TM #232 - Is there a situation when it is appropriate to be unkind?
May 31, 2019
So much had happened in the past three months. A decision was made to locate Ellie, Devon and Libby to a CIA safe house guarded by a small group of agents while other agents were assigned to deal with the threat of Fulcrum. For weeks, Ellie wished to get answers as to why anyone would be after her and her family but was told next to nothing. Finally, just over one month ago, Ellie learned the truth about her brother being alive as well as being a CIA agent and the Intersect. Ellie became quite overwhelmed with both joy and anger upon discovering the truth. She knew he faked his death to protect her, but the thought of being lied to...to go through all that grief...she wasn't quite sure how to react.
It took Ellie some time to finally accept all this...and some time to agree to allow her brother to be one of the agents guarding her family.
Chuck entered one of the guest rooms and started making sure the place was safe for the evening. He heard something approach from behind him...though the footsteps sounded rather soft on the wooden floor. Turning cautiously, he then spied a young girl poking her head into the doorway of the guest room.
"Hullo," she said softly as she took a step backwards.
"Hi Libby," Chuck replied.
Libby stepped forward and continued to cautiously look at Chuck. It was so strange to see him again. A little over a year ago, he had rescued her from almost being kidnapped. When she had asked him who he was, he had told her he was her guardian angel.
Now that her mother told her that her uncle was alive and was now an agent protecting them, she wasn't quite sure what to believe.
"So...mommy says...well...that's you're an agent and stuff," Libby said.
Chuck nodded and knelt down so he would be at eye level with his niece.
"I kinda hoped you really were an angel," continued Libby with a noticeable sigh.
"How come?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at that comment.
"Cuz the agents...well...kinda are mean to me." His niece then bowed her head. "Not all of 'em...but, yeah."
"They're mean to you? Why would-"
"If I ask 'em anything, they act like I'm bothering them." She paused and then added, "I'm not...um...bothering you, am I?"
Chuck shook his head as he smiled. "Not at all."
"I was kinda wondering if being mean kinda went with the job," Libby said as she took a hesitant step forward into the guest room.
He thought for a moment. "Well being an agent doesn't automatically mean you have to be unkind. But-" he began.
"But what?" Libby asked, looking ready to step back once more.
"Well...sometimes I do have to hurt people. But-"
"But bad people. Like the bad person who wanted to take me."
"Yes," then wincing slightly, added, "But sometimes, good people have gotten hurt."
"Because bad people do bad things and then good people get hurt?" Libby asked looking at him like she hoped that was the answer.
Chuck nodded with an impressed look on his face. "That's exactly it. You're quite smart, you know that, Libby?"
Libby smiled. "I know." She stepped closer and then softly asked. "But why did you have to lie to mommy? She's a good person."
He bowed his head. "I-I didn't exactly have a choice."
"Why not?" asked Libby, cocking her head a bit.
"Well...I knew a bunch of things-"
"Mommy said that. But I know lotsa things. And I didn't have to pretend I'm dead."
"I know lots of things...secret things," Chuck began. "Secret things that bad people would like to know."
Libby looked confused.
"Those secret things could help bad people do all sorts of bad things to good people. Secret things about weapons and other things that could hurt people."
His niece's eyes went a bit wide and he nodded solemnly. "And back then, I wasn't an agent either. So I really couldn't protect myself."
Libby stepped closer until she was right in front of her uncle. "What were you when you...um, pretend died?"
"I fixed computers over at the Buy More in Echo Park."
"You worked for the Nerd Herd?" Libby grinned. "You wore one of those things on your pocket and a tie?"
He chuckled. "Yes. I was supposed to graduate Stanford and have a nice high paying job, but," He then quickly added, "Well, someone lied, said I cheated and I got kicked out."
"That's MEAN!" Libby exclaimed.
"It sorta was and...it's a long story about why and stuff. But anyway...I was working at Buy More when I learned all these secrets. And there were two agents protecting me."
Libby looked puzzled again. "So, why did you have to pretend die?"
"Because there were lots more bad people trying to capture me than the two of them could deal with. So, I was hidden away for awhile and then I was trained how to be an agent too."
"So you could protect yourself."
"Yeah. Sad thing is...I didn't know I was going to be taken away when I was. So, I didn't get a chance to say good-bye or anything. One day, I was just taken and was in this underground bunker for awhile. I wanted to be able to see Ellie - your mom - again...so I asked other agents to tell me how she was. And my friends too. And I learned that the story they were told was about how I had died and-" Chuck then stopped himself. He looked a bit choked up just recalling this time in his life.
Libby looked at him sympathetically as her uncle continued, "Since...well, you and your mom and dad were in danger...we had to bring you here and....well, I wanted you all to finally know the truth. For awhile, not knowing anything kept you safe. I mean, not knowing where I was meant for awhile you really weren't of any use to the bad people after me."
"How come we are now?"
"For awhile those bad people also thought I was dead. But then they learned the truth. Then they thought eventually I'd come to save you and then they could capture me."
"Oh," Libby replied, bowing her head. She then looked up and asked, "Do we have to pretend die now?"
"I...don't know yet. And....it's not my decision to make, I'm afraid."
Libby sniffled. "I don't wanna die. Or pretend die."
Chuck motioned for Libby to come closer and she threw her arms around him. "I know, I know," he whispered as he gave her a hug. "I-I'll do what I can, okay?"
Libby let out a slightly muffled, "Okay" before sniffling once more.
Chuck wasn't sure what else to say to niece on the matter, so he thought it might be best to take her mind off things. "It's getting kinda late, Libby. Maybe-"
"Can you tell me a bedtime story?" she asked, pulling away from the hug.
"Me? Well...I dunno. Most of the stories I know take place 'in a galaxy far, far away...'"
Libby looked at him with a blank stare.
Chuck then asked her. "You've never seen Star Wars?"
She shook her head and Chuck responded to by clutching his heart and pretending to have a heart attack with quite an exaggerated expression on his face. "My niece...has not seen Star Wars. We must...remedy this." He then smiled and his expression returned to normal.
Libby giggled.
"Tell you what," Chuck began, "Tonight I'll read you a story of your choice. Then the next time I'm here, I'll bring the movie so you can watch it, okay?"
"Okay!" She then dashed to her room and grabbed a book off the shelf. When her uncle entered her room, she handed the book to him. "It's not about space stuff, but hopefully it's okay to read."
Chuck grinned. "That's okay." He then looked at the book. "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, huh? Sounds like a funny name for a story."
"It's a cute story," Libby assured him.
"All right, I'll take your word for it." He then began to read it aloud, "'A told B and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree...'"
Muse: Chuck Bartowski
Fandom: Chuck
Word Count (not including quoted text): 1,364
So much had happened in the past three months. A decision was made to locate Ellie, Devon and Libby to a CIA safe house guarded by a small group of agents while other agents were assigned to deal with the threat of Fulcrum. For weeks, Ellie wished to get answers as to why anyone would be after her and her family but was told next to nothing. Finally, just over one month ago, Ellie learned the truth about her brother being alive as well as being a CIA agent and the Intersect. Ellie became quite overwhelmed with both joy and anger upon discovering the truth. She knew he faked his death to protect her, but the thought of being lied to...to go through all that grief...she wasn't quite sure how to react.
It took Ellie some time to finally accept all this...and some time to agree to allow her brother to be one of the agents guarding her family.
Chuck entered one of the guest rooms and started making sure the place was safe for the evening. He heard something approach from behind him...though the footsteps sounded rather soft on the wooden floor. Turning cautiously, he then spied a young girl poking her head into the doorway of the guest room.
"Hullo," she said softly as she took a step backwards.
"Hi Libby," Chuck replied.
Libby stepped forward and continued to cautiously look at Chuck. It was so strange to see him again. A little over a year ago, he had rescued her from almost being kidnapped. When she had asked him who he was, he had told her he was her guardian angel.
Now that her mother told her that her uncle was alive and was now an agent protecting them, she wasn't quite sure what to believe.
"So...mommy says...well...that's you're an agent and stuff," Libby said.
Chuck nodded and knelt down so he would be at eye level with his niece.
"I kinda hoped you really were an angel," continued Libby with a noticeable sigh.
"How come?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow at that comment.
"Cuz the agents...well...kinda are mean to me." His niece then bowed her head. "Not all of 'em...but, yeah."
"They're mean to you? Why would-"
"If I ask 'em anything, they act like I'm bothering them." She paused and then added, "I'm not...um...bothering you, am I?"
Chuck shook his head as he smiled. "Not at all."
"I was kinda wondering if being mean kinda went with the job," Libby said as she took a hesitant step forward into the guest room.
He thought for a moment. "Well being an agent doesn't automatically mean you have to be unkind. But-" he began.
"But what?" Libby asked, looking ready to step back once more.
"Well...sometimes I do have to hurt people. But-"
"But bad people. Like the bad person who wanted to take me."
"Yes," then wincing slightly, added, "But sometimes, good people have gotten hurt."
"Because bad people do bad things and then good people get hurt?" Libby asked looking at him like she hoped that was the answer.
Chuck nodded with an impressed look on his face. "That's exactly it. You're quite smart, you know that, Libby?"
Libby smiled. "I know." She stepped closer and then softly asked. "But why did you have to lie to mommy? She's a good person."
He bowed his head. "I-I didn't exactly have a choice."
"Why not?" asked Libby, cocking her head a bit.
"Well...I knew a bunch of things-"
"Mommy said that. But I know lotsa things. And I didn't have to pretend I'm dead."
"I know lots of things...secret things," Chuck began. "Secret things that bad people would like to know."
Libby looked confused.
"Those secret things could help bad people do all sorts of bad things to good people. Secret things about weapons and other things that could hurt people."
His niece's eyes went a bit wide and he nodded solemnly. "And back then, I wasn't an agent either. So I really couldn't protect myself."
Libby stepped closer until she was right in front of her uncle. "What were you when you...um, pretend died?"
"I fixed computers over at the Buy More in Echo Park."
"You worked for the Nerd Herd?" Libby grinned. "You wore one of those things on your pocket and a tie?"
He chuckled. "Yes. I was supposed to graduate Stanford and have a nice high paying job, but," He then quickly added, "Well, someone lied, said I cheated and I got kicked out."
"That's MEAN!" Libby exclaimed.
"It sorta was and...it's a long story about why and stuff. But anyway...I was working at Buy More when I learned all these secrets. And there were two agents protecting me."
Libby looked puzzled again. "So, why did you have to pretend die?"
"Because there were lots more bad people trying to capture me than the two of them could deal with. So, I was hidden away for awhile and then I was trained how to be an agent too."
"So you could protect yourself."
"Yeah. Sad thing is...I didn't know I was going to be taken away when I was. So, I didn't get a chance to say good-bye or anything. One day, I was just taken and was in this underground bunker for awhile. I wanted to be able to see Ellie - your mom - again...so I asked other agents to tell me how she was. And my friends too. And I learned that the story they were told was about how I had died and-" Chuck then stopped himself. He looked a bit choked up just recalling this time in his life.
Libby looked at him sympathetically as her uncle continued, "Since...well, you and your mom and dad were in danger...we had to bring you here and....well, I wanted you all to finally know the truth. For awhile, not knowing anything kept you safe. I mean, not knowing where I was meant for awhile you really weren't of any use to the bad people after me."
"How come we are now?"
"For awhile those bad people also thought I was dead. But then they learned the truth. Then they thought eventually I'd come to save you and then they could capture me."
"Oh," Libby replied, bowing her head. She then looked up and asked, "Do we have to pretend die now?"
"I...don't know yet. And....it's not my decision to make, I'm afraid."
Libby sniffled. "I don't wanna die. Or pretend die."
Chuck motioned for Libby to come closer and she threw her arms around him. "I know, I know," he whispered as he gave her a hug. "I-I'll do what I can, okay?"
Libby let out a slightly muffled, "Okay" before sniffling once more.
Chuck wasn't sure what else to say to niece on the matter, so he thought it might be best to take her mind off things. "It's getting kinda late, Libby. Maybe-"
"Can you tell me a bedtime story?" she asked, pulling away from the hug.
"Me? Well...I dunno. Most of the stories I know take place 'in a galaxy far, far away...'"
Libby looked at him with a blank stare.
Chuck then asked her. "You've never seen Star Wars?"
She shook her head and Chuck responded to by clutching his heart and pretending to have a heart attack with quite an exaggerated expression on his face. "My niece...has not seen Star Wars. We must...remedy this." He then smiled and his expression returned to normal.
Libby giggled.
"Tell you what," Chuck began, "Tonight I'll read you a story of your choice. Then the next time I'm here, I'll bring the movie so you can watch it, okay?"
"Okay!" She then dashed to her room and grabbed a book off the shelf. When her uncle entered her room, she handed the book to him. "It's not about space stuff, but hopefully it's okay to read."
Chuck grinned. "That's okay." He then looked at the book. "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, huh? Sounds like a funny name for a story."
"It's a cute story," Libby assured him.
"All right, I'll take your word for it." He then began to read it aloud, "'A told B and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree...'"
Muse: Chuck Bartowski
Fandom: Chuck
Word Count (not including quoted text): 1,364