A/N: This fic takes place present day
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck
We open to the camera on Chuck
"Are we one hundred percent sure that we have been legally cleared to talk about this?" Chuck asked, a look of worry on his face.
"Sure," came Morgan's voice, off camera. The skepticism did not disappear from Chuck's face.
"Shut up, Grimes," came another gruff voice off-camera. "It's all been cleared."
Chuck sat there for a second, looking uncomfortable. He took a deep breath and began. "Okay, so for me, it started at Stanford, when I got kicked out… well, wait, that's not really when it started. I mean, I had to be kicked out for the settlement and even then-"
"Christ on a cracker," the gruff voice grumbled. "Just tell us when you met Sarah, numbnuts."
"About four years after I got kicked out of Stanford," Chuck said. "See,"
}o{
Four years after Chuck got kicked out of Stanford.
"Chuck," Ellie called out from her bedroom, after hearing a knock on the front door. "Can you please get the door?"
"Sure, not like I have anything important to do," Chuck groused, walking out of his bedroom. He was still wearing his cloth pajama pants and tee shirt he had slept in. He was off from the Buy More today, and planned on hanging out in his room playing video games.
The exact same thing he had done most days since his removal from Stanford.
He opened the door, not even looking to see who it was. "Morgan, if this is about can a zombie or gho…s….t-" He trailed off, looking at the most beautiful woman he thought he had ever seen in his life. She also had one of the most confused expressions he had ever seen in his life.
"Chuck Bartowski?" the woman asked.
"Yes," he replied. At least he thought he did. He had opened his mouth, he was fifty percent sure his jaw had worked, and was at least fourteen percent sure air had left his lungs, making the word. He cleared his throat. "Yes," he said.
He was sure he had said yes that time.
"I am Sarah Walker, a… former agent of…" She trailed off, seemingly unsure of what to say. "May I come in? I can show you some identification."
"Absolutely," Chuck answered, standing there, immobile. Stunned by the vision of beauty in front of him. She pulled an id from her bag, showing it to him. "Yup, that says that you are you," he managed to get out. "You wanted to come in, please do." He managed to move out of the way this time, making a gesture for her to enter. He had just about managed to get himself together when he heard it; the sound from his bedroom. The Morgan door had been opened, and he heard Morgan coming through. His head pleaded for Morgan to say nothing, absolutely nothing.
He had a better chance to plead that water not be wet.
"So, Buddy, I've been thinking," Morgan began, lost in thought as he came out of Chuck's bedroom. "I'm sure of it. I'm absolutely sure that a ghost and a zombie can come from the same person."
"That's great, Buddy," Chuck said, trying to gesture for Morgan to be quiet. "Uh, Morgs-" Chuck watched Morgan walk into the kitchen, never seeing that Chuck had company. "He didn't even look at me," he muttered. He heard a giggle beside him and saw the amusement on the agent's face… former agent. Former agent of what? He opened his mouth to ask, when Morgan continued.
"I mean, think about it, and imagine the horror of the ghost," Morgan went on. "He's watching the zombie shamble around." Morgan lifted his arms, and began to move slowly, tilting back and forth, trying to approximate a zombie walk. "…and the ghost is all embarrassed as hell. 'Frank, for the love of God, pull it together man! We were a lawyer.' 'Brainnnnnssss,' the zombie would be saying." Morgan turned and saw Chuck and Sarah standing there. His eyes went wide. "ELLLIEEEE!" he yelled, transfixed to the spot he was standing.
Ellie walked into the front room. "What in the hell are you… hi!" Ellie said, looking at Sarah and then to Chuck. "Are you going to introduce us to your friend, Chuck?" Chuck's eyes widened. Why in the hell would she think he and Sarah were friends? Why did she always do this to him?
"This is Sarah," Chuck said. "That's about all I know, because she knocked on the door, and needed to talk to me about…" He turned to Sarah. "You never said what.
"About you being unfairly kicked out of Stanford," Sarah said.
"Me being unfairly kicked out of Stanford," Chuck said, turning back to Ellie. It took a moment for that line to play through his head. When it did, he turned quickly to look at Sarah. "Wait, what?"
"I'm here to talk to you about what happened at Stanford, and before you say anything, I know that you are innocent," Sarah told him.
Chuck turned to Ellie and Morgan, both of whose mouths were hanging open.
}o{
Sarah is sitting in the interview chair, watching a tablet.
She giggled, and closed the tablet, looking up at the camera. "And would you say that is an accurate portrayal of your first meeting?" Morgan asked off camera.
"I would say that is about perfect," Sarah replied. "By the way, your zombie impersonation was pretty good."
"Thank you," Morgan replied.
"Wait," came the gruff voice off camera. "That's how you met these two, and you didn't run, then and there?"
"That's right," Sarah said. "And who knew that would be one of the most normal things I would see after meeting those two?"
}o{
Four years ago, Chuck, Ellie, and Awesome's apartment.
"I don't know how much of the news you paid attention to, but Langston Graham was removed as the head of the CIA," Sarah explained, sitting in a chair while talking to the other three on the couch. All three were hanging on her every word, but one of those three, Chuck, was struggling to understand.
All he had wanted as a kid was to grow up and make his parents proud. His mother had left, and eventually his father, but he kept his head down, did the work, and got a scholarship to Stanford. Part of him thought, if he could just get that degree, maybe his dad would come back. Chuck knew, deep down, it wouldn't change things. But a part of him… a part of him believed.
And then… it had happened. Bryce accused him of cheating, and his last hope to have his family back together – and his potential future – were all gone.
"I'm sorry," Ellie replied to Sarah. "I work the emergency room, and when I come home, the last thing I want to watch is the news."
"Fair," Sarah said with a smile.
"I work at the Buy More," Morgan added. Sarah and Ellie both looked at him, wondering if he would explain, but Morgan just sat there like that explained everything.
"Chuck?" Sarah asked.
"I… I don't think I did, but I'm confused," Chuck admitted. "Does this mean you're a CIA Agent?"
"I was," Sarah said. "And so was Bryce Larkin." Chuck blinked. He couldn't process what he had just heard. He had heard her. He had. But the words… they made no sense. Bryce Larkin? Bryce Larkin from Connecticut?
"The test he claimed you stole and cheated on, it was a tool used to evaluate potential recruits for the CIA," Sarah told him.
Chuck sat there. His world had been turned upside down… because of the CIA? "I don't understand," Chuck began.
"See, the test was used to find those…" Sarah began.
"I understand the recruiting tool part," Chuck interrupted. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but… I got kicked out of Stanford… lost my scholarship… because Bryce Larkin… what? Didn't want me to get invited to work for the CIA?"
"It's not that simple," Sarah began, and then she paused. "You know what, yes, it is that simple. Yes, Chuck." Chuck sat there a second. "Yes, that's exactly what happened."
"I see," Chuck said. He stood, surprising everyone. "I'm sorry, I need just a second." With that, he walked out of the room, to his bedroom.
"I'm sorry," Sarah said. "There's no good way to do this."
"I hope you know he's not mad at you," Ellie began.
"He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would be," Sarah said. "For the last two months, I've been reaching out to those affected by Langston and those he has… affected. Chuck is the last person on the list. We worked on agents first, and then civilians. He was last. I've actually been here a few days, watching him."
Ellie's eyes went wide. "You were spying on him?"
"I was about to tell him that his possible future was destroyed over an agent who made a decision just because," Sarah told Ellie. "I wanted to know who he was. I wanted to see if I could find any reason why your brother was treated the way he was."
Sarah reached into her bag and pulled out a file, laying it on the table. Ellie saw that it was her brother's. Sarah opened the file. "I've followed every bit of his academic life. I've followed everything he's done since leaving Stanford. Do you know what I've found?"
"No," Ellie answered.
"I found a man, who life has taken some terrible swings at," Sarah said. "I found a man that has every reason to be bitter, to be angry, to be resentful. And he's not."
"No, he's not," Ellie said, a soft smile on her face.
"I found a man… I found a man who still cares. I found a man who cannot find a job because he was kicked out of Stanford," Sarah continued. "I've watched him at the Buy More, and dear God what a place."
"It is awful," Morgan agreed.
"Shh," Ellie shushed.
"And here's a perfect example," Sarah said. "The people that work with Chuck… Morgan is the best, and his work ethic is lacking."
"I would say non-existent, if I'm honest," Morgan corrected. Sarah stared at him. "But, please, continue."
"Chuck… he saved a man from getting a divorce," Sarah continued.
"Piano recital not recorded?" Ellie asked.
"Ballet," Morgan told her. Ellie nodded.
"Wait, that happens often?" Sarah asked.
"At least once every two months," Morgan told her. Sarah shut her eyes and shuddered. "The term digital camera… bad."
"So, you've seen him deal with… them," Ellie said. Sarah looked confused at the inferred them.
"The Buy Morons," Morgan explained. "It's okay, it's our name for ourselves, and people expect less from us." Ellie shivered.
"Yes, I watched them," Sarah replied.
"And?"
"And he loves them," Sarah said. "He's… he's been treated terribly by life, and yet… yet he still sees the good in people."
"Then will you do something for me?" Ellie asked. Sarah was taken aback by the passion in Ellie's voice. It was clear she loved her brother. "Will you please go in there and tell him that? Because Morgan and I can't tell him. He refuses to listen."
"Do you think it will help?" Sarah asked. It was clear that Ellie Bartowski wanted the pain inside of him to stop.
"It can't hurt," Ellie told her. Sarah nodded, stood, and walked toward Chuck's door.
"Are you trying to fix him up?" Morgan asked.
"No," Ellie said. She sat there a second. "She is beautiful, inside and out."
}o{
The scene shifts back to Chuck in the interview chair.
"For four years I had been hiding in plain sight at the Buy More," Chuck said, a far off look in his eye. "When Sarah told me all of that, I just wanted to escape, you know?" He was silent for a moment. "And then, I had the means to, so… I did."
"Do you ever think about what might have happened if anyone other than Sarah told you about Bryce?" Morgan asked from off camera.
Chuck chuckled. "You know that saying you have, Choices were made? I do think about it, and what would have happened if someone in a suit had told me about Bryce. I might literally be dead." He looked straight into the camera. "She saved my life on that trip."
"She said you saved hers," Morgan reminded him.
"Not the same way," Chuck argued. He grinned. "We both saved each other, if I'm honest.
A/N: I can hear you now, "David, Nantinaq is contained to the area of Portlock, Alaska. Is that the only cryptid Chuck and Sarah will chase?" No, we will also see our heroes check into the legend of the Kushtaka (there are many different spellings of this cryptid). What? What do you mean that wasn't your question? Oh, you're here for what happens next time.
"You know," he said softly, having never looked at her, but just staring at the picture. "I used to think….you ever see A Christmas Carol, or some version of it?" he asked, turning to her. She saw pain in his eyes. Hurt. Deep hurt. She nodded, not trusting her voice. "I always thought one day, I'd be minding my own business, and another me would appear, accompanied by a ghost...one of the Christmas spirits."
In the short time she had actually talked to Chuck, she had heard about ghosts and zombies, and the spirits of Christmas. She couldn't stop the small grin on her face if she wanted. What was it about this man?
"I always thought I'd never hear what they say, until the very end, when other me screamed, 'Oh, I'm sorry spirit, I will change my ways!'" He paused for a second. "And then, they'd just fade away, and I'd be sitting there like, wait, what?"
In the words of Awesome, that is very…specific….come on back next time.