It's a Wonderful Cover Life (Chuck Fan Fiction)

Chapter 8

31. A Plan Comes Together

Chuck watched in dismay as his soldier lay bleeding for the fifth time in an hour. No matter how hard he'd tried to concentrate, his head was not in the game. He'd thought having a little down time and catching up on Call of Duty, on an eighty inch monitor no less, would be heaven, but his mind kept wandering. He punched the power switch on the Xbox to shut it off. Then he grabbed the TV remote and did the same, causing the screen to go black. He might as well quit while he was dead, he thought.

Sinking deeper into the oversized sofa, he plucked the check from his pocket, unfolded it and stared at the zeros. He'd never earned so much money in such a short time before and it hadn't quite sunk in that he'd be making four times that in a mere ten days or so. Added to his own savings, he was home free. More than. A big smile spread across his face, stopped halfway and faltered.

It was finally real.

His heart started beating faster and his throat threatened to close up. It was real. He was going to start his own company and move into his own place. No more Buy More and no more having Ellie around all the time. He was going to start living his life without safety nets.

It was a terrifying thought.

His life hadn't quite turn out like he'd planned. He always imagined getting his degree and finding a job in software development or something similar. He and Jill would get married, buy a house, maybe adopt a dog, and once the time was right, start a family. That dream went up in smoke when Bryce got him kicked out of Stanford and Jill unceremoniously dumped him after his expulsion. And then, just when Ellie had convinced him that he didn't need his diploma to start his own company, or Jill to fulfill his other goals in life, his ex-girlfriend had dropped another bomb.

Chuck looked at the check one more time before slipping it back into his pocket. Back then he couldn't risk everything he had, not when he had a baby to take care of. Raising kids turned out to be expensive and he was forced to pick up as many shifts at the Buy More as he could. He knew it was a temporary solution. He wanted Maggie to have a normal childhood. She deserved better than to grow up with an absent father like he and Ellie had. He had no illusions about being his own boss, that was going to be long hours too, but at least he'd get to work around Maggie's schedule.

He let out a breath. If the last four years had taught him anything, it was that he could do anything he put his mind to. Sure, it was scary, but they were going to be okay. With a smile, Chuck mentally ticked off two things on his five year plan. He had an amazing kid and his career had never looked more promising. And if he could make that work, getting the house and the dog would be a piece of cake.

Four out of five wasn't half bad.

But five out of five is better.

That's what Ellie would say. She'd cut him some slack in the dating department, but he knew she would be disappointed if he ended up a perpetual bachelor. Truthfully, so would he.

His phone beeped, pulling him from his reverie. He grabbed it from where it lay next to him on the couch and dismissed the alert.

"Well I guess the future will have to wait," he said to himself as he stood up. Ballet rehearsals took priority after all.

32. Say Uncle

Sarah closed the browser and tilted her head back, rubbing her eyes. Research on the culture and tourist attractions of the major European cities just didn't seem to have its usual appeal for some reason, not that she wasn't looking forward to the trip. She had been abroad before, but as a young child she'd spent most of her time in a hotel room with the au pair of the month and during one of their college holidays, she and Carina had done a tour of the world's most famous nightclubs. Though she had the stamps in her passport, she'd never really seen any of the places she'd been to.