A/N: First fanfic so be gentle. Having read just about all of the Chuck fanfic that is out there I thought it was time to get off the bench and get in the game.
This is set after the end of 3.09 and ignores 3.10 and the first chapter was written pre 3.11.
Chuck Bartowski lay awake, unable to sleep due to his mind racing at the implications of being able to flash again. He had admitted he loved Sarah but somehow he didn't think that in itself was why he was suddenly able to flash and rescue both himself and his bearded best friend. He asked himself what else was different compared to the times he had been unable to flash when required, or more precisely when he had been unable to flash when Special Agent Daniel Shaw required him to. Chuck sat up suddenly after having an Eureka moment. If his epiphany was to be believed he now knew what the obstacles were to his being able to access the intersect when needed and if he was right it would have serious implications for Team Bartowski some of which he was saddened by.
With a new found resolve Chuck jumped out of bed and quickly showered, brushing his teeth and getting dressed in his usual nerd herd outfit and black hi-tops. Grabbing the keys to his nerd herder, deliberately leaving his watch with the tracking device, Chuck headed to Castle to try and speak to General Beckman before Sarah, Casey or Shaw arrived for the scheduled 8am briefing.
Sarah pulled into the carpark outside of the Orange Orange, exiting her Porsche just as Casey pulled to a halt in his beloved Crown Vic closely followed by Agent Shaw in a Jaguar XKR. Casey, being Casey and realising Shaw and Sarah had arrived separately couldn't resist having a dig at Sarah, "Trouble in paradise between you and Superman?" he teased.
Sarah just glared at him not wanting to give Casey the satisfaction of knowing that he was close to the truth following Shaw's willingness to destroy Castle with Chuck still inside. Last night Sarah had made it clear to Shaw that she was upset about his casual willingness to kill Chuck and had spent the night alone in her hotel contemplating calling Chuck but too afraid to do so.
Shaw casually walked to the Orange Orange entrance oblivious to the tension between Sarah and Casey as they approached the entrance ready for the briefing to discuss the implications of the Ring gaining access to Castle.
"Hold on," Sarah exclaimed, "shouldn't Chuck be here for the briefing, after all he was inside and has better knowledge of what the Ring did to Castle than we do?".
Casey grunted his agreement and quickly checked his phone app to identify Chuck's location according to the tracking device in Chuck's watch, "The moron's still at home, probably slept in after all of yesterday's excitement. Beckman is going to tear him a new one." The last said with an amused grin.
Shaw appeared unconcerned, "Well we can't wait, so lets get this over with and we can speak to Chuck later when he gets here."
Sarah was not as sanguine as Shaw and Casey believing that Chuck would not missing anything spy related considering in his own words it is all he has left now. She kept her silence recognising that there was nothing she could do before the briefing and with a twinge of doubt nagging her as she realised she no longer knew Chuck as well as she used to. There was also no small element of guilt as Sarah Walker accepted that some element of blame for that must be attached to herself but Agent Walker's emotionless mask was quickly reasserted as the three experienced spies of team Bartowksi entered the freezer that descended into Castle proper.
As they descended into Castle, voices could be heard and the three agents were immediately alert with weapons drawn as they quickly rushed into the main conference room hoping to get the drop on whoever had infiltrated their base. They were met by the sight of Chuck staring at them with a bemused expression and the General on a monitor looking annoyed at being interrupted mid-flow.
"As I was saying," the general stated grabbing everyone's attention while making it clear she was addressing Chuck specifically. Chuck whirled around to face the general with a stoic expression on his face hiding the underlying nervousness that he felt. This was it, her response to the arguments he had just made would determine if he had a future in the intelligence community or if it was time to cut his losses and accept that his future lay in the civilian world, hopefully far away from the Buy More.
However, before General Beckman could continue Shaw stepped forward a dark expression on his face directed squarely at Chuck but his words were address to the dimunitive red haired general who was in no way cowed by his prescence, "General, what is the meaning of this, I thought the team briefing was not until 0800?"
"Stand down Agent Shaw while I finish my discussion with Agent Bartowski!" The General responded with particular emphasis on the "Agent" part which was not missed by Sarah and Casey who were so used to the General referring to Chuck as either the asset, the intersect or Mister Bartowski that the significance caused them to immediately realise that something important was happening.
Having mildly put Shaw in his place the General once again turned her attention back to Chuck, "As I was saying Agent Bartowski you have articulated your case very well and the arguments you have made have been done in a concise and well rationalised manner and I do believe they have some merit."
Chuck let out a breath he did not realise he had been holding and fought to keep a small bittersweet smile from appearing on his face. The other three present in the room were experiencing a variety of emotions. Shaw was annoyed and angry that he had been excluded, he viewed Chuck as a weapon to be moulded as he saw fit and was angry that he was excluded from any discussions concerning Chuck. Casey was piqued by professional curiosity, as any spy would be when there were secret matters being discussed right in front of them, but he also had a sense of pride as Chuck appeared to be more relaxed and confident in himself plus he seemed to be being more pro-active in dealing with the General. Oh and he was also pissed off that Chuck was not wearing his watch, he was after all still the intersect, but that was something to deal with later.
Sarah was conflicted, she was just as curious as Casey and just as pissed off as well, but she was also concerned at the change in Chuck. When she looked at Chuck she saw a confident, handsome man that still made her burn with desire but at the same time she saw him becoming more comfortable in the spy world and he no longer sought her advice and guidance. She wanted Chuck to be confident but she also wanted him to be the sweet natured nerd she first met who would put friends and family first and was tormented by having to lie to his sister. She was also concerned that some of her actions may have contributed to his change but she was scared of talking to him in case these fears were confirmed.
Everyone was pulled out of their reverie when General Beckman started speaking again, "I believe your ideas have merit Agent Bartowski, but before I consider making any changes I will need to see a successful demonstration, we will reconvene at 18:30 this evening when we will put your theory to the test Agent Bartowski." The General immediately logged off with her customary abruptness and without saying goodbye. Expecting the usual inane comments from Chuck about the Generals lack of manners Casey and Sarah were surprised when Chuck simply stood and announced he was off to start his shift at the Buy More.
Agent Shaw stepped in front of Chuck blocking his exit from the Buy More, a furious expression on his face, "What the hell was that about Chuck?". Sarah seeing the dark expression on Shaw's face and recognising the rage building there and having witnessed first hand how Agent Shaw could react when angre surreptitiously reached for the gun in the waist band of her white Capri pants only for Casey to grab her arm. She was ready to shake him off when they locked eyes and the unspoken communication that exists only between long term partners made it clear that Casey would support her but to wait to see how Chuck would play out the situation.
Instead of being cowed by Shaw Chuck was remarkably calm and, trusting in his belief that he could now access the intersect at will, flashed, covering it up by lowering his head so that Shaw could not see the tell tale fluttering of Chuck's eyes. Coming out of the flash Chuck calmly grabbed Shaw's wrist applying pressure to the nerve points there immediately causing Shaw to release his grip and fall to his knee's in agony. "That," Chuck stated emphatically, "was a private conversation between an NSA agent and his commanding officer with specific instruction not to be discussed with other team members at this time and while I am loathe to keep secrets from my team mates, in this instance I accept its necessity as it will, hopefully, only be for a short time." Having finished, Chuck released Shaw and continued to the Castle exit briefly nodding to Casey and Sarah in acknowledgement of their tacit support.
Casey soon followed Chuck to start his own shift at the Buy More but as he was crossing the car park his cell phone starting ringing with the distinctive ring tone that let him know it was official NSA business. Pausing mid-stride Casey answered his phone with a crisp "Casey, secure" only to be surprised to find General Beckman on the other end of the line.
"Colonel Casey, I expect you are wondering what the conference with Bartowski was about" pausing to give him a chance to respond.
"General, I must admit that I am intrigued but trust that if there is anything that I need to know you will keep me informed." Casey responded downplaying his inevitable curiosity about what Bartowksi was up to. He had been in Burbank babysitting the nerd for nearly 3 years and while it may not have been the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan he had to admit that he had seen plenty of action and the nerd was always entertaining and quite often very creative in his solutions to problems but he was worried that Chuck may have done something stupid.
"Colonel, we have worked together a long time and you have proven your loyalty is beyond doubt and I have learned to value your opinion." The General, for the first time Casey could recall sounded slightly flustered and nervous, pausing to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Bartowski has presented to me his reasons why he believes the intersect has been so erratic lately and also a proposal for rectifying this. I have arranged for our conversation in the Castle to be erased from the surveillance tapes but have sent a copy to you. Before this evenings meeting I want you to review the conversation and let me know if you agree with Bartowski's assessment." Casey grunted his assent, fully expecting the General to hang up without saying anything else and was greatly surprised when the General spoke again "If his assessment is accurate it could result in the intersect becoming much more reliable and effective but to do so would necessitate drastically changing the way the team works, so I must emphasise Colonel that I need an objective assessment of Bartowski's comments".
End chapter.
Next chapter will cover Chuck and Beckmans discussion and Casey's reaction to it, there may also be Charah.