Birthday blues

A/N: This is my first fully completed story that I’ve actually written down from start to finish. It’s not the first story I’ve ever started, but it is the first one I’ve managed to properly record. This is a short story and serves as the first part, covering the first episode…Chuck’s birthday.
If you want to review, that’s up to you, good bad or indifferent they’re all welcomed.
I do not own Chuck or any related characters.

Birthday Blues

Another Year
Chuck woke up and immediately realized he wasn’t excited about the day ahead. An early shift at the Buy More had never been high on his list of favorite things, but today felt especially uninspiring.
With a groan, he pushed himself out of bed and glanced at the clock.
7:30 a.m.
Well, at least seven and a half hours of the day were already gone.
That was something.
He grabbed his black pants, white shirt, tie, underwear, and hoodie before shuffling into the bathroom. The shower ran hot as he stood beneath it for nearly fifteen minutes, wondering where the last year had gone.
Twenty-seven.
When had that happened?
Finally finished, he wiped the steam from the mirror and studied his reflection.
For twenty-seven years old, he still looked pretty good.
At least that was what he told himself.
Leaving the bathroom, he headed straight for the kitchen. A bowl of Froot Loops seemed like the perfect start to an otherwise unremarkable day. He found some orange juice in the fridge and washed everything down before realizing that Ellie and Devon weren’t home.
Thank God for small miracles.
Not that he didn’t love his sister, but tonight was going to be bad enough already.
His birthday.
Ellie had spent the last week reminding him there would be all kinds of interns and young professionals at the party. Apparently, several of them were interested in meeting him.
Unfortunately, he had absolutely no interest in meeting them.
His ideal evening involved escaping the festivities as quickly as possible and spending the night playing Call of Duty with Morgan.
The trick was figuring out how to get out of the party without making Ellie angry.
After finishing breakfast, he placed his bowl and glass in the dishwasher, gathered his computer bag, name tag, and pocket protector, then locked up the apartment and headed out to the Buy More company car they had generously loaned him.
Chuck figured it was the least they could do.
After all, there wasn’t a better employee in any Buy More in the United States.
The only problem was that nobody knew it except Chuck.
Possibly Morgan.
Halfway to his car, he stopped.
“Oh, man. My keys.”
He stared at the car.
“I don’t want to go back.”
With another groan, he turned around and jogged back toward the apartment.
Great.
Twenty-seven years old and already losing his memory.
What was it like to be twenty-seven without your memory?
He searched the kitchen counter, the living room table, and every other obvious place as his frustration steadily grew.
“Where are they?”
He checked the couch cushions.
Nothing.
The coffee table.
Nothing.
Then he shoved his hands into his pockets.
The keys jingled immediately.
Chuck closed his eyes.
“Yep. It’s definitely starting.”
Goodbye, youth.
Fortunately, the workday passed quickly.
Almost everyone who stopped by the Nerd Herd desk wished Chuck a happy birthday. Most seemed to expect an invitation to the party at his apartment.
They didn’t get one.
Chuck already spent forty hours a week with these people.
Why would he voluntarily spend his birthday with them too?
Across from him, Morgan sat behind the Nerd Herd counter, enthusiastically banging two pencils against the desktop while making his own drum noises.
Chuck endured it for nearly thirty seconds before reaching over and snatching the pencils out of Morgan’s hands.
“Could you please stop?”
Morgan looked offended.
“What?”
“You don’t even know how to carry a tune.”
“Carrying a tune is overrated, Chuck. It’s all about the flow. The feeling. My rendition of a song is completely different from somebody else’s rendition of the same song.”
Chuck stared at him.
Morgan continued as if delivering profound wisdom.
“There’s no judging. It’s just rocking out to the music. You know that better than anybody.”
“Yeah,” Chuck said, “but I know what air drumming looks like.”
Morgan frowned.
“And?”
“I have absolutely no idea what you were doing.”
Morgan considered that.
“Maybe I should go back to air guitar.”
“Please do.”
A few moments later, Chuck and Morgan were fully committed to their performance, jamming along to whatever song happened to be playing over the Buy More sound system.
Neither one of them was remotely close to the beat.
From the DVD section, Jeff and Lester watched with expressions of deep concern.
“Jeffrey, those two have no idea how to perform.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Jeff agreed. “That’s got to be some of the worst air guitar I’ve ever seen.”
He pointed toward Morgan.
“Does Morgan even know what a guitar looks like? It looks like he’s weaving a basket.”
“Right?” Lester said. “And what’s up with Chuck? It looks like he’s having a seizure.”
The pair shook their heads.
“One day, Jeffrey, you and I are going to be big stars.”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“We’re going to go out there and show the world what Jeffster can do.”
They exchanged a solemn nod.
Meanwhile, Chuck had transitioned into vocals while Morgan provided what he claimed were hip-hop beats. Unfortunately, most of it sounded like a washing machine trying to eat a toolbox.
Undeterred, Morgan added bass sounds and various noises that had never appeared in any known musical genre.
Finally, Chuck threw one of the pencils into the air like a victorious rock star finishing a sold-out concert. He raised both hands, flashing devil horns toward an imaginary crowd.
The performance was over.
A total audience of two had survived.
As they returned to work, Morgan fell into step beside him.
“So, Call of Duty tonight for your birthday?”
Chuck groaned.
“No, man. Ellie’s got me roped into another birthday party.”
Morgan blinked.
“Isn’t that, like, the fifth one?”
“Something like that.”
“Dude, she’s been throwing you birthday parties ever since you came back from Stanford.”
Chuck sighed.
“I don’t want to tell her she’s persistent.”
“Persistent?” Morgan laughed. “Chuck, your sister is part mother, part caretaker, and part event planner. She’s basically three people rolled into one.”
Chuck couldn’t help smiling.
“Yeah. You’re not wrong.”
Before he knew it, the clock hit five o’clock.
Freedom.
The shift was finally over.
Chuck was halfway to his car before realizing Morgan was right beside him.
“What are you doing?”
Morgan opened the passenger door and climbed in.
“Going to your party.”
“You invited yourself.”
“I absolutely did.”
Chuck noticed the duffel bag Morgan carried everywhere.
“You brought a change of clothes?”
Morgan patted the bag proudly.
“You can never be too prepared.”
“For what?”
“You never know who might be waiting around the next corner.”
“A supermodel?”
“A woman of my dreams.”
Morgan tapped the bag again.
“I’ve got to be ready.”
Chuck just shook his head, smiling as he started the car.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the courtyard of Chuck’s apartment complex.
The moment Chuck saw Ellie and Devon hanging decorations, his stomach sank.
“Oh, no.”
Devon was hanging streamers while Ellie directed operations with military precision.
“They didn’t forget.”
Morgan looked impressed.
“Wow. This thing is serious.”
“I’m actually going to have to attend this shindig.”
Chuck parked the car and turned to Morgan.
“Okay. New plan.”
“I love plans.”
“Go through the window.”
Morgan grinned instantly.
“Operation Birthday Escape.”
“Exactly. Get into my room, start up the Xbox, and buy me some time before Ellie realizes I’m home and drags me into birthday chaos.”
Morgan snapped off a salute.
“Roger that.”
A few minutes later, they slipped around the side of the building and climbed through Morgan’s usual entrance—a large window leading directly into Chuck’s bedroom.
Quiet as two extremely unquiet mice, they made it inside.
Within moments, they had claimed their chairs, powered on the television, and fired up the Xbox.
The familiar startup sound filled the room.
Controllers in hand, they settled in for what was supposed to be a night of glorious digital warfare.
Outside, Ellie continued setting up the party.
Inside, Chuck had completely forgotten it existed.
For the moment, life was good.
It was a fact that Chuck and Morgan could play some serious video games.
Their fingers flew across the controllers without hesitation. On the television, gunfire erupted nonstop as enemy soldiers were shredded by automatic weapons. To an outside observer, it looked like neither one of them was paying attention.
In reality, they were completely locked in.
Years of practice had turned the game into muscle memory.
“Hey, Chuck,” Morgan said between firefights. “You ever think about what you’re gonna be when you grow up?”
Chuck glanced over.
“We’re twenty-seven, Morgan.”
“Exactly. Prime career-planning years.”
Chuck rolled his eyes.
“What are you going to be?”
Morgan didn’t hesitate.
“A hibachi chef.”
“A hibachi chef.”
“The greatest hibachi chef.”
Chuck snorted.
“I’m serious. I’m gonna open several restaurants. Michelin-rated restaurants.”
“You know cooking and setting things on fire aren’t the same thing, right?”
“They are if you’re talented enough.”
Chuck laughed.
“I’m gonna be bigger than Gordon Ramsay.”
“Of course you are.”
Morgan nodded confidently.
“What about you?”
Chuck focused on the screen for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know.”
“You ever think about going back and finishing university?”
“No, Morgan. I’m not thinking about going back and finishing university.”
“Why not?”
Chuck shrugged.
“Because I’m probably going to be working at the Buy More for the next twenty years.”
Morgan frowned.
“And?”
“And every other day I’ll find a new reason to hate Bryce Larkin for what he did to me.”
“Ah.”
“And I’ll continue praying that Jill spends the rest of her life giving somebody else STDs.”
Morgan winced.
“Wow. That’s dark.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I can’t.”
They played in silence for a few moments.
“You know,” Morgan said, “you’re a god with computers.”
Chuck ignored him.
“No, seriously. You should finish that game you’ve been working on.”
Chuck’s character reloaded.
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Chuck, you’ve been writing that thing for five years. By now, you could be a millionaire.”
Chuck laughed.
“A millionaire.”
“Absolutely.”
Morgan’s eyes lit up.
“We’d have matching cars.”
Chuck paused the game.
“Matching cars?”
“Matching cars.”
“What kind of cars?”
“I’d have a DeLorean.”
“Of course you would.”
“And you’d have whatever you wanted.”
Chuck stared at him.
“You know, if we have different cars, they’re not matching cars.”
Morgan pointed at him.
“See? That’s where you’re wrong.”
“I’m wrong?”
“The point isn’t that they match.”
Chuck blinked.
“The point of matching cars isn’t that they match?”
“No.”
“What is the point, then?”
Morgan smiled.
“We would know they match.”
Chuck slowly shook his head.
“I want you to understand that sentence makes absolutely no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.”
“It really doesn’t.”
Morgan waved dismissively.
“We’d be driving around in our own vehicles that don’t match, but spiritually they’d be matching.”
“You know what, Morgan?”
“What?”
“If we’re ever stranded in the desert, I might have to leave you there.”
Morgan grinned.
“You know what, Chuck? You’re right.”
“About what?”
“When you’re as talented as me, people will come no matter where you are.”
Chuck just stared at him.
“The desert.”
“Five-star hibachi in the Mojave.”
“You’re impossible.”
Before Morgan could respond, a loud pounding echoed through the apartment.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
“Charles Irving Bartowski!”
Both men froze.
“Uh-oh,” Morgan whispered.
“Where are you hiding?”
Another round of pounding shook the door.
“Chuck! Open this door!”
Chuck slowly lowered his controller.
Morgan was already looking terrified.
“Oh, man,” Morgan said. “We’re busted.”
“We’re definitely busted.”
Chuck climbed out of his chair and walked to the bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked it.
The door flew open.
Ellie stood there with her hands planted firmly on her hips.
The look on her face told Chuck everything he needed to know.
She had figured out exactly what he was doing.
Chuck offered his most innocent smile.
“Ellie. I didn’t know you were home.”
She wasn’t buying it.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Ellie folded her arms.
Chuck immediately switched tactics.
“So… how was your day?”
Her eyebrow rose.
“Meet anybody new at the hospital?”
Chuck gave up trying to change the subject.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Ellie blinked.
“What am I doing? What are you doing? You should be out there helping Devon and me decorate for your birthday party.”
Chuck sighed.
“To be honest, I never said I wanted a birthday party. So why would I help decorate for something I don’t want?”
Ellie stared at him.
“You can’t hide in your bedroom with Morgan playing video games for the rest of your life.”
Morgan raised a hand.
“In my defense, we’re very good at it.”
Neither sibling acknowledged him.
“You need to meet people, Chuck. People need to meet you.”
“I meet people every day at the Buy More.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It feels the same.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Chuck threw up his hands.
“I spend eight hours a day dealing with customers, coworkers, managers, and random strangers asking where the printer ink is. The last thing I want to do when I get home is meet more people.”
Ellie softened slightly.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Because it really feels like every year you decide my birthday is some kind of social experiment.”
Ellie folded her arms.
“I have friends coming over.”
“Your friends.”
“They want to meet you.”
Chuck laughed.
“Yeah, I’m sure they do.”
“They do.”
“No, they don’t.”
Ellie opened her mouth to argue, but Chuck wasn’t finished.
“They want to meet your baby brother. The failure.”
The room immediately grew quieter.
“Chuck—”
“The guy making twelve bucks an hour at the Buy More.”
“Stop.”
“The guy who hasn’t had a date in five years.”
Morgan suddenly found the floor fascinating.
“The guy who can’t talk to a woman without eventually bringing up everything that’s gone wrong in his life.”
“So yeah,” Chuck finished quietly. “I’m sure there’s a line of women out there just waiting for their chance to meet me.”
Ellie watched him carefully.
The humor was still there.
The smile was still there.
But she knew her brother.
She could hear the part that actually believed every word he was saying.
Chuck sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Look, Ellie, I appreciate everything you do.”
His voice softened.
“I really do.”
She let him continue.
“But you’ve got to stop trying to set me up with your friends.”
A reluctant smile appeared on his face.
“If you keep doing that, you’re not going to have any friends left.”
Morgan nodded.
“Statistically speaking, he’s probably right.”
“Not helping,” Ellie said.
Morgan pointed at Chuck.
“I’m Team Bartowski.”
“Wrong Bartowski.”
“Oh.”
Chuck shook his head.
“Just let me spend my birthday the way I want to spend it.”
He gestured toward the television.
“Playing video games with Morgan.”
Morgan sat up straighter.
“A noble tradition.”
“Exactly.”
Chuck looked back at his sister.
“I don’t want the birthday you want for me. I want the birthday I want.”
For a long moment, Ellie simply looked at him.
Then she stepped closer.
“Chuck, listen to me.”
Her voice had grown gentler.
“You’re going out there.”
Chuck groaned.
“Ellie…”
“One way or another.”
“Ellie.”
“You’re going to meet people.”
“No.”
“You’re going to talk to women.”
“Definitely no.”
“You’re going to use all that charm you pretend you don’t have.”
Chuck looked horrified.
“What charm?”
“The charm that somehow convinced me not to kill you when we were kids.”
“That was mostly fear.”
“And you’re going to use all those brilliant words you’ve got stored away in that giant brain of yours.”
Chuck pointed at himself.
“You and I have very different opinions about me.”
“I know.”
“And maybe,” Ellie continued, refusing to back down, “just maybe, you’ll get a date out of it.”
Chuck stared at her.
Then he slowly looked toward Morgan.
Morgan immediately pointed at Ellie.
“She’s making some compelling arguments.”
“Traitor.”
“I go where the hope is, Chuck.”
Chuck let out a long, suffering sigh.
His sister smiled.
She knew she was winning.
And Chuck knew it too.
Finally, he blew out another sigh of surrender.
“Morgan… it’s time for you to go.”
Morgan’s eyes widened.
“What?”
“I don’t remember inviting you to this party.”
“Hey!”
“Yeah, about that,” Chuck said, glancing toward Ellie. “I kind of invited him. And honestly, I do want him here.”
Ellie pointed a warning finger at Morgan.
“Fine. He can stay.”
Morgan pumped a fist.
“Victory!”
“But if he goes anywhere near my friends, we’re going to have problems.”
Morgan looked genuinely offended.
“What kind of reputation do you think I have?”
Ellie gave him a look.
“The kind that earned you a warning.”
Morgan nodded.
“Fair.”
“And he better not put anything in anybody’s drinks this year.”
Chuck couldn’t help smiling.
He turned toward Morgan and gave him two enthusiastic thumbs-up.
“Absolutely, Ellie. Morgan will be a complete gentleman this evening.”
He looked at his best friend.
“Isn’t that right, Morgan?”
Morgan placed a hand over his heart.
“You don’t have to worry about me. You won’t even know I’m here.”
Ellie looked skeptical.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Morgan paused for a beat.
“But if you want me to stay away from your friends, that’s going to cost you.”
Ellie’s eyes narrowed.
“Cost me?”
“I want at least three dances tonight.”
Chuck immediately buried his face in his hands.
“Morgan…”
“What? I’m negotiating.”
Ellie stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
“You are unbelievable.”
“That’s why people love me.”
Chuck looked up just in time to catch Ellie glaring at him.
The look clearly said, This is all your fault.
Chuck answered with an innocent shrug and a helpless smile.
Enjoy the spoils of your victory, Ellie.
With one final shake of her head, Ellie turned and headed for the door.
As she disappeared into the hallway, her voice echoed back into the room.
“Chuck! I expect to see you in that courtyard within the next two minutes.”
Chuck winced.
“I do not want to come back here and drag you out there.”
She paused.
“But I will if I have to.”
The door slammed shut behind her.
Silence settled over the room.
Morgan slowly turned toward Chuck.
“So…”
Chuck looked back.
“So.”
“You think she means two minutes exactly?”
Chuck tossed his controller onto the bed and stood.
“Oh… she means exactly two minutes.”
The two friends stared at each other for a moment before Morgan finally broke the silence.
“Damn, Ellie scares me. Has she always been that frightening?”
Chuck chuckled. “You have no idea.”
Morgan grinned. “I love a woman who takes charge. She can take control of me any day.”
“Morgan,” Chuck said, shaking his head, “that’s my sister you’re talking about. And how many times do I have to tell you? She’s completely in love with Captain Awesome, and she can barely tolerate you.”
Morgan waved the comment away as if it were completely irrelevant. “See, Chuck? That’s just her being playful. She’s holding back. Devon’s only there to keep her occupied while she decides when she’s finally going to accept the Beard into her life.”
Chuck laughed and shook his head again. “Okay, Morgan. You keep believing that. And you don’t know the half of it. You have no idea how scary she can actually be.” His smile softened as he leaned back in his chair. “But I wouldn’t trade her for anyone. Growing up, I could always count on her. No matter what happened, Ellie was always in my corner.”
With a long, defeated sigh, Chuck stood and powered down the Xbox. “Well, I’m not changing. I’ll go out there just like this. If you want to change, go ahead. I’ll meet you outside. I’ll grab us a couple of beers.”
“All right, buddy. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Morgan grabbed his duffel bag and flashed his trademark grin. “Scope out some hot women for us to socialize with.”
Chuck rolled his eyes. “Yeah… that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
Morgan laughed and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
Chuck lingered in his room for another moment, looking around at the one place where he felt completely comfortable. Then he drew in a deep breath and headed for the door, preparing himself to face a world he wasn’t remotely ready to meet.
The party was already in full swing. Nearly thirty people filled the courtyard, with several more scattered throughout the apartment. Music drifted through the evening air as conversations and laughter blended into a constant hum. Chuck paused just inside the doorway and felt his stomach tighten.
Oh, man… here I go.
Resigning himself to the inevitable, he walked to the refrigerator, grabbed two beers, and made his way toward the courtyard. Almost immediately, he noticed several women glance in his direction.
He pretended not to notice any of them.
Instead, he lowered his eyes, fixed his attention on the doorway ahead, and kept walking.
The moment Chuck stepped into the courtyard, he spotted Devon across the way laughing with several of his old fraternity brothers. The group was carrying on like a pack of overgrown college athletes, slapping each other on the back, competing over stories that somehow became more heroic with every retelling.
Chuck took one look at them and quietly adjusted his course.
Definitely staying away from those guys.
Before he could escape, Ellie intercepted him, steering an attractive brunette in his direction.
“There you are,” she said with a smile. “Chuck, I’d like you to meet Joan. She works on the same floor as I do at the hospital. She’s a wonderful intern, and I’ve told her all about you.”
Chuck shot his sister a look.
Ellie ignored it.
“Joan’s been looking forward to meeting you. I think you two will find you have a lot in common.”
She flashed Chuck a smile that clearly translated to, Don’t screw this up, before disappearing back into the crowd.
An awkward silence immediately settled between them.
Chuck shifted his weight, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet before puffing out his cheeks.
“So…” he began. “I guess you work at the hospital with Ellie.”
Joan smiled politely.
“I do.”
Chuck winced.
“Right… of course you do. She literally just told me that.”
Joan laughed softly, immediately putting him a little more at ease.
“That’s okay.”
Chuck rubbed the back of his neck.
“So… how long have you been an intern?”
“A couple of months.”
“Do you like it?”
“I do. Ellie has been amazing. She’s taught me so much already.”
Chuck smiled.
“Yeah, that sounds like my sister.”
Joan nodded enthusiastically.
“Honestly, she’s probably one of the most respected neurologists at the hospital. Everyone admires her. She’s brilliant.”
Chuck couldn’t help feeling proud.
“She really is.”
“And Devon’s wonderful too,” Joan continued. “He has an incredible reputation as well. It’s amazing how accomplished they both are, especially considering they’re still so early in their careers.”
Chuck chuckled.
“Yep. That sounds like my sister… and Captain Awesome.”
Joan blinked.
“Captain Awesome?”
Chuck smiled.
“You’ll understand eventually.”
Chuck rocked back and forth on his heels as another awkward silence settled between them.
“So… a neurologist,” he said. “That’s kind of a big deal.”
Joan smiled. “Hopefully someday.”
Chuck nodded enthusiastically.
“Have you always wanted to study the brain? I mean, it’s a fascinating organ. I don’t think people use it nearly enough.” He paused, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. “Not that people don’t use their brains. I just mean…” He waved his hand helplessly. “You know what I mean.”
Joan laughed softly.
Chuck felt himself relaxing just enough to keep talking.
“It’s amazing, though. The brain is huge, and people say we only use a tiny fraction of it.” He shrugged. “Me? I can remember almost everything, but I never seem to use most of it. Eventually it just kind of… slips away.”
He smiled.
“Unless we’re talking about video games.”
Joan raised an eyebrow.
“Those I remember.”
Chuck chuckled.
“Video games and I go way back. Morgan and I have been playing them since we were kids. He’s actually the real guru. I’m just good enough to keep up with him.”
He glanced toward the apartment.
“Well… most of the time.”
Joan smiled politely.
“Do you play?”
“Not really.”
“I figured.” Chuck nodded. “Medical school probably doesn’t leave a lot of free time.”
“Not much.”
“Well, if you ever decide you want to play, give me a call. Morgan and I are always looking for new challengers.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Joan said with a warm smile. “Thanks for the invitation.”
She took a sip of her drink before tilting her head curiously.
“So… besides video games, what do you do?”
Chuck felt his confidence evaporate.
“What kind of job do you have?”
“You must be…” Joan stopped mid-sentence as her eyes drifted down to Chuck’s name tag.
“Wait a minute. Does that say Buy More?”
Chuck glanced down at his shirt and smiled awkwardly.
“Yeah.”
“You work at the Buy More?”
“I do.”
“What do you do there? Do you own it? Manage it?”
Chuck laughed.
“No. Nothing nearly that glamorous.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I work at the Nerd Herd desk. I repair computers, printers… just about anything with a circuit board. I also do in-home installations. I’ve been doing it for about five years now.”
A small smile crossed his face.
“I’m actually pretty good at it.”
Joan nodded.
“So… is that what you want to do? Work at the Buy More fixing electronics?”
Chuck hesitated.
“Well…”
He let out a small laugh.
“It was part of my five-year plan.”
He paused.
“Unfortunately, I’m currently in year five of that plan.”
Joan smiled sympathetically.
“So you don’t know what comes next?”
Chuck shook his head.
“Honestly? I haven’t given it much thought.”
His eyes drifted toward the ground.
“I had a different future once.”
Joan tilted her head.
“What do you mean?”
“I was going to Stanford.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“You went to Stanford?”
Chuck nodded.
“For a while.”
“What happened?”
“I got expelled.”
The words came out matter-of-factly, but they still carried weight.
“My best friend at the time thought it would be a good idea to tell the faculty I was cheating.”
Joan frowned.
“Were you?”
Chuck looked at her, almost surprised she’d even ask.
“No.”
She didn’t interrupt.
“They believed him instead of me.”
He shrugged.
“So… I was kicked out.”
He stared into his beer for a moment.
“And my girlfriend at the time…” He managed a faint smile that held no happiness. “Jill meant the world to me. I thought I loved her.”
His smile disappeared.
“I thought she loved me, too.”
Joan remained silent.
“I was wrong.”
Chuck took a slow breath.
“The same best friend who got me expelled was also sleeping with her.”
Silence settled between them.
Chuck blinked.
“…Wow.”
He winced.
“I really know how to kill a conversation, don’t I?”
“So… yeah,” Chuck continued, staring into his beer. “Here I am, thinking about Jill again.”
He let out a quiet laugh.
“We were supposed to get married someday. That was the plan. Finish school, establish myself in the software business, get married…” He shrugged. “That was the original five-year plan.”
He smiled to himself, though there wasn’t much happiness behind it.
“Then everything got derailed, and… well… here I am.”
Chuck took another sip of his beer.
“The funny thing about Jill is that she really was a wonderful girl. The kind of woman you’d want to bring home to your parents and say, ‘Hey… this is the one. Someday I’m going to marry her.’”
He paused, waiting for a response.
Nothing.
Chuck frowned and finally looked up.
“…Joan?”
She was gone.
Instead of standing beside him, he found himself talking to the stone figure perched on top of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
Chuck stared at it for a long moment.
“Well… you’re a terrific listener.”
From across the courtyard, Morgan spotted him standing there by himself and immediately made his way over.
“You okay, buddy?” Morgan asked. “Everything going all right?”
Chuck glanced around until he finally spotted Joan.
She was across the courtyard, already laughing and talking with one of Devon’s fraternity brothers.
He watched for only a second before shrugging.
“No big deal.”
He took another drink from his beer and forced a smile.
“Just another day in the life of Chuck Bartowski.”
Chuck held out one of the beers toward Morgan before noticing his best friend already had one in his hand.
He looked down at the extra bottle, shrugged to himself, and smiled.
“Well… one more for me.”
The two friends stood quietly, scanning the courtyard as conversations buzzed all around them. Laughter filled the evening air, but Chuck still felt completely out of place.
This wasn’t his world.
He wasn’t sure it ever would be.
Before either of them could say anything else, one of Devon’s fraternity brothers wandered over with an easy grin.
“Hey, you’re Chuck, right?”
Chuck nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I hear you’re the smart guy. The nerd who works at the Buy More.”
Chuck forced a polite smile.
“Guilty.”
“So that’s the plan, huh?” the man asked. “Working at the Buy More forever?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t mind that?”
Chuck shrugged.
“Honestly? No.”
The man chuckled.
“Seems like kind of a loser job.”
Morgan’s eyebrows immediately shot up.
Before he could say a word, the man continued.
“I heard you went to Stanford. What happened? Couldn’t handle it?”
Almost instantly, Devon appeared beside Chuck.
“Hey, Joe,” he said casually, throwing an arm around his old friend’s shoulder. “Why don’t you head back over to the guys? I need to steal Chuck for a couple of minutes.”
Joe looked between the two of them before nodding.
“Sure thing, bro. I’ll grab us another brewski.”
He bumped forearms with Devon before heading back toward the group.
Once he was out of earshot, Devon turned to Chuck.
“Hey, Chuckster.”
Chuck looked over.
“Doesn’t look like you’re having much fun.”
Chuck managed a small smile.
“Everything’s cool, Devon. It’s just… not really my scene, you know?”
Devon nodded.
“Yeah.”
He leaned against the railing beside Chuck.
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Chuck looked at him, surprised.
Devon smiled.
“Tell you what. Stick around a little while longer, and then I’ll distract your sister. You can slip out before she notices.”
Chuck blinked.
“You’d do that?”
Devon chuckled.
“She’s getting a little tipsy. It won’t be hard.”
Chuck laughed for what felt like the first time all evening.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Chuck looked around the courtyard.
“I know you and Ellie put a lot of work into this party for me… and I probably don’t seem very appreciative.”
Devon shook his head.
“Chuck, I understand.”
He rested a hand on Chuck’s shoulder.
“Your sister’s just trying to help. She worries about you, little man.”
Chuck smiled at the nickname.
“She thinks the world of you.”
“I know.”
“Everything she’s doing… she’s doing because she loves you.”
Chuck stared into his beer.
“Yeah… but my best interest isn’t being set up with one of her coworkers.”
Devon laughed.
“No.”
He grinned.
“Not very Awesome.”
Chuck couldn’t help laughing.
“No.”
“But she means well.”
Chuck nodded.
“Yeah… I know she does.”
Devon squeezed his shoulder once before stepping away.
“No problem, bro.”
“No,” Chuck said with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
Devon flashed his trademark grin before heading back to the party, leaving Chuck feeling just a little less alone than he had a few moments earlier.
“Give me a few minutes,” Devon said quietly. “Then you can sneak out of here. Just… take Morgan with you.”
Chuck smiled.
“Yeah. No problem.”
Devon gave him a quick nod before disappearing back into the crowd, effortlessly slipping into conversations with people Chuck had never met.
Chuck watched him go before taking a long pull from his second beer. He let out a satisfied sigh as the cold drink slid down his throat.
“That hits the spot.”
Without another thought, he wandered over to the cooler and grabbed his third beer of the night.
Beer in hand, Chuck decided to give it one more try. Maybe the first conversation had just been bad luck. Maybe Ellie was right, and he simply needed to put himself out there. Taking a slow breath, he wandered toward a small group of Ellie’s doctor friends, hoping to work up the courage to join their conversation. Before he could even say hello, though, he overheard two of them talking in hushed voices.
“That’s Ellie’s little brother,” one of them whispered.
“The loser geek who works at the Buy More?”
Chuck stopped in his tracks. Whether they’d meant for him to hear it or not didn’t really matter. The words landed exactly where they were intended. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly as the last bit of optimism drained away. He quietly turned around, deciding there wasn’t much point in trying anymore. With a resigned sigh, he took another swallow of his beer and made his way back toward Morgan, already wishing the night was over.
His best friend was doing his absolute best to charm every woman at the party.
Chuck had to give the little man credit.
He wasn’t shy.
He just had absolutely no idea how to talk to women.
“Hey, Morgan,” Chuck said quietly as he walked up beside him. “Let’s get out of here. Head back to my room.”
Morgan looked over.
“Already?”
“I think Call of Duty is calling our names.”
Morgan looked around the courtyard and nodded.
“Yeah… probably a good idea.”
He took one last look at the women nearby.
“I can’t be giving all these women my romantic maneuvers in one evening.”
Chuck smirked.
“I’m sure they’d appreciate the break.”
Morgan frowned.
“You don’t think I was making an impression?”
“Oh, I definitely think you made an impression.”
Morgan’s face lit up.
“Really?”
Chuck nodded with a straight face.
“I’m sure it’ll be something they tell their grandchildren someday.”
Morgan grinned proudly.
“I knew I had that kind of effect on women.”
Chuck laughed quietly as he shook his head.
“Come on.”
The two friends casually drifted toward the apartment, carefully circling around Ellie so she wouldn’t notice them slipping away.
On the way inside, Chuck made one final stop at the refrigerator.
He grabbed two more beers and a couple bags of chips before leading the way to his bedroom.
The moment they were inside, Morgan dropped into Chuck’s computer chair with a dramatic sigh, as though he’d just survived a grueling expedition instead of a birthday party. Chuck wandered over to his bed and sat down on the edge, letting out a weary breath as he stared blankly at the television. Neither of them said a word for several moments. After everything that had happened outside, the quiet was a welcome relief.
“I’m not sure what Ellie was thinking inviting all those difficult women to your birthday party.”
Chuck looked over while powering up the Xbox.
“Difficult?”
“None of them seemed interested in talking to anybody.”
Chuck couldn’t help smiling.
“I don’t think that was the problem, Morgan.”
Morgan ignored him.
“I tried.”
“I’m aware.”
“I gave it my best.”
“You certainly gave it something.”
Within moments the familiar Xbox startup music filled the room, and the two friends settled back into their favorite escape from reality.
For the next forty-five minutes, the outside world ceased to exist.
Then—
THUMP.
Something hit Chuck’s bedroom door.
Both men froze.
Another heavy thump echoed through the room.
Chuck slowly looked toward the door.
Morgan did the same.
Then they looked at each other.
Neither of them said a word.
The two friends stared at the bedroom door for a long moment.
Morgan finally shrugged.
“Probably nothing.”
Chuck nodded.
“Probably.”
They both turned back to the game.
The bedroom door suddenly flew open.
Standing in the doorway was Ellie.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were slightly glassy, and one finger pointed directly at her younger brother.
“Chaaaarles…” she said, drawing his name out. “Irving… Bartowski.”
Chuck slowly lowered his controller.
“Uh-oh.”
“What… are you doooing in here?”
Her words carried just enough of a slur to tell Chuck she’d had a little more wine than she usually allowed herself.
He smiled sheepishly.
“Hey, Sis.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes, or at least she tried to.
“You snuck away.”
“I did.”
“You didn’t even… say goodbye.”
Chuck sighed.
“Ellie… nobody out there was interested in me.”
She started to interrupt, but he gently continued.
“I tried. I really did. I stayed out there for over two hours.”
He shrugged.
“It just felt like everyone was trying to stay away from me.”
He offered a small smile.
“Exactly what I expected.”
Ellie’s expression softened.
“You’re… you’re wrong.”
“Maybe.”
“They would’ve… liked you.”
Chuck smiled sadly.
“Maybe next year.”
She wagged a finger at him, though it wobbled more than it pointed.
“You could’ve… at least told your sister… before you escaped… back to your cave.”
Chuck winced.
“Yeah.”
He stood and walked over to her.
“I’m sorry, Ellie.”
“I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
Ellie took one determined step into the room.
Then another.
Then she wobbled.
Chuck was beside her instantly, slipping an arm around her waist to steady her.
“Come on.”
“I’m fiiiine.”
“I know.”
“I barely had… anythin’.”
“I completely believe you.”
“You do?”
“Not even a little.”
Morgan snorted from the bed.
Chuck shot him a look.
“Not helping.”
Together, Chuck slowly guided his sister down the hallway.
By the time they reached her bedroom, Ellie spotted the bed.
“Oh…”
Without another word, she face-planted onto the mattress.
Two seconds later, she was asleep.
Chuck chuckled softly.
He gently rolled her onto her side, pulled the blanket over her shoulders, and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
“Happy birthday to me,” he whispered with a fond smile.
Quietly closing her bedroom door behind him, Chuck found Devon gathering empty cups from around the courtyard.
“I think your girlfriend is officially done for the night.”
Devon laughed knowingly.
“One glass of wine?”
Chuck held up three fingers.
“Maybe three.”
“Oof.”
Chuck smiled.
“She’s asleep.”
“Thanks for looking after her.”
“She would’ve done the same for me.”
Devon nodded.
“I’ll start getting everyone headed home.”
“It is getting pretty late.”
It was already after ten o’clock, and nobody argued when Devon politely announced that the party was winding down.
One by one, the guests said their goodbyes and filtered out of the courtyard.
After the last car disappeared down the street, Devon walked back inside.
“Good night, Chuck.”
“Night, Devon.”
“I’ll clean up the courtyard in the morning.”
Chuck nodded.
“Thanks.”
Within a few moments, the apartment had fallen completely silent.
Chuck and Morgan continued their marathon Call of Duty session for another forty minutes before exhaustion finally began to catch up with them. Well… mostly Morgan played. Chuck had long since stopped caring about the game. He simply sat on the edge of his bed, controller resting loosely in his hands, watching his best friend battle across the screen while his own thoughts drifted back to the party.
“Morgan,” he asked quietly, “do you think I’ll ever get a girlfriend? Do you think women are always going to see me as a loser?”
Morgan never took his eyes off the television.
“Absolutely not, Chuck. Any woman who thinks you’re a loser doesn’t belong in your world anyway. Those women weren’t interested in getting to know you. That’s their loss, not yours.”
Chuck let out a faint, humourless smile and slowly shook his head.
“Yeah… no, they weren’t.”
Silence settled over the room again. Chuck slumped back against the wall, feeling completely deflated as he accepted, at least for tonight, that this was simply what his life had become.
After a while, boredom and fatigue began to take over. He yawned once… then again, stretching his jaw through another enormous yawn before blinking several times, trying to force his tired eyes back into focus on the television. Morgan’s character continued charging across the battlefield, but even his reactions had started to slow as exhaustion steadily caught up with him.
That’s enough, his mind finally admitted. Your eyes aren’t cooperating anymore. You need to sleep.
He glanced over at Morgan and discovered his best friend wasn’t doing much better.
Morgan’s fingers were still working the controller almost entirely on instinct, but his head had begun bobbing up and down as he fought a losing battle against sleep.
Chuck chuckled.
“I think that’s enough for tonight, buddy.”
Before Morgan could answer, a sharp chirping sound echoed from Chuck’s computer desk.
Both men looked toward the computer.
Morgan’s exhaustion vanished instantly.
“Ooh… email.” Wow blast from the past.
He sprang out of the chair as though he hadn’t been falling asleep only seconds earlier and hurried over to the computer.
“You’ve got friends sending you messages this late at night.”
Chuck set his controller down and wandered over behind him.
A single unread email sat at the top of his inbox.
The sender’s name was short.
BL.
Morgan leaned closer to the screen.
“BL?”
He scratched his head.
“What do you think that stands for? Some kind of spam?”
Chuck shrugged.
“How would I know? It just got here.”
He stared at the initials for another moment.
“I don’t know anyone with those initials.”
Silence settled over the room.
Then something stirred in the back of Chuck’s memory.
His eyes narrowed.
“…Wait a minute.”
Morgan looked over.
“What?”
Chuck never took his eyes off the screen.
“No…”
His heart gave a single hard thump against his chest.
“It couldn’t be.”
He hadn’t heard from him in over five years.
“Who are you talking about?” Morgan asked. “Who’s B.L.?”
Chuck didn’t answer right away. He just stood there staring at the two letters on the computer screen, almost willing them to become someone else. B.L. His mind searched for anyone else those initials could belong to, but there was only one person. Bryce Larkin. It had to be him. There wasn’t another B.L. in his life.
“The only person I know with those initials is the guy who got me kicked out of Stanford,” Chuck finally said quietly. “The same guy who stole my girlfriend.”
Morgan’s face immediately soured.
“Larkin? That piece of crap? Why would he be sending you an email? Does he even know it’s your birthday? Does he even care?”
Chuck shrugged, never taking his eyes off the monitor.
“I don’t know, Morgan. Maybe he’s lonely. Maybe he needs somebody else’s girlfriend for the night.” He sighed and folded his arms. “Honestly, I have no idea why he’d be contacting me after five years.”
“Well,” Morgan said, stepping closer to the desk, “there’s only one way to find out. Open it.”
Chuck shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“C’mon, Chuck.”
“No. Knowing Bryce, it’s probably loaded with viruses. It’s probably his way of sending me some kind of STD over the internet.”
Morgan’s eyes widened.
“Really? You can do that?”
Chuck slowly turned and looked at his best friend before a tired smile crept across his face.
“No, Morgan. You can’t do that,” Chuck said, then paused for a moment before adding with a faint smirk, “But then again… Bryce Larkin would probably try.” Before he could second guess himself, he reached over and clicked on the email. Morgan immediately leaned closer, curiosity written all over his face. “What do you think he wants?” he asked as the message began to load. A single line appeared on the screen.
The terrible troll raised his sword.
Chuck’s expression changed instantly. “Oh my goodness… Zork.”
Morgan looked back and forth between Chuck and the monitor. “Zork?”
“Well… our version of it,” Chuck explained, unable to hide a small smile. “Bryce and I programmed our own text-based adventure game back at Stanford. We spent weeks writing it together. Every room, every puzzle, every monster, it was all ours.” He continued staring at the screen as memories he’d buried for five years slowly resurfaced. “The problem is, I can’t remember what I put in my hero’s satchel. Whatever weapons I collected, whatever items I picked up along the way… they’re the only things that can kill the terrible troll.”
Morgan nodded slowly. “Okay… that’s actually pretty cool.”
“It was,” Chuck admitted quietly before letting out a tired sigh. “Unfortunately, Morgan… it’s that time.” He pushed himself off the computer desk and stretched. “I’m exhausted, you’ve got to bike home. Whatever Bryce wants… it can wait until morning.”
Chuck reached over and shut off the computer monitor, the room instantly becoming a little darker. He blew out a long breath, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“I think it’s time for you to head home, buddy. I’m exhausted. I need some sleep, and we both have early shift tomorrow morning.”
Morgan stretched and let out a yawn of his own before nodding.
“Yeah… you’re right. I should get going.”
The two friends shut down the Xbox, and Morgan wandered over to his usual exit—the bedroom window Chuck had long ago nicknamed the Morgan Door. Climbing onto the sill, he turned back with a grin.
“Happy birthday, Chuck.”
Chuck smiled.
“Thanks, buddy.”
“We’ll do this again on your next birthday.”
Chuck laughed.
“Morgan, we’ll probably be doing this again tomorrow.”
Morgan thought about it for a moment before nodding.
“Very true, my friend. Very true.” He raised two fingers in salute. “May the Force be with you.”
Chuck returned the salute.
“You too, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Pedal safe.
Thanks.
With that, Morgan hopped out the window and headed for his bicycle, already replaying the evening in his mind and convincing himself that several women at the party had been secretly captivated by his charm. Chuck chuckled to himself before his eyes drifted back toward the dark computer monitor.
Somewhere behind that blank screen sat an unopened email from Bryce Larkin.
After five years of silence…
It could wait until morning.
Chuck didn’t even bother getting undressed. He simply kicked off his shoes, flopped onto his bed, and reached over to switch off the bedroom light. The only illumination left in the room came from the small lamp on his end table, casting a soft glow across the walls. Sleep should have come easily after the long day, but the email had driven any chance of that away. He lay on his back staring across the room at the old Tron poster hanging on the wall, his thoughts drifting somewhere else entirely. It reminded him of his father, of all the hours they had spent together talking about computers and games before he disappeared from their lives. Even after all these years, that day still ranked among the saddest memories Chuck carried with him.
He rolled his head back toward the ceiling and let out a slow breath, unable to stop his mind from circling back to the same question. Why would Bryce Larkin send me an email? Bryce wasn’t the sentimental type. There was no way he’d remembered Chuck’s birthday after five years of complete silence. If anything, he was probably married by now, running some wildly successful software company, outworking everyone around him just like he always had. Bryce had never been satisfied unless he was proving he was the smartest person in the room.
A familiar ache settled in Chuck’s stomach as memories of Stanford surfaced again. Bryce hadn’t just been his roommate. He’d been his best friend. Someone Chuck had trusted without question. After five years, the betrayal still didn’t make any sense. Why, Bryce? he wondered for what felt like the thousandth time. Why frame me for cheating? What did you gain from it? Was it all just so you could steal Jill? He frowned at the ceiling and slowly shook his head. No… that couldn’t have been it. You could’ve had
just about any girl on campus if you’d wanted to. You did it because you wanted to hurt me. I know you did. His jaw tightened. “Screw you, Bryce Larkin,” he muttered into the empty room.
For the next half hour he barely moved, replaying the same questions over and over, hoping that somehow the answers would finally appear. They never did. Eventually, curiosity began to outweigh resentment. Whatever Bryce wanted had been important enough to break five years of silence. Chuck closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a resigned sigh. There was no chance he was getting any sleep until he knew what was in that email.
What new destructive plan is going through my former best friend’s mind?
Chuck swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself to his feet. His bare feet slapped softly against the hardwood floor as he crossed the room, his eyes fixed on the dark computer monitor. It sat there silently, the black screen almost daring him to come closer. He reached over and switched on the bedroom light before lowering himself into the computer chair. Without giving himself another chance to reconsider, his hand automatically found the mouse. One click later, the monitor crackled to life.
The email was still there.
Chuck stared at the attachment.
“A password?” he muttered. “All right, Larkin… what do you want?”
A second prompt appeared on the screen.
The terrible troll raised his sword.
Chuck couldn’t help but smile despite himself.
“Wow… a little nostalgia there, Bryce.”
He thought back to the old game they’d written together, the countless hours they’d spent programming every room and every puzzle. The answer came almost instinctively. His fingers drifted across the keyboard.
Attack troll with nasty knife.
He pressed Enter.
The screen instantly exploded into motion.
Photographs.
Thousands of them.
Government officials. Military installations. Maps. Blueprints. Faces he didn’t recognize. Satellites. Weapons. Secret documents. Every image flashed across the monitor at impossible speed, each one replaced by another before he had time to process the last.
Faster.
And faster.
And faster.
Chuck instinctively leaned back in his chair, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He wanted to look away. He tried to blink, to move, to do anything, but his body refused to cooperate. His gaze remained locked on the screen as image after image burned itself into his mind.
He no longer understood what he was looking at.
He only knew he couldn’t stop watching.
Minutes blurred into hours. His legs began to tremble beneath him as he slowly rose from the chair without even realizing he’d done it. He stood there, swaying unsteadily, completely transfixed while the torrent of images continued pouring into his mind. The room around him seemed to disappear until nothing existed except the monitor and the endless stream of information flooding his consciousness.
Time itself ceased to matter.
Without Chuck noticing, darkness outside his bedroom window slowly gave way to the first light of morning. Golden rays of sunlight crept across the floor and into the room just as the final image vanished from the screen.
Silence.
The monitor returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
Chuck remained standing for one long heartbeat, his eyes unfocused and his body wobbling uncertainly.
Then his knees gave out.
He collapsed to the floor.
A voice drifted into Chuck’s consciousness from somewhere far away. It sounded distant and distorted, as though someone were speaking through a tin can at the end of a long string. Every word echoed strangely, stretching together until they were almost impossible to understand.
“Chuuuuuck… dduuuude… aaare yooou ooookaaay?”
The voice slowly pushed through the haze.
“…Chuck?”
“…Dude?”
“Chuck, are you okay?”
Chuck groaned, his head pounding as though someone had driven a railroad spike straight through it. He blinked several times before the blurry figure standing over him finally came into focus.
“Morgan?”
Relief washed over Morgan’s face.
“Yeah, dude, it’s me.” He knelt beside him. “What are you doing on the floor? What happened after I left?”
Chuck rubbed the back of his neck and slowly sat up, wincing as the room swayed around him.
“I… I don’t know.” His brow furrowed as he searched his memory. “I was actually going to ask you the same thing.”
His eyes wandered past Morgan toward the computer.
The monitor sat dark and lifeless.
A strange feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
“Did you spike my drink or something?”
Morgan looked completely offended.
“Oh, okay. Something weird happens and somehow I’m the bad guy.” He pointed at himself. “Seriously, Chuck… where’s the trust?”
Chuck managed the faintest smile, but his attention never left the computer.
Something had happened.
He knew it had.
He just couldn’t remember what.
“You don’t look so good,” Morgan said.
“I don’t feel so good.”
“You sure you’re okay to go to work?”
Chuck glanced at the clock.
“I’ve got time for a quick shower. Maybe that’ll wake me up.”
“If you say so.”
Morgan wandered back into the living room while Chuck shuffled into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and stepped beneath the hot stream of water, letting it beat against his face.
For a few moments, he simply stood there with his eyes closed, hoping the pounding in his head would disappear.
A small radio sitting on the counter quietly filled the room with the morning news.
“…Authorities are warning commuters to avoid the area around Los Angeles International Airport due to heightened security. Several access roads have been closed while officials continue their investigation…”
Chuck’s eyes snapped open.
Every muscle in his body locked.
Without warning, images burst across his vision.
Police barricades.
Airport terminals.
Faces.
License plates.
Road maps.
Security checkpoints.
Foreign passports.
Explosions.
Names.
Numbers.
Hundreds…
Thousands…
They flashed through his mind faster than he could comprehend them.
Chuck grabbed the shower wall before his legs gave out.
“What…?”
Just as suddenly as they’d appeared…
They were gone.
Only the sound of running water remained.
Chuck stood there breathing hard, staring through the steam, trying to convince himself he’d imagined the whole thing.
He hadn’t.
He simply didn’t know it yet.
Somewhere inside his mind, something had awakened.
And from this moment forward, whether he wanted it or not, the quiet, ordinary life Chuck Bartowski had been living was already beginning to slip away.