"Chuck vs the Aussie"
AN1: Thank you to everyone for the awesome response to the last chapter – hope you all enjoy this chapter (Half way point of the story) and the remainder of the swimming action to come. Now, a guest brought up the believability of the Bryce/Jill (and Shaw) plots – and I get that this is a little more out there. But keep in mind – with the Tonya Harding incident and the fact that not all great athletes are angels – and with lots of money up for grabs I think that criminal actions, though less likely are in the realm of possibility. And hey, this is based on a TV show with a computer downloaded into a guy's head after all – a little whimsy is required! The security at the Games was superb and I won't denigrate them in any way. These plots are coming to a close, so hopefully folks stick with this – the ending I have planned is, in my opinion very special – so have faith!
A Huge thank you escardi who helped me with my nervousness over a scene in this chapter – escardi is awesome and has been a great help – thanks buddy! Also, thanks go out to Ripe who really helped me get the events down and kept me from going completely unrealistic – all mistakes are my own (no beta's harmed), but a big shout out to Ripe – you are awesome!
Disclaimers – I don't own Chuck or the Olympics (additional disclaimers in AN2).
Italics will always denote character thoughts and once again keep an eye on the time shifts and dates.
And thank you to everyone who has provided feedback – you have no idea how much I appreciate it! I always PM reviewers. I will never beg for reviews, but feedback is so useful and now more than ever are reviews appreciated - the time that is spent reviewing really lifts a writer's spirit. So to those who review thank you so much and to those who read thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.
Chapter 12: Day 3 – The Cover
Bryce's Apartment at the Athlete's Village
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
6:58 hrs BST
Bryce lies in bed as his face contorts in a grimace as he suffers through his recurring nightmare. He is beset by a cold sweat as he tosses and turns in his bed as his dream ensnares him and torments him. The white sheets are bunched and the comforter lies on the floor, long ago discarded due to his fitful sleep. He moans pitifully as he fights a losing battle with his subconscious as he struggles with his inner demons.
~o~
(Dream)
Bryce is trapped in a strange place as he runs through a forest and rolling emerald hills near a stream as a slight haze or mist covers the landscape. He recognizes the land… it appears to be his native Ireland in the spring time. But as he runs and runs he realizes this is not home, this is some repeating landscape that has trapped him in its grasp.
He begins to see the women from his past and he tries to approach them. He smiles a confident grin, "Why hello Carina, how about we have a little fun?"
The Carina avatar smiles, but says nothing. Bryce moves forward, but is struck down impotent. He then sees other women on his path including his past conquests, like Jill. But with every attempt he is struck down with impotence and is left embarrassed and uncertain as to why he is being tormented.
He finally begins to run once more as he tries to escape this hell. He moves at a manic pace desperate to leave behind his fears of losing power and control.
The scene becomes stranger as the sky becomes tinted red in warning as the background world begins to fade.
Suddenly before him a giant mirror appears and forces him to stop dead in his tracks as he gasps in deep breaths of air, while he looks on at his ghostly visage staring back at him in the mirror.
He speaks aloud, "What the hell is going on?"
He is taken aback and flinches when his image in the mirror contorts and replies, "Isn't it obvious Bryce… this is a dream."
The ethereal voice becomes clear and the face in the mirror that was once his own becomes another man's.
Bryce gapes in shock at the new image in the mirror that replaces his own.
He shakily replies, "C-C-Chuck?"
The dream avatar of Chuck simply smiles back, "Yes Bryce."
"What… what are you doing here?"
The Chuck avatar smiles once more, "I needed to tell you something, something important."
Bryce looks at the image before still in shock.
The mirror image of Chuck takes a breath, "I love you Bryce…"
The Bryce in real life would have instantly become enraged, but in the dream he fights a smile.
The Chuck image smiles, "Don't fight who you are Bryce, it will only lead to suffering and loss… accept what you know is the truth."
Bryce looks on with an uncertain expression, "I don't understand…"
Dream Chuck simply smiles, "yes, you do…"
Bryce looks into the mirror hesitantly. The Chuck avatar smiles once more before beginning to disappear and as it fades Bryce's face begins to reappear in its place. He hears, "It's Ok… I am Gay." But it is not Chuck that says this, it is his image and his face and his words that make this final statement and realization that bores into his soul.
~o~
Bryce's face contorts in hate and rage before he jerks from his sleep and the recurring dream in a panic filled sweat. He desperately sucks in deep breaths of oxygen as he tries to regain his composure.
He instantly throws his pillow across the room and bites down the urge to let out an angry scream. He thinks, Every night since Stanford! This is all Chuck's fault. He has invaded my dreams and tells me these vile lies! I am not gay! I am not. I am not! Just look at all the women I have been with!
But a voice deep inside tells him that this is all for show and that he is hiding behind his masculine and philandering ways to distract from who he really is. His face contorts in anger once more, This is all Chuck's fault… I must destroy him and then these dreams will end and I will be free. The dream keeps saying it is a warning and to accept who I am. Well I am not gay, nor do I love Chuck Bartowski. And to prove it I will destroy him, once and for all!
But the truth is Bryce is only lying to himself. He could not handle his true feelings, nor could he reconcile his upbringing with almost instantly falling in love with Chuck Bartowski at Stanford. Because of this inability to act on his desires and impulses, these feelings morphed and twisted in to a deep, burning pit of hate. All of this pain and hate and confusion was and is directed at the true source of his affections. By fighting who he is and by acting to destroy the only person he has ever truly loved he has alienated what could have been a great friend.
And little did he know that the warning in his dream was one to be headed, as his misguided attempts to redeem himself (in his own eyes) by destroying Chuck would ultimately lead to his downfall.
As Bryce finally composes himself his cell phone rings loudly and jars him from his internal struggle.
He answers with anger tinting his tone, "What?!"
"Whoa, I know it is early Bryce, but what the hell has gotten into you?" Jill asks curiously as a touch of frustration and hurt color her words.
"Nothing, just a bad night's sleep… nothing to worry about. Sorry I shouted… why are you calling?" Bryce asks with a heavy sigh.
Jill begins again, "Ok, now don't get mad… again, but I am working on the drug. But it will not be ready until tomorrow. I know you are going to be upset, but the synthesis process is very involved and without my lab equipment it takes more time to make, especially in its more potent form."
Bryce bites down his rage, "Bloody hell! Will nothing go right! When will it be ready?"
"Tomorrow and I know, just be patient and this will all work out," Jill responds in an oddly comforting tone.
"Fine, just make sure it is ready soon," Bryce says as he thinks, it may have to wait a day, but soon I can finally put these lying dreams to rest. Bryce tries to smile and the thought, but he cannot as he gets up and prepares for his day at the Olympics.
Meeting Room (Room 1-A) at the Aquatics Center (London Olympic Venue)
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
7:20 hrs BST
Chuck stands with a curious expression and a scrunched brow in the Aquatics Center in front of the blue metal door with the stenciled words 'Meeting Room 1-A.' He looks down at his phone's screen before looking back to the door in order to confirm the mysterious text from Colonel Casey to come to this room for a mandatory meeting.
Chuck is a little nervous as he thinks to himself, This is very odd… why the random meeting beyond the normally scheduled meetings? And why is it mandatory… it sounds important. Wait, did I do something wrong? Is the IOC involved in the meeting? Ok, now I am really nervous… this can't be good.
Chuck continues his nervous internal monologue trying mightily to understand why he has been summoned so unexpectedly. Chuck is so distracted that he does not notice the person approaching him until the soft tap of a single dexterous finger on his shoulder jars him from his distracted musings.
In true Chuck fashion he reacts in a less than smooth and confident matter as he jumps slightly and turns around yelping out, "Gah!"
Chuck raises his hands automatically in a poorly structured defensive posture before hearing the giggling reaction of his 'attacker.'
Chuck immediately recognizes the laugh and looks on, still a little surprised, at Sarah Walker who is trying to hold in her laughter as her mirth bleeds through at his reaction, which is so very 'Chuck-like.'
Chuck takes a deep breath and smiles, "You know Sarah it's not polite to sneak up on people. You could have given me a heart attack! I think you need to wear a bell to notify unsuspecting nerds of your ninja-like approach."
Sarah cannot help but chuckle at Chuck's ever so cute ramblings, "Oh Chuck, but it is so funny to use my skills to surprise you!"
Chuck smiles, "I bet it is you evil Aussie! Wait… what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you after my minor heart attack… though I could have done without the heart attack part," he says with a charming smile.
Sarah giggles slightly at Chuck's antics before turning a little more serious, "Honestly, I don't really know what I am doing here. I got a text from my Coach to be here for a mandatory meeting, so here I am."
Chuck's brow scrunches as he considers their situation, "That is so odd; I got the same text to meet and no explanation of why or what the meeting is about."
Sarah's face becomes guarded, "This can't be good? Can it?"
Chuck takes a cleansing breath, "Well… let's find out." Chuck knocks on the blue conference room door before looking at Sarah's piercingly beautiful blue eyes.
From the other side of door Colonel Casey bellows out, "Enter!"
Both Chuck and Sarah take a deep breath before Chuck, like a gentleman, opens the door for Sarah and the pair enters the meeting room.
As they enter the room they immediately take in the large and round silver metal conference table at the center of the room. They take in the modern furnishings, the white (writing) boards on the wall, the Olympic rings on one of the blue/white walls and the charcoal carpeting before they quickly see the stern faces on the occupants sitting on the far side of the round table.
Sarah thinks, This is odd… Colonel Casey and Coach Forrest are here, but who are the other two people? And why on earth are we here instead of preparing for the day's events!
Next to her Chuck's head drops in resignation, Well this can't be good, he thinks glumly.
"Mr. Bartowski, Miss Walker, please take a seat the small red haired women says.
"Yes, sit" the imposing African American man adds.
Sarah looks nervously at Chuck who smiles slightly and nods as the two swimmers sit across the table from the upper echelon of Team USA and the IOC.
"Miss Walker, I am Diane Beckman and this is Langston Graham. We are members of the U.S. swim program and IOC representatives. Of course I believe you have met Colonel Casey. You both must be wondering why you are here. Unfortunately, our Australian counterparts are busy dealing with the Men's swim team… and their pre-Games antics and poor performance in the relay. But we have Coach Forrest here and we have your country's support on this matter."
Sarah can no longer take the suspense, "beggin' your pardon Ma'am, but what is this all about!"
At the interruption Beckman scowls and looks as though she's just sucked on a lemon as her face contorts before she continues, "As I was saying… we needed to meet with the two of you to discuss the media reports."
Graham then chimes in, "What is the nature of your relationship with Miss Walker, Mr. Bartowski?"
Both Chuck and Sarah gape at the four people sitting across from them before looking at one another in shock.
Chuck regains his composure first, "What does it matter and what business is it of yours?"
Casey growls, "Just tell them so we can get out of here moron!"
Forrest then adds, "That goes for you too Walker! Out with it!"
Chuck begins to motion with his hands trying to start an explanation of their 'relationship,' which is still rather undefined.
Sarah then jumps in, "We're dating… exclusively," she then looks at Chuck to gauge his reaction to her very forward statement. She thinks to herself, I can't believe I just said that… it just spilled out. Oh god this is probably going to freak Chuck out and he will leave me like every other guy does. Wait, did he just smile? He looks… relieved! Oh thank god! He wasn't sure either! So this is a good thing! Wait! I am dating Chuck Bartowski… exclusively! Yay! Ok, now just don't freak out!
Chuck is instantly relieved at Sarah's pronouncement, Oh thank god! She is so hard to read and I did not want to answer that question wrong… hum that is kind of sad that I couldn't figure out we were dating exclusively. I don't date any other way, but… you know what who cares…
Chuck then takes a deep breath and adds, "That's right, we are together. And why can't we? It is not like there is are rules against it!"
Beckman looks at Chuck with an exasperated expression, "Mr. Bartowski, you misunderstand – we are not here to stop you from dating or being together and you are right there are no rules against it. We saw the media coverage of the very public display of affection…"
At that both Chuck and Sarah blush and look at one another fondly.
Beckman then continues, "And the media coverage has really helped the sport and our programs. Honestly, we called you here in order to ensure you are together. If not, we would have… encouraged you to appear to be dating, a cover if you will, for the good of the sport and the Olympics. We planned on using your relationship, fake or not to make you stars and benefit all of us in the process."
Chuck and Sarah's faces register absolute shock.
Sarah can barely formulate a thought, They would have wanted us to fake date for the world to see… just for the attention to help the sport and make them more money? Too… too much pressure… I… I don't want all this fakeness and screwed up attention! I only want to be me and spend time with Chuck. This is freaking me out! What do I do!
Chuck cannot help but react, "That is so… wrong! If we weren't dating for real you would have tried to force us to pretend… that would be terrible. Making Sarah be with me and potentially preventing her from finding happiness and something real with someone else! Luckily it is real, but what you had planned is not right!"
Sarah only heard the 'that would be terrible' part of Chuck's rant and she instantly jumped to the wrong conclusion, thinking Chuck meant being with her would be terrible, even though this really didn't make any logical sense. Her reaction was born from her deep feelings of uncertainty and self doubt, which came rushing to the forefront of her consciousness. Her doubts and fears were strongly formed from her socially awkward years, from her emotional scars formed by all the moves and lost friends during her childhood and most of all from Amy's terrible betrayal when she finally tried to open her heart to someone. Despite what Chuck had meant and the fact that he was only thinking of Sarah's best interest, Sarah took it as being with her was terrible and her heart broke a little as she thinks to herself, he deserves someone so much better than me…
Beckman pinches the bridge of her nose, "Mr. Bartowski that is all well and good and very nice of you to stand up for Sarah in this hypothetical situation. But you two are together so the point is moot. All we needed to know is if this was real and would continue or if we had to ensure you were together for the cameras. Now, go back to preparing for your events and live normally and the media will take care of the rest."
Chuck angrily replies, "We are together, but not for you or anyone else… I like her and respect her and that is all that matters!"
Sarah's heart leaps and Chuck's declaration, but the swirling self doubt and pain does not fully abate.
"Fine, dismissed," Graham says.
As Chuck begins to stand the Colonel looks at him and says, "Just don't let your lady feelings get in the way – you have more races to win Bartowski."
Chuck nods to the Colonel and makes his way out of the room with the noticeably shaken Sarah.
Once outside Chuck turns to Sarah with a shy smile, "Well that was awkward and I am so sorry they wanted to use you… us like that. But I am glad we are together and I don't want to pressure you or anything, but I am glad to know our relationship status." Chuck then adds a wry smile that turns into a full Bartowski grin.
Sarah cannot help but melt a little as she hugs Chuck firmly, "Thanks Chuck… I'll be honest I am a little freaked out and I need to go and talk with my Mum… I hope you don't mind."
Chuck smiles, "Not at all, I will be here when you are ready or if you need anything."
Sarah kisses him softly before turning and leaving him in a bit of a stupor in front of the meeting room.
Meanwhile back in the meeting room…
Beckman is preparing her things to leave after the meeting with the 'love birds' when her cell phone rings breaking her from her ministrations. She answers, "Beckman." She listens attentively to the called and her face becomes more and more concerned as her features harden and anger begins to spread on her face. She replies, "What! That is not possible! That is unacceptable, we need to meet immediately." She listens to the caller before responding, "Alright, so you will come to the Aquatics Center to meet?" She huffs once hearing the caller's affirmative response, "Fine, see you soon."
As she hangs up both Casey and Graham look at her curiously. Beckman smooth's her hair and takes a breath before responding, "We have a situation."
Conference Room (Room 4-A) at the Aquatics Center (London Olympic Venue)
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
8:15 hrs BST
Once Beckman informed the others of the calls importance, Casey, Graham and Beckman moved to a larger conference room in order to meet on this very important development.
Mid-way through the meeting Beckman interrupts, "I am sorry Inspector I need you to say that again."
The London Metropolitan Police Service Inspector Christopher Angel looks at the people in the meeting room with mild exasperation before continuing in his English accent, "Yes, Mrs. Beckman I can. We have received credible information from a Miss Carina Hansen of Team Sweden swimming that Chuck Bartowski may be at risk. Specifically, she is friends with a… Miss Walker who is apparently dating this Bartowski fellow."
Beckman nods affirmatively, "That is right Inspector; they are all over the news."
The Inspector nods, "Yes Ma'am, Miss Hansen took it upon herself to investigate Mr. Bryce Larkin of Team Ireland after Miss Walker mentioned her concerns about him and his confrontation with Mr. Bartowski. Apparently Mr.'s Larkin and Bartowski are enemies from university. Anyway, in the course of her… 'seduction' as she calls it of Mr. Larkin, she observed a conversation between Mr. Larkin and his girlfriend, a Miss Jill Roberts. Miss Hansen did not hear the entirety of the conversation, but did hear that there has been an attempt or will be an attempt to poison this Chuck fellow. Now, we are very concerned about this because from our investigation so far this Miss Roberts is a talented biochemist, and in the light of the previous attack we consider this to be a credible threat. As such, we are coordinating with the Olympic security detail, Scotland Yard and of course your own security. We need to prevent this attack and gain evidence to put these criminals away. Right now we do not have enough to arrest Larkin and Roberts – all the evidence we have is hearsay and we cannot risk them getting off and hurting more people."
The Colonel chimes in, "So what's the plan?"
The Inspector replies, "Vigilance is the first order – we need to watch not only Larkin and Roberts, but also Bartowski and Walker. If we can catch the criminals in the act we can ensure a conviction, while protecting your swimmers of course."
Beckman nods, "There is a risk here, is there any other way?"
"I am afraid not Ma'am, but we will ensure their safety."
Casey chimes in, "Me and my men will make sure nothing happens to the kid, the Brit's can get those dishonorable bastards and we can call it a day."
Graham then confirms, "Ok, so this is how we will proceed, make sure you keep Bartowski safe."
"Roger that," Casey responds with a curt nod.
Beckman then asks, "Do we tell Chuck and Sarah?"
Casey responds, "We should wait until after their events today. If they hear about this before it will affect their performance and there is nothing they can do about it anyway. We can tell them later today and then they will have time to digest and sleep on it without this information potentially damaging their performance. It may seem cold and only for the results, but this is the best course of action from a psychological perspective and is my recommendation. This is especially true after the meeting this morning, which as I told you before was not advisable from a pressure standpoint, but you did not listen to me."
The Inspector adds, "I concur and I have told Miss Hansen not to inform her friends and she agreed after significant protests, but she understands why it has to be this way."
"Fine, we will inform Walker and Bartowski tonight. Inspector Angel and Colonel Casey, just make sure you catch these criminals post haste. The consequences for failing will be very heavy," Beckman says ominously.
Both men nod before heading off to make preparations to catch Larkin and Roberts in the act and to ensure the protection detail is prepared and ready for the threat.
Small Meeting Room at the Aquatics Center (London Olympic Venue)
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
9:05 hrs BST
Immediately after leaving the meeting about Chuck and Sarah's relationship Sarah calls her Mom in a bit of a tizzy. Emma recognizes the vulnerability in her daughters tone and decides to call in re-enforcements.
Later, the five women sit around a table in a small conference room at the Aquatics Center. Emma, Zondra, Carina and Alex sit ready to support Sarah in her hour of need. They sit silently waiting for Sarah to start and the healing to begin.
After the silence drags on Sarah takes a deep breath and finally begins, "Thanks for coming… I really needed you guys right now. They were going to force me and Chuck to fake date if we weren't actually dating… and it kind of freaked me out. I didn't think it was possible to feel any more pressure after all the madness from the media since before the start of the Games and then how nuts it has been after the kiss..." She loses herself in a small smile as she thinks of the kiss to the amusement of the other ladies in the room before she snaps out of it. She continues with a miserable look on her face, "I just want to be left alone."
Emma smiles softly at her daughter, "Honey, it is a part of the deal when competing at the Olympics and you will never get used to it, but you can't let it dictate your life."
"I know it's just too much sometimes. I didn't even think about the kiss and then it was all over the place, some even said it was all a publicity stunt, which is crazy!" Sarah says harshly.
Zondra chuckles, "Sarah no one with half a brain thought that that was fake – it was clear how both of you feel even if you and Chuck are still figuring it out."
Sarah was about to ask what Zondra meant by that when Carina cuts in, "Yeah Sarah, you can't worry what everyone thinks. Just go with the flow and have fun and be safe and everything will work out all right." Carina then thinks to herself, God this is torture not being able to tell her what I found out… she might hate me when she finds out, but this is what's best. I have to protect her, even from her own worry. Those cops and Casey and his men better keep Chuck and Sarah safe of so help me god I will chain them all to a bedpost before the torture begins! Maybe I would leave Casey in his underwear for a little added suffering… no they will keep my friends safe so I won't have to resort to these and other violent methods… I hope…
Alex then adds, "We all know there is no way for us to understand, but we are always here for you."
Sarah smiles, "Thanks… it's just really hard… I suck at relationships and really have never wanted the spotlight and now…" Sarah takes a deep breath, "I am really worried Chuck is going to realize that it isn't worth being with me because of all the baggage that I come with and because of the additional stress of the media watching us." Sarah then looks down at her hands which sit fidgeting on her lap as a miserable expression graces her delicate features.
Zondra jumps in, "That is bull and you know it! Chuck is not that kind of guy and you should have a lot more respect for him and for yourself!" Zondra says this sternly with a little anger in her voice as she thinks, Chuck does not deserve to be doubted and more importantly Sarah needs to stop putting herself down. I know she has had a tough time when she was younger and then at school, but she deserves the world and just needs to realize that it is Ok to be happy… she just has to let herself be happy and not get in her own way!
Sarah replies tentatively, "You're right Zondra… I know Chuck is your friend. It's just he said something at the meeting… that a cover relationship would be terrible and it got me thinking how unfair I am being and how bad it must be to date me… but then he said something really sweet about us being together for us alone and that was all that mattered…"
Emma, Zondra, Alex and Carina look at Sarah skeptically before Emma asks, "Baby girl, what you just said doesn't make any sense – why would he say dating you was horrible then basically saying how much you mean to him? Are you sure you heard the first part right… from everything I have heard and seen it doesn't sound like Chuck."
Zondra then jumps in, "You said he was talking about a cover relationship… are you sure he didn't mean if you wanted to date someone else and you were stuck with him? I love Chuck like a brother and I know he would sacrifice himself for another person's happiness and he would never want to be a burden to someone, could that be it?"
Sarah thinks for a moment, "Um… maybe. Honestly after I heard the terrible part I kind of went to a bad pace and didn't hear much till the end of his speech… but it sounds like something he would say."
Alex says, "See, you are just freaking out a little."
Carina then adds, "But you need to remember you are just as special as Chuck is and not put yourself down. If you keep this up you will fulfill your own prophecy and your inner doubts force you to run away from him or drive him away. Don't let that happen, you deserve a shot with each other."
Sarah takes a deep breath and replies, "Thanks, I really needed that. But it is time for me to get to my preparations… you two need to as well," she says pointing at Carina and Zondra with tiny smile.
Emma smiles, "Ok girls! Let's go!"
As they leave the meeting room Sarah follows last taking in the kind words of her family, but deep down her fears and self doubts remained a burning ember, just waiting to consume her.
Warm-up Area at the Aquatics Center (London Olympic Venue)
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
10:41 hrs BST
Sarah once again falls into her routine as she prepares for the 200m individual medley (IM). This would be a very special race as she would be competing with her friends Carina and Zondra and her mortal enemy Amy in this race. She knew that all four would likely make it through to the finals the following day, but she knew she needs to performs well today, first in the heats and then in the semifinals of this IM race. It's a busy day for her as she has the medal race for her 100m backstroke event between the heats and the semis for this IM race.
She takes a deep cleansing breath as she listens to her music and calms her mind of the pressure of the race, the media and that awful Beckman woman. She once again gets into her zone and thinks, No worries… I've got this!
Carina was first into the pool in heat number 2 and she finishes with a solid time that easily put her into the next semifinal race. Next up was Zondra in heat 3 and she also set a very impressive time finishing just behind the Spaniard, Mireia Belmonte-Garcia, also qualifying for the semifinals.
As the heats were about to begin, Chuck made his way to his seat, next to Emma, in order to watch Sarah and their friends race in the heats. Normally Chuck would have just shown up with a ticket like a normal fan and might have been able to watch for about thirty seconds before a crowd of ravenous fans descended upon him, if he made it to his seat at all. Surprisingly, even to himself, Chuck had quickly learned that his newfound and unwanted fame meant that he had to be smart and not as trusting/naive. As a result, Chuck was sure to inform Venue and Olympic security of his attendance prior to the event and as a result he was given additional security and the fans were kept in line by the additional security measures. Now, Chuck was still Chuck so he made every effort to be kind and sign autographs for the young kids, but on the whole he was far more careful. Clearly he had learned from the two mob incidents.
After another round of autographs and pictures between the heats he sat back down with Emma to watch more of the swimming. On the TV feeds the commentators were of course making a huge deal of Chuck not only watching Sarah compete, but also pointing out with significant excitement that he was sitting with Emma Walker. The commentators' conversation then moved to relationship speculation, with both commentators agreeing that the relationship must be serious if Chuck has met Sarah's Mom. Also pointing out the fact they (Chuck and Emma) were watching Sarah compete together was telling. Once again, the media buzz grew as the world demands more information on the new darling couple of the London Olympics.
Chuck and Emma talk amicably as Emma once again reaffirms her positive opinion of Chuck and how good he is for Sarah. She laughs with him and enjoys her time, quickly seeing once again why Chuck seems to be so loved by his friends and family.
As Chuck and Emma continue to chat Sarah takes her starting position in heat 4 and all attention returns to the pool as Chuck and Emma cheers loudly for Sarah.
Upon hearing the beep Sarah leaps into the pool and quickly begins the butterfly lap quickly reaching the wall and kicking off the wall directly into her powerful backstroke. She quickly reaches the starting wall and spins and kicks off into her breaststroke as she heads back to the far wall with a clear lead. She kicks off the wall a final time into a underwater dolphin kick before surfacing into a strong front crawl as she leads all the way and finishes in first in heat 4. This performance ensures her a spot in the semis, much to the delight of Emma, Chuck and her friends.
Later in heat 5, Amy is able to easily qualify for the semifinals later in the evening, which potentially sets up an epic final race the next day between the three friends and their enemy.
Sarah's Apartment at the Athletes Village
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
12:48 hrs BST
After Sarah had cooled down and gotten ready, Chuck made his way to meet with her and they made their way out of the Aquatics Center together. Much to their chagrin a mob once again attempts to get photos of the couple and although the security, including an additional and very noticeable detachment of police and military, did a great job keeping the couple safe, both Chuck and Sarah were still unsettled by the rapid ascension into unwanted fame.
They quickly escaped and made their way back to the bustling Athlete's Village and quickly headed up to Sarah's apartment. Their individual apartments were becoming their own little sanctuary from the world. Sure, they were enjoying the atmosphere and meeting athletes from around the world, but even then the questions about their romance were many and with all the attention they preferred a little simplicity just to themselves. And of course they loved spending time learning more about each other as they continue to fall hard for one another.
After entering her apartment Sarah smiles shyly, "So, today I guess it's time for me to show you some music?"
Chuck smiles widely at her, "Whatever you want to show me… I just want to see what you are passionate about…"
With that Sarah melts and a giddy smile emerges on her face, "Ok! So we can start of slow… um have you ever listened to classical music?"
Chuck looks down a little shyly, "Um… no I really haven't… sorry I am more of an indie rock kinda guy, though I am open to anything and generally have a diverse appreciation of music styles."
Sarah looks at him seriously, "Are you sure you want to listen to this… most people don't really listen to classical music anymore."
Chuck looks at her intensely, "If you like it I want to hear it."
Sarah smiles shyly, "Ok, well I took a look online and found some fun stuff you should recognize from movies."
Chuck smiles as she pulls out her laptop and MP3 player and mini speakers and gets everything ready. He wryly notes, "Well you are setting up the electronics like a pro, we will make a nerd of you yet!"
Sarah laughs at that, "Well I am sure I need a few more nerd lessons from a master nerd, but it is good to know I am on the right track," she says jokingly.
She continues, "So here are two classical pieces one by Richard Strauss and the other by Johann Strauss, no relation, used in a movie called… 2001: A Space Odyssey… I have never seen it. The first by is called the Blue Danube Waltz and is by Johann Strauss."
Chuck perks up as he listens to the music, "That is classic Kubrick during the space station scenes and later the Hal9000 scene!"
Sarah chuckles and goes on to explain the origins and small details of the music as she cannot help the passion she feels for the music as it bleeds through as she goes into great detail. Chuck knows he should be bored by all this detail, but Sarah's pure, unadulterated passion keeps his attention completely transfixed upon her excited visage.
She then plays the famous Richard Strauss piece from the opening scene of the movie as she tells him, "This is called 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' and it is a really intense piece." She once again explains the music in detail as Chuck instantly recognizes the powerful drum beats."
He gleefully replies, "This is from the opening scene and then the dawn of man scene with the early man/monkey! This is so cool!"
Sarah is gleeful as she continues to introduce Chuck to her passion for classical music, though she's showing him the most culturally pervasive pieces of music and not necessarily her all time favorites. But she knows that would come later if he had an interest to learn more about her… she thinks to herself, Ha! If he wants to learn more… I bet he would try to learn everything about me even if I was duty bound to keep everything about myself a secret. It is just… so him to want to learn more.
As she continues to show him music from movies like the orchestra "Lucia di Lammermoor" from the film the Fifth Element and Bach's 'Goldberg Variations" from the Silence of the Lambs. Chuck is simply enthralled by making the connection between the films he has seen and loved and the music Sarah loves and how these unknowingly, for him at least, overlap. She continues to show him classical music from film and other famous pieces like Tchaikovsky 'The Nutcracker,' Beethoven's 'Symphony (no. 9)' from A Clockwork Orange and Mozart and Verdi's very different pieces both called 'Dies Irae.'
After hours of being lost in her teachings and passions Sarah decides on one final song. She tells Chuck, "Ok, I saved one of my favorites and honestly one of the most recognizable classical music pieces. This is by Richard Wagner and is from one of four parts of an epic opera called 'Der Ring Des Nibelungen' about a Norse legend of a magical/cursed ring and the doomed love of Siegfried and Brunnhilde. This is an excerpt from the opera 'Die Walkure' and is called the 'Ride of the Valkyries.'
She plays the famous piece from many films, most famously from Apocalypse Now where the helicopters move in and attack. Chuck's grin is huge and infections as he listens intently to the music and Sarah's knowledgeable historical commentary that describes what happens in the opera, interesting facts about Wagner and generally imparting her knowledge and passion for this art on Chuck.
As the song ends their alarms both chime and they look at one another knowingly. Chuck smiles, "I guess it's back to the pool! Thank you so much for this, I had so much fun!"
Sarah smiles brightly, "Really, you had fun?"
"Of course I wouldn't lie to you, I really enjoyed this and I can't wait for more."
Sarah is clearly on cloud nine, "OK! But tomorrow I expect more nerd teachings oh wise one!"
Chuck laughs, "Of course! I have to at least try and add such a beauty to the nerd team."
Sarah instantly blushes before leaning in and passionately kissing Chuck. It is far too short and as it breaks they hold each other tightly as Sarah smiles into his shoulder. After a moment they break their little hug and begin to move towards the door on the way to the Aquatics Center, both thinking the same thing:
I could get used to this!
Aquatics Center (London Olympic Venue)
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
19:43hrs BST
After the craziness that was the morning meeting with Beckman, Chuck is so happy to have a calm and fun afternoon with Sarah learning more about music. But once again he was back warming up for the medal race of the men's 200m freestyle. Chuck knew he had stiff competition as he's competing against four very skilled swimmers: Yannick Agnel, Bryce, Sun Yang and Taehwan Park.
In the warm-up area he finds Sarah who is preparing for her race immediately after his freestyle final.
"So you all set for the race Chuck?"
"Yeah, you?" Chuck replies.
Sarah smiles, "Yeah, I am ready for this!"
Chuck smiles, "good…"
Sarah then looks left and then right and quickly molds into Chuck giving him a passionate kiss. They break and Sarah smiles at Chuck shyly, "For luck…"
Chuck grins like a fool, "That's from Star Wars! We will make a nerd out of you yet."
Sarah chuckles before kissing him once more only to be interrupted by a telltale click of a camera.
Both groan as the kiss breaks and they rest their foreheads together. Chuck then says, "We just can't shake the cameras, can we?"
Sarah looks at him with a contemplative expression before saying, "Who cares?"
Chuck smiles, "Why Miss Walker do you prefer an audience?"
Sarah smirks, "Shut up and kiss me!" And he did.
After their sickeningly sweet interactions the couple went back to actually preparing to race, knowing they would likely not see one another until after Sarah's race during the medal ceremonies.
Chuck knew not to take anyone lightly, and after the 4x100m freestyle relay he knew that Agnel would be a formidable opponent and likely the swimmer he would need to beat if he's to win another Gold medal.
Chuck makes his way once more to the pool and waves to the fans who greet him with a thunderous applause in the packed Aquatics Center as fans take in what the announcers have deemed the race of the night. Chuck makes his way to lane 4 next to Agnel in lane 5 and Sun Yang in lane 3. Larkin and Lochte are in lanes 2 and 6 respectively, while the outside lanes are occupied by the Aussie Fraser-Holmes and the junior Volkoff of Russia.
The swimmers take their places and the starting beep sounds and the young swimmers leap into the water. Chuck quickly surfaces after his powerful dolphin kick beneath the water and starts into his well honed front crawl as he trails the Frenchman Agnel leads slightly as the swimmers rush to the end of the pool. Chuck and Agnel touch the wall and flip back towards the start at essentially the same moment. They rapidly finish the first 100 meters of the race as Agnel reached the start slightly ahead of the others. Chuck kicks off the starting wall in second place with Sun Yang, Larkin and Park following close behind. Larkin then moves into third place as Sun Yang and Taehwan Park are neck-in-neck in forth.
As they hit the far wall and make the turn for a final time Chuck trails Agnel by a meter or two and is tied for second with Bryce, just ahead of the two Asian swimmers. Chuck then flashes on Sarah's smiling face and once more he finds the will to push harder. He pulls ahead of Bryce and begins to close the gap that Agnel had on him and the other competitors. Chuck makes his final push and pulls into a tie with Agnel as the two reach the wall. Bryce finishes in third and Park and Sun Yang finishing at the same exact time in forth.
Chuck breathes heavily as he and Agnel look towards the scoreboard. Agnel says in slightly accented English, "I think you touched first."
At the same time Chuck huffs out, "I think you touched first, Yannick."
The scoreboard lights up showing the final results: coming in forth (tied) was Taehwan Park and Sun Yang, while Bryce Larkin takes the Bronze. Only 0.02 seconds separate first and second as Chuck ever so narrowly misses out in Gold and takes the Silver medal, while Agnel takes home the Gold by the slimmest of margins. Chuck and Agnel congratulate one another and shake hands before getting out of the pool and giving interviews alongside Ryan Lochte who answers about his performance and not making the podium as expected in this event.
As Chuck heads off to cool down Sarah enters the pool area and the two share a look, much to the excitement of the crowd who erupt into a huge cheer as the couple is seen together. The buzz in the building is electric after the great finish to the 200m freestyle and catching a glimpse of now famous couple.
Sarah pushes down her nerves as she changes out of her track suit and she and the other swimmers jump into the pool. She takes her place on the starting wall with her feet on the wall and her hands holding the metal bars on the starting block. She arches into her starting position before launching herself backwards into the pool as soon as the beep sounds. She kicks hard and surfaces into a perfect backstroke as she takes an early lead ahead of Missy Franklin, Aya Terakawa and Vivian Volkoff.
Sarah pushes hard and touches the wall first with Missy Franklin and Vivian Volkoff just behind and Terakawa following closely in fourth place. Sarah kicks off the wall and continues her powerful strokes back to the starting wall and the end of the short 100 meter race. Terakawa moves ahead of Volkoff and Missy Franklin makes a move pulling neck-in-neck with Sarah. As the swimmers reach the wall, much to Sarah's disappointment she finished ever so slightly behind Franklin who takes the Gold. Sarah takes the Silver and Terakawa takes the Bronze finishing just ahead of Volkoff.
Sarah is happy with her performance, though she knows this was her race to lose, but Missy Franklin simply swam a great race. Sarah gives a quick interview before heading off to cool down.
Later…
Both Chuck and Sarah receive their Silver medals before Sarah finishes her last race of the day, the 200m IM semifinals. As expected by all the media experts, both Sarah and Carina qualified for the final finishing first and second, respectively, in heat 1. Meanwhile, Zondra and Amy went head-to-head in heat 2 and both also performed very well in the IM and guaranteed their spot in the finals alongside Sarah and Carina. This set up an amazing match-up in the final for the 200m IM between three great friends and a great enemy, quite the storyline of friend versus foe for the next day's media coverage.
With their events finished for the day and Sarah's cool down routine complete they walk down the modern looking exposed concrete hall of the Athletes area of the Aquatics Center when Sarah stops momentarily to tie her shoe. Chuck not seeing Sarah has stopped continues to walk for a few steps until a dark haired woman approaches from the opposite direction and begins to touch Chuck's arm and chest as she talks breathily to him. Chuck instantly stiffens at the unwanted contact as he becomes uncomfortable and a little afraid of Sarah's reaction.
Sarah finishes with her shoe and looks up to see the brunette all over Chuck as he tries as politely as possible to dissuade the women… the older woman's advances. Sarah instantly sees red thinking angrily, That bitch! She is all over my Chuck! She can't touch him like that and look at him. He is so uncomfortable… Oh god! I have to do something or she will steal him away just like Amy did with that jackass from Uni! Arrggg, why can't anything go right!
Sarah's face falls into a deathly scowl as she marches in a rage toward Chuck and the harlot who is all over her guy. She saddles up next to Chuck with an expression that would strike terror into the heart of any man. She looks like an avenging angel, beautiful blonde hair flowing, but an expression of absolute hate and violence on her delicate face.
Chuck seeing Sarah instantly squeaks, rather pathetically thinking, I am soooo dead. Please don't kill me, please don't kill me… And please don't break up with me!
Chuck smiles nervously as he extricates himself from the woman's grasp before looking nervously at Sarah and saying, "Um… Sarah this is Sasha Banachek… the IOC representative to Bulgaria. She presented my medal a while ago… which you saw. Miss Banachek this is Sarah Walker, my very WONDERFUL GIRLFRIEND, who I am very serious about and care for very much so… I am not interested, but thank you."
Sasha appraises the blonde and gives Sarah a look of absolute distain before looking back at Chuck, "This little girl is nothing, call me if you want to make made passionate sex with a real women." Sasha then touches Chuck's chest before smirking at Sarah and strutting away.
As Sasha Banachek leaves, Sarah lunges at her in a rage reaching for the hair, but Chuck deftly maneuvers to intercept the attack and ended up taking an accidental forearm to the forehead for his efforts. Nevertheless, he pulls Sarah into a tight hug and holds her, preventing her from killing or maiming the IOC member. If Sarah had been allowed to go all ninja on Sasha Banachek then the Aussie would almost certainly face serious repercussions, including potentially being kicked out of the Games for assaulting an official, even though the reaction could be considered justified.
Sarah's rage ebbs as she finds comfort in Chuck's arms, thought the image of that woman touching Chuck is burned into her memory and adds more doubts to her already vulnerable mind.
Chuck squeezes her once more lovingly, "I am sorry about that Sarah… she made a comment at the podium and I thought that was it. I am sorry you had to see that and she is wrong you are so much more than nothing."
Sarah smiles at Chuck and pulls him into a kiss, "Can we go back to the Athletes Village, I have had enough surprises for the day."
As she says this text messages chime through both their phones. The look at the message and both groan and look at one another with exasperation in their eyes. Chuck is able to articulate their pain, "Another meeting… we just can't catch a break!"
Meanwhile…
Shaw paces in his London flat angrily before grabbing his mobile and calling Justin.
Justin answers, "Hello?"
Shaw snarls coldly, "You have failed me again! That bastard Bartowski is still in top shape. Did you even try to get him?!"
Justin instantly breaks into a cold sweat, "Of course I tried! There is too much security and I am not getting nicked doing this!"
Shaw sighs and clutches his head, "Fine, if you cannot get close enough to him then you will have to find a way around that… I have a solution." Shaw smirks as he looks to his illegally acquired Remington 700. "I will leave a duffle hidden at our contact place and you will have to take a shot at Bartowski. Wound him if you must - I don't care, but my employers are getting restless with the American winning and messing up their bets and this unsettles me. I will not take the fall and be eliminated over your failures. So get the job done or end up at the bottom of the Thames! Understand?!"
Justin gulps, "Yes sir," he says with disgust in his voice as Shaw hangs up in his ear. Justin collapses into his brown colored couch in his dingy flat. He thinks to himself, I can't to this! But they won't hesitate to kill me… I can wound him then disappear. I don't know if I can shoot at someone… but I will go and if I can't take the shot I will run. God help me either way…
Meanwhile at Jill's Hotel Room…
"Bryce! The poison is all ready we just have to find a way to get it into Chuck's system."
Bryce smiles slightly before the memory of his dream wipes the smile from his face and only hate remains on his chiseled jaw. He replies in a curt tone, "Will this work?"
Jill sighs, "Yes, I made this very powerful; no man could compete with this in his veins. I promise this will work and you can add to your medal… Gold perhaps," she says with a smile.
Bryce smiles, "But 'a course my dear lass! Now come here, we have some celebrating to do!" He grabs Jill and pulls her into a kiss before the pair fall intertwined to her bed.
Conference Room at the Aquatics Center
London, United Kingdom
July 30, 2012
21:45 hrs BST
Chuck and Sarah sit together once more in a nearly identical, though larger, conference room as they have a distinct sense of déjà vu. They both nervously wait as Casey, Forrest, Beckman, Graham enter the room. But then Carina and another unknown man in uniform enters the room and they all sit across from the couple.
Chuck hazards a question first, "What's going on? We wanted to get back and rest for tomorrow."
Sarah nods crisply, "Yes, why are we here? And why is Carina here and who is that?" She asks pointing at the officer.
The officer stands and both Chuck and Sarah take in his uniform. He wears a crisp white dress shirt with simple black epaulets on his shoulders with two silver diamond shapes on each epaulet. He wears black pants and a black tie and his black police cap is under his arm with part of the black and white checkering and the Metro Police Service symbol above the visor of the cap visible to the couple.
He addresses the pair, "Mr. Bartowski, Miss Walker I am Inspector Christopher Angel of the Metropolitan Police Service of London. We needed to talk to you about a rather sensitive subject…"
Chuck looks at the others quizzically, "Is this about the attack or mugging attempt before the Games began?"
Inspector Angel nods, "Possibly, but we have a credible threat against you Mr. Bartowski. We have enhanced the security around you covertly and Colonel Casey has increased your security. I can assure you that you are safe, but we expect an attempted poisoning and we are prepared to catch the perpetrators."
Chuck and Sarah sit dumfounded in shock. They look at one another and Chuck cannot find the words. Sarah finally breaks the silence as she softly asks with fear and vulnerability clear on her voice, "Who is doing this and why?"
Carina chimes in, "I overheard Bryce and Jill planning something and I told the police." Carina smiles weakly at her friends as she squeezes Sarah's hand in support. She keeps the secret that Bryce and Jill's conversation seemed to indicate a previous attempt at poisoning Chuck. The police and coaches had tested Chuck's blood, originally taken as part of his cool down routine for traces of foreign chemicals, but thankfully the battery of tests indicated Chuck was in perfect health and that he had not ingested any poisons. In her heart Carina knew that not burdening her friends with this information was for the best, but she still hated lying.
Inspector Angel continues, "We think the assault attempt may have been the first attempt to get you out of the competition, likely due to petty jealousy or the potential for monetary gain from your absence from the competition. It may be similarly motivated to the Tonya Harding attack on Nancy Kerrigan, but this is all speculation."
Chuck finally asks, "What do we do?"
Inspector Angel smiles at Chuck, "Leave everything to us. We have around the clock protection for you and top notch security. When they try to get at you again we will take them down and this will all be over. So do your best not to worry, everything will be fine."
Casey grunts, "Don't worry Bartowski, we've got your back and I won't let that Irish bastard get to you."
Chuck nods knowing the Colonel is a man of his word.
Beckman adds, "Is there anything we can do for you Chuck?"
Chuck looks to her, "No ma'am, but I want Sarah to be protected as well in case they go after her."
A tear breaches Sarah's eye, but she quickly swipes it away as Graham answers, "It is already done Mr. Bartowski, Sarah will be protected. This should all be over soon and then you can get back to you life Chuck."
The group talks over the logistics of the 'mission' to protect the swimmers and apprehend the suspects. Once the meeting is completed Chuck and Sarah make their way back to the Athletes Village. Chuck walks Sarah to her door and says goodnight, but Sarah pulls him close. She tells him strongly, "I will protect you Chuck… maybe I should stay with you tonight…"
Chuck smiles, "I would love that, but we will be safe and it is not the right time… besides, we have security." He smiles and points wryly at the two very large Met Police constables that have taken up positions to guard Sarah.
Sarah nods, but clearly hates not being with Chuck to keep him safe even for a short period of time. She unhappily sighs and says, "Ok Chuck… we will just have to take this one step at a time…"
Chuck nods and smiles before kissing her sweetly before saying softly, "One step at a time…"
Sarah watches nervously as Chuck makes his way, safely, to his apartment. The two swimmers try mightily to rest and sleep for tomorrows events after the jarring day they both had. As they fall into a fitful sleep in their beds their last conscious thoughts are of each other as they both say a silent prayer that they both hope will keep the other safe.
AN2: Ok to start – yes I went there with Bryce's character – I expect some to laugh/love the idea and some to hate it. It was not really part of the original plan, but I felt that this was a more nuanced aspect of Bryce's character – it explains his blind hate, while making him more human (though still unlikable). Now, I understand that some may feel this is so far outside Bryce from canon and I agree – but this is all rooted in canon, though loosely of course. I am honestly a bit ambivalent on Bryce from canon – there are too many mixed signals from the writers to definitely say he is this or he is that, which is why he is really a utility character in fanfic – he can be good or bad and still be believable. Anyway, he can be seen as having vain and arrogant characteristics (also ulterior motives) in canon – and in this story his negative characteristics have been expanded in order to clearly put him into the villain category. The gay thing – yes he is a ladies man in canon (and in this story), but canon also showed his platonic love for Chuck (and no not in a dirty way). It is these two aspects of Bryce that allows this interesting interpretation – in this very, very AU story. So, Bryce is actually in love with Chuck, but cannot take the shame (please don't take this as me being judgmental) and thus his feelings become hate for the object of his twisted affection. Thus, Bryce becomes an enemy to Chuck and goes above and beyond in order to hurt him. It is out there – no question, but I think the reasoning is fair and this provides a more nuanced understanding of my villain – Agree or disagree I love to hear what you think (especially when I take a leap like this.) There will not be any more on this subject as Bryce's arc ends next chapter – so don't worry – no more dreams or potentially scarring plot twists – this will NOT go to a weird place, I promise.
And on the Shaw thing – yes he is a bastard and I promise that I will not shoot Chuck – I know that this is a little spoiler-y, but I don't want people to freak out – this is just setting up Shaw's fall and it will be good. Keep in mind he is a bit of a puppet of a criminal organization and his reasons for targeting Chuck are not as personal as Bryce's. Everything is coming together before we hit the final arc and true heart of this story – so I hope you enjoy the ride and the very packed chapters in this middle arc.
And just for your information – I have a crazy week right now so if there is going to be a delay it will be next week – I will try to update ch 13 on Tuesday, but I won't force something out if I don't have time to do it right. So ch 13 might have to wait an additional week, but still take a quick look on Tuesday as I might get this done on time. And sorry this is late (on Tuesday) I had a tough time finding the time – work is crazy right now… so yeah. Thanks for the understanding.
Disclaimer 2 – Don't own anything related to NBC