A/N: I suppose the President of the United States knows about the ownership of Chuck?
A/N2: You know how big, cool stuff is supposed to happen in chapters with big, round numbers, like 150? (Chuck and Sarah got engaged in chapter 100, for example.) Well, I couldn't figure out how to do that without putting in two chapters of bullshit filler. So, can everyone just please pretend that this is chapter 150? Thanks, guys.
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Sarah held Chuck's hand as she watched the Virginia countryside pass under the plane.
When she'd seen enough of the green fields below, she diverted herself by looking at the rest of the passengers in the cabin. Casey, Ellie, Devon, Morgan and Amy. Morgan and Devon, like her Chuck, were in suits and ties. Ellie and Amy, like her, were in nice business dresses. Casey, though, looked great in his dress blue Marine Corps uniform, a rack of ribbons and assorted badges on his left breast, his white 'cover' (which she learned is Marine-Corps-speak for a 'hat') on the floor next to his seat. Beckman had specifically told him to wear the uniform.
Morgan was glued to the window on the approach, as he had been much of the way across the country, thrilled by the excitement of the flight in the small jet.
The Citation X landed at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and taxied to an out of the way hangar. They were met by unsmiling polite men in dark suits and sunglasses who quickly loaded their minimal luggage into the backs of two limos.
Amy, Sarah, Casey and Chuck got into one limo, Devon, Ellie and Morgan into the other one.
They didn't know the destination, but assumed either Langley or Fort Meade. If they were taken through the southern bit of DC and out onto I-295 north, they would be going to Fort Meade and the NSA. On the other hand, if they stayed on the airport side of the river, the right bank, they would be going to Langley and CIA headquarters.
They were expecting some kind of attaboy and a pat on the back from the bosses for the satellite mission. Fitz and the guys were due for one as well, but their ceremony would be in Los Angeles with their families. Graham had indicated that he'd be out west in the next few days to speak with them.
The two limos turned right to cross the river. Sarah murmured, "Fort Meade."
"Yeah," said Casey, nodding.
But the two cars took Exit 3 off the bridge and began to head north on 12th Street. The passengers looked around at each other in surprise. This was not the way to Fort Meade. Left on Constitution Avenue and right on 15th Street. The cars slowed at E Street. Chuck, Sarah, Amy and Casey watched silently, a little stunned, as the uniformed Secret Service officer came out from the gatehouse and spoke to the driver. He went back inside and raised the gate. They drove onto the grounds of the White House.
Moments later they pulled up at the south portico of the building. They were completely silent, staring back and forth at each other with somewhat wide eyes. The drivers got out and opened the doors to the two cars.
The Director of National Intelligence, John Malone, was waiting for them. Before he could greet them, they heard an ebullient baritone declare that this was awesome, followed almost immediately by a happy squeal from Ellie.
Malone smiled at them. They had never met in person and greetings, introductions, and handshakes were exchanged all around.
To Ellie he said, "Dr. Bartowski, a pleasure to meet you. I understand the work you are doing on the Intersect Project is having a significant impact."
"Thank you, Sir. Happy to help. It's interesting research."
"Please. Won't you all come with me?"
A uniformed Marine was at the door. He saluted Casey, who returned the salute as he entered the building.
They followed Malone through the building, taking in the experience as they went. It was a beautiful and immaculately maintained old building. The floors shined to a mirror polish. The paintings on the wall telling stories of American history. They stepped outside to follow the West Colonnade and back into the building again near the Cabinet Room, Casey exchanging salutes with another Marine at the door. They arrived at a small antechamber with a woman sitting at a desk. Waiting for them were Langston Graham and General Diane Beckman, both of whom rose to greet them warmly, smiling at the stunned expressions on the travelers.
Malone said to the woman at the desk, "Is he ready for us?"
"Yes, Director. Go on in."
Malone gave a brief knock and opened the door to the Oval Office. The President of the United States got up from the Resolute Desk and made his way to the group with a huge grin.
"There they are. Boy oh boy, have I been looking forward to meeting you." He reached for them to shake hands. "Charles Carmichael, or do you prefer Chuck Bartowski?"
"Well, Chuck is just fine, Sir."
"Ok, then. Chuck it is. Good to meet you, Chuck. Welcome to the Oval Office."
"Thank you, Sir. I'm delighted to be here."
"Agent Sarah Walker, how do you do?"
"Just great, Sir. Thank you. A little surprised to find myself here. Director Malone didn't tell us where we were going."
"Yeah. He and I cooked that up together. Thought we'd get a kick out of surprising all of you. And that's just the first of a few surprises. At least I hope so." He looked back and forth between them with his trademark smile and said, "John tells me you're getting married in December. Congratulations and good luck. I know it's a bit early, but Laura and I got you a little something. A wedding gift." He indicated a box on a side table wrapped in silver and white paper.
"Oh, my God, Sir. That's wonderful. Thank you so much," Sarah said, truly surprised and touched.
"Well, I hope you like it. If you do, I picked it out. If you don't, Laura picked it," he laughed slightly at his own joke.
"I'm sure we will treasure it, Sir. It's not like it's going to get lost in the wedding gifts from other presidents," said Chuck.
The President turned to Amy, "Agent Turner. Good to meet you too. Sorry you missed the party in Bakersfield."
"Yes, Mr. President. Me too. I think I've decided not to leave them alone ever again for any reason. I've already booked a room next door to them on their honeymoon," she said with a grin.
He started to chuckle, "Now that's a … close... friend."
The President turned to Ellie and Devon, "Doctors Bartowski and Woodcomb. Pleased to meet you both. Dr. Bartowski, John here tells me that your work on the Intersect Project is top notch. I guess genius runs in the family."
"Thank you, Sir. Hardly genius, but it's interesting work."
"And Doctor Woodcomb, you be sure to say hello to Honey and Woody for me, huh? I saw them at the last fundraiser we had out your way. Good people. Great family."
"Thank you, Sir. They'll be delighted to hear that."
"Morgan Grimes, right?"
"Ummm...yes, Sir," said Morgan, shaking the President's hand and looking a bit nervous.
"Aw, now don't be nervous, Morgan," he said with a grin.
"It's just that I can't believe that I'm really in the Oval Office," said Morgan honestly.
"You know, Morgan, that's funny. That's exactly what my old friends say about me. They can't believe I'm here either." He and Morgan shared a laugh and Morgan noticeably relaxed.
He turned from Morgan and said, "And finally, Colonel Casey." He extended his hand.
As the two men shook hands Casey said, "Actually, Sir, I'm a major."
While still shaking Casey's hand, the President turned to General Beckman and said, "I know the press makes me out to be a little slow on the uptake, but even I can tell the difference between gold oak leaves and silver eagles." Turning back to Casey, still gripping his hand, he looked him in the eye and said, all trace of humor gone from his voice, "You're a colonel now, John."
Letting go of Casey's hand, he went to his desk and picked up a small box. He took out the silver eagle insignia of a full colonel and reached up to Casey's shoulder epaulettes. One at a time the President of the United States removed the insignia of a major and replaced it with the insignia of a colonel. Casey's eyes got a little shiny, but he was holding it together, almost standing at attention. Beckman looked as proud as a peacock, grinning from ear to ear. They were all happy for their friend. The President dropped the old insignia into the box the silver eagles had come in and put it down on a table.
Once done, the President took Casey's hand again and said, "Congratulations, Colonel. You will never spend a single day as a Lieutenant Colonel. You've jumped a full rank."
"Thank you, Sir," he said.
The President leaned forward and said, a little more quietly, "I wanted to make you a General, but that would make you the same rank as General Beckman and, frankly, that woman scares me."
Everyone chuckled, even Beckman.
The President turned to Chuck and Sarah and said, "Actually, you both jumped a rank as well. Both of your GS levels have gone up by two, with salary and benefits commensurate. You don't have fancy insignia, so you don't get to show it off, though."
"Thank you, Sir," they both said.
"We're not done yet." He walked to his desk and picked up a piece of paper and began to read aloud. "On June 4, 2008, Charles Irving Bartowski, Sarah Walker and John Casey entered a building in Bakersfield, California. At the time, the building was occupied by seventeen enemy personnel and thirty-two civilian hostages. While involved in multiple gunfights, the team worked to regain control of a satellite which, in the hands of the enemy, was a direct nuclear threat to the City of Los Angeles. Using extraordinary intelligence and imagination, and notwithstanding that all three of the team were wounded in a grenade attack, they successfully accomplished their mission and rendered the satellite safe. Accordingly, by virtue of my power and authority, I, President George W. Bush, do hereby award to each of them the National Intelligence Cross."
Casey and Sarah gasped out loud when the name of the award was announced. This was the highest award that an intelligence officer could receive. This was the biggest deal. Sarah covered her open mouth with her hand in her shock and surprise.
Both Beckman and Graham had tears in their eyes as the President read the citation. Amy was outright crying and leaned over to whisper to the others just how important this particular decoration was.
Ellie was thrilled for, and proud of, her baby brother, her best friend, and her dear friend Casey, even as she was horrified by the description of the actions all three of them had performed to earn the award.
The President took three boxes from his desk and handed one each to Malone, Graham and Beckman. Malone went to Chuck and pinned the medal to his jacket, as Beckman did the same to Casey and Graham to Sarah's dress. Handshakes and congratulations were exchanged all around, although Graham eschewed that for a tight parental hug, whispering, "I'm so proud of you, Sarah." He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. They all thanked the President, Sarah wiping away a stray tear of happiness with the back of her hand.
The ceremonial part of the visit behind them, the President invited all of them to sit. There was a coffee service set out on the table at their knees.
"Now the truth is, I could have given you the same award for any number of successful missions your team has handled. The Serb bomber at Union Station. Lon Kirk, a real bastard who fooled us all. Hell, you guys just stopped a bombing in Miami on a party boat. Not to mention all the good you've done against Fulcrum. It goes on and on. Fascinating reading. Thank you for your service to the country."
"Thank you, Sir," they responded.
"Hell, Chuck, that first one. The Union Station thing? You weren't even … I don't know...a spy yet. You were just a civilian volunteer."
"Yes, Sir, but with the Intersect in my head."
Casey said, "That had nothing to do with you stopping Andric's bomb. Nothing. That was all you, Bartowski. The Intersect had nothing to do with it." Which earned him smiles of thanks from Sarah and Ellie.
The President said to Chuck, "So you've got that thing in your head, huh, Chuck? And not a volunteer for it either."
"Yes, Sir," Chuck replied.
"How is it?"
Chuck looked a little uncomfortable and sipped his coffee. "Well, I'm kind of getting used to it, I guess."
"I knew a fella back in Texas lost a finger. He used to say the same thing. Not a ringing endorsement, son. Do you want it out?"
"Yes, Sir, I do. Being the only one with the entire download is...well it's a dangerous position to be in...not just for me, but for my family."
"Yeah, I guess it would be. All those Fulcrum assholes gunning for you. Ready to use threats to your family against you if they found out. It's a raw deal, Chuck. A raw deal. I'm sorry. We have to figure out how to get that thing out."
"Yes, Sir. My sister is working on it," he said.
The President turned to her. "Anything I can do to help, Dr. Bartowski? Resource allocation? Priority? Anything like that?"
"No, Sir. I think I have everything I need. Thank you. I'd love to talk to the original developer, but he's not around anymore, so you can't help us with that," she said with a shrug.
"Who's that?" asked the President.
"The man went by the code name Orion. He's dropped off the grid some time ago."
The President turned to Graham and Beckman. "Can we track this guy down?"
"We've been trying, Sir. So far, no joy. For whatever reason, he doesn't want to be found," said Graham. "And he seems to be pretty good at hiding from us."
"Well, let's keep at it. I want to get this thing out of Chuck's head. Guy didn't even volunteer for it, for God's sake. That jackwad Larkin did it to him all on his own."
Casey let out a small snort of laughter and Sarah started laughing outright and said, "Jackwad. I couldn't have put it better myself, Sir." The President smirked at her laughter, pleased with himself. She thought to herself with glee of Bryce's reaction when she told him that the President of the United States had called him a jackwad. She had to stifle a giggle. That was going to be fun.
Ellie said seriously, "You got that right."
The President turned to Chuck and said, "Speaking of things inside your head, son, how did you figure out the TV thing in Bakersfield? One of John's senior tech guys was totally blown away. He thought you were doing some tech version of magic. Somehow you knew exactly what you needed to do even though that TV was new to the market. How'd you know?"
Chuck started to laugh. "If you've read my file you know that I used to work at the Buy More." The President nodded. "Well, Sir, when this TV first came up for sale, two of the men I worked with at the store...well, let's just say they weren't very good workers."
Sarah snorted and Amy said, "Actually, Sir, they are just barely housebroken."
"Oh my God, I can't believe you're telling this story to the President," said Morgan, with his palm over his face, shaking his head.
"Oh, come on, Morgan. I like a good story, just like anyone else," the President said, with a smile, giving him a light poke on the arm.
"Anyway, they are generally worthless, but they are terrific coders. They knew the TV had a CPU and they thought it would be funny to reprogram it to run nothing but Pornhub. No matter what you tried to watch on the TV it would end up as porn."
Everyone was laughing and shaking their heads. "That's horrible," said the President, still laughing. "Funny, but horrible. Wait til I tell Dick. He's going to love it."
"Oh, I know. What if a family with kids bought the TV or something? The Buy More would be sued for...well, a lot of money. And these two guys...well, they'd lose their jobs. So, I went into the TV and fixed the programming back to what it had been out of the box."
"You saved their jobs," said the President.
"Yeah, I guess I pretty much did," said Chuck, with a shrug of modesty.
"Better than they deserved," growled Casey.
"Why'd you do it? Why not just let them suffer the consequences of poor decision making?" asked the President.
"Well...I..." Chuck paused, not too sure how to answer.
Casey said, with a glimmer of humor in his eyes, "Because he's a moron."
Chuck looked at his friend with feigned hurt, saying, "You're always so mean to me. And in front of the President no less."
Sarah, laughing, said, "Ignore them, Mr. President. They actually love each other."
The president laughed along at the by-play.
"Actually, it's because he's good, Mr. President. He looks out for people," said Casey. "Even tools like those guys who didn't deserve it."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you do. I'm glad all three of you do." He turned to Sarah and Casey and gestured, emphasizing that he was addressing them. "On another note, I know that some of the missions you've both done over the years have been...difficult. Termination orders are hard to authorize, but even harder to carry out. All I have to do is sign my name, but you both have had the task of carrying those orders out. Thank you both. Please let me assure you that it is not a responsibility I take lightly. Every one of those missions was necessary to protect American lives. Every single one. And I thank you both for your participation. I was not called upon to sign off on all of them, but I remember each of the ones I did. We appreciate what you've done for us. Thank you both."
"It's my duty, Mr. President," said Casey.
"I understand, Colonel. I do. But sometimes it's easier to perform your duties than at other times. We live in extraordinary times. But having people like you three to help us deal with our challenges...that's the America I know."
"Thank you for saying that, Sir. We do appreciate it," said Sarah.
They had been with the President for almost a half an hour when he said, "I hate to break this off, but I've got to be in the Blue Room shortly. You've got a wonderful tribe here," he gestured at the men and women in the room. "...and I'm delighted to have been able to visit with you."
The President stood up and went to his desk, pushing a button and asking for the photographer to be sent in.
As the man was entering, Malone said, "Sorry, guys. I'm going to have to take the medals back. Secret awards and all that. They will be kept in the vaults at Langley, Fort Meade and my office at ODNI with your names on them. It's the nature of the business that only you know of the gratitude of the nation. You and your family."
"We understand," said Sarah, handing over the medal with a smile. "Thank you again."
The photographer took a number of pictures of them in various combinations with the President. When it was over, Morgan asked, "Say, Mr. President, can I get a selfie with mine?" Which led to a few selfies with Morgan and the President with their heads together mugging for Morgan's camera. Morgan was thrilled.
As they were leaving the Oval Office, carrying their first wedding present, the President put a hand on Chuck's arm and said, "Now, listen to me, guys. If you need anything, you give me a call. Ok? You're good people. I mean it. Don't forget."
"Thank you, Sir. We won't forget."
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It was a beautiful sunny day and they had decided to take a walk around DC after their meeting with the President. Their luggage and the wedding gift would be delivered to their hotel rooms. That evening, Anna and Langston Graham were hosting a small dinner in their honor at a Georgetown steakhouse with a large private room. Kevin and Mickey Graham would be there, as well as Karen Graham with her latest boyfriend (limiting the conversation to non-secret topics).
Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Ellie, Devon, Morgan and Amy stood with their backs to the Lincoln Memorial and gazed at the reflection of the Washington Monument in the water of the Reflecting Pool. Chuck took a few coins from his pocket tossed them into the water.
Sarah put her arm around his waist, smiled at him with shining eyes and love and happiness and said, "You going to make a wish?"
He smiled back at her putting his arm over her shoulder, pulling her even tighter to his side. He laid his other hand on Casey's shoulder and turned back to look at the Monument.
After a few moments of contemplation, he said with a happy smile and his brown eyes twinkling, "Naw, I'm good."
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A/N3: Actually, the National Intelligence Cross was not established until a few months after this chapter takes place (October 2008), but I wasn't going to let that little anachronism stop my friends from receiving it.
A/N4: On September 11, 2021, former President George W. Bush gave a very moving speech. At a point in the speech, he called out some of the more compassionate and heroic ways the country came together after the horrific events of twenty years earlier. The refrain for his recitation of those aspects of the country's response was "...that's the America I know."
A/N5: What do you guys think Chuck wished for at the end of Tom Sawyer? I think I know. My Chuck? Naw, he's good. In this one, what do you guys think of the visit to the Oval Office? Love to hear from you. And just a heads-up, the ramifications of the terrorist attack in Bakersfield will come back in the next arc. Perhaps Team B is sent after a "terrorist-for-hire" outfit with a base of operations in Brazil. And they get some help from a couple of old friends.