Chapter 79: Acknowledging Others' Excellence Is Also Excellence
"..."
Gideon looked up at Chuck's imposing frame and strong jawline, thinking of Chuck's record of perfect marksmanship and easily taking down multiple opponents single-handedly. Then, listening to Chuck solemnly talk about how he was still a baby just learning to walk, his mind wandered for a moment.
What would a normal baby look like?
It took him a while to refocus, banishing the absurd image of baby Chuck from his mind. He muttered to himself, "Your 'just learning to walk with support' is like calling Neil Armstrong's moon landing 'one small step'..."
But at this point, Gideon couldn't help but admit that Chuck's argument about how it was inappropriate for people like him and Reid to rashly express romantic feelings wasn't entirely without merit.
Relationships require development.
Acting impulsively without any experience often ends in failure.
While ordinary people might just brush it off, for someone as intense and emotional as Reid, this would likely leave a wound that would never heal—assuming he could even recover from it.
Besides, the nature of their work meant that developing feelings for someone was indeed somewhat dangerous for Reid.
Gideon sighed inwardly.
Reid's abilities were invaluable to the BAU, but whether he could remain in the BAU while maintaining the possibility of a normal relationship was his own challenge, and Gideon couldn't interfere much.
After all, none of the BAU veterans had normal family lives.
A stable, loving family was a luxury for them.
"...Chuck, you're still just a baby?"
Reid was still stunned by Chuck's bizarre metaphor.
Seven! Seven relationships! And you're still just a baby?
"Of course,"
Chuck nodded seriously.
He was telling the truth. With their unstable psychological profiles, they had to be extremely cautious about anything that could affect their mental state.
For someone like them, with severe obsessive tendencies who valued stability, liking someone would almost certainly mean falling in love. Their love would be all-consuming, completely different from Joey's casual, no-strings-attached approach.
But most people have a casual attitude toward love: they might say they love someone today, then claim they don't tomorrow. It's unpredictable.
Furthermore, in the dangerous world they inhabited, terrible things could happen at any moment.
Under such circumstances, how could people like them rashly talk about love?
Too much intelligence can be harmful, and intense love rarely lasts!
The lessons were clear: this world was already dangerous enough, and for everyone's sake, Chuck felt it was best to be more cautious.
"Then when will I be ready?"
Reid was at a loss.
Chuck thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Sometime in this lifetime."
Reid fell silent.
Even Chuck had an uncertain timeline, so what about him?
"If I'm free tomorrow night, I'll show you how it's done."
Chuck noticed Reid's dejection and looked at him while holding his chess piece.
"Is that appropriate?"
Reid was tempted.
He was curious about how Chuck, a fellow intellectual, interacted with women and wanted to learn from his approach.
"It's just observation and practice. There's nothing inappropriate about it,"
Chuck said calmly after placing his chess piece.
Late that night.
BAU Unit Chief Hotchner and FBI New York Director Kate walked in, chatting amicably. Seeing Chuck and the other two still there, they couldn't help but ask in surprise, "You haven't been playing this whole time, have you?"
"Yes."
Reid looked up from the chessboard and said happily, "Chuck and Gideon's match was fascinating."
"Aren't you hungry?"
Director Kate was speechless.
"I didn't notice before."
Reid paused, then felt a pang of hunger.
"Let's call it here for tonight. Can we continue tomorrow?"
Gideon glanced at the chessboard and looked up at Chuck.
"Absolutely."
Chuck agreed.
Gideon was the third opponent he had encountered who presented a real challenge, and he looked forward to continuing.
Patience produces excellence.
Only games without time constraints could truly showcase a person's strategic and mental abilities. During this process, casual observations could resolve uncertainties, and the sparks of intellect and inspiration were the most beautiful moments.
The next day.
"Baby girl..."
In an office containing only the six BAU team members plus Chuck and Director Kate, Morgan received a call from Garcia, their technical analyst back at headquarters. As soon as he spoke, he attracted everyone's attention. Noticing the stares from those around him, Morgan realized this wasn't private like their usual calls. Now that veteran Gideon had returned to the BAU, and there were outsiders like Chuck and Director Kate present, he quickly changed his tone: "Garcia, I'm putting you on speaker, everyone's here. Tell us what you found."
"Okay, Unit Chief Gideon asked me to monitor Agent Damon Garrett earlier."
On the other end of the phone, Garcia, who was back at FBI headquarters in Quantico, sat in her tech cave surrounded by multiple computer screens. She was swiveling in her office chair and playing with a pen. After realizing there were others listening, including the rather old-school Unit Chief Gideon, she straightened up, dropped the playful tone she always used with Morgan, and got down to business.
"Wait, Gideon had you monitor Agent Garrett?"
Morgan interrupted with a frown. "Wasn't he one of those 14 we cleared?"
He looked at Chuck. "You said he was clean."
"I did,"
Chuck nodded.
"...So you were just fishing."
Morgan paused, glancing around. "Did you all know about this?"
"Dr. Wolfe filled me in,"
Gideon explained. "This is likely connected to a corrupt law enforcement network. It's a massive organization that spans from coast to coast and even reaches into the FBI. So the fewer people who know about it, the better."
Morgan looked at the actual supervisor, Hotchner, with some frustration. "You knew about this?"
In his mind, Gideon was a legendary veteran who had founded the BAU. But after all, he had just transferred back, and the young and capable Hotchner should be the one calling the shots in the BAU.
"I didn't know,"
Unit Chief Hotchner shook his head. "But Gideon is right. The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better."
Morgan turned away, a frustrated but resigned smile on his face.
Here we go again!
Unit Chief Hotchner had not only personally requested Gideon's return from his teaching position, but also deliberately stepped back. Whenever Gideon was present, everyone deferred to him, as if Gideon were the real supervisor of the BAU.
He understood that Hotchner used to work under Gideon, but times had changed. If he were Unit Chief, he would never do this.
"Garcia, continue."
Unit Chief Hotchner glanced at Morgan, then returned his attention to the speakerphone on the conference table, speaking calmly.
In his view, Morgan was still too immature.
Acknowledging that others are better than you is a form of leadership in itself.
(End of Chapter)
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