Chapter 3

A/N: On with the reposting

Disclaimer: I don’t own Chuck

She stood there, examining the building, the clipboard in her left hand, a pencil behind her right ear, wondering how they were going to fix this mess. Neither of them had any plumbing or electrician skills. Because her father had owned the property for twelve months, they could do the repairs legally in the state of California, but would they work, and NOT burn down the building…

“That’s gonna cost,” she muttered, reaching for the pencil.

“Angel, I love you, but nothing hurts me more than each time you reach for that pencil,” came the teasing voice behind her. She snorted as she made a notation on the paper she was writing on. She hadn’t tallied the cost yet…Bryce would have by now. She pushed that thought out of her mind.

As mad as she was at him…she owed him. She had her father back. Sarah lifted her head and studied the abandoned dormitory on the farm, and wondered exactly how long it had been abandoned. At least she tried to. The thoughts of Bryce came back to her. She blew out a breath and shook her head.

It had been six months, and it still hurt her. She remembered one of the first nights her father and her had been living at this property. They were sitting outside, a bonfire going, both of them sipping beer out of the bottle, looking at the sky, and enjoying the peace. It was then Jack had asked her if there had been anyone in her life.She didn’t know why she had told him about Bryce. They had never had that kind of relationship, but something was different about her father since he had left prison.

He had sat there quietly, and then he spoke, and what he said had nearly floored her.

You know of everything I’ve done wrong in my life, it’s how I’ve treated you and Em that I regret the most. You both loved me. You loved a broken, no good con-man, and I took advantage of that love. You don’t choose who you love in this world. You just…love. And when you decide to act on that love…when you decide to give it a voice, or with action…and the person you love…abuses it…takes it for granted…takes advantage of it…he had trailed off, and she swore she saw a tear fall from his face.

“That bad?” she heard the worried voice behind her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“No,” she replied quickly as she spun toward him. She glanced at the clipboard and then frowned. “Well…maybe. Dad…we aren’t electricians.”

“But we are some hell of some dancers,” Jack replied, grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes and grinned at him. “Yes, but that doesn’t help us run wiring or keep the place from burning down when we flip on the lights.”

“That could be a problem,” Jack agreed, nodding.

“Yeah,” Sarah said.

“Well,” he said, laying his hand on her shoulder, and squeezing it affectionately. “That’s why your in charge.”

“Dad,” Sarah began.“Nope, Angel,” he said, shaking his head. “We both know that while I mean well, if I see a way to take a shortcut…” He widened his eyes, and she couldn’t help but giggle. He knew his flaws and like an alcoholic, he thought the best way to keep from slipping back into his old ways was to limit his exposure to it.

“You called mom?” Sarah asked. Jack looked a bit ashamed and shook his head. “Dad-”

“Listen, kid,” Jack told her. “She…she gave me a wake up call with that come to Jesus meeting we had while I was in prison…how the hell did she even find me?”

“No idea,” Sarah admitted, holding up her hands, and then…then she wondered. Did Bryce…no…surely not…

“Anyway,” Jack continued. “When we get this all going right, maybe…maybe then. Maybe when I show her…” he trailed off, tears in his eyes.

“You know, it’s supposed to be about the journey, not the final destination,” Sarah told him.

“Look at you, and the philosophies you learned at that fancy school,” Jack teased.

“I mean, I am a Harvard graduate,” Sarah said, flipping her hair and sounding as high-falutin as possible. Her father roared with laughter. While proud of his daughter and everything they had accomplished, she had admitted to him that she had gotten through some of her classes armed with nothing but the knowledge she had gained from him.

As mad as she was at Bryce for what he had done to her, she had to admit, she had her father back because of it…of course that didn’t excuse him for cheating on her.

“Mom would be proud of you,” Sarah said.

“For what, doing the bare minimum of finally being a father?” Jack asked. He shook his head. “I’ve committed too many sins to be forgiven that easily.”

“Isn’t it the choice of the person you wronged to decide when to forgive you?” Sarah asked him.

He grinned at her. “Learn that at Harvard?”

“No, the real world…a few months ago,” Sarah told him. He looked teary-eyed. “Oh, God, you’ve gotten all weepy since you went inside,” she said, teasing and pulling him into a hug.

“That place changes you,” he said in a deep voice, like he was in some kind of trauma. She burst out laughing. He pulled away, his hands on her shoulders, smiling at her in pride. “Listen…I know your doing what you love most…spending my money-”

“It’s every daughter’s dream,” she said, making him chuckle.

“But, Mrs. Lewis needs your help,” Jack told her.

“You know I know next to nothing about how to program that VCR,” Sarah told him.

“It’s a DVR,” Jack told her. “How are you worse at this than me? I was in prison.”

“I was in the CIA, I can help her clean her weapon,” Sarah replied. Jack blew out a breath. “Look, I’m supposed to meet someone to get avocados.”

“I can’t believe you’re giving them all away,” Jack told her.

“Do you want to go sit at the farmer’s market and sell them?” Sarah asked.

“Do you know how many scams I would come up with sitting there watching those folks?” Jack countered.

“I do,” Sarah said, nodding. “And while I am glad to visit one, if I sat there, do you know how many back stories I would invent of people just out and about.”“Invent, or sus out just watching?” Jack asked, a bit of pride in his voice. She didn’t answer, but the small smile on her face and the head tilt told the story. “Look, just go help her, and I promise I’ll be nice to the mass murder that’s coming here to kill us and get our avocados.

“You need to quit watching those true crime shows,” she said pointing at him, but turning and heading down the road to Mrs Lewis’s house.

“I mean really, you just put up an ad online about free avocados?” Jack continued.

Sarah kept walking, ignoring his complaints, “His name is Chuck,” she said, walking backwards, talking to him.

“Who in the hell calls their kid Chuck?” Jack asked.

“He’s probably a Charles or something,” Sarah said, shrugging and turning back toward the road.

“Or…a Charlie,” Jack said, a grin on his face. He looked around the property. It was a disaster, but it had potential…kind of like his life right now. “That was deep…maybe I could have gone to Harvard,” he said softly. He made a face and shook his head. “Nah.”

}o{

“Chuck, you are absolutely the best spending your day off going to get these avocados for me,” Ellie told him as he headed toward the door. He paused, his hand on the door knob. “I promise, she’s not a mass murderer.”

“Are you setting me up?” Chuck asked, not looking at her, his hand still on the door knob.

“No, why would I want you killed?” Ellie asked. Chuck turned from the door and looked his sister directly in the eye. “I mean on a meet cute or some kind of romantic thing?”

“No, as you said, only me and grandmas on on Friendster,” Ellie remind him.

“So, you’re setting me up with a grandma?” Chuck asked her. “How desperate are you?” Ellie looked away, and Chuck held his hands up. “You know what. That’s on me? I get it, I’ve been pretty low lately.” Ellie giggled.

“Just go meet Sarah and get me avocados, please,” Ellie said. “And if you romance her, well, that’s between you and her family who has to be worried that some twenty year old is romancing a seventy year old.”Chuck was laughing at that. “You said, Sarah?”

“Yeah, Sarah Walker,” Ellie told him. “She’s at the Just Out of Reach farm. She’s running it with her dad.” Ellie watched her brother as he stood there, frozen, like he was processing something. “Is something wrong?”

“That’s…that’s a weird name for a farm,” Chuck said. He had gone through the lists of names the night before that Bryce’s ex-girlfriend had used in the past. Sarah Walker was one of them. And here was a Sarah Walker, at a farm…with…her dad.

“Yes, it is!” Ellie agreed. “I asked her about it, and her and her father want to turn it into a halfway center for those who are out of prison.”

“Oh?” Chuck replied, trying to keep his voice down an octave, thinking about what Bryce had said about his ex-girlfriend’s father and what he had been through when he got out of prison. “That’s…that’s some good work.”

“Right?” Ellie told him. “Again, thank you.”

“No, thank you,” Chuck told her. “This is what I need. A drive, some fresh air.”“Yes,” Ellie said, smiling and nodding. “You do.”“So, I’ll see you later…with avocados…and if I don’t…it’s because I was murdered,” Chuck said, grinning.

“Well, at least get the avocados before they kill you,” Ellie told him.

Chuck rolled his eyes, grinned at her, and left. He walked to his car, his mind spinning. It couldn’t be. It absolutely couldn’t be. What were the odds?

Approximately 3,720 to 1 C3PO quote came to mind. Yeah. It couldn’t be her.Couldn’t.

}o{

As he pulled past the sign for Just Out of Reach Farm and drove down the driveway, he saw a man sitting on the front porch of the main house. He looked around and saw multiple buildings all in a state of disrepair. Chuck opened the door of his car, and stepped out. “Hi, I’m looking for Sarah Walker,” he said.

The man sitting on the front porch stood. “You must be Charlie,” he replied, a grin on his face. He walked toward Chuck, his hand outstretched. “I’m Jack Burton, owner of the farm.”Chuck shook Jack’s hand as his mind reeled. Jack Burton was one of the names in the file Bryce had left him. Chuck wasn’t sure how Bryce hadn’t found him, unless someone had created multiple shell companies to hide Jack…that sounded like something someone in the CIA might know a little something about…that, or someone who used to be a conman.

“My daughter is Sarah,” Jack continued. Jack followed Chuck’s gaze to the worn down buildings. “Yeah, it needs some work.”

“What happened?” Chuck asked.

“Farm has been in the family for generations,” Jack began, looking over the land. “It was my grandparents’, but my Dad didn’t want to work it, or have anything to do with it. He believed in getting money in easier ways.”“Farming is hard work,” Chuck agreed, nodding.

Jack, with a smile on his face, was watching Chuck. “Yeah, my old man thought scamming people was a better idea.” His smile grew as Chuck whipped his head around toward Jack. “And, I felt the same way.”

“I…uh…”“Take it easy, Charlie, I’m out of that life,” Jack told him. “I got busted years ago, and went to prison. While I was there…Emma…Sarah’s mom…she visited me, and read me the riot act.” Jack grinned and looked out over the land again, and when he spoke his voice was lower, and the grin seemed to have dimmed some. “Em told me that I was falling into the same life as my dad, and how had that worked out for him?”

Chuck didn’t know what to say. “Uhhhh.”Jack chuckled, and this time, the smile was forced on Jack’s face. “Stabbed to death in an alley for conning the wrong people.” He looked at Chuck. “I told the guard I wanted to go back to my cell, and he wouldn’t take me. He said I’d do well to listen to her.” Jack nodded, and began to walk over toward the avocado trees. “He was right.”

Chuck began to follow after him. “And that changed your life?”

“Well, not exactly,” Jack told him. He stopped walking, and turned to Chuck. “Oh, what the hell,” he said, and lifted his shirt. There was a scar there, on his abdomen. “Got shanked.”

“Oh, God,” Chuck muttered.

“Yep,” Jack agreed, and lowered his shirt. “I was about to walk down the same life, and the same death as my old man.” Jack started back toward the trees, motioning Chuck to follow.

Chuck followed, now wrapped in the story. “So, I found out that I owned this little slice of heaven, and after I realized I was going to make it and not die, I decided to do what my old man refused to do, and that’s do some honest, hard labor.”

“How’s that going?” Chuck asked.

“Hard,” Jack admitted, making Chuck laugh. “And it’s not the hard work part, it’s the old life keeps popping up. Take these avocados,” he said, pointing toward the trees. “I could go sell these at the farmers market, I have a spot that belongs to this farm.”

“What?” Chuck said, confused.

“So apparently back when this market started, my grandparents, or maybe great-grandparents, were one of the original investors, and as part of that, we always have a booth. It apparently sits open. Anyone can sit there, but anything they sell, the money goes into our account. We recently connected the account to a bank, but I can’t go sell stuff there.” He held up his hand. “Before you think that I’m against the work, it’s…it’s me.”“I don’t understand,” Chuck admitted.

“I’d see people out and about and talking, and…my mind…it never stops working,” Jack told him.

“You’d…you’d con them,” Chuck said hesitantly, not wanting to offend Jack. Jack nodded. “So, what about your daughter?”

“It just wouldn’t work for her either,” Jack replied. “What do you do?”“I work for the Nerd Herd of the Buy More,” Chuck told Jack.

“Now, I know all those words, but when you put them in a sentence like that…” Jack trailed off.

“I fix phones…computers…work customer service,” Chuck explained.

“So you could work that booth,” Jack said nodding. “What about something like this farm? Could you work here?”

“I mean…maybe? I have no experience,” Chuck admitted.

“Neither do we,” Jack admitted, making Chuck laugh. “But here, I have a chance to help others rebuild their lives if we can turn this into a rehabilitation center,” Jack told him. “If…if we can figure out how to repair and replace all this stuff. I mean…we can’t afford to hire a bunch of people.”

“You could YouTube repair videos,” Chuck offered. Jack looked at him. “Yeah, you’re probably not ready for that.”

“No,” Jack admitted. “I have no idea what you said, but I’m sure I’m not ready for it.” He glanced at his watch. “So, my daughter will be back in a bit. She’s helping a neighbor program her DVR. She’s not that technologically advanced, but I really think Mrs. Lewis wants another woman to talk to, so it’s okay. Anyway, you’re welcome to any and all of these avocados.”

Chuck looked at all the fruit. “So…you could sell these at the market.”

“I could,” Jack said. “But…it’s not a good idea.”

“But, if you did sell them, you’d have some money,” Chuck began.

“Charlie,” Jack said, clapping Chuck on the back. “I can see your wheels spinning from here. We wouldn’t make enough to pay for all the repairs.” Chuck couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Electricians…plumbers…they’re not cheap.”

“Yeah,” Chuck said, nodding. He needed to stop his brain. He had no idea if this man was Bryce’s ex-girlfriend’s father. He knew he had promised Bryce to check on her if he could, but to help with this…this was out of his wheelhouse…out of his comfort zone…out of-

“Hey, there she is,” Jack said. Chuck turned around, and wondered who had taken all the oxygen off the planet.

“Hey, Dad, couldn’t fix it, but I tried,” the woman in the picture Bryce had shown him said, striding toward the two men. The woman Jack had called Sarah Walker. “Is this Chuck?”

“Yep,” Jack replied. “Been showing Charlie around.”

Sarah rolled her eyes as she walked up to the two of them, slowly shaking her head, smiling good-naturedly at her father. “Ignore him, he’s a pest.”

“But a hell of a dancer,” Jack said.“Sarah Walker,” she said, holding out her hand to Chuck.

“Chuck Bartowski,” Chuck replied, taking her hand in his and knowing his life was never going to be the same again.

The End.

Of the Chapter.

A/N: Next time….I have no idea. I have nothing else written. But I will, just as soon as I can.