Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench

Well, in the previous chapter: Bash At the Bench Friday arrived once again and with that a new Rockstar Rebel was introduced. The 8 year old, Lily Aguilar, has been dealing with a problematic brain tumor that caused her suffered from memory loss. Fortunately, her loving parents helped her bit forget any memories by putting together a memory board, in a 50 First Dates kind of way. Needless to say, it got considerably emotional with in the hospital courtyard as Chuck dedicated Westlife's song "Pictures In My Head" to not only 8 year old Lily, but to her parents as well. So what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Chuck say that Hartley and Vivian are working a court case against that involved the FEDS and Interpol? What does Jill say to Jeff and Lester that she has the causes Lester to question why they're always told that. Where does the largest donation in Bash At The Bench history come from? When does the surprise the guest show up? Why does Jill shove a manila envelope in a trash bin? How does Chuck feel now after Jill donated to a worthy cause? Read and find out! I hope you enjoy the read and leave a comment to share your own thoughts on this particular chapters. As always, reviews are awesome.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment, I truly appreciate it. Please continue to do so as it gives me the incentive to write more chapters.

I don't own Chuck.

The Roast of Jill Roberts

XXX

"You actually made it," Chuck said, approaching then standing in front of Jill.

"I gave my word," responded Jill, shrugging her shoulders. She then glanced around the courtyard and noticed a number of people visibly emotional after the performance. Afterwards, she returned her attention back to Chuck. "Is it always like this?"

"Like what?" inquired Sarah, crossing her arms.

"Everybody got into their lady feelings," grunted Casey.

Jill quirked her right brow in a quizzical manner after she heard that. She had never heard those two words before, especially coming from a rather large and intimidating figure standing on the other side of the short statured woman.

"Jill Roberts, I presume," acknowledged the aforementioned short statured woman. Jill nodded. "I'm Diane Beckman. Chief Administrator of Westside Medical Center." After Beckman introduced herself, she gave a firm nod towards the young woman standing in front of her. "I assume you're the one that Mr. Bartowski was talking about that's going to be donating to a wonderful cause?"

"I am," Jill answered. Once again, she scanned the seemingly jam-packed courtyard with a sense of disbelief. "This is so surreal. I can't believe you're actually allowed to do all this." She shook her head trying to wrap her brain around what she experienced.

"It may be considered unorthodox," retorted Chief Beckman. She proudly glanced around the hospital courtyard for a brief moment then returned her attention back to Jill. "But it sets us apart from the other hospitals not only within the area, but everywhere else for that matter. All thanks to Chuck's assertive determination."

"That's my little brother for you." The voice that spoke up and joined in on the conversation was Ellie. Devon followed right behind her. The eldest Bartowski sibling stood side by side with her brother and directly focused on Jill. "He picked himself up after emotionally hitting rock bottom and created something that he didn't know would end up turning out to be an absolute phenomenon," she described, praising what her younger brother has accomplished.

The look that Chuck saw expressed on his sister's face as she intensely glared at Jill spoke volumes. He knew, as much as Ellie wanted to angrily unload on her, being the overprotective older sister that she is, she restrained herself and took a far different approach. One of the reasons was that there were people, more importantly, kids around who would have heard words that weren't suitable for their young, impressionable ears. Plus, the fact she already had a discussion with Chief Beckman when she fully intended to confront Bryce after he got his injured right knee diagnosed by Dr. Andrews.

In his mind, she showed a tremendous amount of restraint and avoided publicly exposing any personal issues she harbored towards Jill. A woman who she watched and heard, clear as day, how her brother's former flame truly felt about him on the video that was shared with not only her, but 3 other individuals as well. He recalled Ellie experiencing a plethora of mixed emotions of how Chuck was simply used for subterfuge and as a way to play a pivotal part in Bryce's mind games against Jill, he thought to himself. However, she partially understood the reasoning behind why he betrayed her younger sibling, despite how much she struggled to reconcile her thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

"What Ellie is trying to say is," interjected Devon, stepping forward a bit. He briefly glanced at his wife, then faced Jill. "Welcome to Bash At the Bench." he greeted, with polite courteousness.

"Thanks. I've never seen or experienced anything like this in my life,." she said, in disbelief.

"Awesome, isn't it?" proudly Devon retorted. "It's been said that because of Bash At The Bench it has brought a new found sense of life into the hospital." He paused briefly then shook his head. "I disagree." The group didn't have to wait long for him to provide further explanation. "It brought a new found sense of life into Chuck."

"I concur with Devon's assessment," acknowledged Beckman. "His life certainly changed when he stepped foot inside that children's hospital," she shared, taking a moment to look at the facility behind her. "He didn't just gain a resurgence in his life but gained a driving purpose."

"What driving purpose?" wondered Jill, with curiosity.

"I honestly didn't know at first," Chuck chimed in, shaking his head. "I just stumbled on to it after Ellie dragged me out of the funk, I was in..." He suddenly stopped himself from finishing what he wanted to say, which was "because of you". Instead, he took a deep breath then moved on. "It took one kid," he shared, holding up his index finger on his right hand. "And my life headed in a direction that I never expected to find myself headed towards."

"It headed in a positive direction, dude," Morgan responded, adding himself into the conversation. He then plopped himself down and took a moment before he sat down on the edge of the camera stage. "A direction that eventually led to Sarah,." he said, turning to his hetero life partner's girlfriend.

Speaking of Sarah, she expressed a faint smile of appreciation towards Morgan knowing full well what he and the rest of the group were doing. Although she didn't say much when Jill arrived it was incredibly awkward during Chuck's performance as they stood side by side. Why? It caused her to be distracted. The Chief Operating Officer wasn't able to be fully focused on her nerdy boyfriend's dedication song to not only Lily, but her parents as well. In any case, the reason Sarah wasn't saying much was because of how the group was doing their best in roasting her in their own way without yelling or screaming angrily at her.

The Roast of Jill Roberts, she thought to herself. Unfortunately, it was a different kind of roast unlike the classic roasts that Dean Martin hosted with legendary stars/comedians unlike the roasts that happen now on Comedy Central. Whenever she couldn't sleep, she turned on the television or surfed YouTube and she'd somehow stumble on an episode. In her mind, nobody compared to the roast- master nicknamed the Merchant of Venom, Don Rickles, who wielded a sharp tongue and a quick wit, ultimately making him the most memorable, as well as beloved, comedian who ever appeared on those roasts. She restrained herself from expressing an audible laugh from that particularly funny thought, because of how they're focusing on the positive rather than the negative.

What's even funnier is that Chuck is the nerdy roast- master that's hosting Jill's humiliation, unbeknownst to her. Essentially, by indirectly roasting her in such a polite and kind way it probably placed Jill in a state of uncertainty mentally, where she rethought all her past actions against Chuck. It probably caused her to actually feel not only a sense of responsibility on her part but experience a guilty conscience as well. In her mind, it's karma for what she put Chuck through and what Sarah believed Jill's soon to be ex- fiancé through knowing what will potentially happen in a matter of moments. In the meantime, she wanted to contribute toin the positive roast directed at Jill and added something he accomplished months ago.

"You totally deserved the Shining Star Award from the Make A Wish Foundation."

After Jill heard that, her eyes widened with surprise. "Award? Make A Wish Foundation?" questioned Jill. "When?"

"It was at the Hospital Gala several months back," Ellie proudly shared. She then turned to look at the nerdy couple. "It's where the both of you declared you loved each other on the dance floor after Michael Bublé sang."

Afterwards, the eldest Bartowski sibling made sure and stole a quick glance of Jill's reaction. She wasn't disappointed whatsoever to the point where it left her deeply gratified when she saw how the initial impact of her words affected her. Even though it was a barely noticeable reaction, it was a reaction, nonetheless. She knew what she was doing when she indirectly directed the latter part of what she said to Jill. For Ellie, it was like she slapped her in the face instead of gut punching her in the stomach. She hid her faint smile the best she could and then decided to continue on.

"It was where Chuck also showed off his new look. Finally got a haircut."

"And a new suit," Morgan noted.

"Seriously!?" responded Jill, with surprise once again. "I knew about the hair, but you finally ditched your dad's suit?"

Chuck nodded. "All thanks to Hartley and Vivian. It was their doing."

Jill was momentarily silent after hearing all that she heard sink in. "That's great,." she responded, minimal excitement in her voice. "I haven't seen them in years," Jill stated, shaking her head. "How are they doing?"

"I talked to Hartley and Vi last week. Working a big case,." he shared. "Alexei Volkoff. A Russian born billionaire who made Los Angeles his home. He and his company, Volfkoff Industries, are allegedly accused of being involved in everything from illegal toxic waste dumping to human and drug trafficking, etc."

"Doesn't sound awesome at all," Devon responded, shaking his head.

"Not awesome indeed," Chuck retorted. "Since the case is on such a grand scale for them, the Feds and Interpol are involved. There are mountains of evidence collected with the businesses Volkoff owns overseas as well."

There was a brief moment of silence amongst the group before Morgan suddenly spazzed out. "Oh…oooh," Morgan excitedly bellowed, like a hyperactive child. "That's the night you and Bublé became friends."

"Wow," Jill faintly breathed out.

"I wouldn't say that Morg," Chuck retorted, with a chuckle. "We just nerded out over the movie Revenge of the Nerds. That's all," he added, shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, I called in a favor, and he actually invited Sarah and I to chill with him since he had 2 days off before his concert in Santa Clarita."

The nerdy host shook his head and waved off his bearded best friend's comment. In his mind, the chance of meeting with a well-known singer in person you actually bonded with over an iconic pop culture 80's movie during the Hospital Gala was mind blowing, he thought to himself. One moment they were talking about was the javelin scene and how plausible it was, then Bublé showed up. Next thing he knew, he got heavily involved in the conversation concerning all things Revenge of the Nerds.

As Morgan and Chuck were discussing whether or not they he and Michael Bublé were actually friends, Jill shook her head in a state of disbelief.

"Your life has definitely turned around," she added, expressing a smile towards Chuck.

The nerd in question nodded. As he stood there, Chuck clearly saw Jill trying to mental wrap her brain around all the positive things that have happened to him since their breakup. He wondered if she regretted her choices and probably her decision to turn her back on their relationship. As much as she's quite possibly second guessing herself, he hasn't when it comes to his relationship with Sarah. In his mind, Jill was and still is in the past. Sarah is and forever will be his future. It's that particular thought in which he turned his head and smiled at his nerdy girlfriend who exchanged a smile back. Unfortunately, the moment between the nerdy couple is broken by the sound of Morgan's voice.

"1 minute, Chuck."

"Thanks, Morg." Chuck's attention was directed from Morgan to Jill. "You're up next. No pressure,." he added, pointing at Jill.

The words no pressure caused Jill's eye to widen, expressing a mixture of worry, anxiety and maybe fear. It wouldn't get any better for her as she witnessed her ex-boyfriend's focus turning toward Sarah. Afterwards, he softly leaned in for a kiss and seemingly lingered on her lips, as if he intentionally did that to get a reaction out of Jill. Unfortunately, he couldn't. Fortunately for him, the reaction was witnessed by Morgan, Devon, Ellie, Casey, and Chief Beckman. A reaction that was best described as uncomfortable with a hint of jealousy on Jill's part. In any case, when Chuck left to return to his hosting duties, Jill's whole demeanor shifted because she was being put on the spot and, at the same time, possibly trying to mentally figure out the amount of money she'll be donating for a special cause.

XXX

"We've arrived at the time, Bartowski Brigade," Chuck announced. He stood center stage addressing not only the courtyard crowd and those watching inside the hospital, but the viewing audience tuned in online. "Whatever's in your heart, donate to a worthy cause. It will certainly help ease Enrique and Rose Aguilar's financial burden of hospital expenses during Lily's stay here." informed the nerdy host. "Here's the link to the account that was set for the families earlier and don't forget…"

As Chuck goes over the usual formalities regarding what's involved in the donations, Jill stood by stage near Jeff. The much older half of Jeffster sat behind his electronic keyboard with his usual glossy faced expression on his face as he, along with Lester, waited for the possibility of another chance to perform. In any case, unbeknownst to Jill, she caught the eye of Jeff who leaned down and introduced himself.

"You Jill Roberts," Jill was startled and it caused her to jump back a bit. Afterwards, she peered up at the man who seemed off and not in the right frame of mind. "I'm Jeff," he added, giving a quick wave down to her.

"How did you know my name?" she inquired. She lifted her purse up and held it tightly against her chest as if it were going to protect her from a strange man who looked high, drunk or quite possibly both.

Jeff was about to answer when Lester suddenly appeared out of nowhere from behind his bandmate. After he patted Jeff on his sweaty back with his right hand, he quickly wiped it off on his pants leg and tried to do it in a smooth, cool way. Unfortunately, that didn't help create a great first impression for Lester as he kneeled down by the side of the stage and flashed a smile towards Jill.

"We're the welcoming committee here at Westside Medical Center. Let me say, you are a very stunning woman." he softly expressed, shooting a flirtatious smile down towards her. "Don't mind him," stated Lester, briefly glancing behind him. "He was deprived of oxygen during birth."

"The doctor said I turned out normal," interjected Jeff.

Lester spun around, faced Jeff and responded to his older counterpart. "Is standing in front of the vending machine for 15 minutes considered normal, Jeffrey? Who does that?" he stated, throwing up his hands.

"How can I make up my mind when there are so many tasty options?" Jeff retorted, expressing a crooked smile.

Jill was rendered speechless at what was happening right now. Two men she didn't know and could very well be escaped mental patients have made her very uncomfortable. For her, the much older man named Jeff looked either stoned or drunk while the slender looking individual seemed like he was served restraining orders by countless women recently or in the past. Unfortunately, it wouldn't get any better for her as the slender looking individual in question suddenly turned around and focused his attention back to her.

"I'm Lester," he said, extending his hand towards Jill. "And you must Jill."

"Like I said to your burned-out friend up there, how do you two know me?" she firmly inquired. She expressed a look of perplexed confusion and uncertainty towards both men."

"We know everything that goes on here. We're the eyes and ears of Westside Medical Center."

"This is our Gotham City. We're like Batman." Jeff stated.

Instantly, Lester raised his right index finger and directed the man behind him to stop speaking. The vocalist of the band known as Jeffster never broke his focus on Jill who looked even more uncomfortable than she already was as Lester continued on.

"I must say you're much prettier without glasses."

"I have pepper spray," responded Jill, in a defensive way. She reached inside her purse with her left hand and then continued on. "And I'm not afraid to use it on the both of you."

After she said that, Lester squinted a bit then furrowed his seemingly well-manicured eyebrows. He then stood straight up, turned around and faced Jeff. "Why do women always mention they have pepper spray?"

As Jeff and Lester were talking amongst themselves, Jill's focus thankfully broke from both men and immediately returned to Chuck who seemingly finished with going over the details of the donation account link. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she heard Chuck talking about her and then turned too look in her direction. For her, it meant she'd get away from those two mental patients. Speaking of Chuck, before he introduced Jill to the crowd as the person who he mentioned earlier in the show that wanted to donate in person, he decided to take a moment to say something.

"Ladies and gentlemen," announced Chuck. He looked out into the crowd and into the camera of his online audience. "It takes a truly caring and unselfish person who doesn't seek any kind of notoriety when he or she genuinely donates for a very worthy cause."

While Chuck stood there and spoke from the heart, he wholeheartedly believed in people who gave in that way. A person who gave out of making a difference instead of the expressed purpose of making a name for themselves. In his mind, living in Los Angeles he knows there are bunch of celebrities out there who genuinely give for a cause and keep their name out of the headlines because that's the kind of the person they are. Genuine, kind, caring, and down to earth. On the other hand, there are those celebrities who do it all for the wrong reasons and solely for publicity, which is a thought that saddened, as well as angered him at the same time.

"He or she," Chuck briefly glanced down and made eye contact with Jill as he continued on. "Doesn't see those donations as being given to those deserving of it labeled as charity cases because that wouldn't be awesome at all. I think everyone here would agree that, right?"

After he said that, the crowd acknowledged what Chuck said by clapping in agreement. Among those clapping were Sarah, Ellie, Devon, Morgan Beckman, and Casey. However, when it came to those words two words, charity cases, there were smiles expressed on the faces of Sarah, Morgan, Ellie, and Devon because they all were privy to what Chuck shared with them concerning what Jill blurted out without thinking about donating to the kids at the hospital. They knew he took the opportunity on stage in front of a live audience and threw her words right back at her.

"The person I'm bringing on to the stage right now is someone I attended college with at Stanford," he shared. "She was also my college girlfriend, but we broke up." Chuck shrugged his shoulders and quickly continued on. "Hey, it happens and we're on good terms now."

After Jill heard that, she took it with a grain of salt and reminded herself she had to do this in order to restore her friendship with Chuck. However, she hoped what Chuck said about being on good terms was truly genuine knowing he doesn't have it in him to be vindictive, which somewhat eased the tension that she was feeling. He's always had a good heart with equally good intentions, she thought to herself. Her thoughts regarding the vindictiveness that she doesn't see in Chuck is broken when she hears Chuck's voice again.

"All right Bartowski Brigade," Chuck turned and waved Jill on to the stage. "Say hello to, Jill Roberts"

A few moments later, Jill stood next to Chuck as he continued on and addressed the crowd, "Jill, you said you wanted to donate in person. Can I ask why?"

The question Chuck asked Jill caused her to be rendered speechless for just a brief moment. In that brief moment, her focus on Chuck averted to the seemingly massive crowd within the courtyard. While she stood there, panic and anxiety started to set in because she was once again put on the spot by Chuck. In her mind, he simply was enjoying the fact that she was completely out of her element and the fact he had home field advantage, so to speak. However, she was able to set aside the internal panic and anxiety after Chuck spoke up in a way that set her at ease.

"I remember you told me that no amount of money can beat cancer. It does help though, but that's not the end all and be all. That's not what's most important." He shook his head as he glanced at Jill then turned to the crowd. "What's most important is not giving up the fight and fighting for the people you care about who were and are being affected by such a deadly disease even if you don't know them. Whatever it may be."

It took a while for Jill to let Chuck's words sink in. A few seconds later, she nodded, and those few seconds helped her compose herself. She then spoke up and responded.

"That's right, Chuck. Each of us have the power to change lives with a donation whether you know a cancer patient or not," Jill turned and directed her attention to the Aguilar family. "I may not personally know Lily and her parents, but I somehow feel like part of the family." Jill paused and turned her attention to the courtyard crowd. "I think we all feel like part of their family."

After Chuck heard that from Jill, he was considerably impressed at how she actually bullshitted that speech to make it actually believable because the crowd actually applauded. He scanned the crowd and his eyes eventually zeroed in on Sarah who also expressed an impressed look on her face as well. Once the applause died down, the nerdy host turned to Jill once again who took out her iPhone.

"So, Jill, how much are you donating?" he asked, watching her typing away. He waited with mic in hand for her to announce how much she donated.

As for Jill, she was momentarily silent as she was presumably on the donation account when finally, she responded. "Five thousand dollars!" she announced, turning her iPhone screen to Chuck.

The crowd erupted in celebration with the announcement of how much was donated. Everybody either cheered, whistled, and/or did the Arsenio Hall dog pound growl with the exception of Team Bartowski. They simply slow clapped because they were amazed that she not only actually donated the money, but the sheer size of it left them in amazed disbelief. More so for Sarah, Ellie, Devon and Morgan than Chief Beckman and Casey.

Eventually, the noise that resulted from crowd celebration died down and Chuck was prepared to address the crowd once again. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to because a voice from within the crowd shouted out loud the following words:

"I'll match that donation!"

Everybody in the courtyard was looking around after they heard that unexpected announcement, especially Chuck and Jill. They were scanning the crowd on stage, when the individual in question stepped out from within the crowd and made his presence known, phone held up high over his head.

"And I've added five thousand dollars more!"

In a matter of seconds, the crowd erupted in celebration once again after the individual in question made that large donation and made sure everyone not only heard it but saw who donated it as well. The person Chuck and Jill who, along with everybody else saw step out from within the crowded courtyard to make that Ten-thousand-dollar donation was none other than Cole Barker.

XXX

"Bartowski Brigade," Chuck addressed the crowd while simultaneously locking his focus on Cole coming towards the front of the stage. "This very generous individual right down there is Cole Barker. He's a visiting Orthopedic Surgeon in the area of Sports Medicine, correct?"

"That is correct, Chuck," nodded Cole, expressing a crooked smirk. "That's what it says on my business card."

In that moment, Chuck heard the sound of a ring bell in his head and the familiar graveled voice of referee Mills Lane from MTV's popular hit show Celebrity Deathmatch. He yelled out "let's get it on" and the verbal rather than the physical assault started, but in a clean and more subverted way.

"Awesome. You don't want to lose those," the nerdy host retorted back. "I know how truly important business is to you and how you're able to hook potential client's in," he firmly stated, sending Cole a message he knows.

Cole responded with a nod of his own. A few seconds later, the serious expression on Chuck's face softened and he expressed his trademark toothy smile.

"I assumed you left after your only scheduled surgery."

Cole responded this time with a smirk that looked cocky, rather than crooked. "What's that old proverb again, Chuck," He stood there and briefly pursed his lips together that seemingly matched his cocky smile. "When you assume, you make an as…"

"Cole Barker everybody!" Chuck immediately interjected, clapping his hands together with mic in hand.

The crowd followed suit knowing the nerd's host's main reason for doing it was because there were young impressionable ears not only within the courtyard, but online as well. In his mind, he considered Cole not so much a rival, but rather a calculated and methodical Moriarty to his nerdy Sherlock Holmes. Although he may not look like Robert Downey Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch for that matter, he has his own unique personality, wit, and mindset that most definitely appealed to Sarah.

Speaking of Sarah, she intensely watched as both men stared at each for moment on stage. The man who broke the stare down was Cole. She closely watched as he glanced behind him to where they visually locked on to each other for a brief moment. Afterwards, his attention focused on the crowd, as well as the viewing audience where he spoke up and answered Chuck's question.

"I didn't want to miss the opportunity to fight for the people you care about who were, and still are affected by such a deadly disease even if you don't know them. Whatever it may be." repeated Cole. He then turned around and faced the person who said them. Unbeknownst to him, they weren't actually Jill's words.

Speaking of Jill, all throughout Chuck and Cole's seemingly intensified banter she just awkwardly stood there. What was even more awkward was the fact that Cole showed up, especially after she saw the photo of the two of them together holding hands in the hospital cafeteria. Thankfully, that was the only photo she saw that appeared from the assortment of pictures that were shown on screen. She recalled breathing out a sigh of relief.

In her mind, she was thankful that her fiancé wasn't the type of person who enjoyed watching online shows like Chuck's or anything similar to it. His interests were vastly different and when it came to his research position, he was far too busy to have his attention grabbed by what he defined as trivial matters. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Cole speak up again.

"I'm just paying it forward and following the example that Ms. Roberts set," he added, motioning up to her with his left hand.

The skilled surgeon from across the pond took a step forward to the front edge of the stage, reached up with his left hand, and flashed his devilish charming smile up towards her. Jill did the same expressing a soft smile of her own and briefly kneeled down at the edge of the stage. She reached out and lowered her right hand, which Cole gently took and he pressed his lips on top of her hand. It was a gesture that received oohs and soft giggles amongst females within the courtyard crowd.

Meanwhile, Sarah's eyes nearly rolled out of her head knowing how full of shit Cole was after she saw and heard that. As a matter of fact, she actually thought he left as well after performing surgery on Bryce's torn right knee. I guess not since he probably stayed to get an answer of whether she'd leave Chuck and the hospital to go back on their adventurous ways, she thought to herself. Of course, she has an answer for him but now isn't the right time to share it him. Her thoughts are set aside as Chuck spoke up once again after he took a moment and checked the donation account on his iPhone.

"History has been made, Bartowski Brigade! The ten thousand dollar that was just donated by Mr. Cole Barker here...,"

Chuck paused for a second as he stared at the amount that was donated by Cole. As much as he's thrilled that the Aguilar family are able to breathe easier when it comes to the stacking medical bills that are going to be paid off, it truly pained him to give Cole a boost to his already inflated ego. Yet, he sucked it up and reminded himself it's for the Aguilar family. He lifted his head and expressed his trademark toothy smile once again.

"It's the largest sum of money ever donated at Bash At The Bench!"

After Chuck announced that, the courtyard crowd erupted in applause and celebrated in the history-making milestone event of the popular online show. In any case, Chuck was about to have Cole join him on stage when he suddenly saw him being tackled with a hug from Rosa Aguilar who was then enveloped with another hug by Enrique Aguilar. Of course, their daughter Lily was right there with them but didn't participate in the hug fest. A hug fest that was considerably humorous and touching at the same time since Cole wasn't expecting it at all.

Chuck observed as the orthopedic surgeon in the area of sport medicine played it off as if he enjoyed being hugged by a family who not only had their financial prayers answered, but lifted the heavy weight of stressful burden from off their shoulders. As the cheers and celebration continued on after the largest donation ever was given in Bash At The Bench history, the nerdy host stood there on stage knowing that when things settled down in the courtyard it would be time to drop the MOAB on Jill.

XXX

When the celebration finally died down, Chuck stood center stage and was about to address the crowd when he heard his name again.

"Chuck!"

The nerd located the source of the voice and the individual in question stood below him. It was Alex. She reached up and waved a notecard for him to take. The nerd wasn't the only one who noticed her as Cole and Jill did as well. The both of them stood with the Aguilar family in front of the blue courtyard bench. Jill expressed a look on her face as if she recognized the woman, but didn't quite know how, when, and where. In the meantime, she followed the woman in question who joined a group of kids and nurses located by the blue courtyard bench. In any case, everybody including Chuck wondered what was on that note card as he stared quizzically at it even though he knew what it was for. Unbeknownst to everybody, minus those in the know, it was all for show as the potential fireworks were about to go down.

It's showtime. "You have to bear with me, Bartowski Brigade, but I was just informed that a surprise guest has arrived." he added, trying his best to look confused. Plausible deniability. It's two words he kept repeating over and over in his head.

When Chuck announced a surprise guest, the crowd talked amongst themselves and then directed their attention back to the nerdy host who appeared to not know anything. What sealed the deal was that Chuck continued to appear confused to the point where he locked eyes with Sarah and waved her over. It didn't take long for his girlfriend to make her way over to the edge of the stage where he kneeled down to "talk things over" with the Chief Operating Officer. After what seemed like a long conversation between the two of them, Chuck stood straight up. As for Sarah, she returned to her position back by the camera stage. As for the nerdy host, he shook his head and addressed the crowd once again.

"Well, I've always said to expect the unexpected when it comes to Bash At The Bench," Chuck amusingly expressed. After he sounded off a few chuckles, he continued on with the charade. "And that includes myself," he added, shrugging his shoulders and throwing up both hands.

After he said that, Chuck heard a familiar voice call out his name. "Bartowski!"

Chuck took a moment to locate that aforementioned familiar voice. "Big Mike?" he called out.

A few moments later, the nerdy host finally located him. He emerged out of the crowd with the special guest in question following right behind him. A special guest who Jill knew quite well, evident by how her eyes widened. Afterwards, her focus turned to the two other individuals who were women. They looked familiar to her like the woman who handed Chuck the note card earlier but wasn't able to quite figure it out. Speaking of those two individuals, they broke away from the two men that were headed up towards the stage. As for one of the men, Jill instantly reacted in a way that caused her to slowly inch her way behind not only the Aguilar Family, but Cole as well. The Brit took note of that. He wasn't the only one who noticed how Jill reacted because Team Bartowski noticed as well.

Unfortunately, Team Bartowski didn't know whether Jill and the individual made eye contact. In any case, after Chuck thanked Big Mike, the nerdy host not only exchanged handshakes with the surprise guest but handed over another mic to him. Speaking of Chuck, he took notice of Jill's fiancé who looked like a nerd himself, especially with the glasses he wore. The complete opposite of who Chuck imagined Jill was engaged to. The host of the Nerdy Nerfherder and Fuzzball was snapped out of his thoughts when LaFleur spoke into the mic.

"I am just as surprised as you are, Mr. Bartowski."

In that moment, Chuck fought the usual urge to have the person call him by his first name. Instead, he just went with it and continued on with the charade that was apparently going as planned so far all while he mentally repeated plausible deniability over in his head.

"First off, would you introduce yourself?" he requested, after he cleared his throat beforehand.

"I can do that," he nodded. "My name is Guy Lefleur."

"Okay, Guy LaFleur," Chuck responded back, with a sense of uncertainty in his voice. "May I ask why you're here?"

"I'll answer that but before I do," LaFleur turned around and looked directly at the Aguilar family. "I would like to have the Aguilar family join us on stage."

Chuck continued to play the part of a confused host as he nodded at LaFleur's request. The youngest Bartowski sibling waved the Aguilar family up onto the stage. Cole and Jill remained behind by the blue bench where Jill felt completely exposed as she continued to do her best to be invisible. Meanwhile, the Aguilar family stood center stage with Chuck as the aforementioned surprise guest directly spoke to Chuck first.

"To answer your question, Mr. Bartowsi," LaFleur said. "My office was contacted by a representative, on behalf of Chuck Bartowski, and invited me as a guest on your show. I thought it was a joke at first pulled one of my colleagues," He briefly paused. "But, after doing some research on all that you're doing on your show, you have my utmost respect."

The crowd responded with subdued applause after they heard that. Afterwards, the nerdy host spoke up.

"I appreciate that," Chuck responded shyly.

"I suspect you didn't know about this."

Chuck shook his head. "I had no idea," he responded, sounding innocent. "May I ask, where is your office located?"

"Randolph, Vermont," answered LaFleur. "When I was briefed on Lily's condition, I couldn't pass up the chance to come down here. All travel expenses paid. Thank you by the way."

After Lafleur said that, Chuck briefly directed his attention to where Team Bartowski was located. He saw Zondra immediately point to Carina who looked offended and pointed her finger at Zondra. Chuck just shook his head as he returned his attention to Jill's fiancé who now focused on the Aguilar family.

"You see, I am an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Upper Valley Neurology Neurosurgery, which is partnered with the Gifford Medical Center."

After Lafleur shared what he did for a living, the crowd erupted in joyous applause along with Chuck.

"That's awesome." Chuck genuinely responded. He expressed a broader, toothier smile afterwards.

"I am personal friends with the Director and the Surgical Director of Neurology," he shared, expressing a bright smile. "I believe Lily will be able to receive the care she and her parents so desperately have sought after for some time. All free of charge of course. All you need to do," He pointed to the family still smiling. "Is say yes and we'll be headed off..."

Lafleur didn't get to finish what he was saying as the overly excited parents of Lily Aguilar screamed for joy as their prayers were answered. Of course, Rosa Aguilar showered LaFleur with kisses while he got bear hugged by not only her, but also her husband, Enrique. Lily stood there jumping for joy as well with a smile on her face even though she didn't have any idea why her parents were so happy. Meanwhile, the courtyard crowd that experienced so many emotions during Bash At The Bench, erupted with another emotional celebration, which was how the show pretty much ended.

Ten minutes later, the courtyard was completely empty except for Team Bartowski minus Chief Beckman who had important business to attend to. Along with Team B, there was Cole, Jill, LaFleur, as well as the Aguilar Family. While Chuck and Morgan were busy speaking with the Aguilar family and taking pictures with them, the rest of Team Bartowski was primarily focused on one thing. That one thing was Jill and LaFleur within the open corridor leading to the side street where they were having a private conversation between the two of them. The same corridor where Jeffster made their way for their debut performance. The song Final Countdown by the band Europe as their introduction song. Anyways, as they continued to intently observe the apparent drama that unfolded in the distance they suddenly saw LaFleur hand over a manila envelope to Jill, which she opened.

"We hired a private investigator," Carina whispered softly. "Some guy named Longshore."

Zondra heard what Carina whispered to Sarah and quickly leaned over as well to the blonde. "Alex did," she added, shaking her head and pointing to the red head. "Not us."

Sarah instantly quirked her right brow as she turned and stared at Carina for a moment. "How?" She briefly paused and then continued on, "You know what, I don't even want to know." After she said that, Sarah was approached by Cole.

"I take it that they know each other," he said, standing behind her.

"What do you want Cole? You want me to ask Chuck to get your money back?"

"Perish the thought, Luv. It's for a worthy cause," he retorted. "Besides, it's considered a tax write off," Cole added, expressing an amusingly arrogant smile. After he said that, the sound and looks of absolute disgust were expressed by the group of individuals that were facing Cole. He ignored it and continued on. "Have you thought over what I said to you in your office? You know I'm right," insisted Cole.

Sarah considered what Cole said for a few seconds as Alex, Zondra, Carina, Ellie, and Devon stood by her. A few seconds went by before she responded without even turning around to look at him. "No."

"Why? Is it because you saw a picture of a seemingly intimate moment with some saucy looking bird without any context?" Cole questioned back.

"I think you should leave." Ellie suggested.

Cole ignored Ellie and refused that particular suggestion knowing he was being glared at by the hospital's hulking Head of Security. Despite that, he stood his ground there and waited for Sarah to respond. Casey didn't like that and took a step forward, especially after Cole ignored Ellie's request to leave. Fortunately for Cole, he avoided being physically escorted out of the hospital's premises when Sarah lifted up her hand to stop her partner from being unleashed, much to his disappointment. Afterwards, the Chief Operating Officer slowly turned around and faced Cole.

"When I said no," Sarah said, "I meant I'm staying. This is my home." She motioned all around her. She then turned her head to look at Chuck. "He…" she said, momentarily locking eyes with her true love. "…is my home and my greatest adventure."

"Think about this. You'll regret your decision later."

"I won't," she said, shaking her head. Cole stood there for a moment as if he was waiting for Sarah to reveal she was joking. She wasn't evident by the way she stood there not fully showing her Wildcard Enforcer side. "Goodbye, Cole."

Sarah stood there expecting some kind of reaction from Cole. Instead, all she got was an amused smirk and he shook his head after. She then saw him open his mouth as if he wanted to say one last thing to her before he left but didn't. Why? He saw something or someone that caught his attention and that someone was the man Jill was having a lively conversation with. He made an abrupt exit but not before taking one last look at her. Afterwards, she watched as Cole walked off and before he passed Chuck, they briefly exchanged a look between the two of them. Cole then continued on his way towards the automatic double doors. That's when she suddenly heard her red headed bestie speak up.

"If Sarah's not up for an adventure, I certainly am." Carina sauntered off after Cole.

Sarah expressed an amused smile because she expected that from Carina who followed Cole through the automatic double doors into the hospital. Fortunately for her, her other bestie stood beside her and spoke up. "Don't worry, I got her."

After she said that, Zondra went after the red headed wild child. For Sarah, she was thankful she had Zondra in her life who seemed to always be tasked as one who essentially wrangled in and knocked some sense into the C.A.T. squad, especially when it came to Carina. However, she wanted to make sure her two sorority sisters were taken care of as well.

"Casey."

"On it, Walker," he growled. Afterwards, the hospital's Head of Security took off with his marching orders.

An amused smile graced Sarah's lips as her hulking partner closely monitored her two besties and Cole. In her mind, Cole was her past and she felt relieved he's out of her for good. My present and her future is walking towards me. Speaking of Sarah's present and future, he's with his best friend Morgan, along with a very grateful and excited Aguilar family, who joined the rest of the group.

"Mr. Bartowski, keep up the great work," LaFluer said, extending his right hand for a handshake. "You're making a difference in your own unique way." LaFleur added.

Chuck reciprocated the handshake and then responded to LaFleur. "So do you." He firmly nodded. He then watched as the man Morgan's hand as well.

"I'm not big on social media nor do I enjoy it," shared LaFleur, "But I'll make an exception when it comes to your show."

"Awesome," responded Morgan. "Another new subscriber to our channel."

"I'll make sure to have my personal assistant Subscribe to your YouTube channel."

"We always update our subscribers, so you won't miss out on any important events or news." Chuck informed LaFleur.

"Sounds fantastic."

Afterwards, they watched as LaFleur turned to look at the open courtyard corridor where Jill was slowly but surely making her way to their location. In that instance, Devon made his presence known and cleared his throat.

"Everything kosher?"

LaFleur took a satisfying deep breath then glanced behind him. "I was made aware of a cancerous tumor and…" LaFleur stopped. He shook his head and waved off what he was going to say with his right hand. "It's nothing. Just a reminder of a few legalities I need to have reworked later."

A number of noticeable smiles were expressed after the group heard what LaFleur said. Afterwards, he turned his attention to the Aguilar Family and happily clapped his hands together. "Have you ever flown first class on an airplane before?" Enrique and Rose shook their heads. "Well, you're going to love it."

"Come on," Alex happily said with a smile on her face. She stepped forward and stood in front of the Aguilar family. "We'll pack your stuff for the trip." she added, reaching out for Lily's hand. After the 8-year-old took it she smiled. Alex then lifted her head. "You can come too, Mr. LeFleur."

"Excellent. It gives me a chance to meet other special kids like Lily," he said, peering down at Lily. He reached down and gently brushed the newly crowned Rockstar Rebel's right cheek with his left thumb and index finger.

It was a heart-warming sight for the group as they watched Alex escort LaFleur and the Aguilar family inside the pediatrics wing of Westside Medical Center. Unfortunately, the heartwarming moment didn't last long as their attention was broken by a sound they heard coming from the area where LaFluer left Jill standing. It was Jill and she looked considerably annoyed and agitated. She was on her iPhone as she walked towards them. However, before she reached the group, Jill stopped and angrily shoved the aforementioned manila envelope she received from LaFleur in the trash.

"Where's Cole?" she inquired, voicing frustration as she ended her call.

"He left," answered Sarah, briefly glancing at Chuck. Sarah, along with the group, noticed how mentally out of sorts she was.

"You ok, Jill? Did you know that guy?" Ellie inquired, feigning ignorance.

"Huh," Jill responded, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yeah, just a slight misunderstanding between old friends. That's all," she added, shrugging her shoulders.

After she said that, Team Bartowski eyed each other knowing she was lying. Chuck took a second to clear his throat then spoke up.

"Jill, for what it's worth," Chuck said. "What you did was awesome. Donating the five grand. We're good…you and I."

Jill was too preoccupied to have paid attention fully at what Chuck said to her. "Yeah…fine… whatever." she retorted, shaking her head. "Listen, do you happen to know where Cole went? I need to talk to him."

There was a sense of urgency in how Jill asked the question. Unfortunately, what she received in return was the complete runaround, which the group thoroughly enjoyed doing. It caused her to become increasingly annoyed and agitated to the point where she expressed an angry growl. Afterwards, she shook her head then lifted her iPhone and typed out a frustrated text. The intended recipient of the text was unknown, but presumably it was either going to Lafleur or Cole. What happened next after she sent the text was that she abruptly stormed off without saying goodbye.

Ultimately, it was the last time Jill Roberts was ever seen or heard from again. Of course, the manila envelope that she angrily shoved in the trash that LaFleur gave to her was dug out from the trash and retrieved by Morgan. It turned out that the contents inside were surveillance photos of Jill and Cole together in different places. One of those places was a hotel they were either leaving or going into. In any case, Cole and Jill were out of Chuck and Sarah's life for good. However, that left one more person who still remained at the hospital for Chuck to face if he decided to…Bryce Larkin.

XXX


NOTE: There's one more chapter before the end of this 3rd arc and I'll be working on the 4th arc of Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench. Stay tuned for that. Tip of the hat to NEVR for reminding me about certain part in the story that didn't match up with how Chuck personality. So, I rewrote it, and it works so much better. In any case, hope you enjoyed this chapter, share your thoughts and leave a comment because reviews are the life bloof for any fanfic writers. Once again NEVR you rock for the doing the beta!