Chuck vs. The Courtyard Bench
Well, in the previous chapter: There's a BBQ at Casa Bartowski with Chuck and Sarah hosting. It's a full house and during the festivities Chuck overheard a conversation between Clara and Sarah about dream houses. Chuck took note of Sarah's dream house, which was a house with picket fence and a red door. Meanwhile, Sarah has an interesting conversation with Hannah who shared with the blonde the early days of their friendship. A close friendship to be exact. Fortunately for Sarah, they just remained plutonic friends to the point where Hannah shared a memorable story on how she knocked Chuck out in kickboxing class. Hannah then offered to take Sarah for a kickboxing class, which caused Chuck to have a flashback after he heard that. So, what happens in this chapter? Here are the who, what, where, when, why, how's? Who does Chuck think is having a heart attack and that causes Morgan to freak out? What does Pollak reveal that caused him to be unfocused over the weekend? Where did Morgan get that evidence that showed Pollak was showing genuine emotion? When did Chuck grab Morgan and pull him out of his office? Why does Chuck think Pollak is actually a decent guy? How does Morgan react when he finds out the truth about Pollak thanks to a conversation he had with Jagger? 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.
Hostile Witness
XXX
It was a typical Monday afternoon and the start of the work week for Chuck Bartowski. He was sitting behind his desk and toiled away at his computer. As he narrowed his eyes and intently stared into the computer screen, the sound of a rapid flurry of clicking keys on his computer keyboard matched his fingers that were vigorously typing away. At times, it seemed Chuck's fingers had a mind of their own. It was as if they physically anticipated ahead of time what keys were going to be pressed before he did. In a way, it was like how Keanu Reeves' character Neo was able to break free from the Matrix once he took the red pill instead of the blue thus allowing him to mentally bend the rules of the reality of the simulated world.
For the nerdy business owner, it was all due to the muscle memory in his fingers that he gradually developed and grew increasingly stronger as he got older. Of course, early on he wasn't able to avoid the painful perils of carpal tunnel, especially since he has the tendency to get too focused. However, over time and with some helpful computer keyboard finger exercises, he learned to adapt. In any case, Chuck was at the tail end of putting together a contract with a sponsor he had previously had a meeting with to have signed. The same sponsor who was convinced by Chuck to stay instead of bailing on becoming part of a steadily flourishing and rising business.
The reason the sponsor deal nearly fell part was a question that involved parents asked by Pollak. Chuck remained absolutely professional until the sponsor left. He was so pissed off at Pollack that Morgan and Kathleen had to forcibly get him away from the actor before he did something he would have regretted. Thankfully he did and was able to calm himself down. Afterwards, he was able to focus on the newest Rockstar Rebel, Jagger Renner, who was not only a talented artist, but enjoyed one particular Disney song that he hummed to himself on a subconscious level. The song was 'Out There' from the movie Hunchback of Notre Dame that was sung by Tom Hulce. Of course, Tom Hulce became a mission object for Chuck to get him on Bash At The Bench for Jagger.
Fortunately for them and much to the trio's surprise, Pollak knew Hulce since they worked together in the past on an animated project. True, they were skeptical at first, but he actually delivered when he not only contacted him but was able to get him to Bash At The Bench as well. A memorable Bash to be exact. One of those memories involved Chuck who witnessed Jagger suddenly hug Pollak and the actor didn't know how to handle it at first. However, he didn't fight it or push the 13-year-old either. Instead, Chuck saw Pollak pat him on the head and expressed a smile, which gave the youngest Bartowski sibling a glimpse of an actual human being with a heart.
Speaking of Chuck, while he continued to sit behind his desk vigorously typing away on his computer, the sound of a knock on his door suddenly interrupted his determined focus. He turned his head slightly to the right and directed his attention across the room to his open doorway of his office. They're stood Kathleen.
"Hey Kathleen," he acknowledged, with a smile. "What's up?" He quickly noticed the look on her face, which concerned the nerd. That was when Chuck slowly stood up behind his desk. "Anything wrong?"
"I don't know," Kathleen responded, stepping forward into her boss' office.
After Kathleen said that a mixture of bewildered confusion was expressed on Chuck's face. The way she responded combined with the sound of uncertainty in her voice caused the nerd to be on red alert. So many thoughts were swirling in his head that related to her health and whether or not she needed to be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. His mind suddenly began spiraling to the point where Chuck's eyes widened when he saw her reach up with her right arm and grasp the side of her left arm. That's when Chuck took immediate action. He quickly slid to his left and then raced forward to where Kathleen stood, but before he did, he frantically called out his bearded best friend's name.
"Morg! Get in here!" His attention was briefly directly to the open office door that led into the hallway. He then turned his focus to Kathleen. "Ms. K, is everything okay?" he inquired with concern, guiding her to the nearest chair located in front of his desk.
By the time Chuck sat Kathleen down, Morgan burst into the office. His left shoulder slammed into the left side of the open doorway, which took most of the impact. The sound of a painful growl was expressed as Morgan slowly spun around counterclockwise while holding his left shoulder with his right hand. Afterwards, he stumbled over to where Chuck was kneeling down next to a seated Kathleen. When he reached the two of them, he continued to grimace in pain and then leaned down a bit still holding his left shoulder.
"I think I dislocated my shoulder, dude!"
"Pop it back in like Riggs did in Lethal Weapon 2."
"Seriously?"
"What do you think, Morg?" Chuck snapped back, peering up at his best friend with an intense glare. He soon realized how that sounded and shook his head in an apologetic manner before he refocused on the matter at hand. "I think Ms. K's having a heart attack."
The mere mention of Ms. K and heart attack caused Morgan to quickly forget what happened to his left shoulder moments ago. He instead harnessed that pain into being strong for a woman that he cared about since she was after all the mother of his girlfriend. A vow was made that death wasn't going to take her away from her only daughter. Come hell or high water, death would have to contend with an unleashed Casey, Morgan thought to himself. At that point, he heard Chuck's voice.
"Morgan, focus. Call 911!"
"Right." nodded Morgan, grimacing in pain. He took a moment and briefly stretched out his left shoulder again. The stretching helped ease the pain a bit as he stuck his right hand in the right side of his pants pocket. Nothing. He did the same with his left hand. Nothing again. Morgan calmly patted himself down from front to back wondering where his phone was. He briefly closed his eyes and faintly muttered a curse word under his breath. Afterwards, he opened them up and shook his head. "My phone. I don't have it." He momentarily threw up both his hands and then placed them at his waist. "Man, I wish I was Inspector Gadget right now. Or," Morgan snapped his finger on his right hand. "Have a shoe phone handy like the one from that classic spy series, Get Smart."
"Dude! Use my phone!"
Morgan snapped his finger again and pointed at Chuck. He was about to move but suddenly stopped. Morgan stood there a moment, started looking around, and then turned his attention to his childhood best friend. "Quick question. Where is your phone?"
Chuck's right arm snapped and pointed at his desk without even looking at Morgan. He was mainly focused on Kathleen and doing his best to keep her calm. "Ms. K, just breathe and don't freak out," urged a very concerned Chuck. "Especially in your condition." he added, encouraging her to breathe. "Morgan!"
"Got it!" he announced, holding up behind Chuck's desk. As Morgan made his way from behind the desk, he pressed 9 then 1. He was about to press 1 again when Chuck's phone was suddenly slapped out of his hand. "What the…"
In that instance, Kathleen immediately stood up and gave the loudest whistle that briefly echoed within the office. Chuck and Morgan stopped and were completely frozen where they stood. Afterwards, she took a step back and held up both hands in front of her. "First off," she began, shaking her head. "I'm not having a heart attack." Kathleen firmly clarified.
"You're not?" Chuck and Morgan respond in unison.
"No. I was just cold." After blowing an exasperated breath out, she took a moment and gathered herself after going through an incredibly dramatic situation that was misinterpreted by Chuck. She then stepped forward and stood in front of both men. Kathleen lifted up both hands placing her left hand on Chuck's right check and her right hand on Morgan's left. A soft smile expressed towards both of them. "But I'm very appreciative of how quickly you wanted to get help for me."
"You're family." Chuck softly added.
"We care about you, Ms. K." shared Morgan. "You're the best office manager we ever had," he proudly pointed out.
"My sweet boys," she softly uttered. "And I'm the only office manager that can handle the two of you." Chuck and Morgan glanced at each other acknowledging that fact.
While Kathleen stood there in front of Chuck and Morgan, she started feeling the emotions welling up within her. In that moment, Kessel Run Technologies' front office manager did her best to compose herself because she didn't want to, as her ex-husband referred to it as, get up all in her lady feelings. Instead, she lowered her hands, took a step back, and continued on why she actually came into Chuck's office in the first place. "Secondly…"
Kathleen was about to continue when she was interrupted. "What's going on guys?" All 3 individuals stand there for a moment staring at the actor. "I heard all the noise from the lobby." he shared, standing in the opening doorway.
"Mr. Pollak is here to see you, Chuck." Kathleen announced.
XXX
"What do you mean it's all my fault?" questioned Chuck, sitting behind his head. Morgan stood to his left with his arms crossed trying to make sense of what he previously said. His phone that was slapped out of his best friend's hands and dropped to the floor was now back on top of his desk.
"Why did he hug me?" questioned Pollak to himself, shaking his head.
Morgan furrowed his eyebrows somewhat quizzically after he heard that. "Really? That's been bothering you over the weekend?"
Chuck briefly glanced up at Morgan then returned his attention back to Pollak seated across from him. As the nerdy business owner sat in his chair giving his full and undivided attention to the actor, he let what the actor shared with them sink in. Afterwards, he took notice of a few things concerning what he observed when it came to Pollak's overall body language. He then hearkened back to the brief conversation he had with Heather after the blowup that involved her co-star concerning how his method acting became one of the reasons that a handler was assigned to him.
When Chuck heard that, his curiosity got the better of him and started a deep dive on the actor. He learned and got more than he bargained for when it came to who Stephen Pollak was. His life somewhat paralleled a younger Johnny Depp's, meaning he had a few run-ins with law enforcement along with the notorious reputation for being Hollywood's bad boy. A bad boy who had his criminal records sealed and as much as he wanted to utilize his abilities as a hacker, he decided against it. In any case, the man who had been shadowing for quite some time dated a laundry list of women that were mostly actresses, which told him two things.
The first thing Pollak's dating life told him was that he was the kind of guy who was attracted to a woman's outer beauty rather than her inward beauty. In other words, Pollak was purely superficial when it came to the women he dated, and the relationship never lasted more than a month. A tell-tale sign that he was probably not the type of guy that doesn't fit into the long term or committed relationship bracket. The complete opposite to be exact. As for the second thing, Chuck surmised that like many actors in Hollywood they all deal with a tremendous number of insecurities that are covered up. At that point, their confidence is totally overcompensated to the point where actors like Pollak ended up developing this arrogantly brash attitude with a giant-sized ego to match. That's when an attitude adjustment is sorely needed.
This was all merely speculation but after spending time with Heather she confirmed that playing a role other than themselves and getting lost in it was something actors and actresses were very comfortable with. However, when it came to living the role of their own lives, it was viewed as considerably uncomfortable. In any case, Chuck's thoughts were abruptly broken when Chuck heard something that caused him to ask Pollak to repeat himself.
"I said," Pollak shook his head and then took a moment to adjust the way he was seated in the guest he was sitting, which Chuck took notice of as the actor was clearly fidgeting sitting in the guest chair. " It's not like I care or anything." the actor retorted, halfheartedly shrugging his shoulders then letting out a breathy chuckle.
Chuck was momentarily silent before he glanced over and up at Morgan who apparently thought the same thing. Both individuals nodded at each other, which led the nerdy business owner to proceed further.
"I think you do." Chuck retorted.
"How do you know?" wondered Pollak.
It was at that point, Chuck raised his right index finger and picked up his iPhone with his left hand. A second later, he was scrolling on it but then stopped. He suddenly put it back down on his desk. He then glanced over at the man who stood just off to his left. "Morg."
"Yeah?" responded Morgan, taking a step forward. Beforehand, he was wondering with curiosity what was going on just like Pollak.
"Do you have the laptop we use for the show?"
"I always bring it with me just in case," Morgan answered, leaning down a bit. "What do you need it for?"
"Just go get it, buddy." Chuck requested.
Morgan didn't say a word. Instead, he nodded and quickly scampered off. He disappeared out of sight after he exited his best friend and business partner's office. There was a bit of awkward silence that was shared between Chuck and Pollak It didn't take long for the nerdy business and online show host to click on the website link that immediately listed the websites that were frequented. YouTube was one of the main websites listed and he clicked on it. A brief moment later, he was on the Nerdy Nerfherder and Fuzzball YouTube channel. Chuck clicked on the most recent video posted and that was this past Friday's Bash At The Bench. He enlarged the video to fit the laptop screen. Afterwards, he clicked on the slider and fast-forwarded to the point in the show where he believed will prove to Pollak that he does care. As this was going on, Morgan leaned down a bit and was looking at what his hetero life partner was doing the entire time while Pollak sat across from them wondering what was going on.
Speaking of Pollak, he watched with bewildered curiosity at the two men on the other side of the desk who were glued to the laptop screen in front of them. He squinted his eyes a bit and took notice of their facial expressions. A faint smirk was expressed mostly from Chuck who briefly glanced over at Morgan then pointed to the screen. Although they didn't verbally talk out loud to each other, Pollak could tell they were communicating with each other through simple facial expressions and gestures. It was as if they perfected their own unique way of talking without actually saying a single word between the two of them, he thought to himself. In his mind, he could easily adapt that into the character of Brody, but at that particular moment he wasn't too focused on that. What he was focused on was what they were watching on the laptop screen. Fortunately for him, he was about to find out as Chuck suddenly stood up and then turned the laptop around to face him.
Pollack slid to the edge of the chair and leaned in closer to see what was on the laptop screen. What he saw was a still image of himself standing with the kid who hugged him and Tom Hulce. Afterwards, he shook his head and then peered up at Chuck with the same bewildered confusion that was still plastered on his face.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?"
Instead of saying anything, Chuck clicked on the paused portion of the video and let it play. He then stood there next to Morgan as he tilted his head forward directing Pollack's attention to the video. As for the actor, he reluctantly turned his attention back to the laptop screen where he watched and heard Tom Hulce offering Jagger to sing with him on stage. At that point, Pollak shook his head and lifted his gaze up to Chuck who he saw sliding over to his left. He took a step forward and then planted himself by the right-side corner of his desk.
"Do you remember what Jagger did after Tom made that offer to sing with him?"
"He hugged him," answered Pollak. "For some reason, he hugged me too," After he mentioned that, Jagger's voice was heard sounding absolutely excited after accepting the offer to sing with the special guest performer. Pollak shook his head again. "Why am I watching this again? I already know what happened."
"Do you, though?" questioned Chuck, with Morgan standing next to him.
"What are you talking about?" A look of utter confusion was expressed on Pollak's face.
"It's written all over your face," Morgan stated, stepping forward. He turned his attention from Pollak to the video playing on the laptop. "Right there." He quickly reached down and paused the video. Afterwards, he pointed to the screen. "What does that look like to you?"
Pollak stared at the paused image of himself. He shook his head again as if he was trying to come to terms with what he just saw. "I'm smiling." he softly breathed out, in disbelief.
XXX
For the past 5 minutes, Pollak sat in the guest chair in front of Chuck's desk trying to give a plausible reason and mentally comprehend the smile he saw on his own face during the hug with Jagger. While he continued to sit there, he recalled that moment in particular and how unexpected it was for him because it caught him totally off guard. A beautiful brunette caught the actor's eye in the crowd, and he instantly brought out the Pollak charm. He had every intention of getting her number but that didn't end up happening. What did end up happening was him thinking the kid ruined a perfectly good vibe he had going with the unnamed brunette who he was certain was going to be on date with later on that night.
What he didn't account for was him actually smiling and patting the 13-year-old on the back of his head knowing the conditions he was dealing with. A condition that he thought he was going to actually somehow catch if he touched the cancerous lump. However, much to his surprise he watched himself on the video not fighting or struggling to break free from the young man's hug. He didn't even realize he was smiling let alone showed actual genuine emotion until that very moment when it was pointed out to him by Morgan. Pollak could fathom why he smiled or even why he even acknowledged the kid back, but it bothered him so much that it distracted him while he was running lines with Heather.
Pollak was pulled out thoughts where he heard his name being called out and asked to have what said repeated back to him.
"I said," Chuck emphasized. He briefly looked at Morgan and then Kathleen who joined in on the conversation because it involved her as well. "Why did you raise your hand and share with us you actually had a way of contacting Tom Hulce." he repeated.
"Chuck's right," nodded Morgan, chiming in. "You could have just as easily kept your mouth shut, sat back, and watched us keep sending out countless Bat signals to get in contact with the guy you're actually friends with."
Chuck was sitting on the other vacant guest chair that was moved back a bit. It gave him some space between him and Pollack. As for Kathleen and Morgan, they were standing behind the nerdy business owner. All 3 individuals were focused on the actor as he continued sitting there across from them. Judging by his facial expressions, Pollak looked as if he was shaking his head in disbelief and still trying to figure out why he spoke up to begin with. There were several times the trio anticipated the actor giving them an answer but whenever he opened his mouth to say something, all that they received was him blowing out a bewildered sigh.
"For the life of me," Pollak retorted, shaking his head again. "I honestly don't know. Don't get me wrong, the thought did cross my mind."
A grin of amusement was briefly expressed on his face at the pure entertainment value of it all for him. Plus, it would have provided him some sweet retribution for what happened between not only him and Chuck, but Kathleen as well. That thought quickly faded once he peered up and noticed Kathleen staring at him. It was the way Kathleen was staring that made him squirm uncomfortably in the guest chair he was sitting in. In a way, he felt like a toddler who got in trouble, put in time out, and told to think about what he did before getting permission to get up from being punished. Thankfully, Kathleen's stare down on Pollak was broken when he heard the sound of Chuck's voice.
"I think I do." Pollak lowered his head and directed his attention to the man sitting across from him. Instead of responding, he just sat there and prepared to listen to what Chuck was about to share with him. "You've spent most of your life looking out for yourself, especially in your line of work. A famous Hollywood actor. Am I right?"
"Infamous is more like it," Morgan muttered under his breath.
Pollak opened his mouth as if he was going to defend himself against the nasty label of being referred to as infamous. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and accepted with pride the infamous reputation he made for himself in Hollywood like a badge of honor. His attention was directed back to Chuck when Pollak heard the sound of a clearing throat.
"I think a small part of you wanted to know what it was like to do some actual good. Not selfishly think about yourself for a change." the nerd speculated.
Pollak pursed his lips together, averted his attention off to the side and mulled over what Chuck shared with him. After nodding his head, he straightened up in the guest chair he was sitting in and directed his attention back to the man who he had a truly heated discussion with last week.
"That could be it. Or maybe," Pollak leaned forward a bit and expressed a faint smirk. "I've been so good at method acting that I completely fooled all of you." he added, raising his eyebrows. "Maybe, the whole thing with the kid was merely for publicity to help build a better image for myself."
"You wouldn't stoop that low." Kathleen responded, shaking her head in disbelief. The sound of shock, disdain, and disappointment in her voice.
"You'd be surprised at the lengths people in Hollywood will go for positive press and to revive their careers." Pollak retorted.
Silence eerily blanketed Chuck's office after what Pollak said. However, the office wouldn't remain silent for long when Morgan suddenly spoke up.
"Objection, your honor!"
Chuck and Kathleen's eyes widened with bewildered confusion as they turned to face Morgan. They weren't the only ones as Pollak expressed the same bewildered confusion as well. All three watched as Morgan made his way around Kathleen who was standing behind the guest chair Chuck was sitting in.
"What are you doing there, Matlock?" Chuck wondered.
"Actually, I think of myself more as Perry Mason than Matlock since I got the beard." Morgan retorted, pointing to his seemingly well-manicured facial hair. "Besides," He briefly paused before he continued on. "Perry Mason would wipe the floor with Matlock in court."
As much as Chuck would love to have a debate on who was a better fictional television lawyer between Raymond Burr and Andy Griffith, it would have to be set aside for now. Of course, he was on team Matlock all the way. In any case, he leaned over and whispered to him. "How about we stick a pin on that for later, buddy." Chuck firmly eyed his bearded best friend. "Also, I'm not a judge and we're not in a courtroom."
In that instance, Morgan nodded his head and realized he did have a tendency to go a bit overboard. "Right," Chuck's bearded business partner cleared his throat and returned his attention as he stood just off to the right of his seated best friend and locked eyes with Pollak.
"Anyways, the reason I object…" Morgan stopped himself before finishing the word 'objected'. Instead, he just came out right and said it. "You're a self-absorbed douche."
Pollak was momentarily silent before he shrugged his shoulders. "And?"
"Is there a point to this Morgan?" inquired Kathleen.
Morgan briefly glanced behind and exchanged an assuring look with Kathleen that told her that he does in fact have a point in what he was doing. Afterwards, he turned his attention back to Pollak.
"Despite that, the video evidence is positively clear," Morgan firmly pointed at the laptop sitting on his hetero life partner's desk. "It shows you actually cared about Jagger."
An amused chuckle was expressed by Pollak. "You're just seeing things." Afterwards, he shook his head.
"Tell me, Mr. Pollak,"
It was at that point, Morgan placed both his hands behind him and then took a step to the right. Afterwards, he started walking clockwise around Chuck's office as if he was a prosecuting attorney grilling the actor on the witness stand or in that particular case an office guest chair. The seriousness in his voice and the stiffness of his posture caused Kathleen to roll her eyes. As for Chuck, he lowered his head a bit and placed his hand over his face. It wasn't out of embarrassment.
The reason he did it was because he was covering his mouth and didn't want anyone to see him cracking up because of the way Morgan was pacing around his office. After taking a moment to compose himself, Chuck lifted his head and blinked a few times before he saw Morgan standing next to the chair Pollak was sitting in. His back was facing the actor and was looking towards the open doorway of his office. That's when Morgan suddenly spun around and pointed directly at Pollak.
"When was the last time someone thanked you," He stopped and shook his head. "I mean genuinely thanked you for doing something awesome."
"I don't know." Pollak halfheartedly shrugged his shoulders. He lifted his right finger and pointed it at Morgan. "You must really be a fan of lawyer shows, especially old ones. Speaking of, I actually auditioned for a guest role on Law-and-Order last year." he added, expressing an amused chuckle.
"Just answer the question!" Morgan shouted. He then slammed his left hand on top of the left arm rest of the guest chair.
At that point, Chuck quickly pushed himself out of the guest chair he was sitting in and grabbed Morgan by his shoulders. "We're just going to have a quick sidebar. Only take a sec." The nerdy business owner guided his best friend across his office, toward and eventually through the open doorway. Both men disappeared into the hallway. Before they disappeared, Chuck looked back at Kathleen and Pollak who were shaking their heads in absolute disbelief as the words 'hostile witness' was uttered by Chuck's business partner.
XXX
"Ok," Chuck began seated behind his desk. His arms resting on either side of his ergonomically comfortable chair. "I think we got a bit sidetracked. He briefly glanced at Morgan who was standing beside Kathleen. His bearded best friend was slightly slouched and looked a little less confident after the discussion he had with Chuck. A discussion that was held in the privacy of the conference room instead of the hallway. He talked with Morgan about going overboard quite possibly to the level of Tom Cruise as Lt Kaffee on Jack Nickolson's Colonel Jessup concerning the code red order in the movie A Few Good Men. Afterwards, both men reconvened back in his office. "Getting back to what Morgan asked you."
That's when Pollak spoke up, still seated in Chuck's guest chair in front of his desk. "What was the question again?"
Chuck noticed Morgan about to open his mouth but quickly cut him off before his bearded best friend spoke up. "When was the last time someone genuinely thanked you. Not like 'kissing your ass because you're an uber famous celebrity' thank you." the nerd clarified.
The question seemed to have left Pollak somewhat speechless because he sat there in the guest chair actually thinking back on a time where he was genuinely thanked. At one point, Chuck noticed the actor's eyes light up and leaned forward as if he was going to share that particular memory. However, he deflated and then slumped back into the guest chair. That was all it took for him to confirm what he Morgan, and Kathleen had suspected.
"You can't give an answer because you've never been genuinely thanked, have you?" At that point, grabbed a pen from his dress shirt pocket and then slid over his yellow notepad that was sitting off to his right. "Last Friday was the first time you've heard those two words without expecting anything back in return. It wasn't just that. The hug you got from Jagger was something you never expected either. Why is that?"
Afterwards, he clicked his pen and wrote something down on his yellow notepad before he leaned forward directing his attention to Pollak. In that moment, Chuck channeled his inner Dr. Dreyfus and attempted to get to any underlying issues that Pollak may have knowing the youngest Bartowski sibling wasn't a professionally licensed therapist.
"What do you want me to say," Pollak briefly paused and shook his head. "That I wasn't hugged as a child?"
"That would explain a lot." Kathleen faintly breathed out, standing beside Morgan.
"You read my mind, Ms. K." whispered Morgan.
Both individuals returned their attention back to Chuck as he gave his response to Pollak. "That's not it all. You know what I think?"
"Please. Do tell," Pollak sarcastically scoffed, sounding amused.
"I'm thinking Jagger hugging you bothered you so much because deep down you're actually a decent guy. That guy on the video smiling after being hugged," Chuck tapped with his right finger the closed laptop in front of him on his desk then directly pointed at the actor who was sitting on the other side of his desk. "That's the real you. The Hollywood, bad boy and method actor you is just a facade that you play up for the fans. The media too." Chuck theorized. "Plus, there's something else that tells me you were heart warmed by not only Jagger, but his story as well."
"What the hell is heart warmed?"
Chuck was about to explain it but then decided not to. Instead, he was going to provide further proof that Pollak actually had a good heart. "You know that all the donations that are sent in all go to Rockstar Rebel's hospital bills. Helps alleviate the financial burden the parents go through.
"Why are you telling me this?" questioned Pollak.
"I," Morgan raised his head then corrected himself when he glanced over at Kathleen. "We'd like to know too, dude."
"It seems someone made a sizable donation over the weekend."
"Who made it?" Morgan asked, with curiosity.
"And how sizable?" inquired Kathleen.
"Ms. K," responded Chuck. "Let's just say it dwarfed Cole's donation."
"Chuck me." breathed out Morgan, absolutely wide eyed.
A nod was given by Chuck after he heard Morgan's breathy response. He then continued on directing his attention to his bearded best friend. "As for who made it, the donation came from. Project Pegasus."
"What's Project Pegasus?" questioned Pollak.
"Apparently, it's an organization that flies sick and terminally ill kids wherever they want to go. All expenses paid for them and their families. It turns out they're legit and not a scam. Their motto is 'Spread Your Wings. Have Fun. Fly High. Don't Look Back'."
"Sounds like a wonderful organization." Kathleen stated, sounding emotional.
"Impressive. How did you pull that off?" inquired Pollak.
"Backward traceability." Chuck noticed the blank stares from Kathleen and Pollak. When it came to Morgan, he looked as if he understood what his hetero life partner was talking about. "Basically, I worked my way backwards to the point of origin of who sent it. To the source."
"Who was the source?" questioned Morgan.
"Orville Hickenbottom," responded the nerdy business owner. "I continued digging and did a deep dive using The Bartowski Special."
A smirk appeared on Morgan's face. "Going all Piranha. I like it."
"Anyways, I found a small digital footprint left behind. From there, I was able to digitally locate what appears to be a silent partner of the organization. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any trace of Orville Hickenbottom anywhere. I included variations of the name as well. Dead end. Covered his tracks very well."
"Whoa," breathed out Morgan, shaking his head. "His whole existence was just scrubbed. A mysterious name attached to an awesome organization. Sounds sort of like the premise of that 90's movie Sandra Bullock was in," Morgan took a quick second rifle through his movie catalog memory before he finally clapped his hands together. "The Net. Only her character's name existed and found out someone else was posing as her."
A moment of silence fell within the office before Pollak broke it by speaking up. "You illegally hacked in is what you're saying," Chuck didn't say a word for the expressed purpose of plausible deniability. Instead, he slightly shrugged his shoulders causing Pollak to shake head. Afterwards, he continued on. "Whoever this Orville Hickenbottom is, his name sounds incredibly nerdy."
"So does mine." Chuck pointed out.
"You said it, not me, Chuck." Pollak let out an amused chuckle.
"I've embraced who I am." The sound of firm confidence in Chuck's voice was expressed.
After shrugging his shoulders, Pollak shook his head and let out a tired sigh. He then got up from the guest chair he was sitting in. "I knew coming here was a waste of time." After standing up, the actor turned around and was about to head towards the open office doorway when he stopped by the nerdy business owner.
The youngest Bartowski sibling pushed himself into a standing position. "One more thing." Chuck announced, in a Detective Columbo sounding way.
Pollak sighed again. "What is it?" He turned around and faced Chuck.
"I talked to Jagger yesterday and I found out something really interesting." There was a brief moment of silence that blanketed the office before Chuck pressed on. "I didn't know Jagger was his nickname. You thought Jagger was a cool name and asked him if he was named after Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones." he shared, pointing to Pollak.
"I take it his dad is a big fan of Mick and the Stones?" inquired Morgan.
Chuck shook his head. "Jacksonville Jaguars. The NFL football team. So, his father started calling him Jagger when he was 9." The nerdy business averted his attention from Morgan to Pollak. "His first name is actually Winston. He hated it and shared that with you."
It was at that point, Pollak closed his eyes and softly breathed out a curse word. "Shit." Afterwards, he lowered his head and placed both hands at his side. A look of perplexed confusion was expressed on not only Morgan's face but Kathleen's as well. They didn't know what was happening. That's when Pollak shook his head and then looked up directing his full attention to Chuck. "So you know."
Chuck nodded, which led a clearly confused Morgan to respond. "What do you know!?" he blurted out, due to the sheer suspense of it all.
"Calm down, Morgan. We're about to find out." stated Kathleen, with reassurance.
At that point, Chuck stared at Pollak who simply gestured for him to share it while he stood just a few feet away. "To make Jagger feel better for his first name being Winston, mister method actor over there shared his first name. His real first name. Steven Pollak is just a stage name.
Morgan's eyes widened. "So that means…" He, along with Chuck and Kathleen directed their attention to the aforementioned actor.
Pollak shook his head and released a soft sigh. "My first name is actually Orville. Orville Hickenbottom."
XXX
NOTE: This chapter changed halfway through when I thought about how a person can go by a completely different name, especially if they work in Hollywood. So, I focused on that and the one person that isn't considered popular for this particular arc. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and shout out to my beta NEVR. All the mistakes are of my own this time. Hope you feel better dude!