way, running. He crossed the road and shouted, running:
"Eh!"
"Chuck!" Ellie and Sarah shouted.
The blonde spy and Casey exchanged a quick look before running after him, leaving Morgan, Alex, Awesome and Ellie dumbfounded.
NEAL'S P.O.V
The ex-conman was still running, aware that Peter, Diana and Jones were probably chasing after him. Another thing he was aware of : he was out of the radius of his anklet. By now, he probably had half of the cops of New York after him. He ran pass people, thanking god that he was in New York and that the street was always crowded. He ran through the crowd, excusing himself when he had to. He hadn't the courage to look behind him to see if he was following him. A few minutes later, he wasn't in the crowd anymore but in front of a appartement's lot, looking for a place to hide and to catch his breath. Again, luckily for him, he was living in New York. A city with a lots of appartements which had fire escapes. He smirked and started climbing up to the roof of an appartement.
Once a roof, he hid himself behind a cheminy, couphing because of the smoke. He quickly took a look out of his hideout and saw Peter looking around and shouting orders to some cops. He sighed and slowly and quietly went down, always looking behind his shoulder to see if he was still alone. He jumped down on the ground and dusted hilettone, letting out a sigh of reliA dans smiled:
"Well, that went well" he muttered to himself.
His smile quickly vanished when he was tackled on the ground. He let out a wince of pain and raised back on his feet, rubbing his harmed shoulder. He looked up to see who had attack him but his mouth went dry and the only thing he managed to say -well, mutter- was:
"Chuck.."
Too dumbfounded, he didn't the fist of his ex-best friend coming right at his face. The punch took him by surprise and made him fall backward. He closed his eyes, holding back a cry of pain. He touched his nose and almost fainted at the pain. Definitely broken. He jumped back on his feet, walking away from the angry spy and said:
"Wait, I can explain."
"Really?" Chuck gritted between his teeth, throwing an another punch at him.
But Neal was faster : he grabbed his arm and twisted it before hitting him in the stomach with his knee. Chuck fell, holding his stomach in pain. The ex-conman frowned his eyebrows and wondered 'When did he became so strong? When did he learn how to fight? Was that gun in his pocket?!'
Chuck slowly and painfully get back on his feet, ready to fight back. Neal warned, using his nickname:
"Chucky, don't make me hurt you."
He ignored him and threw a stick he found on the ground at him. Neal took the lid of a trashcan and used it as a shield before throwing it at Chuck, who dodged it. Not like dodging balls being thrown at you. He dodged it like Neo dodged bullets in 'The Matrix'.
"How did you-" Neal started, but he interrupted himself when Chuck took the gun out of his pocket and pointed to Neal.
He raised his unharmed arm, not wanting to anger the man even more. He said in a calm voice:
"I thought you hated guns."
"I thought you were dead" Chuck retorted.
"Touché." Neal admitted. "Chuck, please, drop the weapon and listen to me, I-"
"No, you're going to listen to me, Bryce: y-"
He was interrupted by police cars sirens and a tall man in a suit, shouting:
"FBI! Drop the weapon immediatly!"
Neal turned his head and saw Peter, Diana, jones and ten others cops poiting their guns to Chuck. Neal dropped his arm and started:
"Peter, I-"
"You know that guy?" Chuck interrupted him.
"Drop the gun, sir." Jones repeated in a harsh tone.
Chuck glanced a last time at his ex best friend then put his weapon on the ground. Diana and Jones walked toward him, their guns still in their hands. Jones took out handcuffs and wrapped them around Chuck's wrist, ignoring his cries of pain.
Neal walked toward Peter and as he was about to explain hisself, some cop walked toward him, put his arms behind his back and handcuffed him.
"What the hell?!" He shouted, looking at Peter.
"You're out of your radius." Peter explained, shrugging. "Let's go.'
"CHUCK!" Someone shouted.
The spy turned around to see his fiancée, teammate, sister and friends running toward him. Jones stopped her by grabbing her arm and saying:
"Ma'am, back off."
Sarah yanked her arm out of his grip and muttered:
"Back off yourself."
"Eh!" Diana protested "You may be upset but you have not right to talk like that to a federal agent."
"Suits" Casey muttered, getting out his NSA plaque, before handing it to Diana. "She's a CIA agent, so is he." he pointed to Chuck "I'm from the NSA."
"I don't care if you're the President of the United States and she's the First Lady" Peter intervened, walking toward them, dragging Neal behind him, who was benting his head so Sarah and Casey wouldn't recognize him. "Your little friend here just assaulted a FBI agent"
'Shit just got real.' Neal/Bryce thought when Sarah and Casey turned to him. Sarah cocked an eyebrow, crossed her arms:
"Chuck wouldn't have attack him without a valuable reason. Maybe your agent" she insisted, looking straight at Neal, who was holding his breath "provocked him."
"Neal? Do you have something to say in your defense?" Peter asked.
"Yes, Neal?" Chuck asked in a falsy innocent tone "Anything to say?"
Biting his bottom lip, the blue eyed man raised his head, looking right into Sarah's eyes whose jaw had dropped. He smirked and replied:
"I guess I just have a face that screams 'Please, shoot me'. Right, sir?" He turned to Casey, who was dumbfounded.
Peter frowned his eyebrows, confused by what was happenning. Diana cleared her throat and the older man turned to her.
"What do we do, Boss?"
Peter sighed then answered:
"Bring them in."
Neal's smirk dropped as a cop dragged him away, grabbing his harmed shoulder. Jones forced Chuck to enter a car as Ellie and the others were staring at him, powerless. Morgan, confused, walked to Casey and Sarah and asked, his hands in his pockets:
"Wasn't that Bryce?"
Sarah cocked an eyebrow at him while Casey rolled his eyes at him and let out a small grunt before leaving. Sarah was right behind him. She crossed her arms and said:
"We need a car. And guns."
"Glad we're on the page, Walker." Casey replied
She sighed and muttered:
"Looks like holidays are over."
A/N 2 : So what did you think? Please, review guys !
I'm going to try to post a chapter a week. I think Sunday is going to become my new 'update' day.
KadiCriss :)