A/N: Another short one. But given the character being portrayed, it seemed appropriate.
Don't own Chuck.
CHUCK VERSUS THE PLAN
Chapter 8-The General
General Beckman's Office. June 16th, 1337 Hours (Local Time)
Diane Beckman is smiling, something that she doesn't do all that often, especially when she's at her desk. However, she's by herself right now and today has been a great day, so she isn't holding back.
Her plan had gone according to...well, plan.
She actually finds it quite amusing that the three of them believed they've pulled the wool over her eyes.
After that mission in Las Vegas, it had been so obvious that Chuck and Sarah (as she referred to them in her private thoughts) had committed to each other in some way. She thought it even possible that they'd run off and gotten secretly married.
Diane hadn't been surprised at all. She'd seen the signs brewing for months.
The one thing that did surprise her was how long it took Sarah to see them herself.
The General knows she's required to live by the rules and regulations. That her obligation is to take notice of this situation and deal with it appropriately. But she didn't then and she's not going to do it now.
The truth is that Diane has developed a strong, unforeseen affinity for this group.
She had known John (again, only in her private thoughts) for some time before the formation of the team and has always appreciated his steadfast loyalty and patriotism. She had respected him but hadn't really liked him.
That is, until now.
His transparent (at least to her) efforts to protect his teammates, his friends, from their own actions, had changed her feelings toward the man. For perhaps the first time in his life, he let his personal feelings of loyalty override his rigid sense of duty. And he is a better man, a more likable person, because of that.
She had, of course, known of Sarah Walker prior to this assignment. Pretty much everyone in the intelligence community did.
What Diane had initially seen of her had done nothing to change her preconceived opinion of the agent. She was brilliant, overwhelmingly competent, almost chameleon-like in the roles she assumed. Her virtually spotless service record backed up the anecdotal evidence of her cold-blooded effectiveness, fierce dedication and whole-souled commitment to putting the greater good ahead of her own personal needs.
The General had been very happy to have her on the team, but Diane had disliked her from the moment they met.
She's honest enough to recognize that some of that dislike stemmed from petty jealousy. Sarah, is after all, tall, young, blond and beautiful. Pretty much the antithesis of Diane Beckman. (Although, she does remember being blond in Berlin back in 1989.)
However, the rest of it was from the way Sarah had come across. She'd seemed determined to prove that she was the best of the best. To not let anyone or anything stand in her way. And apparently, that included not letting anyone get close to her, to distract her from her chosen path. Shutting off or at least minimizing what would be normal amounts of compassion and empathy.
However, it was only a few months in when she saw a different side of Sarah. Chuck had suffered a minor head wound during a data retrieval mission. During the following debriefing, she could clearly see the concern Sarah showed. She had sat much nearer to Chuck than she normally would have. Had asked at least twice if he was OK. And when she had seen the wince after an incautious head movement, without being prompted, had brought a glass of water and some painkillers. She'd even gone so far as to ask if the debriefing could be cut a little short so Chuck could go home and get some rest.
Diane hadn't let on she noticed anything odd but rather simply agreed to the request.
From then on it had become more and more apparent that Sarah Walker was changing, or perhaps more accurately, revealing who she truly was, who she could be. While still very good at her job, Beckman could see she was, at least in some ways, kinder, softer, more aware of the needs of other people.
Diane Beckman came to understand that the Sarah Walker whom she first knew was a well-cultivated façade, a façade so strongly developed that even Sarah believed it to be real.
And, as for the woman who'd emerged, Diane liked her very much.
That leaves, of course, Chuck Bartowski. The unlikely catalyst behind the changes in two of the best agents in the business.
At first, Beckman thought that someone up there really hated her. To have to work with this bumbling fool, this irritating moron, was almost more than she could bear. So often, just the thought of dealing with another one of his messes had made her sigh heavily before reluctantly activating their video conference.
Then she'd started to take real notice of how successful the team was, due in no small part to Chuck's unorthodox methods. Even though she would often wince over the series of events that lead to their successes, that didn't detract from the fact they were the most effective team she had.
Chuck is the binding force, the improbable glue, that made them such. They weren't just colleagues, they were friends. Each brought their own unique strengths. Strengths they used to unselfishly compensate for the other's unique weaknesses
What it was in Chuck that had awakened this response in Sarah and John, she wasn't quite sure. Perhaps they had been so used to dealing with cunning, callous and cruel individuals, that Chuck was a breath of fresh air. So different from those that would stab them in the back, either literally or professionally. In so many ways, he's innocent, almost naive. A reminder of how good people can truly be. Perhaps a reminder of how good they themselves can be. A reminder of why they were doing this whole thing in the first place.
Diane Beckman has to admit that even she's fallen a little under his spell. So, despite him often being a massive pain, she's come to care for Chuck Bartowski.
It suddenly hits her that she's old enough to be the mother of the two younger team members. It frightens her for a moment, drives home the point that she's no longer young herself.
She wonders if she made the right choice, forgoing family for country. Is there some long dormant maternal instinct at work in her? Driving her to do her best to make sure Chuck and Sarah can have what she never did? She's not certain of all that motivates her, but that has no effect on her determination to carry through with the rest of her plan.
It was clear how frustrated the two of them were, being unable to freely express their feelings. She could see how much they needed each other.
Of course, she couldn't openly acknowledge this. Knowing her limits, she had set up the evaluation mission with the express intent of creating the circumstances that would officially condone them spending more time together.
First of all, she'd had to depend on John to recognize the opportunity being presented. The man is much more intelligent than his gruff exterior tended to indicate. She'd known that confidence wasn't misplaced when she'd seen him abruptly change his mind about the test mission.
It was almost as if a light bulb popped up over this head. She'd had to work hard to stop her smile.
Diane, of course, had known about the Bryce and Sarah's blown mission and its aftermath. She had counted on John to know as well and use it to set everything in motion. She had also counted on the smarts of Sarah and Chuck. Counted on them to seize the opportunity.
Diane had known how she would handle a similar situation, given the need. So, when she saw the escalating tension between the two, she wasn't surprised at all.
Who did they think they were fooling? She'd been playing the game when the two of them were still in grade school.
When everything had gone pretty much as she thought it would, she'd let herself be reluctantly persuaded to give the two of them the chance to fix things.
Now that General Beckman had ordered the two to act like a couple in all public situations, it would be easier for her to ignore any apparent breaches in protocol.
After all, they were just doing what they were told, weren't they?
She thought the touch of having them move in together was a good one. It seemed a plausible consequence for their actions. And it would obviously remove the need for remote surveillance. No sense wasting government resources.
Down the road, perhaps in five or six months, she would find a way to suddenly "discover" Chuck and Sarah's real relationship. Then after a period of outrage on her part, she would legitimize their situation by making Chuck a Special Analyst for the team.
All the while, she would, of course, indicate she was only doing so because they had done so much good for the country. That part is actually true. But Diane also knows they wouldn't be nearly so effective if the team dynamics weren't there. If Chuck and Sarah weren't together.
She's just happy that her duty can, for once, mesh so well with her personal desires.
TBC
A/N: It seems everyone loves our favorite couple. So, back to them next chapter.
