A/N: Found a little mistake in the last chapter, USS Abraham Lincoln was part of a Battlegroup instead of a Carrier Strike Group, I don't know what the difference is, but I have corrected it.
Chapter 7 - 'Aftermath'
USS Abraham Lincoln,
Arabian Gulf,
1320 (UTC+3),
March 20, 2003
Chuck had calmed himself down using a meditation technique from Tai Chi, he returned his attention to Steve, who nodded approvingly with some amusement as well. That was when he heard someone shouting out. "ATTENTION, Admiral on Deck!"
Everyone braced up and saluted towards the gym door as they watched RADM Wainwright walking in with Captain Cardwell and Senator Davidson following closely behind. The three left Captain's quarters when they saw the young officer, kung-fued for a lack of better words, the Secret Service agent into submission, the three older men had to admit, they were impressed, not just with LTJG Bartowski's martial art skills, but how he dealt with the whole situation, they could all recognize the natural leadership within the young man.
LTJG Bartowski realised how this whole thing must have looked, with their guest knocked out on the floor, he knew everyone here was in trouble, but he would be damned if he didn't try to get everyone else off the hook. So he stepped forward, stood at attention and saluted the highest ranking officer present, "Sir, Permission to speak, Sir?"
Chuck didn't take his hand down until RADM Wainwright returned the salute. The Battlegroup Commander carefully examined the young man in front of him, trying to guess what he was about to say. He had a pretty good idea what the young man wanted to say. RADM Wainwright had been keeping an eye on LTJG Bartowski for a while, ever since he heard about his actions during that mission, when the chopper he was co-piloting was shot down. The more he observed him, the more he liked the young man. LTJG Bartowski reminded RADM Wainwright of himself, eager to learn, willing to help, except he wasn't as smart as the young man standing in front of him.
After that mission, RADM Wainwright could see LTJG Bartowski's potential in the US Naval Special Warfare Command, and that fight earlier just further reinforced him about that idea. Given his next posting after this deployment would be Commander of the Special Warfare Command, he would very much like to recruit someone like LTJG Bartowski into the ranks.
"Permission Granted, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, Sir. I take full responsibilities for the situation, I had lost my temper with Secret Service Agent Kane. He is a guest, and I should have known better and should not have lost my temper. The sailors and the fellow junior officers tried to stop me, but I didn't listen. Please do not fault them, Sir, as this was my fault and my fault alone. I will accept any disciplinary actions you deemed appropriate, Sir."
Chuck finished his speech in a firm and determined tone, without any hesitation in taking the blame. The three older men smiled at this, CAPT Cardwell was fully expecting this reaction from Chuck after that favour he asked of him when they were redeployed, so he wasn't surprised. RADM Wainwright had just witnessed in person about all the good traits he had heard about the young Lieutenant, he had read his file, and knew he grew up without his parents, he decided right then, he would take a more active role in the young Lieutenant's life, and maybe he could become the father figure that was missing for the majority of the young man's life. Having three daughters himself, RADM Wainwright had always wanted a son, and he couldn't ask for a better son than the Lieutenant in front of him.
The sailors and junior officers just witnessed again how their fearless leader stood up for them, and after all the things LTJG Bartowski did for them, defending their honour, helping them with promotion exams and college tests, they all wanted to do something for the Lieutenant. So one sailor stepped up and saluted, "Sir, it was actually my fault, I provoked the Secret Service agent, Lieutenant Bartowski tried to break us up, but ended up knocking Agent Kane out by accident. I take full responsibility, Sir."
Once the snowball got rolling, it just kept on getting bigger and bigger, many other sailors, including some of the SEALs stepped up and made similar excuses for Chuck and volunteered to take the blame. It was almost amusing for the Rear Admiral to hear some of the ridiculous explanations the sailors came up. Even the Command Master Chief Petty Officer Joseph Pitts of the Carrier Air Wing spoke up to defend Chuck. "Sir, as the Command Master Chief Petty Officer, discipline on the ship was my responsibility, and I should have taken care of the situation. Lieutenant Bartowski had no blame in this, if you are to discipline anyone, it should be me, I take full responsibility, Sir."
Everyone knew the sailors of a ship would always be most loyal to the most senior NCO on the ship, as the officers rotated in and out frequently. When CMDCM Pitts spoke up for LTJG Bartowski, both RADM Wainwright and CAPT Cardwell realised, they may be the highest ranking officers on the ship, and may have the command of the ship, but the sailors would follow LTJG Bartowski to hell and back, even if it was against their orders. But they also knew, the young Lieutenant was barely aware of how deeply their loyalty towards him went, and even if he was, he would never seek to exploit that power.
Seeing the situation getting out of hand, Sarah finally spoke up, this would also be her first step towards winning her Chuck. "Sir, if I may?"
The Rear Admiral nodded, he was interested in what the blonde agent was going to say, all 3 of them had noticed the way LTJG Bartowski looked at her in the mess, when he told Agent Kane what he saw at the extraction site. The attraction between the two was clearly there. Since he had decided to be the father figure for the young Lieutenant, he would find out more about this later.
"Thank you, Sir. I thought it would be good for you to gain some fresh perspective of the situation from someone who wasn't under your command." Sarah chose her words carefully.
Chuck was gratefully nodding to all the sailors spoken on his behalf when he heard her voice, his head instantly snapped to the blonde agent. She had a beautiful voice, Chuck's brain would have shut down completely if it wasn't for the presence of a 2 Star Flag Officer, still, he went from full attention to the Rear Admiral to full attention to the beautiful blonde agent, eyes fixed onto her beautiful sapphire blue eyes, for he would not risk looking at her alluring lips.
Sarah could feel those pair of dreamy brown eyes on her again, she used all her training to stop herself from looking back, but she knew she wouldn't last long. So she quickly carried on, "Sir, Agent Kane was way out of line, Chu … Lieutenant Bartowski had given him many chance to back off, a lot more than he deserved, but Agent Kane had kept on baiting Lieutenant Bartowski, and Lieutenant Bartowski still didn't take the bait. The spar session was a mutually agreed arrangement, Agent Kane was knocked out after he had tapped out, when he had decided to attempt an unprovoked attack on the Lieutenant after he dropped his guard."
Sarah had decided now it was the time to look back into those dreamy brown eyes, so he could see how much she meant what she was about the say next. Sarah nearly forgot what she wanted to say when she looked at Chuck, he was looking at her in awe again, and this time, she had absolutely no idea why. But she found herself again and carried on. "In my opinion, Sir. Lieutenant Bartowski's conduct was befitting of an exemplary Navy Officer, his actions were noble, selfless and fearless, I would have been honoured to serve with him."
Everyone in the room could see clear as day how much their favourite officer and the blonde were attracted to each other, the way they looked at each other told them everything. Those closest to Chuck could say, they had never seen Chuck's eyes lit up like that before, not even when the Captain gave him access to the CDC.
When Sarah finished her speech, LT Granger, who was standing next to LT McGarrett, and was happy her plan was working better than expected, couldn't help but mutter under her breath mischievously, "Or serve under him."
Steve had caught Nicola's words, smirked as well. Chuck told him about Jill, and Steve couldn't be angrier for his brother. He saw how none of the female junior officers were able to 'land' Chuck, despite how hard many of them had tried, he frequently wondered, whether Chuck would ever move on from the bitch, Roberts' betrayal.
Chuck was the one who had introduced Ensign Catherine Rollins to him, and even set up of a date for them during a port visit, which went really well. Steve still owned Chuck for that one, and now that Chuck seemed finally taken an interest in the female population again, ok it was more like a specific blonde agent, Steve was going to repay the favour. So he raised his eyebrow at Nicola, asking permission to join in on whatever plan the devious flight officer was cooking up. Nicola got the message, and nodded with a smile.
Chuck saw the truth in her eyes as the blonde agent made her case, and how much she believed what she said, he finally realised, maybe, the blonde goddess could like him as well. Even if she only liked him as a friend, Chuck was going to take whatever he could get, he decided then he would talk to her as soon as this mess was over.
After a minute or two, RADM Wainwright realised his favourite junior officer and this blonde Secret Service agent were still spell bound by each other, and it was not going to end anytime soon if nobody interferes. This mess had dragged on long enough, he decided to speak up, and hopefully, those two lovebirds could break out whatever spell they were under.
"Listen up everyone," RADM Wainwright was glad to see LTJG Bartowski and the blonde agent had indeed broke out of their spells on each other, and were both red from realising they were staring at each other for a very long time, under the watchful eyes of everyone, including their bosses. The Rear Admiral carried on. "Senator Davidson, Captain Cardwell and myself were fully aware of what had happened, you should know by now, nothing happens on this ship, without your watchful Captain knowing. Now that had cleared up, no more lame excuses defending the young Lieutenant here, you could see he was embarrassed as he already is."
Everybody chuckled warmly at Chuck's expense, and the Rear Admiral continued. "While I don't condone any violent behaviour on this ship, Lieutenant Bartowski, as the lovely agent here pointed out, acted like a true leader would, he did not let the Navy down, and he did not let you down. So no one will be disciplined."
Everyone subtly sighed in relief at the Rear Admiral's words, they were quite surprised to be honest, given the Rear Admiral was usually a hard-ass. They still remembered when they were redeployed, how the Battlegroup Commander told them to 'Get Over It!', on New Year's morning.
"Lieutenant McGarrett and Granger, come see me in an hour, bring Agent Kane with you." RADM Wainwright said Kane's name with disdain, "Make sure he cleaned himself up first."
LT McGarrett and Granger replied together, "Aye, Aye, Sir."
"Good, everyone clear out, dismissed."
USS Abraham Lincoln,
Arabian Gulf,
1400 (UTC+3),
March 20, 2003
10 minutes after the Battlegroup Commander's dismissal, everyone had cleared out, leaving Chuck and Sarah behind, alone in the gym. Neither of them had moved an inch, they both wanted to talk to each other, but neither were sure where to begin.
But it wasn't like either of them minded, they were entranced by each other, and had gotten lost in each other's eyes.
Chuck had his trademark full Bartowski grin on, ever since he heard the beautiful agent in front of him complimenting him in her beautiful voice, he couldn't stop himself grinning even if he tried. No-one had witnessed the full Bartowski grin on Chuck for a year, ever since the Jill debacle, the only time Chuck grinned like this since then was when he was flying his Super Hornet, since there was only one seat in his F/A-18E, no-one in the Navy had got the chance to see Chuck's full Bartowski grin, and needless to say, they have missed out.
As charming as Chuck's gentle, warm smile was, it couldn't compare to the full Bartowski grin, and its effect was hitting the blonde agent in full force.
Sarah was almost blinded by the way Chuck was smiling at her, it was beautiful, it made her feel like she was his whole world, and Sarah wanted to see that smile as often as possible. The confidence had exhibited by the blonde agent in front of the Rear Admiral was all gone, the conversation she had planned flew out of the window. Now that she was standing in front of the man she was trying to win over, alone, with the way he was smiling at her, looking at her, Sarah felt self-conscious, giddy and weak at her knees, all at the same time. The man in front of her was doing things to her somehow, as she had just involuntarily revealed the girl underneath the agent facade, the girl she had spent years to bury, and Sarah liked whatever he was doing to her, as for the first time in a long while, she felt like herself again.
It shouldn't be possible, but seeing the vulnerability sipping through the beautiful blonde ninja, Chuck's grin got even wider, threatening to split his face in half. Chuck now knew there was a real girl inside the agent, not that he didn't find the agent extremely beautiful and sexy, but he was attracted to the real girl underneath even more, and he was glad that she liked him enough to reveal that part of her to him.
Passing the 15 minutes mark of just staring at each other, Sarah decided to introduce herself, she couldn't win over someone who didn't even know her name, Sarah decided, if only she knew he was already hers for the taking, the moment she let the real girl sip through. She smiled timidly and extended her, said in a voice Chuck would never get enough of, "Hi, I'm Sarah, Sarah Walker."
Chuck was in shock, he didn't see her extended hand, as he couldn't believe the beautiful blonde just told him her name with without him asking. He involuntarily whispered out in awe, drawing out the last syllable "Sarah."
Sarah blushed at his reaction, she was dancing on the inside, knowing she could elicit such a reaction from Chuck, he was definitely good for her ego, as she managed to gain back enough of her confidence back to smile her full smile, her real full smile back at Chuck.
Sarah probably shouldn't have done that, as Chuck's brain had officially overheated by Sarah's bright, beautiful smile, and not only that, she was giving that smile to him.
Chuck wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought he was, he had noticed, how more women were starting to notice him since he started working out, and he could tell a number of women on the ship, beautiful women at that, wanted to 'devour' him during the port visits. However after Jill's betrayal, he wasn't ready to love again, he had to protect his heart, so Chuck opted to play the oblivious card, as he still wanted to be everyone's friend, including those women who were constantly trying to get closer. Even then, in his wildest imagination, he could never believe a drop dead gorgeous woman, with crazy knife skills, would smile at him like that. But she was standing right in front of him, doing exactly that, and Chuck couldn't deny what was right in front of him, he was so tempted to open his heart and let someone in again, he craved for that to happen.
When his brain finally rebooted, but was still loading up his motor and speech functions, his logic side took over, and started to analyse everything. He didn't want to be alone, he never wanted to be alone, which was partly why he surrounded himself with friends, who were now more like his family. To him, there wasn't much distinction between family and friends anyway, he would give his life for any of them. But since Jill, he had to protect that part of him from being hurt again, until he could heal from that particularly painful betrayal. He wasn't sure he had fully healed yet, in fact, he knew he hadn't, but looking at the perfect woman in front of him, he knew he would kick himself later, if he let this chance to be with her slip away because of his own insecurities, he had to give it a try. It wasn't like they are jumping straight into the deep end anyway, they could take it slow, one step at the time …
Sarah just realised what she did, she didn't know she could have that much power over this man, and she would be lying if she didn't enjoy it somewhat. But she wouldn't abuse her new found power, well not too much. She decided she really liked Chuck's dazed expression when she was the cause of it, but she would also use this power to protect his heart, she couldn't even stand the thought of being responsible for that sad, betrayed expression on Chuck's face earlier. So she smiled back even brighter.
Sarah couldn't remember the last time she was this happy, and it was all because she was standing in the same room, alone, with this man, and they still had not hold a full conversation yet. After some time, she didn't know how long, passed, seeing Chuck still wasn't going to respond, Sarah spoke up again, in a slightly louder voice.
"Lieutenant? … Lieutenant Bartowski?"
Hearing his name spoken by the Goddess herself, Chuck's brain finally managed to regain most of its functions. Realising he had shut down again, Chuck turned bright red.
God, he is so cute when he was embarrassed! Sarah thought, and since when was 'cute' in her vocabulary.
His time in the Navy had taught him how to compose himself, so he regained his usual easy going, confident, and charming self, well, mostly, and said while reaching out to shake Sarah's still extended hand, "Please, call me Chuck, even the sailors only call me by my rank to appease the high ranking officers."
Sarah smiled at this, this is just so him. But she wasn't ready for her own body's reaction when he shook her hand, neither of them were. When they touched for the first time, sparks of electricity travelled down both of their spines, and they both shivered at that. Her small, delicate yet strong hand just felt so right to be in his bigger and calloused one. Sarah tried to cover up her own reaction by replying, "Sure, Chuck!" saying his name almost flirtatiously, she teased, "I didn't think people still named their kids Chuck."
Chuck could tell she was teasing, withdrawing his hand, both instantly missed each other's touch, and put on a faux serious expression. "Well, my parents were sadists." He then smiled to show he was kidding, and decided to say what he had been put off saying since he got back to the ship. He looked down, and blurted out nervously. "Sorry for staring, you know, for when we were on our way back, and just now. I don't know why I did that, except for my brain just seemed to shut down whenever I do look at you …" He was about to carry on when Sarah interrupted.
Sarah didn't know how she could be even more attracted to this man, but she didn't care. She felt giddy hearing she was causing that brilliant brain of his to shut down, but she didn't want to blush more than she already had, so she interrupted him with a smile. "It's Ok, Chuck. I was staring right back at you, wasn't I?" She continued, "Besides, you were only staring at my eyes, it wasn't like your eyes were wondering to where they shouldn't be."
Sarah had noticed Chuck never once looked below her neck, if it were any other man, she wouldn't want them to, but this was Chuck, she actually wanted him to notice her assets, for some reason, she know Chuck would still be respectful, and would never objectify her. Well she got her wish.
Chuck had been forcing himself to keep only looking into Sarah's eyes, ever since she got on to his helicopter, after he had given her a once over to make sure there wasn't any bullet holes on her. Not that he was complaining, since he firmly believed that her eyes were Sarah's most alluring feature. But Chuck was a man after all, especially after over a year of celibacy, with an almost eidetic memory, Chuck could vividly remember how good Sarah looked in her black business suit. Therefore, Chuck wasn't sure he could stop himself from staring if he looked down from her face again, he was a gentleman after all. But, when she mentioned something about 'his eyes wondering', Chuck's eyes did start wondering down, he got a good look her ample chest, her perfect hourglass figure and her mile long legs, hugged snugly by her black business suit jacket and pants, before he managed to stop himself and snapped his eyes back to look at her face.
As Sarah watched his eyes travelling down her body, she felt very different than all the other times men had checked her out. In all those men's eyes, all she could see in their eyes were unrestrained lust and impure thoughts that made her skin crawl; but in Chuck's eyes, sure there was some lust in there, a healthy amount that made Sarah feel wanted, but more prominently, there was endless admiration and awe that made Sarah feel oh-so-special. Sarah decided to have some fun with Chuck and stared back him in mock anger.
When Chuck found Sarah's eyes again, she looked angry, he didn't understand how she could look so sexy while being angry. Then Chuck remembered what happened to those 5 Iraqi soldiers, he visibly cringed at that, this was one dangerous and extremely beautiful, but dangerous nonetheless Avenging Goddess he did not want to cross.
Sarah saw the cringe, and was amused by Chuck's reaction, rightfully so, as she could definitely kick his ass. She continued her fun, raised one eye-brow while maintaining her angered expression. "See something you like, sailor?" She last the last word with a somewhat sultry tone, which Chuck did not notice, as he squirmed even more, much to Sarah's amusement.
"Yes … No … I mean yes. I am sorry, I did not meant to stare, you are an extremely woman and …" Finally, Chuck noticed the mirth in her eyes as Sarah could barely stop herself from laughing. "You are not really angry, are you?" Chuck asked, visibly relaxed as Sarah started laughing, so hard that she started bending over, holding her stomach. "Very funny, Agent Walker." Chuck said sarcastically, but he really wasn't angry at all, he loved the sound of her laughter.
Finally, after a minute, or so, Sarah composed herself, still having a huge smile on her face, God, I haven't laughed like that in… forever. Sarah wondered how this man was able to bring so much joy to her. "Sorry." She offered.
Chuck narrowed his eyes, scrutinized Sarah carefully. "You are not sorry at all, are you?" Chuck asked rhetorically, and pouted.
Seeing his pout, Sarah doubled over again, laughing her heart out. She recovered a little bit quicker than last time, and asked. "Did you just pout, Lieutenant?"
Chuck looked at her sternly, trying to look serious, unsuccessfully. "No, I did not." Sarah just giggled at his expression, to which, Chuck pouted at her again. Which just brought a full laughter from Sarah. Chuck grinned brightly, he was quite proud of himself of being to make this goddess laugh.
Sarah saw his grin and asked with a hint of challenge. "What are you grinning at?"
"Making you laugh." Chuck answered easily, with pride.
Sarah, again, was amazed by this man, no one, not even her father, ever cared enough to make her laugh just for the sake of it, yet here was this man, who was smart enough to take whatever he wanted, and at this moment, all he cared about was making her laugh. Sarah had the urge to push him against the wall, and kiss him until he passes out for that comment, only with her CIA training and her conning experience, did she manage to stop herself, she didn't want to scare Chuck away. Still, she didn't know what to say, she just grinned back at him and looked at the man in front of her with curiosity, awe, and … something else she couldn't describe.
Chuck suddenly remembered he was still in his PT uniform, which was still raking with sweat, he was rather embarrassed, to say the least. "Sorry, Sarah, I must stink, let me take a shower first and get changed …" Then Chuck remembered something else, Sarah was still wearing the same clothes she did this morning, when she got onto his chopper. "Wait, you weren't able to freshen up since you left Baghdad, were you?"
Sarah shook her head no. "And I am guessing you don't have a change of clothes with you?" Sarah shook her head again. "Right, come with me, I will find you something of mine to wear for now, we'll take a shower, then I will see if I can find something more appropriate for you to wear." Seeing Sarah's smirk, Chuck asked. "What?"
"A shower, Lieutenant? We are moving a bit fast, aren't we?" Sarah said with amusement shining through her blue eyes, she didn't even try to look angry, but still had Chuck squirming with embarrassment.
"Showers, plural, a shower each. And you are just messing with me again, aren't you?" Chuck pouted yet again.
Sarah grinned proudly. "Yep, you are so easy. Plus, you look so cute when you ramble." I just want to shut you up by kissing you senseless. Sarah mentally added.
Chuck stood up straighter, trying to look intimidating. "Cute? I am a combat pilot, Agent Walker. Besides, I don't think your colleague, Agent Kane would agree with you." Chuck challenged slightly.
Sarah smiled at that memory of Kane getting his ass owned by Chuck. She then remembered her desire to 'spar' with Chuck, a plan formed in her head. "No, he probably wouldn't. Nice moves by the way." Sarah stepped closer to him, smiled sweetly. "So you think you can take me in a fight?"
Chuck had a feeling this wouldn't end well for him no matter what his answer was. "Sarah?" He drew out her name.
Sarah stepped even closer, close enough to be able to smell each other. They were intoxicated with each other's scent, despite the sweat and Iraq dust covering Chuck and Sarah respectively. Sarah enjoyed the masculine scent on Chuck, while Chuck was loving the vanilla scent sipping out from Sarah. Sarah continued in a saccharine sweet tone. "Don't worry Chuck, I will let you recover first." Sarah's scent and her proximity was sending Chuck to dreamland, he could just about making out what she was saying. "Tomorrow, you and me, let's see if you can take on a real fighter." Sarah started to head out, not giving Chuck a chance to refuse.
When Chuck had finally came out from his Sarah-scent-induced semi-coma, and realised what she just said, he found Sarah already walking towards the Gym's exit, throwing over her shoulder. "Come on Chuck, I am looking forward to that shower you promised." Sarah then winked at him before turning towards the door.
Chuck couldn't help but be flustered by this beautiful blonde. She is going to be the death of me one day. He mused, and followed Sarah out. They walked towards Chuck's berthing area in comfortable silence, both of them were thinking of the same thing. They couldn't believe how easy and fun it was to be around each other, and they both wanted to explore whatever this was further.
USS Abraham Lincoln,
Arabian Gulf,
1445 (UTC+3),
March 20, 2003
LT McGarrett and LT Granger were sitting outside the RADM Marcus Wainwright's office, with Agent Kane in tow. Seeing it was exactly an hour ago on the dot since the Rear Admiral requested the meeting, LT McGarrett knocked on the door and reported. "Lieutenant Granger and Lieutenant McGarrett, reporting as ordered, Sir."
"Come in, Lieutenants." Answered the Rear Admiral, "And bring Agent Kane in with you."
"Yes, Sir."
All three them went into the office, LT Granger first, then Agent Kane with LT McGarrett following at the end. Agent Kane wasn't too worried, he wasn't part of the Navy, and they had no authority over him. So he walked into the Rear Admiral's office with a smug look on his face, which was wiped off the moment he saw the Senator as well as Captain Cardwell in the office.
The Lieutenants saluted their superior officers and were asked to take a seat, while Agent Kane were ordered to step forward.
RADM Wainwright steeled his voice and said. "Agent Kane, do you realise the trouble you are in?"
Agent Kane protested, vainly. "Sir, Bartowski started it. Besides, I am not in the Navy, Sir." Kane said 'Sir' sarcastically, and finished off smugly. "You have no authority over me."
RADM Wainwright slammed his hands on the table and shot up, staring down right into Kane's eyes. The older man was surprisingly tall, although he could no longer fill out his uniform like he did during his youth, RADM Wainwright still kept himself extremely fit, he wouldn't feel right to wear his SEAL Trident, let alone going to command all those brave souls who earned their place in the Special Warfare Command, if he didn't keep fit himself. Steve and Nicola nearly jumped at the Rear Admiral's reaction, and Agent Kane took a visible step back, realising he might be in seriously trouble, too little, too late. RADM Wainwright raised voice and said. "It's Lieutenant, Junior Grade, soon to be Lieutenant Bartowski. Show some respect, Agent Kane. And what are we, this is not pre-school, and you do not get to play 'who started what' game. Senator Davidson, Captain Cardwell and I were all present in the mess, we all saw what happened. If it wasn't for Lieutenant Bartowski, the sailors would have thrown you overboard, and I wouldn't have stopped them."
RADM Wainwright took a breath and sat down again. He continued with a cold voice. "I have spoken to the Director of the Secret Service, we crossed path before during Vietnam War, he was appalled by your actions and promised me, you would be disciplined severely. Bill, he is all yours."
Senator William Davidson carried on. "Thanks Marcus, Agent. Have you read my background when you were assigned to lead my protective detail?"
Agent Kane nodded, of course, he had assigned the task to one of his men, he barely glanced at the Senator's file.
"Then you should have known, I served in the Navy." Seeing Kane's blank expression, Senator Davidson knew this was new to him, but didn't let him to respond, and carried on. "In fact, I served with Captain Cardwell here, before I got injured, and was medically discharged. I was here when Rear Admiral Wainwright called your director, and I assure you, he didn't sound happy." The Senator paused to let his words sink in before he continued. "I have decided to stay on the ship for a while, Agent Walker and Agent Smith will stay with me, you and the three other agents will be on the next available flight to a nearby friendly country, and you will make your own way back to Washington. Dismissed. And don't cause any more trouble than you already have, Agent Kane."
Kane left the office in rage, he could not believe he was the one getting punished while the flyboy was going to get a promotion. He didn't even acknowledge the Senator before he slammed the door of the Battlegroup Commander's office.
The Senator suggested to the rest of the room, "I think I should ask those three agents to restrain Agent Kane."
Both RADM Wainwright and Captain Cardwell chuckled at that remark.
Sitting at the back, Steve and Nicola were both thinking of the same thing, I should have brought popcorn.
RADM Wainwright had calmed down, he softened his tone and addressed the two Lieutenants in his office. "Lieutenants, hope you had enjoyed the show."
Neither knew how they should answer that, so they both chorused, "Yes, Sir."
"Good, now that was quite a display by Lieutenant Bartowski, wasn't it. I am guessing you were responsible for teaching him how to fight like that, Lieutenant McGarrett?"
LT McGarrett sat up to attention and replied respectfully. "Sir, I couldn't take all the credit, all the men under my command helped. And even before that, Lieutenant Bartowski was already skilled in several fighting styles."
This was new to the Rear Admiral, so he decided to find out more about the young officer. "I have been watching the young Lieutenant for a while, I think he had shown great potential. Captain Cardwell told me, you two are his closest friends on the ship, can you tell me more about Lieutenant Bartowski, about personal things I couldn't find out by reading his file." Seeing the young officers' worried expression, he quickly added. "Please be assured that I have Lieutenant Bartowski's best interests in mind, I wasn't lying when I told Kane, Lieutenant Bartowski is going to be promoted soon. I just wanted to learn how we may help Lieutenant Bartowski further."
Both Lieutenants nodded, and LT McGarrett started. "Lieutenant Bartowski is the smartest, bravest and most selfless man I have ever met, there is no doubt about it. He is driven, not by his career progression, but by his need to help others, as well as his curiosity. Sir."
LT Granger continued. "I agree with Lieutenant McGarrett. And despite his superior intelligence and his ability to do seemingly everything, Lieutenant Bartowski is humble, he respects others and encourages everyone around him. I really think he brings the best out of the people around him. Sir."
The three older men listened attentively, this was nothing new to them, they all wanted to learn more about the personal aspects of the young Lieutenant, especially about the way he was looking at the blonde Secret Service agent, as well as where is the next step for Chuck's Navy career, of course.
The Senator gently nudged. "What can you tell us about his family, girlfriend, wife?"
LT Granger said sadly, "I only know what I heard from the rumours, all I can tell you from my perspective is, there is a sadness somewhere in Lieutenant Bartowski, he don't often show it, but when you watched him carefully, you could occasionally see a sadness and betrayal in his eyes. Perhaps Lieutenant McGarrett could tell you more about this. He did talk to me often about his sister Ellie though, actually he said numerous times that I reminded him of her. I could tell that he and his sister are very close. I don't know what else to tell you, Sir."
LT McGarrett was somewhat uncomfortable, being a SEAL Platoon Leader did mean he wasn't as good at expressing his emotions, but Chuck had always managed to get him to break through his own tough exterior. He took a deep breath and explained. "His sister Ellie and his friend Morgan were the only constants in his life. Lieutenant Bartowski is also very close to his college best friend, Bryce, I think his name was, who should still be in college, and Ellie's boyfriend, I forgot what his name was. Others close to him before he joined Navy had all let him down somehow. His parents abandoned him at a young age, Ellie raised him, and I think that is why they are so close. His girlfriend at college, Jill, broke up with him, and attempted to convince him she was cheating with his best friend Bryce, the day Lieutenant Bartowski was going to propose." LT McGarrett sighed heavily and continued. "Sir, one could say Lieutenant Bartowski was broken from the inside, I can't say I disagree from that statement, but I also have to add, broken or not, Lieutenant Bartowski had never let his personal life affect him professionally, he is still caring and driven, and always tries to help others without being asked, he is a great leader, and an even better friend. Sir."
These information was new to LT Granger, she never knew how tough Chuck's life was, and she could not believe how someone experienced all those things could still be as cheerful, as caring as Chuck was. LT Granger blinked to push the tear in her eyes back and asked no one in particular. "What kind of parents would abandon a child like Chuck?"
RADM Wainwright took this all in, reading it in the file was one thing, hearing all the bad things happened to the young officer was another, he steeled his determination to be more involved with LT Bartowski's life, and to be as helpful as he could. "Lieutenant Bartowski is an extraordinary and resilient young man, isn't he? Lieutenant McGarrett, I will be assigned to command the Naval Special Warfare Command after this tour, what's your opinion of recruiting Lieutenant Bartowski into our ranks?"
LT McGarrett answered. "I think that is a great idea, Sir. I was already planning to speak to Commander White about this, Sir."
"Good, Lieutenant, you should still do that, and I will work it on my end when the time comes. Now that is settled, let's talk about Agent Walker."
LT Granger immediately reacted to this, she really wanted to know what was going on in the three older men's heads. She asked, trying to keep as neutral as possible, "What about Agent Walker?"
Senator Davidson chuckled at this. "Relax Lieutenant, and don't play coy with me, I think we have all seen how Lieutenant Bartowski and Agent Walker were looking at each other. Although your Commanding Officers here and I usually do not play matchmakers, but I think Lieutenant Bartowski deserves all the support he could get. Why do you think I requested to stay on the ship, I missed the Navy life, but not that much."
Both LT Granger and McGarrett let out a breathe they didn't know they were holder, and smiled.
Captain Cardwell added his two cents. "Both Rear Admiral Wainwright and I are supporting this idea to have Agent Walker stay here a while longer, as long as those two can stay professional in front of others, and keep it in their pants while they are on my ship."
LT McGarrett nodded in agreement with the idea while LT Granger was over the moon. "Brilliant, Sir. I would hug you, but I don't think that would be appropriate, would it, Sir?"
Captain Cardwell smiled warmly, "No, it wouldn't, Lieutenant." He switched back to his professional mask again and dismissed LT Granger and McGarrett, but not before the Rear Admiral telling them. "This conversation never happened, Lieutenants."
A/N: I know eidetic memory wasn't proven to exist, but given the way Intersect was encoded to someone's brain, I don't think it's that far of a stretch if Chuck had eidetic memory.
I know things are moving much faster in this story when it comes to Sarah and Chuck, I hope you don't mind.
Review response: I think I had answered most of the questions and suggestions in private messages. But I just want to say this again, thank you all for reading and reviewing my story.
As for the mushy bits, this is a story of romatic genre, thus mushy things are inevitable, plus that is kind of how I write. However these two or three Chapters were or are going to be extra touchy feely, since I want to get across how Chuck and Sarah are feeling towards each other and how are they able to lower down their respective barriers so fast. When I go back to missions, the pace will pick up again. Hope this satisfy some of the readers.
Thank you again, and hope you enjoyed this chapter.