A/N : To whoever sent several S.W.A.T teams to my small apartment in Paris : I'M ALIVE, nerds : you can blame my lateness on my laziness, my teachers and God. Thank you so much guys for the feedback.. I'm so so so soo sorry for the delay but my father's, a.k.a my biggest fan and inspiration, been in the hospital for weeks and I was gotta down for a while. I swear my life is a freakin' rollercoaster ! :/ Plus, I started Junior Year. Yay for Junior Year (Insert irony here) Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed, favourited (no a real word, got it) and followed this fanfic ;)
Questions time, folks !
Kejae asked "who is your favorite character of Chuck and White Collar and why?"
Oooh, that's a tuffy, 'cuz I absolutely love every character of Chuck, nice or mean. I probably go wiiiiiiiith.. Chuck.. or Jeff( Jeff is AWESOME ) or Lester (LESTER IS AWESOMER !).. I DON'T KNOW, gosh! I feel the pressure.. Hum, I guess I can't say there's a tie between all of them? No? Right. Soooooo... Chuck. Because he's pure awesomeness, he makes me laugh, and I have a huge crush on Zachary Levi (This man is perfection. Seriously) Plus, he's a nerd, I'm a nerd. He's weird, I'm weird. And I absolutely love Alexei Volkoff, who is just my favourite villain of the show!
GOSH ! I LOVE ALL OF WHITE COLLAR'S CHARACTERS TOO ! My favourite character in White Collar is... Gosh, this is torture ! Hum, I can't choose between Mozzie and Alex so : tie. Mozzie cracks me up, he's awesome : I LOVE HIM ! And Alex is kinda badass, which make me love her as well. Ouh, Satchmo ! Let's not forget Satchmo. He's adorable :3
Tempe4Booth "if you could update as much as possible how often do you think that would be?"
Hum... I don't know. Probably twice a week, I think? It'd depend on the size of a chapter and on if I'm inspired or not.
On with the story!
DISCLAIMER : I OWN NOTHING (except the plot and OCs)
FBI HEADQUARTERS, WHITE COLLAR DIVISION, NEW YORK CITY.
10:24 AM.
A couple of days after his and Ellie's conversation, Bryce became more and more paranoid. Always checking if anyone was following him, he was trying his best to avoid the A team and he didn't leave Sara's side. As if he was glued to her hip. He knew people - by 'people', he meant Peter, Diana, Jones and Sara - were getting suspicious but now, that was the least of his problems. The young brunette needed to find out who sent him the threats and who blackmailed Ellie. A woman. Working for Adler. Or Roark. Or her own. Damn! How did his life became that complicated?
To hide his frustration, among other things, Bryce and Elizabeth had agreed to organize meeting between she, Chuck and Sarah. El had been more than happy to help the young couple so they had decided to meet a couple of days later.
Chuck became suspicious when he learnt that his former best friend had been the one to choose the time and place of their meeting. He became more and more suspicious when Bryce started to avoid his team.
So on Wednesday evening, he confronted the ex-conman and asked him what was on his mind.
Bryce was scanning the few threats he got on his laptop when Chuck hopped on his desk, making the blue eyed man jump. He closed the device and said, ignoring the amused smirk on Chuck's face:
"God, dude! Don't ever do that again, you scared me."
"Yeah, right" Chuck scoffed "I know that you spent a couple of years with the feds but Bryce Larkin ain't that easy to scare. What's up?"
"Nothin', what's up with you?" he asked, leaning in his chair.
"Yeaaaaah.. I don't believe you" the nerd said.
As Bryce rolled his eyes, he didn't notice the CIA agent switching on his laptop and opening several files.
"Wow" Chuck's eyes widened as he read the threats Bryce received "That's some mean threat."
"DUDE!" Bryce squealed.
Luckily for him, the few agents that were here didn't pay attention to him and Chuck was too engrossed in his reading to make fun of him. The ex-CIA agent cleared his throat before snatching the laptop from Chuck's hands. The tall brunette frowned his eyebrows as he watched his former best friend's eyes fill with worry. He crossed his arms against his chest and asked:
"When did you receive them?"
"A couple of days ago" Bryce replied, his eyes on his laptop's screen.
"Who are they from?" Chuck insisted.
Bryce groaned, closed his laptop and snapped:
"Does it matter?!"
"Uh... yeah!" Chuck replied, cocking an eyebrow "You aren't the only one concerned; whoever sent it is also targeting your girlfriend, your team, me, Sarah, Casey and Ellie! She or he knows exactly what she or he's doing and is doing it very well. So it does matter."
The ex-conman ran his fingers through his light brown hair and sighed, shrugging his shoulders:
"I don't know who sent." he confessed "I have no clue who's threatening me and it seriously getting on my nerves! But hopefully, I'll find something helpful tomorrow."
"Why? What's tomorrow?" Chuck asked, frowning his eyebrows.
A small smirk appeared on Bryce's face as he answered in an innocent tone:
"Your meeting with Elizabeth, of course. What else?"
"The annoying and creepy, yet charming, smirk on your face" Chuck said, gesturing to the blue-eyed man's face "is telling there is something else."
Bryce chuckled before taking a file out of one of the desk's drawers and throwing it on the table. Still frowning, the nerd took it and quickly scanned it. he cocked an eyebrow and said, looking back at Bryce:
"It's the plan you made."
"Yep." Bryce nodded
"It was refused." he stated
"Indeed, it was." he confirmed again.
"Dude, why am i reading it?"
The ex-conman sighed and rolled his eyes, in fake annoyance. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms and shook his head, saying in a teasing tone:
"God, Charles. Never thought you were so slow!"
"Explanations, Larkin." Chuck demanded, staring at his former partner.
Still grinning, Bryce put his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his hands and said:
"So we know that Roark and his men meet every Thursday, at 2:05 PM, at the mall's Starbucks, am I right?"
"You are, now please get to the point." Chuck replied, rolling his eyes in annoyance and slight amusement.
Now grinning like the Cheshire Cat, Bryce said, a weird twinkle in his eyes that kinda started to freak Chuck out:
"What are the odds of your meeting with Elizabeth happening to be at the same place and at the time that Roark's?"
Confused, the CIA agent squinted his eyes, frowned his eyebrows and tilted to the side, thinking. Bryce almost laughed out loud when he saw the thoughtful's expression on Chuck's face. He snickered and shook his head. Suddenly, Chuck's deep brown were wide opened and the ex-conman could practically hear the small 'ding!' in his head and see a small light switching on above his head (A/N : WOW. I've been watching too much cartoons.) 'Finally' Bryce thought.
Chuck blinked a few times before shaking his head and saying:
"You didn't-"
Bryce smirked, which was enough for Chuck."
"OH MY FREAKING GOD, YOU DID!" The nerd half-screamed, half-squealed. Which was a weird combination for the young man.
The outburst of the governmental agent attracted a few confused and suspicious glances of the others and wiped Bryce's smirk off his face. Bryce hushed him and raised from his chair, straightening his tie. He glared at the CIA agent as he said:
"Say it louder, China didn't hear you."
Chuck rolled his eyes as Bryce put his fedora on his head and started walking toward the elevators. The chestnut haired man jumped down from the desk and followed the young brunette. Bryce pushed a button and waited until the doors open, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Waiting next to him, Chuck crossed his arms and leaned closer, whispering:
"Are you crazy? what"
Bryce interrupted him by shushing him again. As the doors of the elevator opened, Bryce pushed Chuck in and quickly followed behind. When the doors finally closed, the former CIA agent sighed and turned toward Chuck, saying:
"Okay, I know it sounds insane and risky but-"
" 'Risky'?!" The tall man interrupted, scoffing. He leaned against one of the elevator's walls "That's an understatement."
"Whatever" The blue eyed man rolled his eyes "Just.. hear me out, 'k?"
Chuck simply shrugged as to say 'go on'. Bryce let out a long breath he didn't know he was holding before talking again:
"No knowing who sent the threats notes is driving me insane. So, whether Peter like it or not, my plan is still on."
The chestnut haired man turned his hand toward his former partner and said in a soft tone:
"You know that if anything, even the most unimportant detail, goes wrong, it'll blow your cover."
"I took it under account." Bryce said, nodding.
"And..?"
"If Roark is involved, it was going to get blown one day or another. It's inevitable." He sighed.
Chuck looked like he was going to retort something, but he didn't. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, waiting for the elevator to come to a stop. Finally, it did. The doors opened, and as Bryce was about to step out of the elevator, Chuck suddenly said:
"I'm not going to tell Casey. Nor Sarah."
Bryce stopped dead in his tracks, turned around and asked, looking shocked:
"You're not?"
"I don't see why they should know. Plus" he added, walking out of the elevator "You''ll need me."
"Will I?" he asked in a teasing tone.
Chuck smiled and put an arm around his shoulders, saying:
"Of course. With me, your plan will be flawless."
ROSALIE's CAFE (A/N : NOT A REAL PLACE) NEW YORK CITY
11:32 AM.
Peter was sitting in one of the empty booths, slipping silently his coffee and checked his watch for the fourth time since he'd entered the small restaurant. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. Suddenly, the chime of the door brought his attention to the front and smiled when he saw Diana enter the café. The young woman caught his eyes and smiled back walking toward Peter.
Diana sat in front of him, saying:
"Hey."
"Hi" Peter said back, smiling. He pushed a cup of coffee toward her "For you."
"Thanks."
She took a long sip of her drink before putting her cup back on the table. Diana sighed, crossed her arms and asked, leaning in her chair:
"So, I assumed that whatever you wanted to talk about has something to do with that annoying consultant of yours named Neal Caffrey.
Peter snorted and asked, cocking an eyebrow:
"Am I that obvious?"
"Nah!" She replied, shaking her head "But just an advice: don't try poker. You'll lose everything you own." She added in a fake whisper.
"I'll keep it in mind." he laughed.
Diana let out a small laugh before drinking another sip of coffee. She cleared her throat and asked:
"So, what is it about?"
Instead of answering, Peter sighed, took out a foiled paper out of his pocket and pushed it toward the darked skinned woman. Diana cocked an eyebrow at him, but took it asking anything. She sighed and unfoiled it. And the more she read, the more her eyes widened. She looked back at her boss, whose face was emotionless. She opened and closed her mouth several times like a fish out of the water, not knowing what to say. Diana cleared her throat and said:
"The Board accepted Neal's plan."
"Yep." Peter confirmed, nodding his head.
"H-How?"
Peter crossed his arms on the table, leaning closer as he started speaking:
"Well, I presented the idea to the boss, who presented it to his bosses, who, surprinsgly, accepted it."
Less confused, Diana squinted her eyebrows and asked:
"What's the catch?"
A little smile on the corner of his mouth, the older man answered:
"Well, I just told them that the brilliant mind that came with this really well thought plan was yours"
Diana cocked an eyebrow and shook her head. Peter became serious and said:
"If you don't want to do it, you-
He was surprised when he heard the young woman snort and exclaim:
"Are you kidding me?! This is an awesome plan, I'd be crazy to say to this! I'm definetely in."
RIVERSIDE DRIVE, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY
5:21 PM.
Bryce entered his apartment, followed close by Chuck. As the ex-CIA agent threw his keys on the table, the tall brunette took a few steps in and whistled:
"Cool place."
The blue eyed man turned toward him and smirked, saying:
"I know, right? Buuuuuut.. I've seen better."
Chuck, his hands stuffed in his pockets, cocked an eyebrow at him and scoffed, muttering:
"Ain't you getting cocky?"
"Hello? Dude, I was an international spy and travelled a lot. Both with CIA and FBI. Trust me, I have seen better."
The nerd rolled his eyes and sat on a chair, muttering:
"Right."
Bryce snorted, shaking his head. As he poured himself a glass of water, he heard the door of his bedroom open. He frowned his eyebrows, confused, as he saw Alex, wearing one of his shirts, and Mozzie getting of the room. Noticing the two new comers, Chuck stoop up and went to stand next to his former partner. Bryce tilted his head to the side and asked:
"What were you two doing in my room?"
"Researches." Mozzie answered.
"Of?" Bryce insisted.
"Nothing important." Alex said, with a swat of her hand, as she collapsed on the couch.
Bryce cocked an eyebrow and asked again, his arms crossed:
"And why are you wearing one of my shirts?"
"Because it smells like you, darling" the brunette teased.
As Bryce rolled his eyes, Alex sat, bringing her knees to her chest, and turned toward Chuck. She tilted her head to the side and observed the tall man, looking thoughtful. After a few seconds of awkward staring, Alex stoop up and held out a hand in front of Chuck. She introduced herself, smiling flirtatiously:
"I'm Alex. And you are-"
"Engaged." Bryce replied, shoting a glare at the younger woman.
Alex rolled her eyes and blew a rasperry at the blue eyed man. Chuck snorted, took her hand and replied:
"Chuck. Nice to meet you, Alex."
"Likewise."
He let go of her hand and turned toward Mozzie, who was, also, staring at him. Chuck cleared his throat and asked, rubbing the back with his hand, embarrased by all the attention he was getting:
"It's Mozzie, right?"
"Correct, Mr Non-Suit." he replied.
" 'Non-suit'?" Chuck asked, frowning his eyebrows as Alex squealed, indignant "You've told him about Moz' but not about me?"
Bryce sighed and closed his eyes. Massaging his temples, he answered:
"Don't be such a drama queen, Hunter. They've already met, that's why they know eachother."
Alex glared at him and retorted, crossing her arms:
"If there's a drama queen in here, it's Mozzie."
"Whatever!" Mozzie intervened then said, pointing to Chuck "What he is here for?"
"Helping for tomorrow's plan." Bryce replied, walking toward the kitchen. "Which you two should be doing instead of snooping around and going through my stuff. Seriously, this place is a mess!"
That was true. Everything in the living room was upside down, books and other stuff were on the floor, some of the painting and photos that weres a few hours earliers hanging to the walls, were now missing. The trio followed Bryce as he started unloading on of the cupboards. Alex exchanged a quick look with Mozzie and ran her fingers through her hair as Chuck watched Bryce, still frowning. Alex cleared her throat and asked in a hesitant tone:
"Are you sure about that plan, B.?"
"Yep." he answered, not looking at her.
"You do know that even the most unimportant detail coud ruin everything, right?" Mozzie insisted.
"Don't bother" Chuck said, leaning against the wall "I've been saying that for the last six hours."
Bryce took a silver casket out of the cupboard and putting on the counter. Chuck, Alex and Mozzie eyed the small box then frowned at Bryce, confused. The blue eyed man sighed, running his fingers through his hair and said:
"Listen, I know this may seem like a really bad idea, I know that if I forgot the tiniest detail, I'll screw everything up and lose everything. And in that moment, you are the only persons that can be of any assitance. So I need all three of you to help me, to trust me and to stop asking questions. Alright?"
Alex and Mozzie exchanged a quick look before nodding. Bryce turned toward Chuck, who looked in his thoughts. After a few seconds of awkward staring and silence, Chuck's brown eyes met Bryce's blue eyes as he said:
"One last question..."
Bryce crossed his arms on his chest, waiting for him to continue. The spy looked at the casket and asked:
"What's in the box?"
The former CIA agent smirked, then opened the casket. Mozzie's and Alex's eyes widened as the saw him pull out a gun. Chuck looked completely indifferent as Bryce load the weapon and replied without a hesitation:
"Our plan B."
A/N 2 : And scene, nerds! Here you go : chapter 7. Lame? Good? Incredibly awesome? Say it all in the little box down there. Why? Cause I told you so, folks ! BAM!
KC out.