Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: Bash At The Bench rolled around once again, and the newest Rockstar Rebel was introduced. Her name was 8-year-old Bridgitte Solomon, and she was the first deaf Rockstar Rebel. Fortunately for Chuck, Heather Chandler was his sign language interpreter, and she did a phenomenal job. She credited her time on the Real World when she worked at a place for the deaf, which holds a special place in her heart. A place that is considered one of her top charities she donates every chance she gets. As for the dedication performance, Chuck and Sarah performed the song, A Whole New World, for Bridgette, which was her favorite Disney song from the movie, Aladdin. Near the end of the performance, Bridgette did the I love you sign that deeply impacted Chuck to the point where he dropped to his knees. The I love you sign truly had a significant meaning because his mother Mary used to sign not only to him, but Ellie as well. Of course, it got it considerably emotional. So, what's in store for this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Molly not like when it comes to a certain television character from her favorite series that had 4 seasons under its belt? What did Sarah do that ended up causing sibling warfare between the two of them? Where did White invite Chuck, Sarah, Molly, and Emma to that Morgan and Alex unfortunately could go to? When Heather was asked a specific question by Sarah how did she react? Why was Chuck standing out by himself in the atrium? How did Pollak react after he heard Roan Montgomery and Diane Beckman's love story? 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.
Moonlighting Strangers
XXX
The performance by Chuck and Sarah emotionally gripped everyone in the courtyard, as well as those who watched online, evident by the countless comments left on the show's YouTube channel. The newest Rockstar Rebel, 8-year-old Bridgett Solomon, added more of an emotional gripping experience to the performance when she signed the words, "I love you" to the nerdy couple. It made an emotionally significant impact on Chuck because it was the same way his mother sometimes conveyed her love for him without having to say it out loud. A childhood memory that literally brought him to his knees and after a concerned Sarah checked on him, the nerdy couple finished their rendition of Aladdin's A Whole New World.
As usual, Bash At The Bench never failed to bring down the courtyard, but at the same time always uplifted the spirits of viewers watching in person and online. What was considered more uplifting, and certainly surprising, was being invited for dinner that evening at C3 by executive producer, Alex White, who represented Five Elders Studios. She considered it as thank you to Chief Beckman after they were unexpectedly invited back as guests by Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Walker. Speaking of Sarah, she was sitting shotgun in the passenger seat next to Chuck who was behind the wheel of his falcon. They weren't alone, as Emma and Molly Walker were sitting in the back seat. All 4 individuals were in the middle of a conversation that involved Mark, Heather, and Pollak.
"Let me get this straight," stated Molly. "This Mark guy likes Heather, but she is in a fake relationship with a guy who you described is basically a total idiot," the 13-year-old added.
"Pretty much," responded Chuck, briefly glancing up at the rear-view mirror. "Mark explained what was going on to me and Morgan. They're each other's beard."
"A what now?" questioned Molly.
"Beard," Sarah chimed in. She slightly turned and looked behind her left shoulder to her younger sister. "It's a term used when Hollywood celebrities are put together in fake relationships to either drum up publicity, hide a secret..."
"What secret?" Molly interjected. Her curiosity was most definitely piqued as she momentarily sat there in silence before her eyes suddenly widened. That's when the 13-year-old quickly leaned forward. "Is he gay!?"
"Molly Anastasia Walker!" Emma sternly called out.
"What!?" Molly responded, briefly lifting both her hands up in the air.
Sarah stared at her younger sister for a few seconds before she responded. "First off, you don't need to yell, brat." She eyed Molly and in turn received a glaring look back by the hardheaded teenager. "Second, after what Chuck told me about Stephen, how he failed miserably when he tried to get Alex's number, he's definitely not gay. Not that anything is wrong with being gay."
The oldest daughter of Emma Walker glanced over at Chuck and then turned her attention to her mother. Both of them spoke up simultaneously and agreed with the blonde-haired woman sitting in the passenger seat of her nerdy fiancé's vehicle. Afterwards, Sarah's focus was averted back to Molly.
"In this particular case, it was for the upcoming project we're involved in as technical advisors. We'll Always Have Omaha," the older Walker sibling explained. "I'm sure their fake relationship won't last, and they'll break up," Sarah air quoted the word break up. "Eventually, but they will remain friends. The fact is, Heather can't stand Stephen's attitude and how he treats women."
"Heather Chandler," Emma softly uttered. She briefly shook her head and then spoke up again. "After all these years, you were finally able to make amends with Heather. I'm glad you did, sweetheart."
"I am too, Mom." Sarah turned around a bit more to look at Emma sitting behind her. She expressed a soft smile towards her. "The conversation we had before the show was eye opening."
"I'm sure it was," retorted Emma. "It must have been a nightmare for her suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder."
"I know I didn't make it easier for her when I was a mean girl back in High School. It's haunted me for years until earlier today," Sarah solemnly shared. "She forgave me and we're friends now." The sound of grateful relief expressed in her voice.
There was a brief moment of silence when the 13-year-old broke the silence. "And to think," Molly got her old sister's attention and locked eyes with her. "I looked up to my big sister as a role model."
Molly sounded and looked disappointed. Her arms continued to be crossed as she leaned comfortably back in the back passenger set of Chuck's car. Instead of giving her usual verbal response, Sarah simply rolled her eyes knowing how Molly enjoyed antagonizing her evident by the brief smirk the 13-year-old expressed when Sarah turned around in her seat and faced straight ahead. A few seconds later, she heard the sound of Chuck's voice.
"You know." The couple briefly made eye contact, then the nerd continued on. "Heather and Stephen's relationship sort of resembled Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd's when they both starred on the hit show Moonlighting."
"Who and what show?" questioned Molly.
"A show that was a big hit in the 80's," Chuck shared. "It's about Maddie Hayes, a former model who lost most of her wealth because her accountant embezzled it. She unexpectedly finds that she owns a detective agency run by David Addison."
"I loved that show," Emma chimed in. "I partly remember two words from the theme song," She briefly paused before she actually sang out those aforementioned two words. "Moonlighting Strangers."
"Wow!" Molly responded. Her eyes briefly widened with a mix of surprise, embarrassment, and disbelief after she heard her mother suddenly sing.
Emma took a second and fondly remembered the show. "Years later, I found out Willis and Shepherd had a long-standing feud between the two of them. Of course, they had chemistry on camera for the show early on, but they hated each other when the cameras were off."
"Okay," The 13-year-old stared blankly at her mother then shrugged her shoulders. "And?"
In that instance, Sarah briefly glanced back to her younger sister and provided an example for her to be able to understand. "You've watched The O.C. right?"
"One of my favorite shows. Got all 4 seasons," Molly retorted with a smile. "It sucked that it was canceled though," shrugged the teenager. "I was more of a Summer and Seth than a Ryan and Marissa shipper anyway. Ben Mackenzie is hot.," After she said that Emma's face palmed and shook her head.
"My friends liked her character, but I never liked Mischa Barton's character, Marissa."
"What was the reason you didn't like Mischa's character?" wondered Chuck.
"She and Ryan were supposedly dubbed star crossed lovers, but I didn't buy it all,." she thoroughly shared, shaking her head. In that moment, a sudden realization came over Molly as if a light bulb finally turned on. "Ooohhh," she breathed out.
"Hey," Sarah turned around in her seat and directly at her younger sister. A look of seriousness was expressed as they both locked eyes with one another. "I need you to be on your best behavior, brat. Can you do that for me?" The seriousness in the oldest Walker sibling's face softened as she resumed on. "Please."
After what seemed like a long, silent staring contest between the two siblings, Molly responded. "Fiiiine." groaned the 13-year-old, rolling her eyes.
XXX
Team Bartowski joined White's entourage for dinner as her guests after being graciously welcomed with open arms not only by Chief Beckman and Walker, but from the crowd at the show as well. The executive producer's entourage consisted of Mark, Heather, and Pollak. Panzer was posted close by in case White needed him. As for the rest of his security team swept or guarded the perimeter of the expanded venue. Of course, White wanted to impress her guests, so she requested from Colt and got a private dining room away from the loud chatter of other fellow dinner guests. It was the same venue where Sarah had her 30th birthday party and an open bar was provided, which Roan greatly appreciated.
White asked for and was approved for the venue that was specifically for private parties since a number of high level Five Elders Studio executives personally knew Colt. Beforehand, she informed her invited guests that the dinner was paid for by the studio so White encouraged them to just enjoy the evening. Unfortunately, the Woodcombs weren't able to make it because there wasn't an available babysitter for their daughter, Clara. As for Casey, he declined the dinner invite because he planned something to help his sensei, Ty Bennett, in his own unique way. That left Chuck, Sarah, Morgan, Alex, Beckman and the man that accompanied her as her date for the evening, Roan Montgomery.
In any case, the dining atmosphere started off relatively normal and without any embarrassing interruptions until Molly's abrupt question to the executive producer.
"So, who is going to play me? I was thinking of Chloe Grace Mortez. She was in the movie Kickass…"
As soon as that question was directed at White, the 13-year-old growled and then grimaced in pain. The reason she was in pain? She was kicked under the large circular table. Molly took a moment and leaned down a bit to massage the pain away. The person responsible who kicked her was sitting right beside her. Her older sister, Sarah Walker.
Emma heard the growl and turned her attention to Molly. The matriarch of the Walker women noticed an all too familiar look on Molly's face. A look that clearly read she wanted retribution. That and the way she slid down a bit in her chair to exact her revenge. The next thing Emma knew, the table and seemingly the table expensive dining ware that was perfectly set down in front of her suddenly shifted out of place because of the Walker sibling's dispute.
The reason that happened was because when Molly kicked Sarah back, she also kicked the table leg that was down in between the two of them. Emma was determined to stop this before it got completely out of hand
"Girls!" Emma quickly blurted out, in a low whisper. She instantly shot a death glare towards her two offspring, which immediately restored order between the two sisters.
Alex, Morgan, Chuck, and Heather did their best during the sibling scuffle to not to focus their attention on what was going on. Pollak was distracted as he flirted with a rather attractive female wait staff that was assigned to the venue by Colt. In any case, Emma felt enormously embarrassed and turned her attention to White.
"I'm so sorry," Emma deeply expressed.
White didn't respond. Instead, she turned her attention to Molly. "Hey, kid!" She broke the laser like focus of the 13-year-old that was directed at the blonde woman sitting next to her. As a matter of fact, everyone at the table froze and had no idea what was going to happen next. However, what they witnessed was White eying the teenager from where she was sitting. White's serious expression was soon replaced with a soft smirk.
"To answer your question," White briefly glanced over to Heather sitting next to Mark. "There wasn't any plan to cast a younger sister for Katrina Omaha. I'll take that into consideration," she added, shooting a wink over to the 13-year-old. She then pointed at Sarah's sister. "I like you…" White stopped. "What was your name again?"
"Molly."
"Right," White snapped her finger and pointed to her. "Molly. Sarah's sister. I like you, Molly. You remind me of myself at your age."
"Awesome," Molly softly breathed out.
"I get it," shrugged White. "Sister's fight and get on each other's nerves,"
"Oh, you have no idea," softly blurted out Emma.
The sound of soft laughter was expressed knowing how true it was, especially for the people who personally knew the relationship between the two siblings.
"I'm certain you'd have her back, no matter what. Am I right?"
"Yeah," Molly nodded. She acknowledged the bond she and her older sister shared. "It's my job to bust her chops." She glanced over at Sarah and then cracked a smirk. Afterwards, Molly did a clockwise sweep and looked at everyone at the table. "No one else. If they do, they got to answer to me." The 13-year-old firmly emphasized the latter part of what she stated. "Chief Beckman gets a pass since she's my sister's boss."
Beckman softly smiled after she heard that. "I appreciate the pass, Molly."
Sarah chimed in, responding to what her little sister shared with White and everyone else at the table. "Molly can be a brat sometimes," She then reached over and playfully hit her little sister's shoulder. "But she's my brat."
"I'm sure she is," White retorted, turning her attention from Sarah back to Molly. "How would you like to have some fun and come visit Five Elders Studios tomorrow. I actually need Sarah and Chuck there tomorrow since they are technical advisors. I'll make sure to let security know and leave special passes for you all at the gate."
"Awesome!"
"Family day, especially spending it with your mom," White pointed out.
"That's no fun," muttered Molly, under her breath.
Emma was going to decline White's offer, but after she faintly heard her youngest daughter's response, she gladly accepted just to annoy her. In her mind, it was considered one of many enjoyments in life as a mother when she can bust the chops of her 13 going on 30-year-old teenager. "I appreciate it, Ms. White. We'll look forward to tomorrow," Emma paused then directed her attention to her 2nd born child. "Right, Mol?"
"If you say so," Molly shrugged.
White's attention was then directed to Chuck's bearded sidekick. "Mr. Grimes, you and Ms. McHugh, are invited as well."
"Sweet!" Morgan's expression of happiness suddenly fell flat. "Unfortunately, I can't make it tomorrow."
"Morg?"
"My mom wants me to spend quality time with her. It's been a while."
"She guilt tripped you."
"Basically." Morgan paused for a second then continued on. "I found out she's trying out online dating."
After Morgan shared that piece of information, there was a bit of awkward silence that left the individuals seated along with him not really knowing how to respond. The awkward silence was subsequently broken by the person sitting next to the bearded best friend of Chuck Bartowski.
"I have to work tomorrow," Alex chimed in, sounding disappointed. "A nurse I work with asked me for a favor and I switched shifts with her today."
"We'll take pics and vids," Sarah stated.
"Please do." insisted Morgan, knowing he has lived vicariously through Chuck at times.
It was at that point; White directed a question to Molly who looked to be sulking in her seat. "Are you excited about your sister's wedding? You're the maid of honor, right?"
Molly replied with laughter after she heard that and that led Sarah to speak up. "After she learned what a maid of honor's responsibilities were, she didn't want the job."
"So, who got it?"
"I did," Alex answered. "I was over the moon, but I thought for sure Chuck's sister, Ellie, was going to be chosen as the maid of honor. Carina or Zondra possibly since they're Sarah's sorority sisters and have known them longer," she added, sounding appreciative.
"It's your job to calm me down if I turn into a crazy bridezilla," Sarah humorously pointed out. After some laughter was shared between the two best friends, the soon to be bride turned her attention to someone else sitting at the table. "I was hoping you'd be part of my bridal party as well."
A stunned expression was expressed all over Heather's face after she heard, to the point where it actually rendered her speechless. She sat there beside Mark and looked as if she wanted to say something but couldn't really get the words out.
"Heather?"
"Yes! I'll do it," she happily responded, popping up from out of her seat. She immediately rushed around the table and over to Sarah who was tackled with a hug.
As the two women continued the hug fest, Mark directed a question to Chuck. "Morgan is your best man, right?"
"I won't let you down my liege," Morgan responded. Afterwards, he gave a quick salute.
"He is," Chuck nodded, acknowledging his bearded best friend. "As for my groomsmen, they are my brother-in-law, Devon. Also, Manoosh, Lazlo, and someone who I was on the fence with until a couple weeks ago."
"Who?" Mark wondered.
"Boba Fett," responded Morgan. His focus was then turned to the groom-to-be. "Are you sure about him?"
A look of confusion was expressed on Mark's face. Chuck cleared up that confusion. "Even though you think Bryce doesn't deserve it, I'm willing to give him a second chance. Plus, I told you he was the nudge that led me to propose to Sarah."
Morgan recalled that chaos that ensued as a result of Bryce's nudge. He was about to respond when the owner of C3 appeared and made his presence known. He wasn't alone as a number of his staff followed behind him. They rolled in an assortment of entrees and desserts that resembled more of a feast fit for a king. A feast that looked and smelled absolutely delicious as the aroma instantly penetrated every nose that was now seated at the table ready to chow down.
XXX
Chuck stood out in the atrium area of the private venue and was seemingly deep in his thoughts. Beforehand, he excused himself to go to the bathroom and instead of rejoining the group for dinner he took a momentary detour. The reason for the detour was that he had something on his mind. As he continued to stand there, Sarah walked past the atrium and suddenly stopped in her tracks when she spotted her nerd inside. Her first initial instinct was to go inside and immediately talk to him, but for whatever reason she decided not to.
From her point of view, her nerdy beau was bathed in the glowing moonlight that shined down through the skylight of the atrium. In her mind, Chuck resembled someone who was absolutely angelic, and it briefly mesmerized her. An angel sent from Heaven, and she was going to marry him, she thought to herself. A faint smile graced her lips, but she quickly shook her head and forced herself to break her concentration. Afterwards, she pushed the atrium door open, stepped inside, and broke her fiancé's concentration.
"I was wondering where you were," she softly said, walking towards Chuck. "I was a bit worried."
"Sorry," responded Chuck. "I was thinking."
"I could see that," Sarah retorted. "About what?"
Chuck didn't answer right away. He slid over to his right, turned around and took a seat on a nearby bench. Sarah sat next to him on his right and then waited for him to speak up. She wouldn't have to wait long.
"My mom."
For Sarah, it's been quite some time since the subject of Chuck's father or mother has been brought up. She knew that several months back that her soon to be husband was at one point focused on finding anything that could potentially lead him to the whereabouts of his father. Those leads that were considered hot looked considerably promising knowing he had help coming from people unexpectedly located in high places. One of those people was the CEO of Roark Enterprises, Ted Roark and one of his employee's turned friend, Vali.
Of course, he wasn't the only one that was helping Chuck with the search for his father. The other individual who had been doing his best in trying to track down Stephen Bartowski's whereabouts was a private investigator named Longshore. A man who was frighteningly scary for being highly skilled and damn good at his job. Unfortunately, the hot leads eventually turned cold and although Chuck was sorely disappointed, as well as frustrated that there hadn't been any updates, he still clung on the belief that a new lead will be found.
In the meantime, Chuck focused on work, family, friends, and a wedding all while he strived to put as many smiling faces on every Rockstar Rebel when Bash At The Bench rolled around. She knew it was considered to be the best distraction for him until any promising new leads were found after Chuck informed her that Longshore and Vali shared information. Essentially, Longshore's highly skilled investigative tracking skills and Vali's nerdy technological mind were combined to basically double their efforts in hopes of locating any lead that could possibly heat up and point them in the right direction. So far, nothing new has developed.
"What about her?"
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about her or my dad." Chuck paused and mentally gathered his thoughts. "Near the end of our duet, I fell to my knees."
"I know and I just thought your emotions got the better of you again," Sarah quirked her right brow after she took notice that there was something more. She knew Chuck wanted or needed to share it because it heavily weighed on his mind evident by the look on his face. "Talk to me, Chuck. What's going on?"
"Remember when Bridgette signed, I love you?" Chuck retorted, turning his head to face Sarah.
Sarah nodded and spoke up. "When she did that, Ellie suddenly got emotional as well. I wondered why."
"There's a reason for that. Our mother used to sign it to the both of us," Chuck shared, shaking his head. "Whenever she did that, we knew what she meant without her having to say a single word," he added, softly smiling to himself.
"I know you miss her," retorted Sarah, in a supportively comforting way. "And your dad." She leaned over and gently kissed Chuck on the side of his head.
"I think they would love you if they were here right now."
"I know they would," Sarah reached up and placed her right finger under Chuck's chin. She then lifted up and it caused the nerd to look at the beautiful blonde. "I'm awesome."
Instead of saying anything, Chuck just responded with a soft smile. "You are awesome." He paused and then took a deep breath before he continued. "I know it may not happen, but I would have loved it if they were at the wedding. Seeing their son get married to the woman he loves. The mother and son dance. Father and dau…"
Chuck stopped what he was going to say after he realized who he was talking about. "I'm sorry Sarah. I was…"
Sarah quickly placed her left hand up and stopped Chuck before he spiraled into constantly apologizing to her. "It's ok," She expressed a reassuring smile to her nerd. "I've never really counted on Jack to be there for me, especially walking me down the aisle at our wedding."
"I know."
"I was thinking," Sarah paused and gathered her thoughts before she resumed speaking. "It would actually be an honor to have Hartley do it since you consider him a father figure. Do you think he'll do it?"
The soft smile on Chuck's face grew wider. "I don't think he'll do it. I know he will."
"Awesome," responded Sarah. "I'll call him later," she added, standing up. "I'm actually nervous just thinking about it."
Chuck stood up as well and then enveloped Sarah with a loving hug. "Don't be. If I know Hartley, he'll probably be chuffed."
"Chuffed?" Sarah retorted, quizzically.
"British slang. It means he'll be happy."
Sarah chuckled after she heard the actual meaning of the British slang term. The nerdy, engaged couple hugged one more time and shared a kiss before they separated. As Sarah headed toward the atrium door, she looked back at Chuck who wasn't going with her.
"You coming?"
"In a sec," answered Chuck. "Hang out here a bit more."
A supportive nod was given by Sarah as she exited out of the atrium and left Chuck by himself once again. A few seconds later, the nerdy business owner retrieved his iPhone from his right front pants packet. After he scrolled through his contact list, he found and pressed the name he wanted. Chuck stood there with his iPhone placed up to his right ear and waited for the other end to pick up. Unfortunately, he continued to wait and ended up leaving a voicemail."
"Longshore, it's Chuck. Call me back when you get this." After Chuck left the voicemail, he placed his iPhone back into the right front pocket of his pants. He stood there for a moment and then looked up at the moon that he could clearly see up in the starry filled night sky. Before he left the atrium, the nerd took a deep breath and expressed a soft smile that was a mixture of happiness and a sense of curious wonder.
XXX
"Don't you think it's weird?" Molly directed her question to White. It concerned the fake relationship she learned about during their drive over.
The dinner was considered a success as it satisfyingly filled the stomachs of those who partook in the feast that seemingly was fit for a king. There was a momentary lull during their dining experience, and it gave the 13-year-old the opportunity to pick the executive producer's brain about what she does for a living. Of course, it opened her eyes in more ways than one when it pertained to working behind the scenes and being part of a majorly successful Hollywood studio.
"Kid, it's Hollywood," responded White. She took a moment and gathered her thoughts before she continued on. "Weird is part of my job. Putting together a fake relationship is nothing new for me. It's all about money and publicity, especially when movies or tv projects are involved. Those two," She pointed to Heather and Pollak. "Have to sell it as if they're in love."
"Do you actually believe in love?" wondered Emma.
White was momentarily silent before she answered. "I believe in box office earnings and ratings. That's what I love." She briefly paused before she continued on. "When you work and live in Hollywood, you gradually become jaded, and love is just a word that means absolutely nothing."
"The lady doth protest too much," Roan eloquently retorted.
What he responded with certainly got White's attention. "I take it you believe in love."
"I do." nodded Roan, with an air of confidence. "Don't get me wrong. I've never really considered myself the type of guy to settle down until I met Diane."
"When…how did the both of you meet?" inquired Sarah, who was keenly interested.
"It happened in Berlin, Germany. 1989," shared Beckman.
"Around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall," Roan recalled. Afterwards, he took a slow deep breath and then turned his attention to the auburn-haired woman sitting to his right. "She was a dirty blonde then and very striking. That's not what got my attention though." Roan paused and focused on his date for the evening. "It was her eyes. I was entranced." He smiled then took Beckman's left hand, lifted it up, and gently kissed the top of it.
At that point, the whole table's attention was focused on Roan sharing his version of how the two of them met. "Around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was there for a medical business trip, working for another hospital. It was a beautiful moonlit night, so I decided to take a walk. That's when two complete strangers met. I don't know about her but for me it felt like a gun was pointed at me, but it was aimed at, then shot directly into my heart."
"Are you sure it wasn't just heartburn?" Beckman sarcastically retorted, expressing laughter. Her laughter caused everyone else to laugh as well. When the laughter subsided, Beckman spoke up. "I remember our 1st meeting very differently, Roan." She cracked a smile and shot a quick wink towards him.
"Yet, there's no denying there was instant attraction between the two of us," Roan shared. "After that first initial meeting, we never left each other's side."
"Unfortunately," Beckman broke the intense eye contact she shared with Roan and then turned to everyone else sitting at the table. "It was just the wrong time for the both of us despite being in the right place."
"I let her go," Roan breathed out. A few seconds later, he expressed a crooked smile.
"5 months later, I ended up accepting the position as Chief Administrator at Westside Medical Center," Beckman informed everyone sitting at the table.
"Despite it being the wrong time, we used the remaining days we had left and spent it together. It was absolute bliss," Roan shared.
"Who made the first move?" wondered Heather. Her eyebrows danced as signified the underlying context.
"Knowing Roan, I'm sure it was him," Alex chimed in, expressing a grin.
"I waited for him to make the first move," Beckman shared. The sound of disappointment in her voice. "He didn't."
"I only did that to give her the illusion of being pursued." His attention is then directed to 3 of the 4 other men sitting at the table. "I made her last day in Berlin," He briefly paused." "Special."
"What did you do?" Chuck asked.
Morgan pointed to his hetero life partner. "What he said."
Roan continued. "I showed up to her hotel room wearing a white dinner jacket?" His sole focus was primarily on Beckman as everyone seated at the circular table was transfixed on Roan. He held his auburn-haired date's left hand once again. "I had a bottle of Chateau Margaux in hand and a single red rose. I refer to it as `The Montgomery.'"
Afterwards, Roan lifted Beckman's left hand then kissed it one more time. His eyes deeply locked into hers. A few moments later, Roan turned his attention towards Chuck. He then added Mark and Morgan to his sight line as well. "Gentlemen, do you trust me?"
Chuck, Morgan, and Mark looked at each other. Afterwards, they returned their attention back to Roan and replied in unison. "Yes."
"What about me?"
"Just nod yes, Stephen," stated White, sounding annoyed. Stephen complied and nodded.
"'The Montgomery' has served me well. I shall pass it down to you. Show up unexpectedly and surprise the lovely woman in your life. You won't regret it."
"Yes, sir." Mark responded. Morgan simply saluted out of respect and admiration for the man.
Roan then reached over, picked up his glass of martini with two olives in it and toasted all 4 men. Afterwards, he tilted back the martini glass, sipped what was left of the alcoholic beverage, and then took a moment to savor it.
"A moment to learn," stated Roan. "A lifetime to perfect,." he added, returning his attention to Beckman.
At that point, Chuck leaned over to Sarah and whispered in her right ear. "His liver must look like camouflage." Sarah heard that and nearly busted out laughing but was able to keep it together concerning the funny comment about Roan's liver.
Speaking of Roan, he turned and softly glanced over at Sarah, Heather, Alex, and Emma. All 4 women seemed to have had a moment after they witnessed and heard him describe how he made Beckman's last night in Germany considerably memorable for her. A memory that Roan has always cherished, which he expressed with a soft smile of his own. Afterwards, Roan directed his attention to the actor, Stephen Pollak.
The actor was staring at Roan with his mouth agape. Besides White, Pollak was the only one sitting at the table without a date but seemed to not really care. Beforehand, he flirted with the attractive female wait staff but stopped because he found himself gradually focused on and heard with absolute awe the distinguished man of how he put the moves on Chief Beckman.
"You should be on that TV show on VH1. The Pickup Artist. I'd be the first to sign up," he stated with amazed excitement. "Mystery can't hold a candle to you, my friend."
Roan just smiled. He took another satisfyingly deep breath and returned his attention to Beckman. Speaking of Beckman, she asked her silver haired date a question.
"Do you remember what you said to me? About us and what the future held?"
"What did you say?" wondered Mark, directing his full attention to Roan. White's assistant held hands with Heather as they both waited and listened with bated breath to what he was about to share with them.
"After both of us turned and looked at each other then up at the moon, I said to her if we're still around in 20 years and we're not in a relationship…"
Beckman chimed in and finished the rest of what she recalled Roan conveyed to her all those years ago. "Let's throw in the towel and make it official. Be together as a couple."
Roan's auburn-haired date leaned in and was nose to nose with Roan. Both individuals showed one another how much they mutually cared for and loved each other despite their relationship track record. A track record that was actually on Jeffster's betting board to see how many times they'd break up and get back together again. Chuck, Morgan, and Alex put money on that bet, but they never won. Neither did the hospital staff because nobody knew the exact number, not even Beckman and Roan. In any case, the momentary distraction actually brought not only a soft smile on White's face, but quite possibly made her cold, jaded, and dead heart actually skip a beat.
Speaking of White, she continued to express that soft smile then briefly squinted. "I can't imagine you being a dirty blonde, Diane."
A devilish smirk was expressed by Roan. "It was the 80's. Everything was dirty." Afterwards, his eyebrows danced, and Beckman reacted. She playfully slapped with her left-hand Roan's lapel of his dark suit jacket.
"On that note," chimed Beckman, picking up her glass of wine. "I think it's time for dessert."
"You read my mind, Diane," softly growled Roan, thinking of something totally different.
Of course, those at the table who actually heard what Roan said got the message loud and clear. Thankfully, Molly didn't hear what he said. If she did, the teenager would have responded in such a way that Emma would have probably suffered a stroke or a brain aneurysm. In any case, after the group enjoyed their delicious dinner, White signaled and then notified one of the wait staff that they're ready for dessert.
XXX
NOTE: It's been a while since Molly Walker made an appearance and hopefully, she didn't disappoint knowing she can most definitely be a handful. Also, I hope you enjoyed the addition of Roan Montgomery as he accompanied Chief Beckman for the dinner. I know you got a number of references from the series, which Chuck vs. The Seduction and Chuck vs. Seduction Impossible. Anyways, what did you think? Share your thoughts and leave a comment because they're the life blood for us writers. It's considered an uplifting incentive to keep on writing to entertain you as the reader. As always, tip of the hat to NEVR for doing the beta. You rock dude!
