Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench

Well, in the previous chapter: Chuck, Sarah, Emma and Molly were not only the invited guests of Executive Producer, Alexis White, but were deemed V.I.P's as well. There was so much to take in once they drove into Five Elder Studios that it was hard to believe where they actually were. All 4 individuals eventually met up with White and were escorted into the main office building where they were given a tour before they entered the larger airplane hangar located right next to it. After being given a brief history lesson on the founders of the studio known as The Ring, they learned that one of the founders was a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. The continued to learn that Five Elder Studios was inspired by the fictious elvish land that is Rivendell. Moving forward, the V.I.P's literally bumped into the director of We'll Always Have Omaha, Willoughby Sterling. Of course, he greeted them in his own unique way as a Brit. After their insightful meeting with Sterling where Chuck completely nerded out, they sat in on Pollak and Heather's rehearsing their lines together. All 4 of them were thoroughly engrossed until Chuck interrupted the rehearsal when he nerded out once again. The reason was Linda Hunt and that resulted in a break announced by Heather. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who did Brother Bodhin say was the person that showed him in Kindness and gratitude after he was caught breaking into the monastery. What did the rocks in the Japanese dry garden represent according to Brother Bodhin that he shared with Bennett? Where did all the monks gather in front of thinking it was for his own benefit in Brother Bodhin's story that he shared with Bennett again? According to Brother Bodhin, when do the Monastory monks have dinner? Why did Bennett and Casey wear plumber jumpsuits for a mission? How did Chuck react when Linda Hunt said a famous Star Wars quote? 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.

Nana Korobi, Ya Oki

XXX

Casey and Bennett walked with a monastery monk who they mutually knew years ago in the military as Colin Davis, otherwise known as Psycho. All three men were walking the gravelly path that snaked all over the property and as they did, the two former trainees shared past memories of the man who trained them. When they did, they made sure the stories shared didn't involve anything that mentally, emotionally, as well as physically, triggered Bennett. After a few moments of shared stories and laughter, the trio stopped in front of a Japanese dry garden, otherwise known as zen garden, where a large boulder with a flat surface on top sat in the middle of it.

"So, you're no longer going by the name Colin Davis?" questioned Bennett.

Davis shook his head. "I now go by Brother Bodhin."

"Bodhin?"

In that instance, Casey spoke up. "It means awakening or to seek or know."

Davis breathed out a faint chuckle after he heard that. "I certainly had an awakening, Brother Coburn."

"How did you end up here," Bennett briefly turned and scanned the area. "A monastery of all places," he added, shaking his head in disbelief.

For Casey, the visit to the monastery was a great idea as it was not only a place that was considered to be peacefully tranquil but having a familiar face that he knew and absolutely trusted to talk to, was something he'd take into consideration. The two of them met when the man who was known as Colin Davis was assigned to him after he was caught hacking into and then installing what he called the Omen Virus that he'd created. Although it was considered an impressive piece of coding, it wreaked havoc on government computer systems. Instead of being seen as a liability who should have been locked away in prison never to see the light of day, he ended up being used as an asset by the same people he created massive headaches for, despite being considered an absolute pain in the ass.

So in Godfather-like fashion, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Davis was a computer genius and his knowledge of the dark web provided government agencies, as well as the military, a highly valued asset. Also, he was also experienced with a weapon as well, thanks to the training he received from Bennett back then. In Casey's mind, the most experienced hackers have their head on a swivel and have several different exit strategies implemented because there's always a target on your back, especially if you've double- crossed a client. In any case, the mission he was part of went sideways and it was one of the main reasons he took Bennett to see the man now known as Brother Bodhin, because he was in a very similar situation as Bennett.

"I fell on hard times after I was deemed no longer useful," responded Brother Bodhin. "I lost myself and turned to drinking. When that didn't satisfy my needs, I sought out women. When women didn't satisfy me, I turned to drugs," he painfully recalled.

"Is that how you ended up here?" wondered Bennett.

"I was completely strung out and got caught trying to steal some sacred artifacts from the monastery and instead of them calling the police," Brother Channaron momentarily paused as he gazed out to a group of monks in the distance gardening. He smiled afterwards and then continued on. "They showed compassion by feeding me and gave me a room to sleep for the night."

"I'm sure you needed a shower too," Casey grunted.

"Indeed," nodded Brother Bodhin. " But I didn't. I ate then passed out. I woke up the next day and they gave me something to wear similar to what I'm wearing now. It was neatly folded on a chair and right beside it was breakfast on a tray. A pair of sandals placed underneath the chair," he shared.

A look of curiosity was expressed on Bennet's face. "What did you do?"

"I ate the breakfast that was left for me and left," Brother Bodhin answered.

"Did any of the monks stop you?" questioned Bennett.

Brother Bodhin shook his head. "Surprisingly, no. I thought I was going to have to fight my way out of the monastery." Brother Bodhin briefly paused and faintly chuckled as he reflected back on that particular moment in time. "I fully expected Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon to go down but was faced with something entirely unexpected."

"And that was?" Bennett inquired.

"I was met with kindness and gratitude from the abbot of the monastery."

Bennett arched his right brow. "Abbot?"

"Leader. Also known as Khenpo, Sensei. It means the one who gives the monks vows. They're also addressed and referred to as Khen Rinpoche. A senior Abbott is also known as Khenchen." Casey noted, sharing his knowledge with Bennett. "The abbot holds the position of administrator of a monastery or large temple," Casey also noted.

Brother Bodhin nodded, then continued on. "The Abbot greeted me with a smile and then we spoke. Actually, he spoke and I was half listening as I had my head on a swivel thinking at any second a fight would go down."

"Did a fight break out?"

Once again, Brother Bodhin shook his head after Bennett asked the question. "He led me down this same gravelly path while he talked. Eventually, we stopped here in front of this Japanese dry garden and then pointed at the boulder with the flat top surface in the middle of it."

"Why?" asked Bennett.

"I didn't know at first," Brother Bodhin paused for a moment then spoke up. "Until he asked me what I saw."

"What was your answer?"

"I was honest with him and said a bunch of rocks and sand," Brother Bodhin retorted. "Unfortunately, the answer I gave was wrong."

"What was the right answer then?" Casey and Davis' sensei inquired.

"The rocks represented mountains and he told me I was climbing up my own mountain. As for the sand, it represented either emptiness or distance," Brother Bodhin shared.

"I don't understand.." responded Bennett.

"The Abbot basically told me after I hit rock bottom, I was feeling empty or distant within myself. How I've been trying to climb up and reach the top of the mountain representing my own personal demons."

"That's some heavy shit," Bennett's eyes suddenly widened after the curse word came out of his mouth. "I'm sorry."

Brother Bohdin smiled and lifted his right hand as he gave a slight nod of understanding. "Quite all right, Sensei." He turned his attention back to the large boulder in the middle of the Japanese dry garden and spoke up. "He shared something that stuck with me to this day."

"What?" breathed out Casey.

"A mountain is weak if it doesn't have stones for support and security. When you construct a landscape, you must at all costs place rocks around the mountain," he shared, turning his face to face Bennett. "We are your rocks as you're climbing your own personal mountain, Sensei."

After Brother Bodhin shared that with Bennett, the seasoned veteran with a tremendous amount of fight still in him turned to Casey. The Head of Security for Westside Medical Center gave him a firm nod and expressed a soft grunt as well. Although Bennet never really considered himself to be overly sentimental, it seemed that what his two former associates conveyed immensely impacted him to the point where he actually got a bit emotional. However, he immediately composed himself and then cleared his throat in order to try to hide it.

"Are you two trying to get me to express my lady feelings?"

"Who?" Casey grinned as he briefly glanced at Brother Bodhin. "Us?" he added, with amused innocence.

"You were the one who actually came up with the term, Sensei," acknowledged Brother Bodhin.

"I know," Bennett barked back. The way he said it sounded annoyed and irritated knowing it was his expense. "Don't make me kick your asses. I may be old but I'm an old marine with a lot of bark left."

"Oorah," Casey proudly responded, with a soft growl.

It was at that point, he felt uncomfortable with the focus on him, so he refocused the attention back on Brother Bodhin. "So, what happened next? Get on with it," he ordered, glaring at his former associate he trained.

"Yes, Sensei." An amused grin was expressed on Brother Bodhin's face as he briefly glanced at Casey. Afterwards. a response was given to Bennet. "All the monks were gathered in front of the monastery gate in a row on both sides as if they were wishing me well wherever I was going." Brother Bodhin shook his head in disbelief. "However, the Abbot gave me a choice to either go back to live the life I was living or stay here at the monastery."

"Obviously you stayed."

Brother Bodhin nodded. "The reason I stayed was because he left me with only 4 words and then walked away. The Monastery gate opened in the distance."

"What were those 4 words?" inquired Bennet, with keen interest.

"Nana Korobi, Ya Oki," Brother Bodhin answered. He let those 4 words sink in for Bennett and then suddenly walked off.

Bennett and Casey stood there for a moment in front of the Japanese dry garden and watched him walk away. A few seconds later, the feisty and seasoned military veteran expressed a look of confused disbelief at Casey before he followed the man who left him hanging with more questions to be answered than anything else. As for Casey, he couldn't help but express an amused grin as he shook his head a bit, then was right on Bennet's six catching up to Brother Bodhin.

XXX

Bennett caught up to Brother Bodhin with Casey right behind him. The feisty, seasoned military veteran was about to speak up when the monastery monk continued speaking as all 3 individuals resumed walking the gravelly path.

"Nana Korobi, Ya Oki is an old Japanese proverb that when translated means," Brother Bodhin paused for a moment as he briefly glanced to his right. "Fall seven, rise eight."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," responded Brother Bodhin. "The Abbot was saying in his own unique way that I can choose to never give up hope, and to always strive for more," he added, suddenly stopping. Afterwards, he turned to focus more on Bennett than Casey. "In other words, my focus shouldn't be on the reality in front of me, but on a great vision that may not be realized just yet."

There was a brief moment of silence as Bennett stood there and stared at Brother Bodhin as if he was letting all that was shared with him mentally sink. After a couple more seconds of silence passed by, Bennett sternly arched his right brow and crossed his arms then responded to how he interpreted what his former associate had said.

"Ok Confusion, now explain it to me in terms that I can actually understand," Bennett insisted.

After he heard that, Brother Bodhin responded with another amused grin then gave an acknowledging nod. "Do you remember me sharing with you how all the monks were gathered in front of the monastery gate in a row? They were on both sides as if they were wishing me well wherever I was going?" Bennett nodded. "It turned out they weren't wishing me well."

"What were they doing?"

"They were going to be of service to the community," answered Brother Bodhin. "The Abbott invited me to join him even though he doesn't normally go with the other monks. He usually stayed behind and watched over the monastery."

"So, they were just going out and doing helpful deeds?"

"It's good karma."

The instant Bennett heard the word "karma" he expressed a look of absolute skepticism. "You actually believe in that stuff? Did they help you get enlightened?"

"I do, Sensei." Afterwards, he motioned for the two men to continue walking with him, which they did. "The man I was back then didn't want to become enlightened because I was more focused on what was in front of me and my own selfish needs than the journey that was envisioned. A journey I had not yet realized for myself."

Once again, Bennett silently stood there for a moment and processed what Brother Bodhin shared with him. He arched his right brow and crossed his arms like he previously did, then he responded.

"Are you high?"

In that instance, Casey and Brother Bodhin couldn't help but laugh even though the look on Bennett's face expressed absolute seriousness. After the laughter gradually subsided, Casey spoke up.

"I assure you, Sensei, he is not high," stated Casey, vouching for Brother Bodhin. "He's been clear minded, clean and sober for 15 years."

"I owe it all to the Abbott and the monks of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit,." uttered Brother Bodhin. He lifted up both hands, momentarily, pressed them together in prayer form, and gave a slight nod. "Of course, I was resistant at first because I was yearning for my next fix and the abbot somehow knew that."

"I take it he tried everything in his power to force you to stay."

Brother Bodhin shook his head. "He actually did the complete opposite of that. He let me make the decision on my own."

"That was risky."

"It was," Brother Bodhin acknowledged, with a nod. "Although I wasn't really in the right state of mind and most definitely a danger to myself because of the condition I was in at the time, the abbott gave me as much space to process then come to a decision."

"How long?" wondered Bennet.

"Till sunrise," Brother Bodhin replied. "The following morning."

"A full 24 hours," Bennett softly breathed out Bennett. It was at that point, a questionable look was expressed on his face. "What were you going to do until then?"

"The Abbott allowed me to explore the monastery. Anything that I needed I would just ask him or any of the monks. What was theirs would be mine as well," he shared, recalling that particular moment in time. Afterwards, he shook his head with a sense of amusement.

"Did they have access to a computer," wondered Bennett. "A laptop, at least?"

"The Abbott does, since he holds the position of administrator," answered Brother Bodhin. "I asked him about it and he rarely used it. Only for research purposes." He saw a mixture of confused bewilderment on Bennett's face and explained further. "When you choose to be a monk they are not allowed to have personal possessions. Only clothing and items of personal healing and Dharma practice."

"What's Dharma practice?" A quizzical look was expressed on Bennett's face.

"To practice Dharma means to apply Buddha's teachings in your daily life. It enables me to attain permanent liberation from lower rebirth." Brother Bodhin explained.

Instantly, Bennett closed his eyes and gritted his teeth after he heard the last two words. After he took a deep breath he continued on. "Ok, what's lower rebirth!?

"The three lower realms of suffering. The Hells. You see, Narak is the greatest experience of suffering…"

It was at that point, Bennet was already over it. He shook his head and waved both his hands in front of him. "I'm suffering right now just listening to this," He paused, then took one step forward and intensely stared at Brother Bodhin for a few seconds. "Just tell me one thing."

"What is it?"

"You're a hacker and…"

"Was," Brother Bodhin quickly interjected. "I was a hacker."

Bennett smirked. "Once a hacker always a hacker." He then leaned in a bit closer and whispered to him. "Come on. You said it yourself, the abbott is the only one who has internet access. Tell me you no longer feel those urges to sneak into wherever the abbott keeps his computer and just reconnect. There's at least a small part of you that misses that life?"

Brother Bodhin took a deep breath and then simply expressed a soft smile. "I left that life behind and any attachment to it as well. All it merely caused was suffering and problems for not just myself, but for those I greatly distressed," he shared, lifting and pressing both hands together in prayer.

What Brother Bodhin stated to Bennett actually caught the feisty military veteran a bit off guard. Casey, he knew how the man who was known as Colin Davis had immensely changed. The cocky arrogance, selfish attitude, and destructive nature that he once exuded, was now replaced with an enlightened humbleness. A man who now unselfishly gave to others rather than a guy who took for himself. Also, there was an overall sense of comforting calm that gradually transformed him from a truly combative computer genius into the harmoniously and seemingly mellow monk he was today.

"Are you sure you're not high?" Brother Bodhin chuckled once again. Instead of responding, he motioned for Bennett and Casey to join him as they continued walking the gravelly path of the monastery.

XXX

"At the time, I thought the Abbot was crazy because there had to be a catch." Casey and Bennett continued to listen as Brother Bodhin continued to share what happened the following day after he woke up from his drug- induced sleepover. "I was in such a heightened state of awareness all throughout the day thinking that the other shoe was going to drop at any moment."

"Did it?"

"That shoe I was so paranoid about," stated Brother Bodhin. "Did not drop. That still didn't mean I was in the clear."

"What did you do?" Bennett inquired.

"I walked the grounds but didn't talk to any of the monks. They still greeted me with a welcoming smile, which creeped me out at the time." Brother Bodhin took a deep breath then slowly exhaled. "Anyways, a few hours go by and that's when I gradually lowered my guard to the point where I returned to the room where I woke up and ended up taking a shower."

"I'm sure the Abbott and the other monks appreciated it very much."

"Copy that, Sensei," grunted Casey.

"I also probably looked like one of the Peanuts characters, Pig Pen. A cloud of smelly dirt all around me if it were possible," imagined Brother Bodhin.

"How about the time Coburn and I were given a mission to retrieve important information by dressing up as plumbers."

"That mission was a nightmare, Sensei," Casey responded, reflecting back on that cringe- worthy moment. "Both of us had no idea what we were doing. The Mario Bros. we were not."

"Who are the Mario Bros?" Bennett asked the question then quickly waved it off. "Nevermind. We still got the intel that was needed for Scary. That's all that mattered," insisted Bennett.

"I still remember the god-awful stench. I showered more times than I can count and burned the jumpsuit." Casey softly recalled.

"Such a Nancy boy, Corbun," growled Bennett, shaking head expressing disappointment. "By the way, how is Scary?"

"He showed up after I messaged him a couple days ago. I needed some information that only he could provide me, Sensei," responded Casey. "He's an ass."

"He hasn't changed then," nodded Bennett, expressing an amused grin.

"Wait," Casey turned to face Bennett. "You remember that mission, Sensei."

"I have my bad days and good days but remembering that mission is considered one of the good days," Bennett honestly shared.

"How often do you experience those good days?" questioned Brother Bodin.

"They come and go so quickly these days. It's the bad days that never seem to leave me alone. My meds help but now that I don't have them, they come at me in waves," he painfully shared.

All 3 men stood there in silence after Bennett shared what it had been like for him. The silence was growingly incredibly awkward until Brother Bodhin broke it and focused the topic back on the morning of waking up at the Monastery. "That robe. I ended up wearing it and the sandals that were left for me." Brother Bodhin shrugged. "I had no choice but to, since the clothes that I wore were gone."

"Probably burned because they stunk so bad," Casey responded. "Like I did with the plumber jumpsuit."

"Probably, Brother Coburn," responded Brother Bodhin. He paused and humorously reflected back on how long he actually kept wearing the clothes he had on, knowing the stench that must have emanated off it. He truly felt bad for not only the abbot, but the rest of the monks who were able to smell him as well. "I ended up walking around the monastery. Around 1:15 p.m. I stumbled upon where everybody ate lunch together. Only, it wasn't lunch they were having."

"What were they having?" asked Bennett.

"Dinner."

"Monks are basically senior citizens then,." Bennett jokingly remarked. He shook his head and then asked another question that suddenly popped in his mind. "If they had dinner around lunchtime then what time do they have….eat dinner dinner?" he added, keenly interested in hearing the answer.

"No dinner," Bennet's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Brother Bodhin quickly pointed at him. "That was my exact reaction, Sensei. I couldn't believe it myself either." He saw Bennett shaking his head and he tried to process what he just heard. So, he alleviated a bit of the mental chaos of questions that quite possibly swirled within his head. However, even if he did explain it, Bennett wouldn't have a tight grasp on it, he thought to himself. "We have breakfast in the morning and then a light dinner. It's considered the last solid meal we are allowed to consume until sunrise the following morning."

"And you actually stayed…" stated Bennett, with absolute disbelief. "Voluntarily!?" Brother Bodhin nodded. "Then what do you do around dinner time?"

"Meditation and prayer," answered Brother Bodhin. "We then have our studies and retire for the night at 8 p.m."

In that instance, Bennett responded in a way that can best be described as what Yosemite Sam sounded like when he got angry with Bugs Bunny after being completely bamboozled. It was the first thought that instantly came to mind for Casey, which caused him to chuckle a bit. In any case, the two men watched as Bennett walked off and continued to incoherently mumble like the iconic looney toons gunslinging cowboy with a hair-trigger temper character. As for Bennett himself, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and briefly stared at the two men who stepped forward. but then stopped. They dared not move or blink for that matter as they waited to see what Bennet was going to do next. It didn't take long for both men to see what happened next, as Bennett turned around and continued sounding off incoherently like Yosemite Sam.

A few seconds went by before Casey turned his head and faced Brother Bodhin. "It's your fault."

"What did I do?" Brother Bodhin retorted, looking surprisingly shocked.

"You riled him up!" Casey stated, eyeing the former genius computer hacker turned monk. Afterwards, he stepped forward but before he headed off to calm down a riled up Bennett, he looked back over his right shoulder. "Then you'll have to explain to the Abbott how and why Sensei went all Yosemite Sam kicking the asses of your fellow monk brethren, knowing full well the status of his mental health and suffering from PTSD."

Brother Bodhin was about to open his mouth and reveal he was the Abbott but decided against it. He took a moment and placed his hands together in prayer form and briefly closed his eyes. After he softly mumbled something, he opened his eyes and immediately followed after two men he not only hadn't seen for years, but was truly thankful for the reunion despite what just happened.

XXX

One of the many perks to take advantage of on a seemingly massive movie facility that is Five Elders Studios were the 24-hour production food trucks that were readily available that provided either full meals or quick service items like coffee or snacks. All paid for by the studio. In any case, White's V.I.P guests, along with Heather and Mark, were joined by none other than incomparable and academy award winner for Best Actress in a supporting role, Linda Hunt. Of course, the veteran character actress' rundown of film and television accolades run the gamut, including being attached to the project that stars Heather Chandler.

Hunt played opposite Arnold Schwarzeneggers as a elementary school principal in the 1990 movie Kindergarten Cop, a commander on a short lived 1993 science fiction series called Space Rangers and the most beloved character on the spin off, to one of the longest running shows on CBS series, NCIS: Los Angeles. Her character, Henrietta "Hetty" Lange, was the operations manager for the Office of Special Projects and oversaw the backroom support personnel tasked with providing everything the Agents may need in the field, from micro-surveillance cameras to cars.

Essentially, it was just one of the many topics that Chuck was grilling Linda about as he sat across from her at the end of the table. The other 6 individuals were there as well, eating, but they were thoroughly engrossed by what was happening between Chuck and Linda Hunt. From the moment they sat down, the youngest Bartowski sibling was nerding out over season 2 of NCIS: LA, as everybody else at the table humorously watched on.

"The season 2 cliffhanger with your character resigning from NCIS and going rogue in order to stop a long-standing feud that involved Callen," Chuck reached up, placed both his hands on either side of face, and verbally expressed an explosion. "Blew my mind."

Linda expressed a hearty chuckle. "I'm glad you enjoyed that season finale. There's more in store for next season."

"Awesome," the nerd happily responded. "And I can't wait. The way season 2 ended with Callen turning in his badge and the rest of the team following suit so that they can find Hetty before she winds up captured or far worse," Chuck paused and shook his head. "Dead."

There was a brief moment of silence on Linda's part before she leaned in and motioned for Chuck to lean in as well with her right index finger. When he did, the veteran actress spoke up in a whisper. "Trust me, she won't wind up dead." Afterwards, she winked at him, and it was a signal that basically reassured Chuck that her character does survive next season.

Chuck responded with his trademark toothy smile as he leaned back. He breathed out a sigh of relief and then continued on. "The character you play is considered an absolute mystery. No matter how many times the objective for either bad guys, or even individuals within her own government who she answers to, tries to take her down, she manages to get right back up practically unscathed."

"Never underestimate a short statured individual," stated Linda, briefly wagging her right index finger at Chuck. "Especially a woman who has the reputation for being deceptively armed and dangerous," she added, expressing a noticeable smirk.

It was at that point Chuck broke out and voiced an impression of one of the most famous Star Wars characters. "Size matters not," he uttered, in Yoda's tone of voice. "Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm? And well you should not."

Afterwards, he sat there across from Linda Hunt and suddenly felt a number of eyes staring at him. He was right, as he looked to his right, as everyone who watched and listened to the interaction between the two of them were staring at him. In that moment, he absolutely regretted doing the Yoda impression and sat there completely embarrassed. It instantly got awkward for him as he briefly turned and lowered his head as he faced Linda.

As he did, he heard the sound of Molly's voice. "Nerd."

What Molly uttered made him feel like he wanted to turn invisible, similar to that of comic book character turned live-action star, Sue Storm, from the Fantastic Four. Although the actress Jessica Alba was criticized by the fans for her portrayal, she did an awesome job, Chuck thought to himself. Thankfully, another voice was heard in his right ear. The voice was Sarah's.

"Hey, no spiraling and you've been doing awesome." A brief smile was expressed after he felt his right hand being supportively squeezed. That made him feel a little bit better. He nodded and then spoke up.

"I'm sorry," Chuck softly apologized, with his head still lowered. "I didn't mean…" He stopped himself and then attempted to salvage what was left of his dignity. "I'll do my best to try to contain my nerdiness," he added, lifting his head and making eye contact with Linda.

At that point, everyone at the table was thoroughly enthralled and transfixed on what Linda Hunt was going to say, or how she was going to react. They wouldn't have to wait long as Linda got up from her seat, took one step forward and locked eyes with Chuck. From the nerd's point of view, it looked like a Hetty Lange death stare as the actress stood in front of him, took a deep breath, and then Linda lifted up her right hand. She gently placed in on Chuck's left shoulder and uttered the following words:

"Do or do not," Chuck's eyes widened as if they were going to pop out of his head. "There is no try," she added, without Yoda's tone of voice. Afterwards, she turned her attention to the other individuals sitting at the table. "My sweet tooth is craving dessert. Anyone else?"

All hands at the table were instantly raised except for Chuck. He still sat there and was processing the fact that Linda Hunt quoted Yoda. His focus was broken when something hit his left shoulder. It was an elbow that belonged to none other than Linda Hunt.

"Will you be joining us, Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck immediately shot up into a standing position and peered down at her. When he did, one thought popped into his head as he towered over her. Man, I feel like a giant standing in front of her and she's shorter than Chief Beckman. I didn't know that could even be possible. That was what he was thinking, what he responded with was something totally different.

"Yes, ma'am," Chuck retorted, giving a slight nod down to her. "And please, call me Chuck."

"If you insist," Linda replied. "Chuck," she added, expressing a soft smile up towards him.

Afterwards, Chuck turned around and lowered his right forearm in a chivalrous kind of way to escort Linda over to the dessert food truck where the others were already at. The veteran actress accepted his forearm and was escorted to where the rest of the people she sat and ate with were in line for some delectable sweets.

XXX

NOTE: I found researching the daily life of a Monastery monk and their belief system incredibly fascinating. It truly does take a tremendous amount of dedication to leave behind one world and be fully committed to live another without any lingering doubts. Plus, eating only 2 light meals is something is absolutely mind boggling since they don't have a traditional evening dinner. In any case, what did you think of this chapter and the hacker formerly known as Colin Davis. I'm sure you got the references from the episodes vs. The Predator and vs. The Hack Off. As always, share your thoughts and leave a review as they are considered an incentive for us writers to keep on writing. Once again, I tip my hat to NEVR for doing the beta!